Life of Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod (+1108)

 

Those brave warriors who are more worthy of respect than others are those who have the custom of fighting the enemy not in a general formation, but who rush at the enemy individually. Although the Lord allows them to fall temporarily many times, lest they become overweening, He never completely abandons them without His grace-filled help, but restores them and makes them invincible. One such brave warrior of Christ, Blessed Nikita, gained particular fame after St. Isaac the Recluse. The praiseworthy Polycarp, citing St. Simon, reports the following about him.

Who is a true Christian? (Saint Symeon the New Theologian)

 

1. A true Christian is one who, during his Baptism, sincerely confessed before God and the Angels that he has renounced the devil and all his satanic works and vowed to serve Christ the Lord, fulfilling all His holy commandments, and thus was granted the ability to mysteriously receive the hidden grace of God and to sense it in the spirit, that is, to recognize in the spirit that he has received it. As soon as one receives grace, he immediately turns away from carnal desires, begins to hate worldly lusts, and by the grace of God becomes invulnerable to them and dead to them; therefore, he fulfills the divine commandments of Christ with all joy and zeal, and his soul no longer desires any carnal pleasures, or acquisitions, or honor and glory, as if he were outside the body and outside the world, as the Lord says: " Ye are not of the world " ( John 15:19 ). Being thus united with the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, he always rejoices and sings: But I will rejoice in the Lord, I will rejoice in God my Savior ( Ps. 103:34 ; Luke 1:47 ).

An indication of the most necessary spiritual dispositions and virtues (Elder Nazarius of Valaam)

 

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The head and beginning of all virtues is, as far as possible, unceasing prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ, or, as the expression adopted for brevity is called, the Jesus Prayer; of it the Apostle says: "Pray without ceasing" ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ). That is, we must always call upon the name of God, whether we talk, or sit, or walk, or work, or eat , or do anything else. For at all times and in every place it is fitting to call upon the name of God. For thus the temptations of the enemy are destroyed, writes Chrysostom. "Beat the warriors," says St. John Climacus, "with the name of Jesus, and you will not find a stronger weapon than this either in heaven or on earth." Prayer is the drive away of sorrow and despondency, the growth of meekness and freedom from anger, the offering of joy and thanksgiving; and countless blessings are acquired through prayer.

Feast of the Three Hierarchs

During the reign of Emperor Alexius Comnenus, who reigned from 1081 to 1118, a controversy arose in Constantinople, dividing men enlightened in matters of faith and zealous in the acquisition of virtues into three camps. The debate centered on three saints and outstanding Fathers of the Church: Basil the Great , Gregory the Theologian , and John Chrysostom . Some favored St. Basil over the other two, as he was able to explain the mysteries of nature like no other and was elevated by virtue to angelic heights. His supporters argued that there was nothing base or earthly about him; he was the organizer of monasticism, the leader of the entire Church in the struggle against heresies, and a strict and demanding pastor regarding moral purity. Therefore, they concluded, St. Basil stood above St. John Chrysostom, who was more inclined to forgive sinners.

The other party, on the contrary, defended Chrysostom, countering that the renowned bishop of Constantinople, no less than St. Basil, was committed to combating vices, calling sinners to repentance, and urging the people to perfection according to the Gospel commandments. Unrivaled in eloquence, the golden-mouthed pastor flooded the Church with a veritable river of sermons. In them, he expounded on the Word of God and demonstrated its application in everyday life, and he succeeded in doing so better than the other two Christian teachers.

The third group advocated recognizing St. Gregory the Theologian as the most important, citing the grandeur, purity, and depth of his language. They argued that St. Gregory, who best mastered the wisdom and eloquence of the Greek world, attained the highest level of contemplation of God, and therefore no other person could have so magnificently expounded the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

Five Steps to Christ (Saint Seraphim Zvezdinsky)

 

On the fight against the main sins of man according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church

Life of Saint John Chrysostom (+407)

 

Saint John Chrysostom, a luminary of the world, a teacher of the universe, a pillar and support of the Church, and a preacher of repentance, hailed from Syrian Antioch and was born around 347. His parents, Secundus and Anthusa, belonged to the best of Antioch's society and professed the Christian faith. Secundus was a military commander and held an honorable position; however, he could not influence his son's upbringing, as he died while John was still a young child. Therefore, all care for John's upbringing fell to his mother, the pious Anthusa. Having lost her husband at a very young age (she was then about twenty years old), she did not wish to remarry, but devoted herself entirely to her son's upbringing. It was from her that the young John received his first lessons in Christian truths and piety.

Parable of the Prodigal Son and his older brother

 

Today the Orthodox Church remembers the parable of the prodigal son and his older envious self-righteous brother.

The first homily will be dedicated to the prodigal son and the second to his envious brother:

How an Orthodox Christian was converted/reverted to the Orthodox faith (Sergei Nilus)

The following text is a story of an orthodox christian Sergei Nilus (1862-1929) who was born orthodox but later in his youth apostasized but by the intercession of St Sergius of Radonezh an incident on the horse and also the miraculous healing by St John of Kronstadt he returned to the faith. Sergei Nilus was the publisher of the Dialogue between Motovilov and St Seraphim of Sarov on the Acquistion of the Holy Spirit.

The first text is his autobiography and the second text is his full biography written by Vladimir Moss.

Life of Blessed Elena Afanasyevna Dertyeva who became a fool for Christ to avoid marriage (+1820)

 

Blessed Elena Afanasyevna Dertyeva came from the noble Dertyev family. Her father was an official serving in Arzams. Her parents raised Elena in the fear of God and provided her with a home education befitting her rank. From childhood, she expressed a desire to dedicate herself to the monastic life, but despite her gentle and meek nature, beloved by all, her parents would have none of it.

When she was 14 or 15 years old, Father Nazarius, an ascetic of the Sarov Hermitage and the abbot and restorer of the renowned Valaam Monastery, visited her father's house while passing through Arzamas. Elena revealed her desire to him, and he tried to persuade her parents not to oppose their daughter's intention, but they refused. Then, choosing a time when she was alone with Father Nazarius, Elena asked him what she should do. The elder told her, "Be a fool for Christ's sake, cover your mind with madness; this way you will be saved and please God." Elena accepted this advice and prayed to God to help her fulfill it.

Life of Saint Vladimir, Metropolitan And Hieromartyr Of Kiev (+1918)

Metropolitan Vladimir, in the world Basil Nikiforovich Bogoyavlensky, was born on January 1, 1848 in the village of Malaya Morshka in the Morshansky uyezd of Tambov province. His father, Nicephorus, was a priest who later himself suffered a martyr's death. He received his primary education in the theological schools of Tambov diocese.

Unpretentiousness which bordered on timidity, complemented by eagerness and diligence in schoolwork, were the most distinctive characteristics of the child and future metropolitan. In a book dedicated to the memory of the late Metropolitan Anthony Vadkovsky, who was formerly from the same district as Metropolitan Vladimir, there appears the following story about an incident in the latter's childhood. Once Basil Bogoyavlensky's father went with him to the home of Alexander Vasilyevich Vadkovsky, the future Metropolitan Anthony. When he saw A.V. Vadkovsky's older brothers, who were theologians, Basil Bogoyavlensky was so frightened by these important persons that he ran into the barn and hid under a carriage, where they had great difficulty finding him.