felt a warmth and a flame enter his heart from the icon. It did not burn him, but he felt a certain sweetness and contrition within. From that time, his heart began to repeat the Jesus Prayer of itself. In this way, the Virgin Theotokos fulfilled his request. St. Maximus fulfilled his obedience in the Lavra of St. Athanasius on Mt. Athos. In order to conceal his ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, and to avoid celebrity, he behaved like a fool. One day, he had a vision of the Mother of God, who told him to ascend the mountain. On the summit of the Holy Mountain, he prayed for three days and nights. Again, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him surrounded by angels, and holding Her divine Son in Her arms. Prostrating himself, the saint heard the All-Holy Virgin speak to him, "Receive the gift against demons... and settle at the foot of Athos, for this is the will of My Son." She told him that he would ascend the heights of virtue, and become a teacher and guide for many. Then, since he had not eaten for several days, a heavenly bread was given to him. As soon as he put it in his mouth, he was surrounded by divine light, and he saw the Mother of God ascending into Heaven. St. Maximus told his vision to a certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel. He was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. He pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. St. Maximus did not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like a lunatic. Whenever he moved, he would burn his hut down. Therefore, he was called "Kavsokalyvites," or "Hut Burner." Those on the Holy Mountain, knowing of the extreme deprivations and sorrows of St. Maximus, for a long time regarded him with contempt, even though he had attained the height and perfection of spiritual life. When St. Gregory of Sinai (August 8) arrived on Athos, he encountered the holy fool. After speaking to him, he began to call him an earthly angel. St. Gregory persuaded St. Maximus to stop behaving like a fool and to 100
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Transcript
felt a warmth and a flame enter his heart from the icon. It did not burn
him, but he felt a certain sweetness and contrition within. From that
time, his heart began to repeat the Jesus Prayer of itself. In this way,
the Virgin Theotokos fulfilled his request. St. Maximus fulfilled his
obedience in the Lavra of St. Athanasius on Mt. Athos. In order to
conceal his ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, and to avoid
celebrity, he behaved like a fool. One day, he had a vision of the
Mother of God, who told him to ascend the mountain. On the summit
of the Holy Mountain, he prayed for three days and nights. Again, the
Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him surrounded by angels, and
holding Her divine Son in Her arms. Prostrating himself, the saint
heard the All-Holy Virgin speak to him, "Receive the gift against
demons... and settle at the foot of Athos, for this is the will of My
Son." She told him that he would ascend the heights of virtue, and
become a teacher and guide for many. Then, since he had not eaten
for several days, a heavenly bread was given to him. As soon as he
put it in his mouth, he was surrounded by divine light, and he saw the
Mother of God ascending into Heaven. St. Maximus told his vision to a
certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel.
He was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. He
pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious
ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. St. Maximus did
not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like
a lunatic. Whenever he moved, he would burn his hut down. Therefore,
he was called "Kavsokalyvites," or "Hut Burner." Those on the Holy
Mountain, knowing of the extreme deprivations and sorrows of St.
Maximus, for a long time regarded him with contempt, even though he
had attained the height and perfection of spiritual life. When St.
Gregory of Sinai (August 8) arrived on Athos, he encountered the holy
fool. After speaking to him, he began to call him an earthly angel. St.
Gregory persuaded St. Maximus to stop behaving like a fool and to
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live in one place so that others might benefit from his spiritual
experience. Heeding the words of St. Gregory and the advice of other
Elders, St. Maximus selected a permanent dwelling in a cave near the
renowned Elder Isaiah. Knowing of his gift of clairvoyance, the
Byzantine Emperors John Paleologos (1341-1376) and John
Kantakouzenos (1341-1355) visited him and were surprised by the
fulfillment of his predictions. Theophanes, the igumen of Vatopedi
monastery, wrote about St. Maximus: "I invoke God as my witness,
that I myself saw several of his miracles. Once, for instance, I saw
him travel through the air from one place to another. I listened as he
made a prediction concerning me, that first I would be an igumen, and
then Metropolitan of Ochrid. He even revealed to me how I would
suffer for the Church." St. Maximus abandoned his solitude only just
before his death, and settled near the Lavra of St. Athanasius, where
he surrendered his soul to the Lord at 95 years of age (+ 1354). After
his death, as in life, St. Maximus was glorified by many miracles.
