September 3 - Holy Martyr Vasilissa of Nikomedia

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.

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ON SEPTEMBER 3rd OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE HOLY MARTYR VASILISSA OF NIKOMEDIA

Vasilissa, the Saint, lived as a Christian when Alexander was governor of Nikomedia in Bithynia of Asia Minor, at the time when there was a persecution against the Christians (303-305 A.D.). When the maiden was nine years old, approaching ten, and resplendent in the bloom of girlhood, she was arrested with other Christians and made to stand before the governor of Bithynia. When the lass was questioned concerning piety, she confessed Christ Who gave her "a mouth of wisdom" (Luke 21:15) well beyond her years. On account of her quick rejoinders, when she spoke her mind wisely and prudently, the governor vented his anger. He ordered that her face be struck, but she gave thanks to God. Not willing to spare Vasilissa because of her youth, he had her stripped and beaten with rods; but she offered up additional thanks to God. This further enraged the governor, who commanded that the executioners stretch out the maiden and increase the number of blows, rendering her whole body one great wound. Afterward, they tore off the skin from the soles of her feet, thereupon she shouted aloud, "O my God, I thank Thee." The vicious governor then ordered that they bore through the ankle joints of the martyr and put an iron pin through them. Next, from the pins, they tied chains from which they raised aloft the holy maiden head downwards. Underneath the blessed one, they released vile smelling smoke from burning sulfur, pitch, bitumen, and lead, with the object that the Lord's athlete might expire quickly, being unable to bear inhaling the smoke. The Saint, however, patiently endured this foul torment with joy, as though she were luxuriating and taking her ease in Paradise; so eager was she to give even more thanks and glory to God.

The governor, seeing that such measures were ineffective, perceived that the tortures were making him a laughingstock. He charged that a furnace be lit and that Vasilissa be cast inside. When the blazing furnace was ready, she made the sign of the Cross and entered therein. Supplied with an abundance of Divine power, she stood for many hours without experiencing the least injury. The prodigious marvel astonished all. The governor then ordered that she be removed, and directed that two huge lions be released against her. The maiden bore everything, praying continually, and remained unharmed by the beasts. Governor Alexander, beholding all things, felt debased in his own eyes and was moved to compunction in his soul. Acknowledging his blunders, he fell at the feet of the holy maiden, saying, "Have mercy on me, servant of the Heavenly King, and pardon me for these torments which I provoked. Make me also a fellow soldier of thy King, since, even as thou sayest, He receives the sinners." Thus, conscious of his own sinfulness, he rightly understood and disowned his ancestral impiety and assented to the teaching of the Gospel. The Saint then gave thanks to the Almighty God, and catechized the governor.  She presented him in the church to the Bishop of Nicomedia, Anthony, who baptized him.

After the Baptism, the governor, now a much altered man, again prostrated himself before the holy Vasilissa, making a heartfelt appeal, saying to her, "Servant of the True God, pray on ;my behalf that I might receive forgiveness for my wicked deeds which I committed against thee, that I may finish my life with a good confession of the Faith." The Saint then prayed for him, and it was as balm to his stricken soul, which he immediately surrendered, glorifying and blessing the God of the Christians. In the company of the bishops, Vasilissa then buried the relics of the governor. Afterward, she went outside the city of Nicomedia, as far as the third signpost, some two miles. She found a rock and stood upon it praying. Then--O the wonder!--water, forthwith, gushed forth from the rock. The holy maiden partook of the water, quenched her thirst, and gave thanks to God. She went a little further, and said, "Lord, receive my spirit in peace." Saint Vasilissa, crowned with the chaplet of True faith, then departed to the Lord deeply joyous and carrying her adornment on her soul, she was translated to those happy and everlasting abodes. Bishop Anthony learned of her repose and interred her august holy relics near that rock from which water came forth and continues to flow until this day. (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 Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

September 1 - Indiction (Ecclesiastical New Year)

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.

