Homily for Holy Thursday (Igumen Tikhon)

HOLY THURSDAY

(John 13:4-17)

Homily by Igumen Tikhon 

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When the supper was over and the shadow of betrayal had already fallen upon hearts, Christ stood up. This movement is like a shattering of the world. He rises from peace, from equality, from love understood in a human sense, to reveal love that is incomprehensible. He takes off His garments—as if stripping Himself of any claim to external glory. He girds Himself—and becomes what no one wants to be: a servant.

Life of Saint Tikhon of Moscow (+1925)

His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, in the world Basil Ivanovich Bellavin, was born on January 19, 1865 in Toropets, Pskov province, the son of a priest, Fr. John of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky church. His mother was called Anna. Once his father dreamed that he spoke with his dead mother. She warned him of his imminent death and went on to say that of his three sons, one would be a protector, one would die a youth and be brought back to Toropets, and Basil would become very great. Just after he had had been made Bishopof Alaska, Basil accompanied the body of his youngest brother back to Toropets, in fulfilment of this prophecy. Basil was a very cheerful, good-humoured and kind boy. He was also very intelligent, and used to help his schoolmates with their work.

Annunciation of the Theotokos

Homily by Holy Martyr Daniel Sysoev☦️

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

Today is the joy of the Annunciation. Today heaven and earth are united. Today the ancient curse disappears, Adam’s transgression is erased, and sorrow is turned into joy. Today is the day when God became man so that man might become god. Today the heavens have broken through the barrier set by human sin, through the humble consent of the Virgin and her creative word: “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

God became man so that man might ascend to heavenly heights. God took on weak, sinful, mortal human nature in order to grant it sinlessness, incorruption, and purity. God receives flesh from the most pure Virgin in order to teach us divine purity. And today is the day of the Gospel, the day of the Good News, when we hear of the hope for which we live. This is the hope of deification, because we are called to become gods by grace.

Homily on Palm Sunday (Fr. PANAGIOTIS KAPODISTRIAS)

 

On Palm Sunday, the Church calls all of us to stand with attention and reverence before a great event: the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. A king is coming, but not as the world knows kings. He is not accompanied or guarded by chariots, guards, noise and pomp. He rides a humble animal, a colt, and even accepts the applause of the people with silence and meekness.

Anathema against Christian zionism and judaizing ecumenism (Bishop Akakije)

According to anti-Christian Jewish tradition and based on rabbinic interpretations of biblical prophecies, the so-called Third Temple – Hamikdosh – should be built on the Temple Mount (Mount Moriah) in the Old City of Jerusalem at the location they consider to be the site of the first (Solomon's, 10th century BC ) and second (Zerubbabel's, 6th century BC ) temples.

According to most Orthodox holy fathers such as Saint Ephrem the Syrian, Saint John Chrysostom , and Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, the Third Temple will never be rebuilt, and if by any chance the anti-Christian Jews do build it, it will certainly not be a lawful temple erected to God, but a synagogue of Satan dedicated to the Antichrist - the Man of Lawlessness.

On divine grace and free will as producers of spiritual life (Saint John Cassian)

1. We must always be firmly convinced that we cannot attain perfection through our own labors and efforts, even though we tirelessly practice every virtue. Human efforts alone cannot have the value and power to elevate us to the heights of holiness and blessedness unless the Lord Himself cooperates with us and directs our hearts to what is beneficial for us. Therefore, at every moment we must cry out to God with David: "Make my steps in Your paths; let not my steps slip" ( Ps. 17:5 ), so that this invisible ruler of the human spirit will turn our will toward virtue, since it is more inclined to vice, either through ignorance of goodness or through the seduction of passions. This is very clearly expressed by the Prophet in one verse of the song: "I was turned aside to the fold, and the Lord received me" ( Ps. 118:13 ). The first hemistich signifies the fragility of our will; and the second signifies the ever-ready help of the Lord, Who, whenever we begin to waver, extends His hands to us, supports and strengthens us, lest we fall completely through our own will alone. – Thus, no righteous person possesses sufficient strength to attain righteousness; he constantly wavers and is ready to fall at any moment. Therefore, the mercy of the Lord strengthens him with His hand, lest, otherwise, subjected to a fall through the weakness of his will, he utterly perish in his fall. And who would be so presumptuous and blind as to think that he has no need of God's constant assistance, when the Lord Himself clearly teaches in the Gospel: "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. Without Me you can do nothing" ( John 15:4, 5 )? How unreasonable, even sacrilegious, is it to attribute any good deeds to one's own efforts, and not to the grace and assistance of God, when the Lord's utterance testifies that without His assistance no one can bear spiritual fruit (John 3:16)?

