دعای خم شدن سر در خدمات دعاى مغرب با این درخواست خاتمه می یابد:
"ای خداوند ، خدای ما ... ما را از هرگونه اعمال مخرب شیطانى ،
از هرگونه افکار بیهوده و خاطرات شر، حفظ کن." اعمال شيطانى ،
افکار و خاطرات شر در تلاش هستند تا روح و بدن مسیحی را آلوده
کنند. ما این درخواست را با عبارات مختلف دیگری که تقریباً در تمام
خدمات مقدس کلیسای ما تکرار می شود ، روزانه می شنویم.
همه این استدعاهاى کلیسای ما وجود دارند تا مومنان بتوانند افکار
پاك و پاكيزه داشته باشند و از اعمال بد محافظت شوند. علاوه بر این
، اندیشه انسان ، که به فيض خدا منور شده است ، مى تواند طرز تفکر
، تصمیمات و همه اعمال او را هدایت کند. کلیسا بر این موضوع
پافشاری می کند زیرا ، همانطور که خدا گفت ، " ذهنانسان
از جوانىبا جدیت
درگیر چیزهای شر است" (پیدایش 8: 21).
رام کردن افکار شیطانی از نظر انسان دشوار است. آخرین دعای قبل از
عشاء مقدس ربانى مى گويد: "خداوندا ، من در برابر دروازه های معبد
تو ایستاده ام ، هر چند از افکار بد دور نشده ام."
موضوع افکار برای سلامت روحانى هر مؤمن بسیار جدی است. همانطور که
خداوند فرمود، شما ممکن است گناه جسمی را با بدن انجام نداده باشید
، اما اگر رضایت داشته باشید و آن را با قلب و ذهن خود بخواهید ،
انگار قبلاً آن را مرتکب شده اید. "هر که به زنی نظر شهوت اندازد،
همان دم در دل خود با او مرتكب زنا شده است" (متی 5: 28).
اما افکار شیطانی از کجا می آیند؟
یکی از علل ، گرایش به شر است که پس از سقوط نخستين انسانهای خلق
شده در هر انسانی باقی مانده است. خداوند ما بر ما آشكار كرده است
که وقتی قلب انسان با سرسپردگى و محبت کامل به خدا تقدیم نشده باشد
، آنگاه از چنین قلبی "خيالات بد ، قتل ، زنا ، فسق ، سرقت ، شهادت
دروغ ، و کفر" بر مى آيد (متى 15: 19).
هواهاى نفسانى انسان توسط افکار شیطانی تولید و از آنها تغذیه می
شوند.
دومین علت ، آن شرير است ، شیطان ، منشاء شر ، که از ویژگی های
منحصر به فرد انسان سوء استفاده می کند ، نقاط ضعف شخصیت انسان را
جستجو می کند و افکار شیطانی را در آنجا می کارد. و در اینجا
بلافاصله این سوال مطرح می شود:
چگونه یک مسیحی می تواند از خود در برابر افکار شیطانی محافظت کند؟
تقریباً همه پدران مقدس کلیسا به این موضوع پرداخته اند که چگونه
باید با افکار شیطانی مواجه شد. با خواندن آثار آنها می توانیم
منابع روحانى زیادی در این زمینه جمع آوری کنیم. با جمع بندی این
تجربه روحانى ارزشمند ، به طور مختصر و تا آنجا که زمان به ما
اجازه می دهد ، می توان موارد زیر را گفت:
- ما نمی
توانیم از آمدن افکار جلوگیری کنیم؛ اما ما مى توانیم آنها را
نپذیریم. همانطور که ما نمی توانیم کلاغ ها را از پرواز بر
فراز خود بازداریم ، اما می توانیم آنها را از ساختن لانه هايشان
بر بالای سرمان باز داریم.
- هنگامی که
فکر بدى به سراغ ما می آيد (مهم نیست که چقدر کثیف باشد) ، اگر
اجازه ندهيم آن در درون مان بماند بلكه فوراً آن را بیرون کنیم ،
به هیچ وجه در آن گنهكار نیستیم.
- هنگامی که
خودخواهی و غرور در روح ما وجود دارد (چیزهایی که فيض خدا را از ما
بیرون می کند) ، آنگاه روح ما در معرض دید آن شرير قرار می گیرد ،
او وارد می شود و افکار شیطانی را با نتایج عالی می کارد. پس تنها
چیزی که می تواند این افکار را دور کند فروتنی است.
- شیطان (به
شرطی که ما نخواهیم چیزی با او داشته باشیم) هیچ قدرتی برای ورود و
ایجاد افکار بد در روح ما را ندارد. به همین دلیل است که ما نباید
با این ترس زندگی کنیم که شیطان بر ما غلبه خواهد كرد و حتی اگر ما
مایل نباشیم، ما را با افکار شیطانی آلوده مى کند.