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ON SEPTEMBER 1ST OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH CELEBRATES THE BEGINNING OF THE INDICTION, THAT IS, THE CHURCH NEW YEAR

The Holy Church of God celebrates on September 1st the Indiction. The Hebrews of old observed March as the beginning of the year, but for the Romans the beginning of the year was September, even though they previously observed the 1st of January. According to Archbishop Gregory of Taormina, when Julius Caesar defeated Anthony it was in the month of September. Being made exceedingly proud by this triumph he transferred the Roman custom of celebrating in January to September. "Indiction" is a Latin word meaning "to proclaim," which in The Great Synaxaristes is given the signification of orismos, that is, a decree or edict, which more specifically was a tax imposed by the emperor in order to meet the needs of the empire. A chronological unit or cycle of fifteen years was introduced into the calendar at Rome on the 12th of May in the first year of Julius Caesar, though in Antioch it was reckoned from the 1st of September. It was regularized on a yearly basis by Diocletian (ca. 240-316) with a five-year cycle. It was in 312 A.D., when Constantine (ca. 285-337) beheld the sign of the Cross in the sky and gained the victory over the Western autocrat Maxentius (ca. 279-312), that the official indiction of the inhabited world was initiated with a 15-year cycle starting in September of that year, which also agreed with the fiscal and calendar years, which coincided (1st of September-31th of August). The Feast of the Indiction was enacted by the Holy Fathers at the First Ecumenical Synod of Nicaea. Gradually, the word "indiction" acquired a chronological definition that it maintained after losing its determination of fiscal boundaries. Indiction-dating became mandatory after Justinian I's novel 47 of 537. The first day of the indiction was not identical in the various traditions. The Greek or Constantinopolitan Indiction began on the 1st of September; the Bedan or Caesarean or Constantinian Indiction began on the 24th of September; and the Sienese Indiction began on the 8th of September.

The hymnographers of the Church composed hymns for the Christians. We ask the Logos/Word, Who made all things in wisdom and appointed the seasons and times for our salvation, "to bless the crown of the year, preserving the multitude of the Orthodox Christians in peace, through the prayers of the Theotokos and of all the Saints" (Vespers, Mode Plagal Two). The faithful (Christian believers) also entreat Christ God, Who wisely renewed all that He brought into existence, for forgiveness of sins and setting aright the work of their hands, victory over their adversaries, the setting of heretics, the fertility of the earth, and seasonable weather.

The month of September was also the time to gather the summer fruits and prepare for winter. On the first day of the Seventh Month, the Hebrews kept the Feast of Trumpets: "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month, on the first say of the month, ye shall have a rest, a memorial of trumpets: it shall be to you a holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall offer a whole-burnt-offering to the Lord" (Leviticus 23:24-25). (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 Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

August 29 - The Commemoration of the Beheading of the Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John

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.

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ON AUGUST 29th OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE BEHEADING OF THE HOLY AND GLORIOUS PROPHET, FORERUNNER, AND BAPTIST JOHN

Saint John the Great Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, was the son of the High Priest Zachariah and Elizabeth. On August 29th we remember the severing of his precious head, for which reason we keep this day as a strict fast day. Saint John Chrysostom urges us to give heed carefully:  "Let us hearken therefore, as many as suffer ill, living in virtue, at the hands of wicked men. For then too God induced that even he in the wilderness, he in the leather girdle, in the garment of hair, the Prophet, the man greater than all the Prophets, who had no superior among those born of women, should actually be murdered, and that by an immodest damsel, and a corrupt harlot, and all in vindicating the laws of God. These things then let us consider, and bear all nobly, whatever we may suffer."

The Evangelist Mark informs us that "Herod himself sent forth and laid hold of John, and bound him in the prison for Herodias' sake, the wife of Philip his brother; for he married her. For John kept on saying to Herod, 'It is not lawful for thee to have the wife of thy brother.' But Herodias was holding it against him and kept on wishing to kill him, but had not been able; for Herod was fearing John, knowing him to be a just and holy man, and he kept on preserving him. And after he heard him, he was doing many things, and was hearing him gladly (Mark 6:17-20)." 