TODAY IS JANUARY 14
Saint Nino, Equal of the Apostles and
Enlightener of Georgia
FEAST DAY
The virgin Nino of Cappadocia was a relative of Great-martyr George
and the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple.
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Her father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, and her
mother, Sosana, was the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem.
When Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their
possessions and moved to Jerusalem. Soon after, Nino’s father was
tonsured a monk. He bid farewell to his family and went to labor in the
wilderness of the Jordan. After Sosana had been separated from her
husband, Patriarch Juvenal ordained her a deaconess. She left Nino in
the care of an old woman, Sara Niaphor, who raised her in the
Christian Faith and related to her the stories of Christ’s life and His
suffering on earth. It was from Sara that Nino learned how Christ’s
Robe had arrived in Georgia, a country of pagans. Soon Nino began to
pray fervently to the Theotokos, asking for her blessing to travel to
Georgia and be made worthy to venerate the Sacred Robe that she
had woven for her beloved Son. The Most Holy Virgin heard her
prayers and appeared to Nino in a dream, saying, “Go to the country
that was assigned to me by lot and preach the Gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ. He will send down His grace upon you, and I will be your
protector.” But the blessed Nino was overwhelmed at the thought of
such a great responsibility and answered, “How can I, a fragile
woman, perform such a momentous task, and how can I believe that
this vision is real?” In response, the Most Holy Theotokos presented
her with a cross of grapevines and proclaimed, “Receive this cross as
a shield against visible and invisible enemies!” When she awoke,
Nino was holding the cross in her hands. She dampened it with tears
of rejoicing and tied it securely with strands of her own hair.
(According to another source, the Theotokos bound the grapevine
cross with strands of her own hair.) Nino related the vision to her
uncle, Patriarch Juvenal, and revealed to him her desire to preach the
Gospel in Georgia. Juvenal led her in front of the Royal Doors, laid his
hands on her, and prayed, “O Lord, God of Eternity, I beseech Thee on
behalf of my orphaned niece. Grant that, according to Thy will, she
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may go to preach and proclaim Thy Holy Resurrection. O Christ God,
be Thou to her a guide, a refuge, and a spiritual father. And as Thou
didst enlighten the Apostles and all those who feared Thy name, do
Thou also enlighten her with the wisdom to proclaim Thy glad
tidings.” When Nino arrived in Rome, she met and baptized the
princess Rhipsimia and her nurse, Gaiana. At that time the Roman
emperor was Diocletian, a ruler infamous for persecuting Christians.
Diocletian fell in love with Rhipsimia and resolved to marry her, but
Sts. Nino, Rhipsimia, Gaiana, and fifty other virgins escaped to
Armenia. The furious Diocletian ordered his soldiers to follow them
and sent a messenger to Tiridates, the Armenian king, to put him on
guard. King Tiridates located the women and, following Diocletian’s
example, was charmed by Rhipsimia’s beauty and resolved to marry
her. But St. Rhipsimia would not consent to marry, and in his rage the
king had her tortured to death with Gaiana and the fifty other virgins.
St. Nino, however, was being prepared for a different, greater task,
and she succeeded in escaping King Tiridates’ persecutions by hiding
among some rose bushes. When she finally arrived in Georgia, St.
Nino was greeted by a group of Mtskhetan shepherds near Lake
Paravani, and she received a blessing from God to preach to the
pagans of this region. With the help of her acquaintances, St. Nino
soon reached the city of Urbnisi. She remained there a month, then
traveled to Mtskheta with a group of Georgians who were making a
pilgrimage to venerate the pagan idol Armazi. There she watched with
great sadness as the Georgian people trembled before the idols. She
was exceedingly sorrowful and prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, send
down Thy mercy upon this nation …that all nations may glorify Thee
alone, the One True God, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ.” Suddenly a
violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky, shattering the
pagan statues. The terrified worshipers fled, scattering across the
city. St. Nino made her home beneath a bramble bush in the garden of
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the king, with the family of the royal gardener. The gardener and his
wife were childless, but through St. Nino’s prayers, God granted them
a child. The couple rejoiced, declared Christ to be the True God, and
became disciples of St. Nino. Wherever St. Nino went, those who
heard her preach converted to the Christian Faith in great numbers.