Life of Saint Alexius of Rome (+412)

In Rome during the reign of Arcadius and Honorius, there lived a pious man named Euphemianus. He was a very noble and wealthy nobleman, so much so that even his servants, numbering three thousand, wore silk garments. Yet, despite all this, he was not entirely happy, for, due to the barrenness of his wife, he had no children. Euphemianus strictly observed the commandments of God and was distinguished by his kindness: daily in his home he prepared three meals for widows, orphans, the poor, the stranger, and the sick; he himself ate only after the ninth hour , sharing it with wandering monks, and until then he always fasted. If it happened that on a certain day few beggars gathered to him, and therefore he had to distribute alms less than usual, then Euphemianus would fall to the ground in grief and say:

“I am not worthy to live on the land of my God.

Confession of Saint Patrick of Ireland (V century)

 

1. I am Patrick, a sinner, a man of great ignorance, the last of the faithful, utterly despised by many. My father was Calpurnius, a deacon, son of the priest Potitus, from the village of Bonavem Tabernica. Not far from there, my father had a small villa, where I was captured. I was then about sixteen years old and did not yet know the true God. I was carried off into captivity to Ireland with many thousands of people—and quite deservedly so, for we had turned away from God, did not keep His commandments, and were disobedient to our priests, who constantly reminded us of salvation. And the Lord brought upon us the flames of His wrath and scattered us among the nations, even to the ends of the earth, where I now dwell, in my nothingness, as a stranger.

Thy Bridal Chamber Orthodox Chant

 

Thy Bridal Chamber Orthodox Chant (Appalachian version)

A heavenly beautiful chant, I highly recommend you to listen to it dear brothers and sisters!

Link to the chant:



Description of the chant:

I see Your bridal chamber adorned, O my Saviour, and I have no wedding garment that I may enter there within. Make the robe of my soul to shine, O Giver of Light, and save me".

This is the Exaposteilarion (hymn of light) sung during Bridegroom Matins on Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

The hymn is a reflection on the Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22), where a guest is cast out for not wearing a wedding garment. It signifies a humble prayer to God to make the soul worthy of entering the Kingdom.

It emphasizes that while the "bridal chamber" (heaven/the Church) is ready, the individual lacks the spiritual preparation ("garment of righteousness") and needs God’s grace to be saved.

Life of Saint Mary of Egypt (V century)

"To keep the royal secret is good, but to reveal and proclaim the works of God is glorious" ( Tob. 12:7 ), so said the Archangel Raphael to Tobit when his blindness was miraculously healed. Indeed, not to keep the royal secret is terrible and disastrous, and to remain silent about the glorious deeds of God is a great loss for the soul. "And I," says Saint Sophronius , who wrote the life of the Venerable Mary of Egypt, "fear concealing Divine deeds with silence, and, recalling the impending misfortune of the servant ( Matthew 25:18, 25 ), who buried the talent given by God in the ground, I cannot help but relate the holy story that has come down to me. And let no one think," continues Saint Sophronius, "that I have dared to write an untruth when someone doubts this wondrous event: it is not fitting for me to lie about sacred things. If there are those who, having read this scripture and, astonished by this glorious event, do not believe, then may the Lord have mercy on them, for they, reflecting on the frailty of human nature, consider the miraculous deeds performed by holy people impossible. However, it is time to begin the story of the glorious event that occurred in our race.