- ما باید
مراقب حواس خود باشیم: تا چشمان ما با کنجکاوی تصاویر ناشایست را
نبیند؛ گوش ما نباید به توصیفات و آهنگ های رسوا توجه کند؛ دستهای
ما نباید بدنها و اشیایی را که حواس تحریک كننده را بر می انگيزد
لمس کند. ما نباید از موادی که ذهن را تار می کند و باعث می شود
کنترل اعمال خود را از دست بدهیم ، بچشیم ... آن شرير از چنین
چیزهایی استفاده می کند و از طریق این "پنجره های کوچک" باز، افکار
شیطانی خود را در قلب ما می ریزد.
- تحقیری که
با آن ما در مواجهه با افکار بدى که شیطان می کارد برخورد مى كنيم
او را فراری می دهد. و این به این دلیل است که شیطان مغرور است؛ او
می خواهد مردم به او توجه کنند ، با او مشغول شوند و او تحمل نمی
کند که مردم او را تحقير کنند.
- دعای قلبى ،
دعای تک جمله ای ، "خداوند، عیسی مسیح ، بر من رحم فرما"
قوی ترین سلاح برای کسی است تا بتواند بر افکار شیطانی غلبه کند.
قديس جان [نویسنده] نردبان با تاكيد می گوید: "همچنان دشمنان را با
نام عیسی شلاق بزنید ، زیرا هیچ سلاحى قدرتمندتر از اين در زمین و
آسمان وجود ندارد".
- ما باید
براى صلح ، شادی و محبتى كه از مسیح مى آيد درخواست کنیم و به
افکار گناه آلود توجه نکنیم. تا صورت خود- تمام وجود خود را حفظ
نماييم.
- دائماً به
سوی مسیح روی آورده و در جستجوی صورت او ، رحمت او باشيم. به این
ترتیب ، کم کم ، ناخودآگاه ، ما مقدس می شویم. انسانيت كهنه که با
خواسته ها و افکار خود ما را آزار می داد، عزيمت مى كند و ما
همانطور که قديس پورفیریوس کائوسوکالیویتس توصیه می کرد ، "انسانيت
تازه را که به صورت خدا آفریده شده است" (افسسيان 4: 24)
می پوشیم.
- برای هر
وسیله دیگری که ما را از افکار بد محافظت کند ، ما باید از پدر
روحانی خود مشورت بگیریم که همراه با آمرزش گناهان ، راهنمایی های
روحانى را نیز ارائه می دهد تا بتوانیم برای روح و جسم خود به حالت
تقدس برسیم. آمین
«On the previous day, shortly after midnight, “I was in the isle
that is called Patmos”. As dawn was about to break, I was high up in
Chora. The sea, immobile like metal, bound the surrounding islands. Not a
leaf stirred in the strengthening light. The peace was a shell without
trace of a crack. I remained nailed to the spot by the force of the
place; then I felt I was whispering: “Come and see…”»
George Seferis, I Apokalypsi tou Ioanni (preface to Seferis’ translation of the Revelation of St John), Athens, Ikaros, 1966
Patmos, like a paradise on earth, awaits its guests to reveal them
all of its beauty that derives not only by its nature, but also by one
Supreme Power that may determine its fate and destination.
The Island of the Apocalypse and the Jerusalem of the Aegean – as
Patmos is called worldwide – the island where Saint John the Theologian
was exiled to become a hermit and then to write in 95 AD the sacred book
of Revelation, is one of the most important religious and atmospheric
destinations, without lacking the cosmopolitan air of an Aegean island
or the cultural tradition.
The multifarious indented coastline, ten times larger than the
coastline of Greece in relation to its size, creates unique bays and
beaches, some pebbly, others with sand or rocks and caves that make
Patmos an ideal destination of peace, tranquility, mysticism and
leisure, embracing with its aura every visitor.
The medieval town of Chora, with Kastromonastiro (castle-monastery)
of St. John the Theologian, which dominates like a crown at its peak,
the picturesque and labyrinthine alleys and mansions that surround the
Monastery, and the unique architecture of the settlements, offer the
visitors the unique opportunity to experience a world whilom and modern
at the same time, a world that combines tranquility with the
unpretentious cosmopolitan element and culture.
The Greek State, recognizing and accepting the specificity and thus
the sacred side of this site, proclaimed Patmos in 1981 as “Holy Island”
by law of the national parliament, while Unesco in 1999 placed the
Chora(town) of Patmos, the Monastery of St. John the Theologian and the
Cave of the Apocalypse in the World Heritage Monuments,
noting once again the importance and unspoiled beauty and charm of this
island over the centuries. Alongside, Patmos belongs to the network COESIMA, as one of the seven most important sites of pilgrimage in Europe. .