St. Nino even healed the terminally ill Queen Nana after she declared
Christ to be the True God. King Mirian, a pagan, was not at all pleased
with the great impression St. Nino’s preaching had made on the
Georgian nation. One day while he was out hunting, he resolved to kill
all those who followed Christ. According to his scheme, even his wife,
Queen Nana, would face death for failing to renounce the Christian
Faith. But in the midst of the hunt, it suddenly became very dark. All
alone, King Mirian became afraid and prayed in vain for the help of the
pagan gods. When his prayers went unanswered, he finally lost hope
and, miraculously, turned to Christ: “God of Nino, illumine this night
for me and guide my footsteps, and I will declare Thy Holy Name. I
will erect a cross and venerate it, and I will construct for Thee a
temple. I vow to be obedient to Nino and to the Faith of the Roman
people!” Suddenly the night was transfigured, the sun shone radiantly,
and King Mirian gave great thanks to the Creator. When he returned to
the city, he immediately informed St. Nino of his decision. As a result
of the unceasing labors of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, Georgia was
established as a nation solidly rooted in the Christian Faith. St. Nino
reposed in the village of Bodbe in eastern Georgia and, according to
her will, she was buried in the place where she took her last breath.
King Mirian later erected a church in honor of St. George over her
grave.
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TODAY IS JANUARY 15
Saint John the Hut-Dweller
FEAST DAY
Saint John the Hut-Dweller was the son of rich and illustrious parents,
and was born in Constantinople the early fifth century. He received a
fine education, and he mastered rhetoric and philosophy by the age of
twelve. He also loved to read spiritual books. Perceiving the vanity of
worldly life, he chose the path that was narrow and extremely
difficult. Filled with longing to enter a monastery, he confided his
intention to a passing monk. John made him promise to come back for
him when he returned from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and take him
to his monastery. He asked his parents for a Gospel so that he might
study the words of Christ. John's parents hired a calligrapher to copy
the text, and had the volume bound in a golden cover studded with
gems. John read the Gospel constantly, delighting in the Savior's
words. The monk kept his promise to come back for John, and they
went secretly to Bithynia. At the monastery of the "Unsleeping"
(Akoimitoi), he received monastic tonsure. The young monk began his
ascetical labors with zeal, astonishing the brethren with his
unceasing prayer, humble obedience, strict abstinence, and
perseverance at work. After six years, he began to undergo
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temptations. He remembered his parents, how much they loved him,
and what sorrow he caused them. He regretted leaving them, and was
filled with a burning desire to see them again. St. John explained his
situation to the igumen St. Marcellus and he asked to be released
from the monastery. He begged the igumen for his blessing and
prayers to return home. He bid farewell to the brethren, hoping that by
their prayers and with the help of God, he would both see his parents
and overcome the snares of the devil. The igumen then blessed him
for his journey. St. John returned to Constantinople, not to resume his
former life of luxury, but dressed as a beggar, and unknown to
anyone. He settled in a corner by the gates of his parents' home. His
father noticed the "pauper," and began to send him food from his
table, for the sake of Christ. John lived in a small hut for three years,
oppressed and insulted by the servants, enduring cold and frost,
unceasingly conversing with the Lord and the holy angels. Before his
death, the Lord appeared to the monk in a vision, revealing that the
end of his sorrows was approaching, and that in three days he would
be taken into the Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, he asked the steward
to give his mother a message to come to him, for he had something to
say to her. At first, she did not wish to go, but she was curious to
know what this beggar had to say to her. Then he sent her another
message, saying that he would die in three days. John thanked her for
the charity he had received, and told her that God would reward her
for it. He then made her promise to bury him beneath his hut, dressed
in his rags. Only then did the saint give her his Gospel, which he
always carried with him, saying, "May this console you in this life, and
guide you to the next life." She showed the Gospel to her husband,
saying that it was similar to the one they had given their son. He
realized that it was, in fact, the very Gospel they had commissioned
for John. They went back to the gates, intending to ask the pauper
where he got the Gospel, and if he knew anything about their son.
