The Essentials of Orthodox Christian Spirituality

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 ESSENTIALS OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY

Aim and means of Christian life

The aim of man's life is union (henosis) with God and deification (theosis).

The Greek Fathers have used the term "deification" ("theosis") to a greater extent than the Latins. What is meant is not, of course, a pantheistic identity, but a sharing, through grace, in the Divine life: "...Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine nature..." (2 Peter 1:4).

This participation takes man within the life of the three Divine Persons themselves, in the incessant circulation and overflowing of love which courses between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and which expresses the very nature of God. Here in the True and eternal bliss of man.

Union with God is the perfect fulfillment of the "kingdom" announced by the Gospel, and of that charity or love which sums up all the Law and the Prophets. Only in union with the life of the Three Persons is man enabled to love God with his whole heart, soul and, mind and his neighbor as himself.

Union between God and Man cannot be achieved without a Mediator, who is the Logos/Word made Flesh, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: "I am the Way...no man cometh unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).

The Holy Spirit operates and perfects this incorporation. Saint Irenaeus writes: "Through the Spirit, one ascends to the Son and through the Son to the Father."

The basis of spiritual life is not psychological, but ontological. Therefore an accurate treatise on spirituality is not the description of the soul, mystical or otherwise, but the objective application of definite theological principles to the individual soul. The redeeming action of our Lord constitutes the Alpha and Omega as well as the center of Christian spirituality.

Divine grace and human will

The incorporation of man into Christ and his union with God require the co-operation of two unequal, but equally necessary, forces: Divine grace and human will.

Will--and not intellect or feeling--is the chief human instrument of the union with God. There can be no intimate union with God if our won will is not surrendered and conformed to the Divine Will, "Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not...Lo, I come to do Thy Will, O God" (Hebrews 10: 5-9).

But our weak human will remains powerless if it is not anticipated and upheld by the face of God. "Through the grace of the Lord Jesus, we shall be saved" (Acts 15:11). It is the grace that achieves in us both the willing and the doing.

The Greek Holy Fathers emphasized human freedom in the work of salvation. Saint John Chrysostom writes: "We must first select good, and then God adds what appertains to His Office; He does not act antecedently to our will, so as not to destroy our liberty." He writes elsewhere: "You do not hold of yourself, but you have received from God. Hence you have received what you possess, and not only this or that but everything you have. For these are not your own merits, but the grace of God. Although you cite faith, you owe it nevertheless to call."

Saint Clement of Alexandria coined the word "synergy" (co-operation) in order to express the action of these two conjoined energies: grace and human will. The term and idea of synergy have remained and represent, until today, the doctrine of the Orthodox Church on these matters.

Asceticism and Mysticism

Both the distinction between the human will and Divine grace and their interpenetrating, help us to understand how, in the spiritual life, the ascetical and mystical elements can differ and mingle.

Asceticism is generally understood as an "exercise" ("ascesis") of human will on itself, in order to improve itself. As to the term "mysticism", modern language has sadly misused it. "Mystical" is confused with "obscure," "poetic", "irrational," etc. Not only unbelieving psychologists...

"...Between the ascetic life, that is, the life in which human action predominates, and the mystical life, that is, the life in which God's action predominates, there is the same difference as between rowing a boat and sailing it; the oar is the ascetic effort, the sail is the mystical passivity which is unfurled to catch the Divine wind.

This view of asceticism and mysticism is excellent. It coincides perfectly with the theology of the Greek Fathers. These do not give a technical definition of asceticism and mysticism, but they distinguish very sharply between the state in which man is "acting" and the state in which he is "acted upon."

One must be careful, however, not to raise a wall of separation between mystical and ascetic life. The prevalence of the gifts does not exclude the practice of acquired virtues, any more than the prevalence of acquired virtues excludes the gifts. One of these two elements, of course, predominates over the other. But the spiritual life Is generally a synthesis of the "ascetical" and the "mystical."

To the mystical life belong the charismas and the extraordinary phenomena which accompany certain states of prayer. Neither these phenomena nor the charisma constitutes the essence of the mystical life. Mystical life consists in the supreme reign of the gifts of the Holy Spirit over the soul.

Prayer and Contemplation

Prayer is a necessary instrument of salvation. Saint Cassian, whose voice is the echo of the Desert holy Fathers, distinguishes three ascending degrees of the Christian prayer: supplication (for oneself), intercession (for others), thanksgiving or prais. These three degrees of prayer constitute in themselves a whole program of spiritual life. It matters little whether prayer is vocal or mental; the most loving prayer, either vocal or mental, is always the best.

