We are Orthodox Christian Greeks.
Because we are Orthodox Christians, we love our country, our people and all the peoples of the earth; this of course includes our African brothers and sisters.
The 5th Sunday of the Great Lent is the Sunday of the commemoration of St. #Mary of #Egypt.
Kontakion of Sun. of St. Mary of Egypt (Third Tone)
Who once was filled with every carnal sin has become today, through repentance, the bride of Christ. She desired the company of angels. She trampled upon demons with the Cross as her weapon. This is why, O Glorious Mary, you became a Bride of the Kingdom.
A blessed Sunday to you’ll and through the intercession of Saint Mary of Egypt, may be strengthened to clearly observe the remaining days of the Great Lent. Amen
Pictures from the procession with the icon of St. Mary of Egypt from St Antonios Church to the Holy Monastery of Mary of Egypt. This was immediately after the Divine Liturgy commemorating the feast and it involved all the Nuns and their Abbesses from the there Convents including Abbess Thavoria and the Nuns of St. Catherine Monastry in Kiyindi and Abbess Gabriera from All Saints Monastry in Bwetyaba and Abbess Maria (the host) from the feasting Monastery. All Glory belongs to God.
By
a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for
God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you
illumined the whole universe! / Our Father Pachomius pray to Christ God
to save our souls!
Saint Isidore lived during the reign of Emperor Decius (249-251)
and came from Alexandria in Egypt. He was an officer in the Roman Navy
when the fleet commanded by Admiral Numerius chanced to be anchored off
the Greek island of Chios. There Christianity was not persecuted, and
perhaps Saint Isidore was not as cautious as he should have been.
Somehow, the centurion Julius discovered that Isidore was a Christian,
and denounced him to Admiral Numerius.
The Admiral summoned him
in order to determine whether or not the allegation was true. Saint
Isidore admitted that he was indeed a Christian, and refused to offer
sacrifice to inanimate idols. Numerius urged him to obey the Emperor's
decree to offer sacrifice so that he would not be subjected to torture.
Saint Isidore replied, "You may be able to kill my body, but you have no
power over my soul. The true, living God, Jesus Christ, abides in me;
even after my death He shall be with me, and I with Him. I shall abide
in Him, and I shall never cease to confess Him while breath still
remains in my body."
Saint Isidore was led away to be tortured.
In the midst of his suffering, he praised Christ God and mocked the
pagan idols. Since Saint Isidore still refused to offer the prescribed
sacrifice, he was thrown into prison.
When the Saint's father
heard about this, he went to Chios to convince Isidore to deny Christ.
He was able to persuade Numerius to place Isidore in his custody, saying
that he would try to convert him. The Saint, however, begged his father
to open the eyes of his soul and to learn the truth about Christ. His
father was most displeased by these words, and he could not accept that
his son chose to believe in Christ rather than follow the idolatry of
his ancestors. Seeing that Saint Isidore would not change his mind, he
disowned him and sent him back to Admiral Numerius, asking him to
execute his son right away.
First, the Admiral ordered Isidore to
be beaten with whips, and then dragged along over rocky ground. After
that, his tongue was cut out. Even without his tongue, Saint Isidore was
still able to speak, by the grace of God, and he continued to confess
Christ. Meanwhile, God punished Numerius by causing him to loose the
power of speech. Finally, the Admiral gave the signal to behead Isidore.
When he heard the sentence the holy martyr was overjoyed. Praising God,
he was led to the place of execution, where he was beheaded.
After the Saint's martyrdom his body was thrown into a well to be
devoured by animals, but two Christians, Saints Ammonios (September 4)
and Myrope ([or Merope] December 2) secretly took his body, and buried it in a
secret place, with all due honor. The evil Numerius heard that the
martyr's body had been stolen and wanted to kill the two guards who had
been ordered to prevent the body from being taken. Learning that
innocent men would suffer for her good deed, Saint Myrope appeared
before the authorities and acknowledged that she had stolen the martyr's
body and buried it, but she refused to tell them where.
Numerius
commanded that the holy virgin should be whipped, and finally she was
confined in a prison, covered with wounds. But the Lord did not leave
His martyr without consolation. At midnight a heavenly light illumined
the prison, and many angels appeared to her with Saint Isidore in their
midst. "Peace be with you, Myrope," he said to her. "God has heard your
prayer, and soon you shall be with us and shall receive the crown which
has been prepared for you."