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Unable to restrain himself any longer, he admitted that he was their
child. With tears of joy they embraced him, weeping because he had
endured privation for so long at the very gates of his parental home.
The saint died in the mid-fifth century, when he was not quite twenty-
five years old. On the place of his burial the parents built a church,
and beside it a hostel for strangers. When they died, they were buried
in the church they had built. In the twelfth century the head of the
saint was taken by Crusaders to Besançon (in France), and other
relics of the saint were taken to Rome.
TODAY IS JANUARY 16
Veneration of Apostle Peter's Precious Chains
FEAST DAY
Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great and king of the Jews,
grew wroth against the Church of Christ, and slew James, the brother
of John the Evangelist. Seeing that this pleased the Jews, he took
Peter also into custody and locked him up in prison, intending to keep
him there until after the feast of the Passover, so that he could win
the favor of the people by presenting him to them as a victim. But the
Apostle was saved when he was miraculously set free by an Angel
(Acts 12:1-19). The chains wherewith the Apostle was bound received
from his most sacred body the grace of sanctification and healing,
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which is bestowed upon the faithful who draw nigh with faith. That
such sacred treasures work wonders and many healings is witnessed
by the divine Scripture, where it speaks concerning Paul, saying that
the Christians in Ephesus had such reverence for him, that his
handkerchiefs and aprons, taken up with much reverence, healed the
sick of their maladies: "So that from his body were brought unto the
sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them,
and the evil spirits went out of them" (Acts 19:12). But not only the
Apostles' clothing (which certainly touched the bodies of the sick),
but even their shadow alone performed healings. On beholding this,
people put their sick on stretchers and beds and brought them out
into the streets that, when Peter passed by, his shadow "might
overshadow some of them"(Acts 5:15). From this the Orthodox
Catholic Church has learned to show reverence and piety not only to
the relics of their bodies, but also in the clothing of God's Saints.
TODAY IS JANUARY 17
Saint Anthony the Great
FEAST DAY
Saint Anthony the Great is known as the Father of monasticism, and
the long ascetical sermon in The Life of St. Anthony by St. Athanasius
(Sections 16-34), could be called the first monastic Rule. He was born
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in Egypt in the village of Coma, near the desert of the Thebaid, in the
year 251. His parents were pious Christians of illustrious lineage.
Anthony was a serious child and was respectful and obedient to his
parents. He loved to attend church services, and he listened to the
Holy Scripture so attentively, that he remembered what he heard all
his life. When St. Anthony was about twenty years old, he lost his
parents, but he was responsible for the care of his younger sister.
Going to church about six months later, the youth reflected on how
the faithful, in the Acts of the Apostles (4:35), sold their possessions
and gave the proceeds to the Apostles for the needy. Then he entered
the church and heard the Gospel passage where Christ speaks to the
rich young man: "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess
and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and
come follow Me" (Mt.19:21). Anthony felt that these words applied to
him. Therefore, he sold the property that he received after the death
of his parents, then distributed the money to the poor, and left his
sister in the care of pious virgins in a convent. Leaving his parental
home, St. Anthony began his ascetical life in a hut not far from his
village. By working with his hands, he was able to earn his livelihood
and also alms for the poor. Sometimes, the holy youth also visited
other ascetics living in the area, and from each he sought direction
and benefit. He turned to one particular ascetic for guidance in the
spiritual life. In this period of his life St. Anthony endured terrible
temptations from the devil. The Enemy of the race of man troubled the
young ascetic with thoughts of his former life, doubts about his
chosen path, concern for his sister, and he tempted Anthony with
lewd thoughts and carnal feelings. But the saint extinguished that fire
by meditating on Christ and by thinking of eternal punishment,
thereby overcoming the devil. Realizing that the devil would
undoubtedly attack him in another manner, St. Anthony prayed and
intensified his efforts. Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him
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the path of salvation. And he was granted a vision. The ascetic beheld
a man, who by turns alternately finished a prayer, and then began to
work. This was an angel, which the Lord had sent to instruct His
