My beloved spiritual children in Our Risen Lord, and Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

ON MAY 8th OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES

THE SYNAXIS OF THE DISPATCH OF HOLY DUST, THAT IS, THE MANNA, FROM THE TOMB OF THE HOLY AND GLORIOUS APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST JOHN THE THEOLOGIAN.

Saint John the Theologian, the divine Apostle and Evangelist, the beloved Disciple of the Lord, was born in Bethsaida of the Galilee. He was translated to the Lord, while preaching the word of God at Ephesus, in deep old age during the days of Emperor Trajan (98-117 A.D.). When the blessed John was about to depart from this present life, to what which is perpetual and eternal, he foreknew it by the indwelling of divine grace. He took his Disciples and went outside of the city of Ephesus, St. John, according to Prochoros his disciple, had assembled seven of his disciples: Prochoros and six others. Saint John said to them, "Take spades in your hands and follow me." They followed him outside the city to a certain place, where he said, "Sit down." He then went a little apart from them to where it was quiet and began to pray. It was very early in the morning; the sun had not quite risen. After his prayer, he said to them, "Dig with your spades a cross-shaped trench as long as I am tall." This was done while the Evangelist prayed. After he had finished his prayer, he set himself down in the trench that has been dug. Saint John then to Prochoros, "My son, thou shalt go to Jerusalem. That is where thou must spend thy days." The Evangelist then gave them instructions and embraced them, saying, "Take some earth, my mother earth, and cover me." The disciple embraced them again and, taking some earth, covered him only up to his knees. Once more, he embraced them, saying, "Take some more earth and cover me up to the neck." So they embraced him again and then took some more earth and covered him up to his neck." Then he said to them, "Bring a thin veil and place it on my face, and embrace me again for the last time, for you shall not see me any longer in this life." So they, stricken with grief, embraced the holy Apostle again. As he was sending us off in peace, the disciples, lamenting bitterly, covered his whole body. The sun rose just then, and he surrendered his spirit.

The disciples returned to the city and were asked, "Where is your teachers?" So they explained what had just occurred in great detail. The Ephesians begged them that they show them the site. They, therefore, went back to the grave with the brethren, but Saint John was not there. Only his shoes were left behind. Then they remembered the words of the Lord to the Apostle Peter, "If I wish him to tarry while I am coming, what is that to thee?" (John 21:22). And they all glorified God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to Whom is due glory, honor, and worship, unto the ages of ages. Amen. Each year, on the 8th day of May, the grave of the Saint was decorated with roses.

Saint Bede remarks that "Jesus did not love John alone in a singular way to the exclusion of others, but He loved John beyond those whom He loved, in a more intimate way as one whom the special prerogative of chastity had made worthy of fuller love. Indeed, Jesus proved that He loved them all when before His Passion He said to them, 'Even as the Father loved Me, I also loved you; abide in the love, that which is Mine' (John 15:9). But beyond the others, He loved the one who, being a virgin when chosen by Him, remained forever a virgin. Accordingly, when Christ was about to die on the Cross, He commended His Mother to John (John 19:26-27), so that virgin might watch over virgin; and when He Himself ascended to heaven after His death and Resurrection, a son would not be lacking to His Mother whose chaste life would be protected by his chaste services." Furthermore on, Saint Bede writes: "Mystically speaking, we can take these things which are predicted by the Lord to Peter and John, as designating the two ways of life in the Church which are carried out in the present, namely the active and the contemplative...Christ saying this about John suggests the state of contemplative virtue, which is not to be ended through death, as the active life is, but after death is to be more perfectly completed with the coming of the Lord."

As we said, after the Evangelist's falling asleep in the Lord, his tomb was shown to be another pool of Siloam. Since our all-good and man-befriending Lord not only glorifies the Saints--that is, those who for love of Him engaged in struggles such as the disciples and Apostles, the Prophets, and Martyrs, and all those who led God-pleasing lives--accounting them worthy of the Kingdom of the Heavens and those everlasting good things, but also grants, by the free gift of divine gifts of grace, manifold and splendid miracles then and now and forever.

We, therefore, at the empty tomb of Saint John the Theologian celebrate the great Evangelist. He was granted Christ's grace by which he is adorned with many wonderworking. His tomb, yearly and to the day of this writing, in a sudden and mysterious manner, spouts up dust. The natives have named the dust, "Manna." The dust has been called so because it is used for the deliverance and recovery from every disease. It is employed for the health of both souls and bodies, to the glorification of God and His servant John.

The Holy Apostle John remained with the Theotokos until the holy Dormition (Koimisis). Afterward, he left Jerusalem and went to Asia Minor; for when the lands of the earth were divided among the Holy Apostles, Saint John chose the last lot--that of Asia Minor. He, therefore, repaired to Ephesus and other places. Ephesus was the most important Greek city in Ionian Asia Minor. The colossal Temple of Artemis, or Diana, to which Ephesus owed much of its fame, was demolished by the lever of Saint John's prayers. The idol worshipers, thereupon, were delivered from their error as they were guided to the light of the knowledge of God by Saint John. The number of them was forty myriads, that is to say, four hundred thousand people who worshiped the false goddess Artemis. At length, they built and named a church after Saint John the Theologian. The church is situated atop a mountain that the Ephesians called Elivaton, which was situated in ancient Ephesus.

The Synaxis of the Holy Apostle John the Apostle and Evangelist is celebrated in his august Apostolic church, which is located at Evdomon (Hebdomon). (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Holy Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George