The Evangelist Luke informs us that "Herod was reproved not only on account of Herodias. We read, therefore: 'But Herod the Tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, and for all the evils which Herod did, added also this above all, he even shut up John in the prison (Luke 3:19-20).

Herodias decided to put an end to Herod's fear. Saint Gregory Palamas says "she persuaded him to murder John without just cause, in accordance with her own opinion, or rather, her deceit. Full of spite and murderous feelings, she was looking for an opportunity to put into effect her fanatical hatred of the Baptist and Prophet. The Evangelist Mark says that 'an opportune day' arrived; that is, it was convenient for a murderous scheme to be set in motion during the celebration of the birthday of Herod. Herodias' daughter, Salome, came in among them all, dispatched by her mother for this purpose. She danced and pleased everyone, including Herod. Given that she was Herodias' daughter, and had been sent in by her, how could she fail either to dance shamelessly or to please Herod? Her brazen dancing so captivated the pleasure-loving king that he said to the girl, 'Ask me whatsoever thou want, and I will give it to you' (Mark 6:22). He also swore to her, saying, 'Whatsoever you shall ask me, I will give to you, up to half of my kingdom' (Mark 6:23)."

Saint Gregory Palamas asks, "What did the impudent girl do? She went to her mother, the same who taught her how to leap and writhe in that unseemly way. The daughter also told the mother for instruction, for we read: 'And she went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask for myself?' And she said, '"The head of John the Baptist." And she came in straightway with haste to the king, and she asked for herself, saying that "at once, give me upon a platter the head of John the Baptist" (Mark 6:24-25). How did Herod act? We read that 'though the king became very sad, he did not wish to reject her. And straightway the king sent off a guardsman, and commanded his head to be brought. And he went forth and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head upon a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother" (Mark 6:26-28).

Continuing, Saint Gregory says, "John the Baptist and herald left the peaceful wilderness. He was sent by the Lord to give His people knowledge of salvation and to rebuke the disobedient, which is why he was beheaded by them on this day. It was not fitting that he should die a natural death. For dying naturally is the sentence of Adam's transgression which was not binding upon the minister of the commandment. Indeed, he was one who obeyed God even from his mother's womb. The saints should lay down their lives for the sake of virtue and godliness, as the Lord commanded, so a violent death for the sake of what is good is more appropriate for them. This is why the Lord experienced such death. It was necessary for Saint John's death to herald the death of Christ, such that he should go before the Lord, in accordance with his father's prophecy concerning him that those who sat in the darkness of Hades might run to obtain blessed eternal life in Christ: 'And thou, little child, shall be called a Prophet of the Highest; for you shall go "before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways," to give knowledge of salvation to His people in remission of their sins, through the bowels of compassion of our God in which the Dayspring from on high visited us, "to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death," in order to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:76-79).

According to the hymns that we chant this day, Saint John, as the Voice of the Logos/Word, and His Prophet and Messenger, went into the nethermost depths, where he cried aloud to the dead and captive to exalt the Giver or Life and Deliverer. Saint John, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, exclaimed in Hades: "Lift up your gates; for the King of Glory shall enter in." So herald to those in the depths of Hades the Kingdom of God." Hence, as foretold by his father, "John was the first to preach Christ, the Life and the Dayspring from on High, to those that sat in darkness and the shadow of death."

Saint Mark writes: "After John's disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse; and they laid it in a sepulchre. And the holy Apostles were gathered together to Jesus, and related to Him all things, both as much as they did and as much as they taught. Saint Hilary of Poitiers explains that "the times of the law being now at an end, and buried together with John. John's disciples then came--from the laws to the Gospel--and told the Lord what had happened. And so the law being ended, the Logos/Word of God, embarking on a ship, enters the Church, and passes over into a desert place; He abandons His associates with Israel to enter into hearts yet empty of the knowledge of God."