chosen one. St. Anthony tried to accustom himself to a stricter way of
life. He partook of food only after sunset, he spent all night praying
until dawn. Soon he slept only every third day. But the devil would not
cease his tricks, and trying to scare the monk, he appeared under the
guise of monstrous phantoms. The saint however protected himself
with the Life-Creating Cross. Finally the Enemy appeared to him in the
guise of a frightful looking black child, and hypocritically declaring
himself beaten, he thought he could tempt the saint into vanity and
pride. The saint, however, vanquished the Enemy with prayer. For
even greater solitude, St. Anthony moved farther away from the
village, into a graveyard. He asked a friend to bring him a little bread
on designated days, then shut himself in a tomb. Then the devils
pounced upon the saint intending to kill him, and inflicted terrible
wounds upon him. By the providence of the Lord, Anthony's friend
arrived the next day to bring him his food. Seeing him lying on the
ground as if dead, he took him back to the village. They thought the
saint was dead and prepared for his burial. At midnight, St. Anthony
regained consciousness and told his friend to carry him back to the
tombs. St. Anthony's staunchness was greater than the wiles of the
Enemy. Taking the form of ferocious beasts, the devils tried to force
the saint to leave that place, but he defeated them by trusting in the
Lord. Looking up, the saint saw the roof opening, as it were, and a ray
of light coming down toward him. The demons disappeared and he
cried out, "Where have You been, O Merciful Jesus? Why didn't You
appear from the very beginning to end my pain?" The Lord replied, "I
was here, Anthony, but wanted to see your struggle. Now, since you
have not yielded, I shall always help you and make your name known
throughout all the world." After this vision St. Anthony was healed of
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his wounds and felt stronger than before. He was then thirty-five
years of age. Having gained spiritual experience in his struggle with
the devil, St. Anthony considered going into the Thebaid desert to
serve the Lord. He asked the Elder (to whom he had turned for
guidance at the beginning of his monastic journey) to go into the
desert with him. The Elder, while blessing him in the then as yet
unheard of exploit of being a hermit, decided not to accompany him
because of his age. St. Anthony went into the desert alone. The devil
tried to hinder him, by placing a large silver disc in his path, then
gold, but the saint ignored it and passed by. He found an abandoned
fort on the other side of the river and settled there, barricading the
entrance with stones. His faithful friend brought him bread twice a
year, and there was water inside the fort. St. Anthony spent twenty
years in complete isolation and constant struggle with the demons,
and he finally achieved perfect calm. The saint's friends removed the
stones from the entrance, and they went to St. Anthony and besought
him to take them under his guidance. Soon St. Anthony's cell was
surrounded by several monasteries, and the saint acted as a father
and guide to their inhabitants, giving spiritual instruction to all who
came into the desert seeking salvation. He increased the zeal of
those who were already monks, and inspired others with a love for the
ascetical life. He told them to strive to please the Lord, and not to
become faint-hearted in their labors. He also urged them not to fear
demonic assaults, but to repel the Enemy by the power of the Life-
Creating Cross of the Lord. In the year 311 there was a fierce
persecution against Christians, in the reign of the emperor Maximian.
Wishing to suffer with the holy martyrs, St. Anthony left the desert
and went to Alexandria. He openly ministered to those in prison, he
was present at the trial and interrogations of the confessors, and
accompanying the martyrs to the place of execution. It pleased the
Lord to preserve him, however, for the benefit of Christians. At the
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close of the persecution, the saint returned to the desert and
continued his exploits. The Lord granted the saint the gift of
wonderworking, casting out demons and healing the sick by the
power of his prayer. The great crowds of people coming to him
disrupted his solitude, and he went off still farther, into the inner
desert where he settled atop a high elevation. But the brethren of the
monasteries sought him out and asked him to visit their communities.
Another time St. Anthony left the desert and arrived in Alexandria to
defend the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaean and Arian
heresies. Knowing that the name of St. Anthony was venerated by all
the Church, the Arians said that he adhered to their heretical
teaching. But St. Anthony publicly denounced Arianism in front of
everyone and in the presence of the bishop. During his brief stay at
Alexandria, he converted a great multitude of pagans to Christ.
People from all walks of life loved the saint and sought his advice.