In contrast with prayer, contemplation is not necessary to salvation. But, as a general rule, assiduous and fervent prayer becomes contemplative.

What is contemplation? It is not synonymous with high intellectual speculations or extraordinary insight, which are the property of certain rare and chosen souls. According to the "classics" of the spiritual life, contemplation begins with the "prayer of simplicity" or "prayer of simple regard." The prayer of simplicity consists in placing yourself in the presence of God and maintaining yourself in His presence for a certain time, in an interior silence which is complete as possible, while you concentrate upon the Divine Object, reduce to unity the multiplicity of your thought and feelings, and endeavor to "keep yourself quiet" without words or arguments. This prayer of simplicity is the frontier and the most elementary degree of contemplation...

"...It is good to make acts of contemplation. But to live a contemplative life is better still. We must not imagine that the contemplative life means a life in which one does nothing but contemplate...Contemplation is acquired if the acts of contemplation are the results of personal effort. It is infused if these acts are produced by Divine grace without, or almost without, human effort. Acquired Contemplation belongs to the ascetical life. Infused contemplation belongs to the mystical life. This last is the normal culmination of the contemplative life...

"...Contemplation is open to all. Marriage, family life, a profession or a trade in no way exclude contemplative prayer and mystical graces. Contemplation increases love, and love makes us able to keep the Commandments: we can pass from love to the keeping of the Commandments, but the converse is hardly possible. (Source: Orthodox Spirituality. An Outline of the Orthodox Ascetical and Mystical Tradition)

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

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

+Father George

November 27 - Holy Martyr James the Persian

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND ALWAYS SHALL BE.

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ON NOVEMBER 27th OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE HOLY MARTYR JAMES THE PERSIAN

Born in the Persian town of Elapa, or Vilat, of Christian parents, he was brought up in the Christian faith and married a Christian wife. The Persian king, Yezdegeherd, loved James for his skill and made him a noble at his court. Flattered by the king, James was deluded and offered sacrifice to idols, which the king also worshiped. His mother and wife, hearing of this, wrote him a reproachful letter in which they grieved over him as an apostate and one spiritually dead, begging him at the end of the letter to repent and return to Christ. Moved by this letter, James repented bitterly, and courageously confessed his faith in Christ the Lord before the king. The furious pagan king condemned him to death and added that his body was to be cut to pieces, little by little until he breathed his last. The executioners fulfilled this command of the accursed king to the letter, and first cut off James's fingers, then his toes, his legs and arms, his shoulders, and finally his head. During the entire process, the repentant martyr gave thanks to God. A fragrance came from his wounds as of cypress. Thus this wonderful man repented of his sin, and his soul went to Christ his God in the heavenly Kingdom.  He suffered in about 400 A.D. His head is to be found in Rome, and a part of his holy relics in Portugal, where he is commemorated on May 22nd.

FOR CONSIDERATION

When the executioner cut off Saint James's right thumb, he said: 'A vine is pruned thus, that new growth may come in its times.' When they cut off the next finger, he said: 'Receive, O Lord, the second branch of Thy sowing.' As the third was cut off, he said: 'I bless the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.' As the fourth was cut off: 'Thou who accepted praise from the four beasts, accept the suffering of these four fingers.' At the fifth: 'May my rejoicing be as great as that of the five virgins at the marriage.' At the sixth: 'Praise be to Thee, O Lord, Who did at the sixth-hour stretch out Thy Most pre arms on the Cross, and has made worthy to offer Thee my six fingers.' At the seventh: 'Like David, who glorified Thee seven times a day, so do I today glorify Thee with these seven fingers, cut off for Thy sake.' At the eighth: 'Thou Thyself, O Lord, did rest on the eighth day.' At the ninth: 'At the ninth hour, O Lord, Thou did give Thy spirit into the hands of Thy Father, O my Christ, and I offer Thee thanks of the suffering of this ninth finger.' And the tenth: 'I sing to Thee, O Lord, upon a ten-stringed lute, and I bless Thee that Thou hast made me worthy to endure the cutting-off of the fingers of my two hands for the Ten Commandments written on the Tablets of stone.'  Oh, what wonderful faith and love! Oh, the princely soul of this prince of Christ's.

HOMILY

--ON THE PERFECT MAN.