Patmos is the island ,witch with its devoutness and its original
beauty consisted a source of inspiration not only for the
Nobel-laureates Greek poets Seferis and Elytis, but also for the German
lyric poet Friedrich Hölderlin, who shocked by the natural beauty of the
island wrote:
(…) On the sea’s uncertain plain, shadowless roads enough Though my seafarer knows the islands. And since I had heard, That among those near at hand was Patmos, Much I desired to put in there and be close to its dark cave. For not like lordly Cyprus, with its abounding waters, Nor like any other island does Patmos dwell, But still hospitable in her poorer house is she, And if a stranger comes from shipwreck or grieving For his lost homeland or distant friend She listens, and her children, Voices of the hot thicket, a trickle of sand, Earth splitting in a field, her sounds, They hear him and a loving echo flows from his lament. Thus did she care once for the god-beloved Seer Who in his blessed youth had walked With the Son of the Highest, inseparably (…)
Friedrich Hölderlin (1803), trans. Robert Huddleston
“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation,
and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is
called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus
Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a
great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first
and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto
the seven churches.”
Revelation (1:9) , Apostle John (Bible, King James Version (KJV))
And with these holy and providential words begins the Holy Book of
Revelation, which the beloved disciple of the Lord – John, wrote in the
homonymous cave of Patmos to determine the fate and destiny of Patmos
and to make the name of Patmos known from all over the world.
According to Christian tradition Patmos is one of the two places in
the world that the voice of God was heard. More specifically in the
“Holy Cave of the Apocalypse”, which still exists, John the Evangelist
spoke with God and He recited the holy book of Revelation that John
recorded with the help of his student Prohoros. This book has caused
admiration and awe among the faithful Christians who find it prophetic
and come from the ends of the world to visit and worship this place.
The “Island of Apocalypse” or “Jerusalem of the Aegean” -which
attracts thousands of visitors and worshipers from all corners of the
world- with the Greek state law was declared in 1981 “Holy Island”,
while in 1999 the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of
the United Nations («UNESCO») listed Chora of Patmos, the Monastery of
St. John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse among the World
Heritage Monuments.
Patmos is a place blessed by God,with natural beauty and rich
cultural and especially religious heritage. It is a spiritual beacon
radiating over the world, calling the worshippers to come and experience
the unique divine and mystical aura.
The Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse on Patmos
The
small island of Patmos, part of the Dodecanese complex in the central
Aegean, is known, above all, as the location where John the Apostle
received his visions and recorded them in the Book of Revelation, the
final book of the New Testament. An impressive monastic complex,
dedicated to him, was founded there in the early 11th century.
The monastery stands on the site where
Saint John is believed to have written his Gospel, including the Book of
Revelation (also known as the Apocalypse); it is also located near the
grotto where the apostle is said to have received his Revelation, hence
called the Cave of the Apocalypse. Both the Monastery and the Cave,
along with the rest of the historic centre of the island’s Chora (main town) have been declared a joint World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999 as an "exceptional example of a traditional Greek Orthodox pilgrimage centre of outstanding architectural interest".
The Cave of the Apocalypse
The island of Patmos was first settled
by Dorians and then by Ionians. When it became part of the Roman Empire,
it served as a place of exile, along with other small islands of the
Aegean.
John the Apostle, traditionally
identified by the Eastern Orthodox Church with John the Evangelist, and
referred to as "John the Theologian", is considered to have been exiled
to Patmos during a time of persecution under the Roman rule of Domitian
in the late 1st century. According to tradition, while residing in a
cave on the island, he received a series of prophetic visions which he
recounted in the Apocalypse, the last book of the New Testament (a word
coming from the Greek apokálupsis, "unveiling, revelation"); he is hence also known as John of Patmos and John the Revelator.
The site of the revelatory visions,
known as the Cave of the Apocalypse, is situated halfway along the road
linking the port with the Chora (main town), which sits on top
of the island’s mountain. The Holy Cave of the Apocalypse has been
transformed into a place of worship, where visitors can see the dent on
the wall of the cave, where the Evangelist was said to lay his head;
according to tradition, the Voice of God could be heard coming from a
cleft of the rock, which is also still visible today. The southern part
of the cave has been turned into a church dedicated to Saint John the
Theologian, while later a Chapel of Saint Anne (mother of Mary) was
added, incorporating the cave, which is now entered through the chapel.
The Monasteryof Saint John the Theologian
In the 7th century, Patmos was ravaged
by raids of Saracen pirates and remained virtually uninhabited for the
next two centuries. In 1088, Abbot Christodoulos Latrinos
(now known as Saint Christodoulos the Blessed of Patmos), who had
already founded monasteries on Leros and Kos, presented himself at the
court of emperor Alexius I Comnenos in Constantinople, proposing a plan
to repopulate Patmos by creating a monastic community; Alexius indeed
granted sovereignty over the deserted island. In 1091, Christodoulos
began the construction of the monastery Saint John the Theologian, over
the ruins of a fourth-century basilica also dedicated to Saint John.