The holy martyr rejoiced and
surrendered her soul to God at that very moment. A sweet fragrance
emanated from her body, filling the entire prison. One of the guards,
seeing all of this and smelling the fragrance, told a priest about the
vision. He believed in Christ and was baptized. Soon afterward, he also
suffered martyrdom. Later, Saint Ammonios himself was put to death in
the city of Kyzikos.
Saint Myrope's body was interred beside that
of the martyr Isidore, and a chapel was built over the graves. In the
fifth century, Saint Markian (January 10), the Oikonomos of the Great
Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in Constantinople, built a chapel
by the church of Hagia Eirene (Holy Peace). He also transferred the
Saint's skull and a portion of his relics to Constantinople, which he
placed in the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Peran.
In the sixth century, the existence of the rest of the Saint's relics on the island of Chios, and the numerous miracles which occurred, is affirmed by Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17) in his book Liber in Gloria Martyrum (Book of the Glory of the Martyrs):
"The martyr Isidore
is buried on the island of Chios. In the Saint's church there is a well
into which he is said to have been thrown. After drinking from the water
of this well, possessed people, those with fevers, and others who are
sick, are often cured. It is said that believers often see a light
there, similar to a burning candle. I myself met a priest who insisted
that he had often seen this light from the mouth of the well. On this
island a seed is picked from the mastic trees which, so they say, are
not found in other regions."
Local tradition agrees that at the
place where Saint Isidore was martyred, the mastic trees shed fragrant
tears because of the Holy Martyr's suffering. Tradition holds that the
mastic, which is a major product of the island of Chios, may be gathered
and prepared only from the trees near the site of the Saint's
martyrdom.
Byzantine Pilgrim Stamp of Saint Isidore (6th Century), photo from here
Enlisted by the King of the Ages, / you spurned the earthly king
and his army to boldly preach Christ our God. / Therefore, you have
completed your contest and shine forth as His glorious martyr. / Entreat
Him to save our souls, for we honor you, blest Isidore.
Kontakion — Tone 3
In your combat with the dragon, / you gained the victory, O martyr
Isidore. / As a radiant beacon from Egypt, / you shone forth to illumine
all under the sun, / advancing towards Him who shone forth from the
Virgin Mother of God, / for whose sake you were slain, O Passion-Bearer,
/ offering yourself as a fragrant sacrifice.
Kontakion — Tone 4
You have been revealed as a great guide to the world through your
prayers, O holy one. / Therefore, we praise you today, / divinely-wise
martyr, glorious Isidore.
Saint Serapion lived during the fifth century in Egypt. He was
called the linen cloth-wearer (Sindonite) since he wore only a coarse
linen garb called a “sindon.” From his youth the monk lived like the
birds of the air, without a shelter.
For several days at a time
he did not eat, not having the means to buy bread. He gave away his
sindon to a beggar who was shivering from the cold, and he himself was
naked.
A certain Greek philosopher, wishing to test the
non-covetousness of the monk, gave him a gold coin and watched him. The
saint went to the bakery, bought one loaf of bread, gave the merchant
the gold coin and left, having no regard for the value of the money.
Saint
Serapion led many on the way of salvation. Once, he was the servant of a
Greek actor, whom he converted to Christ. The actor, imitating the
example of the holy life of the saint, believed and was baptized
together with all his family. He asked Saint Serapion to remain with him
not as a servant, but as a guide and friend, but the monk went away,
not taking any of the money offered him.
Traveling to Rome, Saint
Serapion got on a ship, but paid nothing to the ship owners. At first
they began to reproach him for this, but noticing that the Elder had
gone five days already without eating, they began to feed him for the
sake of God, and in this they fulfilled the command of the Lord.
At
Rome, the saint continued to wander about, going from house to house,
having nothing, accumulating only spiritual wealth for himself and for
his neighbor.
By
a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for
God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you
illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Serapion, pray to
Christ our God to save our souls!
Orthodox Church in America In Greek (& the icon) here It is written in "The Paradise of the Fathers" that Mother Sarah spoke
these words: “If I were to ask God that all people might be built up
through me, I would be found expressing contrition at the door of each
one who repents. But I pray to God especially that my heart may be pure
with Him and with everyone.” Once two great Elders and anchorites
left Mount Pelusium (in the northeastern Nile Delta) and went to see
Amma Sarah. Speaking among themselves they said, “Let us humble this old
woman.” When they came to her she said, “Be careful, you may be humbled
by the words you have spoken. Behold, anchorites have come to one who
is a woman. According to nature, I am a woman, but not according to my
worth.” Once she went to Sketis, and she was offered some food.