Pagan philosophers once came to Abba Anthony intending to mock
him for his lack of education, but by his words he reduced them to
silence. Emperor Constantine the Great (May 21) and his sons wrote
to St. Anthony and asked him for a reply. He praised the emperor for
his belief in Christ, and advised him to remember the future judgment,
and to know that Christ is the true King. St. Anthony spent eighty-five
years in the solitary desert. Shortly before his death, he told the
brethren that soon he would be taken from them. He instructed them
to preserve the Orthodox Faith in its purity, to avoid any association
with heretics, and not to be negligent in their monastic struggles.
"Strive to be united first with the Lord, and then with the saints, so
that after death they may receive you as familiar friends into the
everlasting dwellings." The saint instructed two of his disciples, who
had attended him in the final fifteen years of his life, to bury him in
the desert and not in Alexandria. He left one of his monastic mantles
to St. Athanasius of Alexandria (January 18), and the other to St.
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Serapion of Thmuis (March 21). St. Anthony died peacefully in the year
356, at age 105, and he was buried in the desert by his disciples.
TODAY IS JANUARY 18
Saint Ephraim the Lesser
FEAST DAY
Ephraim the Lesser, is the great 11th-century writer, translator,
philosopher, and defender of the Georgian Church. His work
Reminiscences and other sources, however, provide us with the
means to speculate about the major periods of his life and labors. In
1027, when King Bagrat IV (1027–1072) ascended the Georgian
throne, many noblemen of the Tao region in southern Georgia
relocated to Greece. Among them was the honorable Vache, son of
Karichi, whom scholars believe was Ephraim’s father. After receiving
a Greek education in Constantinople, Ephraim settled in the Black
Mountains near Antioch and began his labors there. His achievements
in Georgian theological and philosophical writing are immeasurable.
The number of his works is almost one hundred, and the subjects
cover nearly every branch of theological inquiry. Ephraim even
developed his own theory of translation, which later formed the
foundation for written composition in the Georgian language. His
theory consists of three essential points: 1. A composition must be
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translated from the original, that is, from the language in which it was
first written. 2. The translation must carry the same literal meaning
as the original, but accuracy in this regard must not violate the nature
of the language into which the text is being translated. 3. A section of
commentary that examines all relevant historical, grammatical, and
literary issues should be included with the translated text. Ephraim
translated five of the works of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, The
Ascetic Rules of St. Basil the Great, the writings of St. Ephraim the
Syrian, commentaries on the Epistles and Psalms, and many other
important patristic writings. Among Ephraim the Lessor’s original
works, his most significant is An Explanation of the Reasons for the
Conversion of Georgia, a compilation of existing essays and his own
commentaries on the nation’s conversion. In the second half of the
11th century, the monks of Antioch and the Black Mountains began to
deny the independence of the Georgian Church. Among other claims,
they argued that none of the Apostles had preached the Christian
Faith in Georgia. It became necessary to prove that the Georgian
Church was indeed autocephalous, and members of the nation’s elite
accordingly called upon Ephraim to settle this issue. Ephraim studied
many patristic writings in the original Greek, gathered the ancient
sources, and succeeded in fully securing the independent existence
of the Georgian Church. St. Ephraim wrote the following about the
Apostles’ preaching: “Know that from the time the Apostles were
preaching, according to the Prophet David: Their voice was heard
through all the earth, and their words resounded in every village.” In
Georgia, Andrew the First-called preached the Gospel in Avazgia (now
Abkhazeti), and from there he journeyed to Ossetia (now Shida Kartli).
Bartholomew also preached in Georgia, in the Kartli region.” St.
Ephraim never left the Black Mountains. In 1091 he was enthroned as
the abbot of Kastana Monastery (The precise location of Kastana is
unknown, but according to modern archaeologists, it was probably in
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the Black Mountains. Our holy father Ephraim reposed in the Lord
around the year 1101. He is included in a list of the departed compiled
by the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi in 1103, and the year of his death has
been approximated from the information given in this source. Saint
Ephraim was canonized by the Orthodox Church of Georgia because
of his God-pleasing life and the many commendable works he
performed on behalf of the Church and his nation.