Interior of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian (by Thanasis Christodoulou via Wikimedia Commons)
The monks were chased off by pirates in
1093 but returned a few years later to resume the works, bringing with
them the relics of Christodoulos, who had died on the island of Euboea.
The monastery was heavily fortified for fear of pirate attacks; through
the years, it received various contributions from the emperors Alexius
and Manuel Komnenos. Following its establishment, the repopulation of
the area was encouraged, with a settlement evolving around the
monastery’s walls. In 1204-1261 the monastery was affiliated with the Empire of Nicaea and acquired many territories in Asia Minor.
Inside the monastery, the main church
features impressive icons and frescoes, while the Chapel of the Virgin,
outside the main courtyard, has the oldest frescoes. The monastery
houses an extensive library of 330 manuscripts (267 on parchment),
including 82 manuscripts of the New Testament; it also houses important
relics, including the skull of Saint Thomas the Apostle. Asteep flight
of forty-three steps leads from the monastery to the Cave of the
Apocalypse.
According to UNESCO, "there are few
other places in the world where religious ceremonies that date back to
the early Christian times are still being practised unchanged"; this
includes the Byzantine ritual of Niptir ("Maundy"),
a reenactment of the symbolic event of Christ washing his disciples’
feetahead of the Last Supper, which takes place on the Thursday of the
Holy Week (also called Maundy Thursday). In accordance with this
4th-century ritual, after the Divine Liturgy takes place at the
monastery, a solemn procession leads to the town hall square, where the
monastery’s abbot (hegumenos) washes the feet of 12 priests.
Interior of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian (by Yiannis Theologos Michellis via Wikimedia Commons)
The Chora
The Chora (main town) of
Patmos, located 4 km from the small port of Skala, has continuously
evolved since the 11th century, when the founding of the monastery
transformed it into an important place of pilgrimage. In its centre, on
the mountaintop, the imposing monastery of Saint John the Theologian
with its grey fortified walls dominates the area. According to UNESCO,
it is among the oldest and best preserved main townsof the Aegean
islands, and is also the only example in Greece of an organised
settlement which has developed as a supporting community around a
fortified monastic complex. Still today, the Chora is a quaint town with white-washed houses, narrow arched streets and some picturesque small plazas.
UNESCO also cites as an important criterion for the inscription of the site the fact that Patmos’s Chora
"is one of the few settlements in Greece that have evolved
uninterruptedly since the 12th century", adding that "the authenticity
of the settlement is also ensured by the retention of its morphological
features and its building techniques with the use of similar or even the
same, as far as this is possible, traditional methods and materials in
building new constructions".
The property is protected by the
provisions of the Archaeological Law 3028/2002 "On the Protection of
Antiquities and Cultural heritage in general", and by separate
ministerial decrees published in the Official Government Gazette.
Protection and management are carried out by the Ministry of Culture,
Education and Religious Affairs through the responsible regional service
(Ephorate of Antiquities of the Dodecanese). Effective site management
is also achieved through cooperation between secular and ecclesiastical
authorities in all areas of common concern, to ensure that the character
of the settlement will not be tainted by tourism.
N.M. (Based on an article published on Punto Grecia; intro photo: Chora of Patmos and Monastery of Saint John the Theologian [by Valeria Casali via Wikimedia Commons])
The
Letters of Saint John the Apostle & Evangelist (September 2): “God
is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him”
The
three letters of Saint John were written by the Lord’s beloved apostle
who also wrote the fourth gospel. They were written at the close of the
first century and have as their general theme a fervent polemic against
the heretical “antichrists” who were changing the doctrines of Christ
and denying His genuine appearance “in the flesh” for the salvation of
the world, denying thereby both “the Father and the Son” (l Jn 2.22,
4.3, 2 Jn 7).
The first letter of Saint John is the simplest and deepest exposition
of the Christian faith that exists. Its clarity concerning the Holy
Trinity and the Christian life of truth and of love in communion with
God makes it understandable without difficulty to anyone who reads it.
It is the best place to begin a study of the Christian faith generally,
and the Bible in particular.The first letter begins in the same way as
Saint John’s gospel to which it is most similar in its entire content
and style.
That which was from the
beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which
we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of
Life . . . we proclaim also to you, so that you may have communion with
us; and our communion is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
And we are writing this that our joy may be complete (1.1–14).