"Till we all come in the unity of the Faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13)

The unity of the Faith, my brethren, and the knowledge of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ Our Savior, unites two men in one, unites thousands of men in one. Unity of faith in Christ the Lord, and a true Orthodox knowledge of Christ the Lord, unites men more closely than blood, more closely than language, more closely than any external circumstance or material bond. When many people have one thought, one will, and one desire, then these many people are as one soul, one great and mighty soul. Physical differences in relation to this are of little importance and deserve little consideration. Thus the united souls are built up into 'a perfect man; the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.' The parts of the perfect whole are themselves perfect. Every Christian soul is a part of the perfect man. Christ is that perfect man, of whom the church is mysteriously the Body He fills all who believe in Him, with Himself, according to the measure of the growth of each. He is the fullness beyond all fullness, the living Fount that flows and fills every space worthy to receive Him. The means that insofar as a man has emptied himself of all that is not Christ, to the extent Christ enters into him and fills him to the brim.

Oh, my brethren, the depth of humility is needed alongside strong faith, that the Living Water may be poured into us. Let us look at nature, and see how the lowest-lying land is the most easily irrigated. Whatever contributes to the humble abasing of ourselves before the Lord Jesus, this He willingly lets come into us, and He waters us with His Life-Giving Self and fills us as His vessels with the fullness of His immortality.

O Lord Jesus, Thou fullness of life, wisdom, beauty, and sweetness, help us to abase ourselves before Thy Divine Majesty, that we may be made worthy of Thy coming to us. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen. (Source: The Prologue from Ochrid)

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

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

+Father George

"Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father..." (Ephesians 5:20)

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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"GIVING THANKS ALWAYS FOR ALL THINGS TO GOD THE FATHER IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST..." (Ephesians 5:20).

"For Christians, it is the Holy Spirit (v.18), and the joy is New Covenant worship of the Holy Trinity, the Eucharist (giving thanks, v. 20): to the Father through the Son incarnate (Lord in v. 19; "Lord Jesus Christ" in v. 20), in the Spirit (v. 18). He who is made drunk with wine totters and sways, but he who is inebriated with the Holy Spirit is rooted in Christ, and gloriously sober."

Saint Basil the Great spoke and wrote about the necessity and significance of offering thanks to the Almighty and Life-Giving God, the Creator, as early as the fourth century. He writes:

"When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him Who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for his kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God's feet and adore Him Who is His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, Who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know love, and praise their Creator."

The holy Apostle Paul in his epistles to the Churches stressed strongly that every Christian is to "give thanks always for all things to God the Father..." (Ephesians 5:20), for this is God's will for all of you who belong to Christ Jesus: Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:18. These were not empty words. The holy Apostle lived that important sense of thankfulness, even when he was persecuted and while suffering in the hands of the ungodly.  

Everything in our earthly life has a purpose and meaning, including suffering, struggling, sorrow, joy, life, death, success, and failure, youthfulness, and old age, pain, and pleasure. It is through these human experiences that we mature spiritually and grow in Christ. The numerous challenges which we confront contribute to our attaining wisdom and humility. Our resolve, our determination, our love, our dedication, and our convictions are made stronger.  

Appreciating and thanking our Most-Loving Lord is a way of acknowledging and declaring openly that all things come from above, from Him. We have nothing and we are nothing without Him in our lives. How can we not thank Him every minute of the day for all that He gives us and for His infinite love and care? We depend on Him for all things just like my child depends on me, his parent, to provide him/her for all which he or she needs.

Not thanking our Savior is a sign of ingratitude and arrogance. Saint Paul comprehends that thankfulness is not just a duty or just one of many virtues that characterize the life of the Christian believer, but rather that it is the characteristic of our belief in Christ.  

"Then He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitude" (Matthew 15:36). Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was thankful to His Heavenly Father Who bestows gifts and life. Jesus reveals to us, in a very clear way, how important it is for us to always express our gratitude to God. He said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me..." (John 11:41-42). In these verses, we also see Saint John the Evangelist's insistence on relating Jesus' dependency upon the Father for all His works. Just as Jesus was dependent on His Father, we too, are dependent on Him for all things.  

We constantly see our Lord Jesus Christ express His gratitude-giving thanks. Should we not as creatures created by Him respond in kind? The Apostle of all nations, Saint Paul advises us to give "thanks always for all things to God the Father." "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:8-11).

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1).

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

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

+Father George

God and Salvation

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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GOD AND SALVATION

The Human Nature of the Lord Jesus Christ

Being perfect God, Christ the Savior is at the same time also perfect Man.