TODAY IS JANUARY 19
Saint Mark, Bishop of Ephesus
FEAST DAY
The great teacher and invincible defender of the One, Holy, Orthodox,
and Apostolic Church, Saint Mark, was the offspring and scion of the
imperial city, Constantinople. Reared by most pious parents, and
instructed in secular and spiritual wisdom, he became preeminent in
both. Saint Mark lived as an ascetic on the Prince's Islands and later
in the monastery of Saint George Magana in Constantinople. He
passed through all the degrees of the priesthood, and was finally
advanced to the dignity of Archbishop and the lofty throne of the
Metropolis of Ephesus. At the insistence of Emperor John Paleologos,
the Saint was sent to the council of the Latin’s in Florence, to unite
the churches that had been divided for so many years. He astounded
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the papal teachers with the divine wisdom of his words, and was the
only one who did not sign the blasphemous decree of that false
council. Because of this, the Holy Church of Christ has ever honored
this great man as a benefactor, teacher, sole defender, and invincible
champion of the Apostolic Confession. He reposed in 1443.
TODAY IS JANUARY 20
Holy Martyrs Saints Inna, Pinna and Rimma
FEAST DAY
The Holy Martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma were Slavs from northern
Scythia (modern-day Bulgaria). They were disciples of the holy
Apostle Andrew the First-Called in the first century and preached the
Gospel of Christ and baptized many of those who sought the True
Faith. The women traveled with St. Andrew on many of his missions.
In present-day Kiev, they all stood on a hill and planted a cross,
prophesying that one day there would be a flowering of Christianity in
that city. Learning they were Christians, the local prince had them
seized and demanded that they offer sacrifice to the idols. However,
the women refused to denounce Christ. It was wintertime, and the
rivers were so frozen that not only people but horses with carts could
travel across the ice. The prince ordered that the women be tied to
logs. They were gradually lowered into the freezing water, and when
the ice reached their necks, they offered their blessed souls to the
Lord. The Cathedral of St. Andrew in Kiev, Ukraine, was built on the
same spot where the holy martyrs stood with St. Andrew.
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TODAY IS JANUARY 21
The Holy Martyr Saint Eugene of Trebizond
FEAST DAY
The Holy Martyrs Eugene, Candidus, Valerian and Aquila suffered for
their faith in Christ during the reign of Diocletian (284-305) and
Maximian (305-311), under the regimental commander Lycius.
Valerian, Candidus and Aquila had hidden themselves in the hills near
Trebizond, preferring life among the wild beasts to living with the
pagans. They were soon found, however, and brought to Trebizond.
For their bold and steadfast confession of faith in Christ the holy
martyrs were whipped with ox thongs, scraped with iron claws, then
were burned with fire. Several days later St. Eugene was also
arrested, and subjected to the same tortures. Later, they poured
vinegar laced with salt into his wounds. After these torments, they
threw the four martyrs into a red-hot oven. When they emerged from it
unharmed, they were beheaded, receiving their incorruptible crowns
from God. Saint Eugene became the Patron Saint of Trebizond during
the Byzantine era (orderofsteugene.com).
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TODAY IS JANUARY 22
Saint Macarius of Zhabyn
FEAST DAY
Saint Macarius of Zhabyn, Wonderworker of Belev, was born in the
year 1539. In his early years he was tonsured with the name
Onuphrius, and in the year 1585 he founded Zhabyn's Monastery of the
Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple near the River Oka,
not far from the city of Belev. In 1615 the monastery was completely
destroyed by Polish soldiers under the command of Lisovski.
Returning to the charred remains, the monk began to restore the
monastery. He again gathered the brethren, and in place of the
wooden church a stone church was built in honor of the Entry of the
Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, with a bell-tower at the gates.
The saint spent his life in austere monastic struggles, suffering cold,
heat, hunger and thirst, as the monastery accounts relate. He often
went deep into the forest, where he prayed to God in solitude. Once,
when he was following a path in the forest, he heard a faint moaning.
He looked around and saw a weary Polish man reclining against a tree
trunk, with his sabre beside him. He had strayed from his regiment
and had become lost in the forest. In a barely audible voice this
enemy, who might have been one of the destroyers of the monastery,
asked for a drink of water. Love and sympathy surged up within the
monk. With a prayer to the Lord, he plunged his staff into the ground.