The first letter of Saint John proclaims that Jesus is truly “the
Christ,” the Messiah and Son of God who has come “in the flesh” to the
world as “the expiation of our sins, and not ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world” (2.2). Those who believe in Christ and are in
communion with Him and His Father have the forgiveness of sins and the
possibility not to sin any more (1.5–2.12). They “walk in the same way
in which He walked” (2.6) being the “children of God” (3.1, 5.1). They
know the truth by the direct inspiration of God through the anointment
[chrisma] of the Holy Spirit (2.20–26; 6.7). They keep the commandments
of God, the first and greatest of which is love, and so they are already
recipients of eternal life, already possessing the indwelling of God
the Father and Christ the Son “by the Spirit which He has given us”
(2.24–3.24).
Beloved, let us love
one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and
knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In
this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God has sent His
only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the expiation of our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we
also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love
one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because
He has given us of His own Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the
Father has sent His Son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses
that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God. So we
know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides
in love abides in God, and God abides in him (14.7–16).
The hatred of others is the sure sign that one does not love God
(4.20) and is “in the darkness still” (2.9–11). The one who hates his
brother is “a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life
abiding in him” (3.15). Those who love God are hated by the world which
is in the power of the evil one” (5.19, 2.15–17).
The first letter of Saint John is part of the Church’s lectionary,
with special selections from it being read at the feast of the apostle
John.
The second letter of Saint John is addressed to the “elect lady and her
children” which is obviously the Church of God and its members. Again
the truth of Christ is stressed and the commandment of love is
emphasized.
And this is love, that
we follow His commandments; this is the commandment, as you have heard
from the beginning, that you follow love. For many deceivers have gone
out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus
Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Look
to yourselves, that you may not lose what you have worked for, but may
win a full reward. Anyone who goes ahead and does not abide in the
doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has
both the Father and the Son (6–9).
The third letter of Saint John is addressed to a certain Gaius
praising him for the “truth of his life” (3) and “urging him not to
Imitate evil but imitate good” (11). “No greater joy can I have than
this”, writes the beloved apostle, “to hear that my children follow the
truth” (4).
Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
From the new Orthodox Church of st John the Theologian in Fungurume, Katanga (DRC). Photo from here. More here.
The Holy, Glorious All-laudable Apostle and Evangelist, Virgin,
and Beloved Friend of Christ, John the Theologian was the son of Zebedee
and Salome, a daughter of Saint Joseph the Betrothed. He was called by
our Lord Jesus Christ to be one of His Apostles at the same time as his
elder brother James. This took place at Lake Gennesareth (i.e. the Sea
of Galilee). Leaving behind their father, both brothers followed the
Lord.
The Apostle John was especially loved by the Savior for his
sacrificial love and his virginal purity. After his calling, the
Apostle John did not part from the Lord, and he was one of the three
apostles who were particularly close to Him. Saint John the Theologian
was present when the Lord restored the daughter of Jairus to life, and
he was a witness to the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor.
During
the Last Supper, he reclined next to the Lord, and laid his head upon
His breast. He also asked the name of the Savior’s betrayer. The Apostle
John followed after the Lord when they led Him bound from the Garden of
Gethsemane to the court of the iniquitous High Priests Annas and
Caiphas. He was there in the courtyard of the High Priest during the
interrogations of his Teacher and he resolutely followed after him on
the way to Golgotha, grieving with all his heart.
At the foot of
the Cross he stood with the Mother of God and heard the words of the
Crucified Lord addressed to Her from the Cross: “Woman, behold Thy son.”
Then the Lord said to him, “Behold thy Mother” (John 19:26-27). From
that moment the Apostle John, like a loving son, concerned himself over
the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and he served Her until Her Dormition.
After
the Dormition of the Mother of God the Apostle John went to Ephesus and
other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his
own disciple Prochorus. They boarded a ship, which floundered during a
terrible tempest. All the travellers were cast up upon dry ground, and
only the Apostle John remained in the depths of the sea. Prochorus wept
bitterly, bereft of his spiritual father and guide, and he went on
towards Ephesus alone.
On the fourteenth day of his journey he
stood at the shore of the sea and saw that the waves had cast a man
ashore. Going up to him, he recognized the Apostle John, whom the Lord
had preserved alive for fourteen days in the sea. Teacher and disciple
went to Ephesus, where the Apostle John preached incessantly to the
pagans about Christ. His preaching was accompanied by such numerous and
great miracles, that the number of believers increased with each day.
During
this time there had begun a persecution of Christians under the emperor
Nero (56-68). They took the Apostle John for trial at Rome. Saint John
was sentenced to death for his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, but the Lord preserved His chosen one. The apostle drank a cup
of deadly poison, but he remained alive. Later, he emerged unharmed from
a cauldron of boiling oil into which he had been thrown on orders from
the torturer.
After this, they sent the Apostle John off to
imprisonment to the island of Patmos, where he spent many years.
