My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

ON JULY 17th OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE FEAST OF THE HOLY MARTYR MARINA

Born in Pisidian Antioch of pagan parents, Marina only heard of the Lord Jesus at the age of twelve, of His Incarnation of the Most Pure Virgin Mary, His many miracles, His death by crucifixion and His Glorious Resurrection. Her little heart was inflamed with love for the Lord, and she vowed never to marry and, further, desired in her soul to suffer for Christ and be baptized with the blood of martyrdom. Her father hated her for her Christian faith, and would not regard her as his daughter. The imperial Governor, Olymbrius, hearing of Marina and learning that she was a Christian, at first desired her for his wife. When Marina refused, he ordered her to sacrifice to idols. To this, Marina replied: "I shall not worship nor offer sacrifice to dead idols, lacking the breath of life, which have no awareness of themselves and are not even aware of our honoring or dishonoring them. I will not give them that honor that belongs to my Creator alone." Then Olymbrius put her to harsh torture and threw her into prison all wounded and bleeding. Marina prayed to God in the prison, and, after she had prayed, there appeared to her first the devil in the form of a terrible serpent, which twined itself about her head. When she made the sign of the Cross, the serpent split asunder and disappeared. Then she was bathed in Heavenly Light; the walls and roof of the prison disappeared and a Cross was revealed, resplendent and lofty. On the top of the Cross was perched a white dove, from which there came a voice: 'Rejoice, Marina, thou dove of Christ, daughter of Sion that is on high, for the day of thy joy is drawing near!", and Marina was healed by the power of God of all her wounds. The demented judge tortured her the next day by fire and water, but Marina endured it all as if not in her own body. She was finally sentenced to death by beheading. At the moment of her death, the Lord Jesus appeared to her, accompanied by Angels. She was beheaded in the time of Roman Emperor Diocletian but remains alive in soul and in power in heaven and on earth. One of her hands is preserved in the Monastery of Vatopedi on the Holy Mountain. Even in Albania, in the Langa mountains overlooking Lake Ochrid, there is a monastery of Saint Marina with some of her wonderworking (miracle-working) holy relics. Numerous miracles have been wrought in this monastery and still are, witnessed not only by Christian but also by Moslems. The Turks have such a veneration for this holy place that they have never laid hands on either the place or the monastery's possessions. At one time, a Turk was the caretaker of the monastery.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Until Christ becomes to the soul all that has any lasting and unchanging worth; until then a man cannot come to suffer for Christ. How was Saint Marina, a fifteen-year-old girl, able to follow, this path? Because Christ was everything to her. How was Saint Julitta able to rejoice, seeing her three-year-old son Kyricus dead for the Christian faith? Again, because Christ was everything. Here is how Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk speaks, in detail and in the form of a conversation between Christ and man, of how Christ is everything to man: 'Do you desire good for yourself? All good is in Me. Do you desire blessings? All blessings are in Me. Do you desire beauty? What is lovelier than I? Do you desire a noble birth? What birth is nobler than that of the Son of God and the Virgin? Do you desire rank? Who is of higher rank than the King of Heaven? Do you desire glory? Who is more glorious than I? Riches? All riches are in Me. Wisdom? I am the Wisdom of God. Friendship? Who is a greater friend than I -- I Who laid down my life for all? Help? Who can help but I? Happiness? Who can be happy without me? Do you seek consolation in distress? Who will console you but I? Do you seek peace? I am the peace of the soul. Do you seek life? In me is the fount of life. Do you seek light? I am the light of the world.' (Source: The Prologue from Ochrid)

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The Divine Service of the Paraklesis will take place at our sacred chapel of the Holy Dormition of the Theotokos at New Carlisle.

Time: 10:00 a.m.

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

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George