As Man, Christ was born when for Mary, His mother, "the days were accomplished that she should be delivered" (Luke 2:6). He gradually "grew, and waxed strong in spirit" (Luke 2:40). As Mary's son, He "was subject unto her and her spouse" (Luke 2:51). As Man, He was baptized by John in the Jordan; He went about the cities and villages with the preaching of salvation; not once before His Resurrection did he encounter a need to prove His humanity to anyone. He experienced hunger and thirst, the need for rest and sleep, and He suffered painful feelings and physical sufferings.

Living the physical life natural to a man, the Lord also lived the life of the soul as a man. He strengthened His spiritual powers with fasting and prayer. He experienced human feelings: joy, anger, sorrow. He expressed them outwardly: He "was troubled in spirit" (John 13:21), showed dissatisfaction, shed tears--for example, at the death of Lazarus. The Gospels reveal to us a powerful spiritual battle in the garden of Gethsemane on the night before He was taken under guard: "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death" (Matthew 26:38)--thus did the Lord describe the state of His soul to His disciples.

The rational, conscious human will of Jesus Christ unfailingly placed all human striving in submission to the Divine Will in Himself. A strikingly evident image of this is given in the Passion of the Lord, which began in the garden of Gethsemane: "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thu wilt" (Matthew 26:39). "Not my will, but Thine, be done" (Luke 22:42).

Concerning the Truth of the Savior's fully human nature, the Holy Fathers of the Church speak thus:

Saint Cyril of Alexandria: "If the nature which He received had not had a human mind, then the one who entered into battle with the devil was God Himself; and it was, therefore, God Who gained the victory. But if God was victorious, then I, who did not participate in this victory at all, do not receive any benefit from it. Therefore, I cannot rejoice over it, for I would then be boasting of someone else's trophies."

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: "If the becoming man was a phantom, the salvation is a dream." Other Holy Fathers expressed themselves similarly.

The One Worship of Christ

To the Lord Jesus Christ as to one person, as the God-man, it is fitting to give a single inseparable worship, both according to Divinity and according to Humanity, precisely because both natures are inseparably united in Him. The decree of the Holy Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Council (The Ninth Canon against Heretics) reads:  "If anyone shall take the expression, Christ ought to be worshipped in His two natures, in the sense that he wishes to introduce thus two adorations, the one in special relation to God the Logos/Word and the other as pertaining to the Man ... and does not venerate, by one adoration, God the Logos/Word made man, together with His flesh, as the Holy Church has taught from the beginning: Let him be anathema" Eerdmans, Seven Ecumenical Councils, p. 314). (Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Father Michael Pomazansky)

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

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

+Father George

November 25 - Saint Katherine the Great Martyr (Part III)

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 FEAST OF THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS MARTYR SAINT KATHERINE (Part III)

At this juncture, the emperor ordered that the Martyr be placed under heavy guard. He then sent out a notice to all cities under his rule, announcing: "I, your emperor, extend my greeting to all the learned men and rhetoricians of the Greeks...together with your knowledge, may stop the mouth of a very clever woman who has appeared of late and has treated scornfully the exalted gods...Thus, if you prove the ancients' wisdom and impress the populace, from me you will receive great recompense."

One hundred and fifty elite and scholarly men, who had keen minds and were seasoned orators, responded and assembled...Consequently, the martyr was commanded to be brought in. Many by then, had filled the amphitheater to see and hear the outcome. Before they commenced, the Archangel Michael appeared to Katherine, encouraging her, and saying, "O child of the Lord, be not afraid; for the Lord will add more wisdom to thine own, to vanquish the one hundred and fifty philosophers' and not only they, but many others also will come to believe through thy testimony and will receive martyr's crowns."

After a robust debate and discourse, the one hundred and fifty pagan scholars and philosophers were defeated by Saint Katherine. The emperor, seeing that his pagan philosophers lost the battle, directed the others to refute the martyr in rebuttal. They declined, saying, "We cannot oppose the truth, in view of the fact that our superior has been defeated.

Then the emperor's anger was inflamed, and he ordered that a fire be kindled in the midst of the city and the orators be cast therein. As they heard this, they fell at the feet of the Saint, begging that the Lord might forgive them-for they had sinned unwittingly-and that they be allowed to receive Baptism and the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The Saint was elated and addressed them, "You are blessed and fortunate, for you have left darkness and come to the Light of the Truth...Behold, the fire with which the impious ones are menacing you shall become your baptism and a celestial ladder to the King Who is making you His beloved friends!" With these words, the holy Katherine encouraged them, sealing them to their martyrdom in thanksgiving and rejoicing. The soldiers cast them into the flames, jubilant as they were, on the 17th of November...