Proceeding along on his way to the place of exile, Saint John worked
many miracles. On the island of Patmos, his preaching and miracles
attracted to him all the inhabitants of the island, and he enlightened
them with the light of the Gospel. He cast out many devils from the
pagan temples, and he healed a great multitude of the sick.
Sorcerers
with demonic powers showed great hostility to the preaching of the holy
apostle. He especially frightened the chief sorcerer of them all, named
Kinops, who boasted that they would destroy the apostle. But the great
John, by the grace of God acting through him, destroyed all the demonic
artifices to which Kinops resorted, and the haughty sorcerer perished in
the depths of the sea.
The feast of St. John the Theologian in the Holy Island Patmos, in Greece (here)
The Apostle John withdrew with his
disciple Prochorus to a desolate height, where he imposed upon himself a
three-day fast. As Saint John prayed the earth quaked and thunder
rumbled. Prochorus fell to the ground in fright. The Apostle John lifted
him up and told him to write down what he was about to say. “I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, Who is
and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8), proclaimed the
Spirit of God through the Apostle John. Thus in about the year 67 the
Book of Revelation was written, known also as the “Apocalypse,” of the
holy Apostle John the Theologian. In this Book were predictions of the
tribulations of the Church and of the end of the world.
After his
prolonged exile, the Apostle John received his freedom and returned to
Ephesus, where he continued with his activity, instructing Christians to
guard against false teachers and their erroneous teachings. In the year
95, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus. He called for all
Christians to love the Lord and one another, and by this to fulfill the
commands of Christ. The Church calls Saint John the “Apostle of Love”,
since he constantly taught that without love man cannot come near to
God.
In his three Epistles, Saint John speaks of the significance
of love for God and for neighbor. Already in his old age, he learned of
a youth who had strayed from the true path to follow the leader of a
band of robbers, so Saint John went out into the wilderness to seek him.
Seeing the holy Elder, the guilty one tried to hide himself, but the
Apostle John ran after him and besought him to stop. He promised to take
the sins of the youth upon himself, if only he would repent and not
bring ruin upon his soul. Shaken by the intense love of the holy Elder,
the youth actually did repent and turn his life around.
Saint
John reposed when he was more than a hundred years old. He far outlived
the other eyewitnesses of the Lord, and for a long time he remained the
only remaining eyewitness of the earthly life of the Savior.
When
it was time for the departure of the Apostle John, he went out beyond
the city limits of Ephesus with the families of his disciples. He bade
them prepare for him a cross-shaped grave, in which he lay, telling his
disciples that they should cover him over with the soil. The disciples
tearfully kissed their beloved teacher, but not wanting to be
disobedient, they fulfilled his bidding. They covered the face of the
saint with a cloth and filled in the grave. Learning of this, other
disciples of Saint John came to the place of his burial. When they
opened the grave, they found it empty.
Each year from the grave
of the holy Apostle John on May 8 came forth a fine dust, which
believers gathered up and were healed of sicknesses by it. Therefore,
the Church also celebrates the memory of the holy Apostle John the
Theologian on May 8.
The Lord bestowed on His beloved disciple
John and John’s brother James the name “Sons of Thunder” an awesome
messenger accompanied by the cleansing power of heavenly fire. And
precisely by this the Savior pointed out the flaming, fiery, sacrificial
character of Christian love, the preacher of which was the Apostle John
the Theologian. The eagle, symbol of the lofty heights of his
theological thought, is the iconographic symbol of the Evangelist John
the Theologian. The appellation “Theologian” is bestown by Holy Church
only to Saint John among the immediate disciples and Apostles of Christ,
as being the seer of the mysterious Judgments of God.
The recent reappearance of the ancient terror of a pandemic has
prompted fertile conversation among theologians and literary people
across the world. Various opinions have been articulated, such as that
disease can be transmitted through the current way of distributing holy
communion, or that the Eucharistic Gifts themselves can be bearers and
transmitters of pathogenic germs. It is said that since the bread and
the wine do not alter their essence and essential properties, it follows
that they are subject to decay and can also spread toxic viruses. This
idea has supposedly found Christological grounds as well in that the
human body of Christ is a carrier of germs which can be harmful to us,
though not to Him; after all, germs themselves are not bad, since there
is nothing bad in creation.
Within this framework the following evidence drawn from the writings of the Fathers might be relevant and useful.
Undoubtedly, there is nothing bad in creation. No form of life, nor
even natural destruction can be considered as bad, because evil is only
that which alienates us from God. However, at the same time one
should not ignore or deny the products of personal sin, such as, for
example, a dangerous laboratory hybrid, as well as the effects of the
ancestral Fall, namely decay and death, to which the human being has
been submitted. Now, God’s incarnation manifested something entirely new
in the world.