At once, a fresh spring of water gushed forth, and he gave the dying
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man a drink. When both the external and internal life of the monastery
had been restored, St. Onuphrius withdrew from the general monastic
life, and having entrusted the guidance of the brethren to one of his
disciples, he took the schema with the name Macarius. For the place
of his solitude, he chose a spot along the upper tributary of the River
Zhabynka. About one verst separated the mouth of the tributary and
the banks of the River Oka. The ascetical struggles of St. Macarius
were concealed not only from the world, but also from his beloved
brethren. He died in 1623 at the age of eighty-four, at the hour when
the roosters start to crow. He was buried opposite the gates of the
monastery on January 22, the commemoration of St. Timothy, where a
church was later built and named for him. The Iconographic Originals
has preserved a description of St. Macarius in his last years: he had
gray hair with a small beard, and over his monastic riassa he wore the
schema. Veneration of St. Macarius was established at the end of the
seventeenth century, or the beginning of the eighteenth. According to
Tradition, his relics remained uncovered, but by 1721 they were
interred in a crypt. In the eighteenth century the monastery became
deserted. The memory of his deeds and miracles was so completely
forgotten, that when the incorrupt relics of the monastery's founder
were uncovered during the construction of the church of St. Nicholas
in 1816, a general panikhida was served over them. The restoration of
the liturgical commemoration of St. Macarius of Belev is credited to
Igumen Jonah, who was born on January 22 (the Feast of St.
Macarius), and who began his own monastic journey at the Optina
monastery not far from the Zhabyn monastery. In 1875 Igumen Jonah
became head of the Zhabyn monastery. His request to re-establish the
Feast of St. Macarius was strengthened by the petition of the people
of Belev, who through the centuries had preserved their faith in the
saint. On January 22, 1888, the annual commemoration of St.
Macarius of Zhabyn was resumed. In 1889, a church dedicated to St.
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Macarius was built at his tomb. Igumen Jonah, who lived at the
monastery and actually participated in the construction, decided that
in addition to the building project, the holy relics of St. Macarius
would also be uncovered. When everything was on the point of
readiness, St. Macarius appeared to the participants and sternly
warned them that they should not proceed with their intention, or
they would be punished. The memory of this appearance was
reverently preserved among the monks of the monastery.
TODAY IS JANUARY 23
The Holy Saint Hieromartyr Clement
Bishop of Ancyra
FEAST DAY
Saint Hieromartyr Clement, who was from Ancyra in Galatia, was the
son of an unbelieving father, but a believing mother whose name was
Sophia. At first he lived as a monk, later he became the bishop of his
city. He suffered so many things in confession of the Faith in Christ,
that the time of his sufferings and struggles stretched out over a
period of twenty-eight years. Finally he and Saint Agathangelus (who
was from Rome) were beheaded together during the reign of
Diocletian and Maximian, in the year 296.
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TODAY IS JANUARY 24
Saint Xenia the Fool for Christ of St. Petersburg
FEAST DAY
Our righteous Mother Xenia of St. Petersburg was born about the year
1730. She was married to a Colonel named Andrew; when she was
twenty-six years old her husband died suddenly, having been drinking
with his friends. Left a childless widow, Xenia gave away all that she
had and vanished from St. Petersburg for eight years; it is believed
that she spent this time in a hermitage, learning the spiritual life.
When she returned to Saint Petersburg, she wore her husband’s
military clothing, and would answer only to the name Andrew, that is,
the name of her late husband. She took up the life of a homeless
wanderer, and was abused by many as insane; she bore this with
great patience, crucifying the carnal mind through the mockery she
endured, and praying for her husband’s soul. She was given great gifts
of prayer and prophecy, and often foretold things to come; in 1796 she
foretold the death of Empress Catherine II. Having lived forty-five
years after her husband’s death, she reposed in peace at the age of
seventy one, about the year 1800. Her grave became such a source of
miracles, and so many came to take soil from it as a blessing, that it
was often necessary to replace the soil; when a stone slab was
placed over her grave, this too disappeared over time, piece by piece.
Saint Xenia is especially invoked for help in finding employment,