Saint Mark continues, telling us that "the crowds saw them going, and many recognized Him, and ran together there on foot from all the cities, and went before them, and came together with Him. And Jesus, after He came out, saw a great crowd and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 29TH DIVINE LITURGY AT 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
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

The Four "Orders" in Church Government



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.

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THE FOUR "ORDERS" IN CHURCH GOVERNMENT

The New Testament reaches that all four "orders" which form the government of the Church--laity, deacons, presbyters, and bishops--are necessary to the proper functioning of the body of Christ. All four are visible in Saint Paul's First Letter (Epistle) to Timothy.

1. The laity are called "saints" (Romans 1:7; 2 Co 1:1; 1 Timothy 5:10), the "faithful" (Eph 1:1), and "brethren" (Col 1:2). The laity (Greek laos) are the people of God the "priesthood" (1 Pt 2:4-10). Technically, the term "laity" includes the clergy, though in our day the word usually refers to those in the Church who are not ordained. It is from among the laity that that the other three orders emerge.

2. The deacons, literally "servants," are ordained to serve the Church and must meet high qualifications (1 Timothy 3:8-13). The holy Apostles were the first to take on the service tasks of deacons, and when the workload became too great they called for "seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business" (Acts 6:3). Besides serving the material needs of the people, deacons occupy a crucial role in the liturgical life of the Church.

3. The presbyters, or elders, are visible throughout the New Testament. Their ministry from the start was to "rule," "labor in the word," and teach True "Doctrine" (1 Ti 5:17) in the local congregation. Saint Paul "appointed elders (presbyters) in every church" (Acts 14:23) and later instructed his apostolic apprentice, Titus, to do the same in Crete (Titus 1:5). From the word "presbyter" came the shorter form "prest," which finally became "priest." In no way is the ordained Christian priesthood seen as a throwback to or a reenacting of the Old Testament priesthood. Rather, joined to Christ Who is our High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:6, 10), the Orthodox priest is likewise a minister of a New Covenant that supersedes the old.

4. The bishop is the "overseer" of the congregation and clergy in a given area. Often the terms "bishop" and "elder" are used interchangeably in the New Testament (Acts 20:17, 28), with the bishop being the leader of the elders. The qualifications for bishop listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:7-9 underscore this role. Nonetheless, the bishopric is a specific office both in the New Testament and in the early Church. The Twelve were the first to hold this office (in Acts 1:20 "office" could literally be translated "bishopric.") and they in turn consecrated other bishops to follow them. For example, Timothy and Titus are clearly of a separate order from that of elder (see 1 Tim 5:17; Titus 1:5). Early records show James (Iakovos) was bishop of Jerusalem by AD 49 and functioned accordingly at the First Council there (Acts 15:13-22). Peter is on record as the first bishop of Antioch prior to AD 53. He was martyred about AD 65.

Perhaps the strongest early reference outside the New Testament to the presence of the four orders in Church Governance occurs in the writings of Saint Ignatius, bishop of Antioch from AD 67-107, the very heart of the New Testament era. To the Church at Philadelphia (see Rev 3:7-13) he writes of "Christians [laity] at one with the bishop and the presbyters and the deacons".

In the Orthodox Church, authority is resident in all four orders, with the bishop providing the center of unity. His authority is not over the Church, but within the Church. He is an icon of Christ, "the shepherd and overseer (episcopos) of your souls" (1 Peter 2:25). Church leadership does not consist of one or more of the orders functioning without the others. Rather, the Church, with Christ AS Head, is conducted like a symphony orchestra, a family, the body of Christ, where all the members in their given offices work together as the dwelling place of the Holy Trinity. (Source: Orthodox Study Bible, p. 1637)

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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

The Forerunner - August 30 - Twelfth Sunday of August

Saint Alexander, Patriarch of Constantinople

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Holding Fast to Our Orthodox Christian Identity

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

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HOLDING FAST TO OUR ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN IDENTITY

One's identity has always been sacred and something that could never be violated. In recent years, however, there has been a deliberate and consistent attempt to steal one's identity. It is referred to as 'identity theft.' People who have experienced an identity theft feel violated and devastated. Currently, there are many ways or measures for securing one's identity and preventing this breach from taking place.