Let us open a short parenthesis to delineate the Orthodox belief
regarding the Eucharistic elements. Do we hold that they are merely a
representation of the Lord’s presence in the congregation, as is the
general understanding in Protestantism? In this case, the holy bread
could be offered in sterilized bags and the holy wine in certified
sealed bottles. If, on the other hand, in accord with the Roman Catholic
doctrine of transubstantiation, the holy gifts are Christ with respect
to their essence, then either we must commit ourselves to worshipping
the gifts or fall into unbelief when thinking they can be corrupted.
The Greek Fathers speak neither of transubstantiation nor symbolic
function but of the ‘change’ of the material elements. This ‘change’
signifies a new mode of being, inaugurated through the appearance of God
in the flesh. Here we must consider the patristic distinction between
the logos of nature and the mode of existence, a distinction which is useful for an Orthodox approach to the mystery of Christ.
The Fathers use this distinction as a tool for explaining God’s
miracles in history. When God intervenes to perform a wondrous act, He
does not alter the nature of things — that is, their logos or principle;
instead He innovates the manner in which their nature operates, so as
to fulfill the divine economy. The innovated mode means nature operating
beyond its own ordinance, beyond its limits, translating the human
being “into another form of life”, as for instance when Noah remained
unharmed amid wild animals and holy men would walk upon the waters.
The Incarnation was the climax of all divine interventions. The
incomprehensible mystery that took place in the Logos Incarnate was the
indissoluble union of divine and human nature. Such union meant the
exchange of the natural properties in Christ, in the same way that a
blade becomes fire when thrown into fire while at the same time fire
acquires a sharp edge. Human nature remains intact while its mode of
existence is altered. This is why Christ was born both in a divine and a
human way, that is, carried by a woman, yet without labour pains and
corruption. He was not subjugated to nature; instead, elevating it to
Himself, He made nature “a transcendental mystery” Christ’s human nature
operates in a divine mode, and it operates in a divine mode because it
carries the fullness of divine activity.(1)
This same reality and understanding can be applied to the Eucharistic
mystery. Here also an alteration of the material elements takes place.
Neither is their logos or essence changed, nor their natural properties,
but their condition and conduct, that is, their mode of being. Just as
in Christ everything human has a transcendental mode, since human nature
in Him has the fullness of divinity, so the Eucharistic Gifts receive
and transmit to its participants the same theandric activity of Christ.
We partake, therefore, not of something that is subject to decay and
deterioration, but of God Himself, through matter that has become
life-giving, as the very flesh of Christ is life-giving.
Clearly, authentic communion has to do not only with the presence of
Christ in bread and wine but also with His presence within us. Union and
assimilation with God is not accomplished without the good resolve
(prohairesis) and synergy of man, nor is it exclusively fulfilled in the
Eucharist.(2) We need to follow and wholeheartedly imitate Christ
freely and be born in the Spirit. Divine activity operates in various
inscrutable ways according to the measure of each one’s faith and
longing.
Thus, when Christ is offered as bread, He does not alter the nature
of bread but its ‘economy’. Christ’s human nature was passible, yet, one
with the Divinity, and for this reason it could not be seized and
possessed by death. And as His body was dead and risen, since it was
never detached from Divinity, similarly, when we receive this body we
foretaste the resurrection. Just as Christ suffers as a human being, yet
acts as God, in the same way the consecrated elements, though subject
to ‘suffering’ and corruption, act upon us as uncreated divinity. As St
Cyril of Alexandria says,
The body of Christ is holy and has the power to vanquish every
illness. It was and is holy, not merely as flesh with its natural
powers, but as the temple of the indwelling divine Logos, who sanctifies
His flesh with His Spirit. This is why Christ vivifies the daughter of
the leader of the synagogue not only through His omnipotent command but
also with His bodily touch. (Αναστασίου, DoctrinaPatrum, σ. 129, 131-32)
Therefore, to those that receive communion with faith and true
repentance the Lord’s body becomes a ‘safeguard’, ‘for strength, healing
and health of soul and body’, maintenance and deification of human
nature.(3)
The consecrated elements operate as the deified body of Jesus.
Through matter God grants life uncorrupted. And although immortality is
an eschatological condition, and we shall all, sooner or later, cross to
the other side of the bank, yet ‘doses’ of incorruption are given in
this mortal life according to the measure of each one’s faith, longing,
godly fear and love.
Fr. Chrysostomos explains that just as Christ suffers as a human
being, yet acts as God and rises from the dead, in the same way the
consecrated elements (Holy Communion), though subject to ‘suffering’ and
corruption themselves, act upon us as uncreated divinity in order to
transform and perfect our fallen nature, not to change us from being
physically corruptible, but to enable us to become partakers of the
divine nature (2Peter 1:4), even in the here and now.