"...The emperor ordered that she be stripped of the royal mantle and lashed without pity with whips of rawhide. After this, they scourged her about the stomach and back for two hours. Her virginal body, once fair, became lacerated and unsightly from the welts. Yet, the holy one withstood all this with much courage. After the sunset, the savage beast ordered that she be cast into prison and not be given food or water for twelve days until he might devise a method to put her to death...

"...A certain prefect, ill-tempered and sadistic man proposed to the emperor a new instrument of torture that would bring about the atrocious death of the martyr. He said to the emperor, 'Thou should order the construction of four wooden wheels attached to an axle, from which steel blades and other sharp spikes protrude. Two of the wheels will rotate to the right, and two to the left. The maiden would be placed below, bound, at the center, so that when the wheels turn, her body will be completely mutilated. The idea pleased the emperor, and he ordered the plan put into effect.

The emperor then ordered that they cast the Saint, bound, before the wheels and rotate them violently so that with rapid passes thereof she might suffer a bitter death. But, by the intervention of the grace and will of God, it did not come to pass in this way. An Angel of the Lord came down from heaven and aided the holy Katherine, who was instantly loosed from the bonds and rendered whole and uninjured. The wheels spun away on their own, striking many of the unbelievers, and bringing upon them a hideous death...The emperor raged with a blind fury, and at once sought to devise a new way to torture Saint Katherine.

The emperor finally to behead the Saint...After uttering her final prayer to the Lord, she told the executioner to carry out the sentence. He raised his sword and cut off her precious head on the 25th of November, in about 305 A.D. Again, our God desired to honor the Saint and Venerable Martyr, and one miracle followed another! At her beheading all the bystanders witnessed milk flow from her sacred head instead of blood. Thereupon, at that hour, her revered and precious holy relics were devoutly translated by holy Angels and deposited on Mount Sinai in a secret place. According to Holy Tradition, they were translated to the peak of the highest mountain in Sinai, which now bears her name.

Verily, this is the account of the Martyrdom of the all-wise and remarkable Katherine, who so loved Christ, the heavenly Bridegroom, that she disdained wealth, glory, and every vain enjoyment. Therefore, she now rejoices and delights with the Choir of Saints unto endless ages. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

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On the 25th of November, the holy Church commemorates the holy Great-Martyr Mercurius.

When the Roman pagan emperor Decius was once making war on the barbarians, there was in the army the commander of an Armenian regiment called the Martesians. The commander was called Mercurius. In the battle, an Angel of God appeared to Mercurius, put a sword in his hand, and told him that he would overcome the enemy. Mercurius displayed wonderful courage, mowing the enemy down like grass with his sword. After this glorious victory, the emperor made him Supreme Commander of his army, but some jealous men denounced him to the emperor as a Christian. Mercurius did not deny this before the emperor but openly acknowledged it. He was most terribly tortured: cut with knives in strips and burned in a furnace, but an Angel of God appeared in the prison and healed him. Finally, the emperor pronounced the sentence that General Mercurius be beheaded with the sword in Cappadocia. When they beheaded him, his body became as white as snow, and from it there arose a wonderful, incense-like fragrance. Many of the sick were healed by his wonderworking and holy relics. This glorious soldier of Christ suffered for the Faith sometime between 251 and 259 A.D. (Source: The Prologue from Ochrid)

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

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

+Father George

November 25 - Saint Katherine the Great Martyr (Part II)

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 COMMEMORATION OF THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS HOLY MARTYR KATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA (Part II)

The maiden then took the holy icon and returned to the palace. She closed herself in her inner room as the elder directed. From the tremendous effort exerted in her supplications, she fell asleep and beheld in a vision the Queen of the Angels, as portrayed in the holy icon, holding the Holy Child, Whose Person emitted rays more radiant than the sun; yet His face was turned toward His Mother. Thus, Katherine saw His back only. She yearned to behold His countenance, and so went to the other side, but once again He turned His face away. This happened thrice. She then heard the Most Holy Mother say, "My Child, look upon Thy handmaiden Katherine! How beautiful and comely she is!" He answered, "Nay, rather she is gloom and so repugnant that it is not possible for Me to look upon her!" The Most Holy Theotokos continued, "Is she not wiser than all the orators, very wealthy, and the most elegant in all the cities?" Yet Christ replied, "My Mother, I tell thee that she is ignorant, poor, and contemptible! Whosoever is in like condition, I do not wish to look upon!" Again, the Theotokos spoke, "I beg Thee, my sweet Child, despise not the work of Thy hands! But, advise and guide her as to what she should do, so as to have a share of Thy glory and behold Thy face resplendent with Light, which the Angels long to gaze upon!" Christ then said, "She ought to go to the elder who gave her the icon. Whatever instructions he gives, she should do. Then, when she desires to see, she will receive joy and benefit."