There is also our religious identity which we should be concerned with and to protect. Looking back historically to the early Church, Christian martyrs were brought before their pagan persecutors they often revealed proudly with the words: "I am a Christian!"

As we know the first Christians had no earthly identity. They were dead to this earthly life and world. They believed that they belonged to God's Kingdom. Instead, they believed that they were "fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the Household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). "... a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people" (1 Peter 2:9).

Over the centuries the Church faced different and more threatening attacks on the authentic Christian faith and identity from within: heresies and schisms which threaten the very core of true Christian belief, identity, and unity of the Church. Countless men and women sacrificed their very lives rather than betray or compromise their Orthodox Christian faith and identity.  

Orthodox Christians ought to have a strong knowledge of the Faith to practice it, to preserve it, to protect it, and to convey it to future generations. How else can they confess and say openly, "I am an Orthodox Christian, I belong to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Christ." "I am of one mind, one heart, one soul, and one body with all those who belong to Christ and the Church. It is therefore imperative that the Orthodox Christian stand steadfastly opposed to anyone who desires to use Christ's Church for any secular, nationalistic, ideological, or political purpose.

The Holy Orthodox Church is in the world to save it. We need to recall the words of the Holy Scripture: "For God has so loved the world that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (Saint John 3:16-17).

"Our Holy Orthodox Church can never be identified with this world. It is the presence of God's Kingdom in this world until Christ comes again in glory at the end of the ages to establish God's Kingdom throughout the whole of creation. But the Church is in the world for the sake of the world's life and salvation."

The persecution of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His Church has never ceased. We should not be surprised or unaware. It is therefore important to stay alert and vigilant on what is taking place around us and the threats against our Church. All of us without exception must remain steadfast in our faith and be loyal only to Christ God. We cannot become complacent and indifferent to the many threats facing our Church today.  

Our Holy Orthodox Church is a worshiping Church. We rejoice in our liturgical life and devotion. We adore our divine services and Mysteria (Sacraments), our rites and rituals, our inspiring traditions. The liturgical life and worship have preserved the Orthodox Church and the faith of millions of Orthodox Christian believers in the darkest hours of oppression and enslavement from worldly wicked powers over the centuries.

It is not enough to just be alarmed about world conditions and dangers today. World conditions, as all of you know, change quickly and the demands are that humanity must accept those changes if it is to survive. Most of the time people are given another option. Those of us who know world history, know that changes can be good or they can be evil, i.e., communism, fascism, nazism, secularism, etc. Changes that were imposed upon the people of the world at their detriment and loss of freedom. Good changes are the changes in medicine, communication, education, technology, science, transportation, exploration, quality of life, etc.

Be strong and unyielding in your convictions, principles, values, and most of all in your faith in Christ. Don't be mislead, don't be deceived, don't be naive, don't be influence by what you are told on T.V. or the internet. The Lord has given us the ability to discern between good and evil. He has given a good mind to think wisely and soundly.  Protect your Orthodox Christian identity with all your might. Live your Orthodox Christian faith daily and make God real in your home.

The Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was, is, and ever shall be in control of His creation. He will not ever allow a corrupt and faithless people to destroy that which He created with love. Historically we have seen those dictators and tyrants who wished to dominate the world brought His wreath upon themselves instead. All of them failed and will continue to fail. Our Loving God is patient with us and He has given us a free will to act responsibly and wisely. Hopefully, people will choose to worship Him, the Creator, and not the creation (materialism).

In these unpredictable times, we should recall the Divine words of our Lord Jesus Christ: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Despite persecution and suffering, Christians can maintain the peace and joy of Jesus Christ Who has "overcome the world" of darkness through His saving work.

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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