She did not eat any of the best food however, she ate only the plain
food. This was because she did not want to use her journey and her visit
as an excuse to relax her fasting. Then they said to her, “Truly, you
are like those who dwell at Sketis.” It was said of Amma Sarah,
the ascetic of Sketis, that the blessed one lived above a river for
sixty years, but she never looked out from her abode to see it.
Mother Sarah said, “It is a good thing for a person to give alms, even
if he does so in order to win the approval of others, because by doing
this, he will come to do it for God’s sake.” Saint Sarah brought
many women to monasticism by the example of her holy and God-pleasing
life. She reposed in peace in the year 370 at the age of eighty.
...Saint Paul the Simple of Egypt also lived in the fourth century and
was called the Simple for his simplicity of heart and gentleness. He had
been married, but when he discovered his wife’s infidelity, he left her
and went into the desert to Saint Anthony the Great (January 17). Paul
was already 60 years old, and at first Saint Anthony would not accept
Paul, saying that he was unfit for the harshness of the hermit’s life. Paul stood outside the cell of the ascetic for three days, saying that
he would sooner die than go from there. Then Saint Anthony took Paul
into his cell, and tested his endurance and humility by hard work,
severe fasting, with nightly vigils, constant singing of Psalms and
prostrations. Finally, Saint Anthony decided to settle Paul into a
separate cell. During the many years of ascetic exploits the Lord
granted Saint Paul both discernment, and the power to cast out demons.
When they brought a possessed youth to Saint Anthony, he guided the
afflicted one to Saint Paul saying, “I cannot help the boy, for I have
not received power over the Prince of the demons. Paul the Simple,
however, does have this gift.” Saint Paul expelled the demon by his
simplicity and humility. After living for many years, performing
numerous miracles, he departed to the Lord. He is mentioned by Saint
John, the Abbot of Sinai (Ladder 24:30): “The thrice-blessed Paul the
Simple was a clear example for us, for he was the rule and type of
blessed simplicity....” Saint Paul is commemorated on March 7 [& October 4].
Troparion — Tone 8
In you, o venerable Father Paul, / The image of God shone forth, /
For you carried your Cross and followed Christ. / By so doing you taught
us to disregard the flesh for it passes away, / And to care instead for
the soul since it is immortal, / Wherefore your soul forever rejoices
with the angels! See also:The life and miracles of saint Paul the Simple(photo).
In my opinion, he is a monk who does violence to himself in everything
Abba Zacharias, Sayings of the Desert Fathers (1)
In the wake of the shootings in the church
in Texas, I posed the question on my Facebook page; “What does it say
about our society when we need good people with guns to protect
ourselves from bad people with guns?” I got some pretty interesting and
compelling discussion from both sides of the gun control argument,
statements about how our Christian ancestors were bold enough to be
martyrs, the historical precedence of having armed guards in the temples
in Constantinople. Rather than to take a stand one way or the other, I
chose to stay on the sidelines and think.
The example of St. Moses quickly came to
mind. Vandals were about to attack his monastery and his followers
wanted to take up arms and defend themselves. The abbot forbade it
knowing that he was a violent man before his conversion. If it was
God’s will for him to die by the sword as he once lived by it, so be
it. He and six of his unarmed men welcomed with love those who brought
them to martyrdom (2). Again, I came to this quick answer. Which also
could have drew a quick response as a church has women, children, and
the elderly to consider rather than to be among devout monks willing to
give such a sacrifice of faith. The volunteer security guard certainly
could not stand by and allow a slaughter of innocent life to happen in a
church or anywhere else. He did what had to be done with deadly
efficiency. Also, the killing of faithful people goes beyond the use of
guns as with the incident of the Jews violently cut down by a man with a
machete. The deeper problem isn’t so much the weapon or the place it
is used or the people it is used on. The problem is the form of
violence and who it is not used on.
The well-known Macarius the Great came to
Zacharias asking him, “What is the work of the monk?” In the answer
given by the old man intrigues me, the monk is one who does violence to
himself in everything. I doubt that he meant such things as
self-cutting, or other means of harming his body. The monk engages in a
spiritual violence against his own passions. He commits himself to
constant and ceaseless prayer, reading scripture and holy reading as
possible, manual labor, fasting, and other means of watchfulness against
his slightest sin. And when he does fall to a temptation, that he is
quick to confess and repent of it to continue a life of virtuous
living. This is the sort of violence the monk inflicts on himself to
gain the kingdom of heaven.
Does the Bible and other fathers support
such a concept? Consider the ascetic life of John the Baptizer and
Forerunner of our Lord. Jesus considers no man born of a woman holier
than he and, “from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:11, 12). While
there are other interpretations of this scripture, the editors of the
Orthodox Study Bible include the opinion of John Chrysostom, the violent who take the kingdom by force are those who have such earnest desire for Christ that they let nothing stand between themselves and faith in Him (3).