Having beheld this vision, she awoke and pondered deeply on the matter. In the morning, she hastened with a few other women to the elder's cell. Failing at his feet, she related, in tears, the vision and implored him to advise her how to proceed, so she might attain her heart's desire. The blessed elder explained in detail the rites and mysteries of our True Faith, commencing with the creation of the universe and the making of man. He catechized her thoroughly as to the Second Coming of Our Lord Christ and the ineffable glory of Paradise in contrast to the all-grievous and never-ending torments. Intelligent and quick of mind, Katherine grasped, within a short period of time, all the fine points of the Faith. She believed with all her heart and was received into the Faith through Baptism at his hands. Afterward, he instructed her to entreat the Most Holy Theotokos to appear once again.

The holy maiden, having put off the "old man" (Colossians 3:9) and put on a garment woven by God, went to the palace and kept vigil all night, fasting and praying with tears. Finally, sleep overcame her, and she beheld the heavenly Queen with the Divine Child, Who looked upon Katherine with a gracious eye. This time, the Mother of God inquired of the Master Christ if the virgin pleased Him. Our Lord answered, "She who was formerly unillumined and unsightly is now resplendent and glorious to behold! The poor and ignorant one has become wealthy and enlightened. She who was contemptible and undistinguished has become noble and eminent, and now possesses so many good blessings and gifts that I am well-disposed and desire to betroth her to Myself as My undefiled bride!" At that moment, Katherine fell prostrate, weeping and saying, "O exceeding Glorious Lord, I am unworthy to look upon Thee! Make me worthy to be numbered among Thy servants!"

The Theotokos then took her right hand of the maiden and said, "My Child, give her a ring as a token of Thy betrothal of her, so as to deem her worthy of Thy Kingdom." The Master Christ then gave her a beautiful ring, saying, "Behold, this day I take thee as My unsullied bride forever. Diligently preserve this troth inviolate, taking no man to thyself!" And with these words the vision came to an end. Katherine arose; verily, a ring was on her right finger! At that moment, her heart was enraptured with the Divine Love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The iniquitous Emperor, obsessed with unmatched zeal for the lifeless gods, was so senseless and irrational that he issued a decree to every city and village, enjoining all to comply with the following: "I, your emperor, greet all who are under my authority, I command all to assemble, without delay, in the capital, that we may render tribute to the supreme gods in a fitting manner, and expresses our gratitude for their good favor and bestowal of benefits and gifts. Each one will offer according to his resources. Whosoever disregards this edict and doth dare to worship any other god, will be subject to disciplinary action and punishment."

With the edict's circulation to every corner of the realm, countless multitudes converged on the imperial city. Each one brought according to his means; some oxen, other sheep; the poor, fowls and the like. When the day of the abominable festival arrived, the impious emperor sacrificed one hundred thirty bullocks.

Katherine, devout and beauteous, witnessed this grievous shipwreck of souls who were compelled to commit sacrilege, thereby escaping temporal death, only to betray their souls to everlasting condemnation. Therefore, inspired by divine zeal, she went, with a small retinue of servants, to the site of the temple where the foolish ones were performing their sacrifices. When she paused at the temple threshold, all were distracted by her exquisite comeliness which mirrored her inner beauty. She then sent word to the emperor that she had information of vital importance, and he summoned her to enter.

The all -beautiful Katherine approached the emperor, first bowing, and then boldly and fearlessly declaring, "O emperor, thou shouldest be the first to know that thou art deceived in worshipping perishable and lifeless idols as gods. It is an absolute disgrace to be so manifestly blind, as fools, to the truth, in thy worship of such abominations...At this, the emperor quickly interrupted, "Do not speak disrespectfully of the gods whose glory is everlasting!" But the martyr objected...

"...He made the following pretext: "It is indecorous for the emperor to debate with a woman; nevertheless, I will bring together my rhetoricians. Then thou shalt comprehend the feebleness of thy syllogisms, and know what is in thy best interest, and embrace our beliefs." (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

(To be continued)

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

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

+Father George