Had the instigator in that Texas church been devoted to this sort of
violence, if everyone who came to church were committed to such
violence, armed and unarmed security would be unnecessary.
Unfortunately, our society has been
infected with a different violence to be inflicted on others. Our
history and culture in America celebrates the good guy overcoming the
bad guy with fist, guns, and any other weapon needed to get the job
done. If the bad guy has done some particular evil deed, we want
overwhelming force used for the sake of vengeance and to set an example
for other would be enemies not to do the same or they will face a
similar result. Fortunately, the volunteer armed security provider used
only one bullet and did nothing more to the victim who had taken two
lives himself.
I believe the greater responsibility is
for us believers to be violent against ourselves as individuals. We
cannot all become monastics and even then not all monks and nuns need to
live to the extremes of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Even some
modern holy men and women pushed the envelope beyond most of our means.
Blessed John Maximovich was known for sleeping only a few hours a day
in a chair or on the floor at his icon corner (4).
There are steps we can take to inflict
suffering on ourselves for the sake of our souls. Eating smaller and
fewer portions of food, drinking less alcohol, cutting out some time
spent on engaging in social media and eliminating some time in front of
the TV. Instead of these things, we can spend more time reading the
scriptures and other religious books, examine ourselves more closely and
repenting of those “little” sins which often lead us to “big” sins. We
can shore up our own rules of prayer where we are weak and be more
watchful of our thoughts as well as our words and deeds. And if it
means that we develop some sort of habit that the world calls, “quirky,”
but brings us closer to God, if it seems that we are depriving
ourselves according to the standards of society because we are focused
on entering another kingdom, if others denounce us as extreme in our
pursuit of holy living, so be it. Of course, I recommend that we
consult our priest, spiritual father or mother to stay on an even keel.
If we all must have armed security at our
churches, may they be highly trained and act in all prudence and care as
only to use the amount of prevention that is necessary. My opinion is
that we need no weapon in the house of worship other than the cross.
Both sides of the coin have valid arguments. However, let us all stop
making excuses for our sins and go beyond our comfortable behaviors for
the sake of becoming one with God.
Notes:
Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Benedicta Ward (translation), pg. 67
Saint John the Dwarf of Egypt struggled in the Egyptian desert in
the fifth century in the monastery of Saint Pimen the Great (August
27). It was to this monastery that the young John came with his brother
Daniel. Once, Saint John told his elder brother that he did not
want to be concerned about clothing and food, and that he wished to live
like the angels in Paradise. Daniel allowed him to go to a deserted
place, so that he would be afflicted. John went out from the cell and
removed his clothing. It was very cold at night, and after a week John
became hungry. One night John went back to the monastery and began to knock on the door of the cell. “Who is it?” Daniel asked. “It is I, your brother John.” Daniel replied, “John has become an angel, and is no longer among men.” John
continued to knock, but Daniel would not let him in until morning. Then
he said, “You are a man and must work again if you want to eat.” Saint
John wept bitterly, asking for forgiveness. After being brought
to his senses Saint John went to Saint Pimen, known for his firm and
steadfast will, and having asked guidance, he promised to be obedient in
all things. Testing the patience of the young monk, Saint Pimen gave
him an unusual obedience. For three years Saint John carried water and
poured it on a dry stick, until it became covered with leaves and bore
abundant fruit. His Elder took the fruit to the brethren saying, “Take
and eat the fruit of obedience.” Later, Abba John himself became a
guide of many people on the way of salvation, among whom were Saint
Arsenius the Great (May 8) and Saint Thais (May 10). Saint John was the author of the Life of Saint Paisius the Great (June 19).
“Abba John said, ‘Who sold Joseph?’ A brother replied saying, ‘It was
his brethren.’ The old man said to him, ‘No, it was his humility which
sold him, because he could have said, “I am their brother” and have
objected, but, because he kept silence, he sold himself by his humility.
It is also his humility which set him up as chief in Egypt.'”
“Humility and the fear of God are above all virtues.”
“You
know that the first blow the devil gave to Job was through his
possessions; and he saw that he had not grieved him nor separated him
from God. With the second blow, he touched his flesh, but the brave
athlete did not sin by any word that came out of his mouth in that
either. In fact, he had within his heart that which is of God, and he
drew on that source unceasingly.”
“Even if we are entirely despised in the eyes of men, let us rejoice that we are honoured in the sight of God.”