Therefore, to those who receive Holy Communion with faith and true
repentance the Lord’s body becomes a ‘safeguard’ ‘for strength, healing
and health of soul and body’, maintenance and deification of their
fallen human nature.(3)
The consecrated elements in the Holy Eucharist operate as the deified
body of Jesus. Through corruptible matter, God grants life uncorrupted.
And although immortality is an eschatological condition, and we shall
all, sooner or later, cross to the other side and receive it in its
fullness, yet ‘doses’ of incorruption are given to us in this mortal
life according to the measure of each one’s faith, his/her longing and
godly fear and love.We are transformed into a different mode of existence by the touch of Christ’s Body and Blood.We are sanctified and deified by being united with Him.
The Chalice and Spoon of Holy Communion are also changed as they come into contact with Christ’s Body and Blood. They are transformed to a different mode of existence; they are sanctified. Their nature is not changed, but, rather,
in the same way as a blade becomes fire when thrown into the fire . . .
the Chalice and the Spoon are also changed and sanctified. Their mode of existence is altered so that they may transfer life to us, just as his garment heals the flow of blood in the woman when she touches it, just as the sea is calmed by the touch of Christ for the safety of the disciples, just as the daughter of Jairus and the son of the widow are brought back to life by the touch of Christ.
The Body and Blood of Christ, along with the sacred vessels (the
Chalice and the Spoon) utilized to deliver it to us cannot be a threat
to our bodily health if we approach with the “Fear of God with Faith and
with Love.” On the contrary, they will lead us to healing of soul and
body and eternal life as they deliver to us the healing, salvific touch of Christ.
Hence, as we return to Holy Communion, let us surrender in faith to
God’s Mercy and Forgiveness and ask that He may restore us again in His
good favor, and protect us from disease, calamity and eternal
condemnation.
COVID-19 is a tribulation (δοκιμασία), a test to our faith. The only
way to overcome tribulations is by surrendering to God’s Love and Mercy
completely and unconditionally in faith and trust. Holy Communion is the
place to do that, even as He is offered to us through the shared
Chalice and Spoon.
(1) See Maximus the Confessor, PG 91.298-300, 344, 1048-1056, 1273-1276, 1341-1345.
(2) See Chrysostom Koutloumousianos, The One and the Three: Nature, Person and Triadic Monarchy in the Greek and Irish Patristic Tradition, James Clarke, Cambridge 2015, pp. 119-22, 132-34, 150-53.
(3) John of Damascus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, 87. Also see Prayer before the Holy Communion, and Gregory of Nyssa, Catechetical Oration, 37.
Near
the village of Vasta in the Peloponnese, there is a
miraculous site that defies human logic. The lush green mountain
gully with a river flowing through it is visited by many pilgrims,
as well as by those curious to see how seventeen trees can grow
from the thin roof of a small chapel. It all goes back to the life
of a brave young girl who lived in the Byzantine Empire.
During the tenth century, when St. Theodora was born, there was a
law in the Byzantine Empire that required every family to send at
least one male to fight as a soldier, or pay a tax. Because St.
Theodora’s family had no male children and was very poor, her father
would have had to serve. St. Theodora loved her father, did not want
her family to be deprived of his protection, and so she conceived the
idea of offering herself instead. Dressed as a boy, she enlisted in
the army as “Theodore”.
Not only was Theodore successful in
keeping her secret in the ranks, she became a courageous soldier,
respected for her honor and valor. However, she also drew the
admiration of a young lady who fell in love with “Theodore” and told
everyone that she was pregnant by him. Soldiers in those days were
held to high standards, and Theodore was commanded either to marry the
girl, or be condemned to death. Theodora did nothing to show her
innocence, although this would obviously have been a very easy thing
to do; she did not wish to reveal her secret, and bring a possible
penalty upon her father.
St. Theodora had deep faith in God,
and before her execution she prayed, “Let my body become a church,
my blood a river, and my hair, the forest.”
Some
histories show that there was an ancient monastery on the
current site of the church over St. Theodora’s grave. The
three-by-two meters church dates back to sometime between the
eleventh and twelfth centuries. The forested site is lush and
green, with a clear river flowing under the church. Seventeen
large trees—up to thirty meters tall—grow from the roof, but
there are no roots to be seen, no cracks in the wall, and no
damage to the roof. It may also be noted that when fires raged
through the Peloponnese in 2007, scorching 370,000 acres of
land and destroying ancient forests, Vasta remained untouched.
The entire site with its miraculous church and river has the
feeling of a living, breathing, incorrupt relic.
Inside the church in Vasta.
Scientific
research was conducted to probe the origin of the uncanny growth,
but no explanation could be found other than the power of God,
which can overthrow the order of nature. The area is subject to
strong winds, and as one geologist said, the weight and leverage of
only one tree would have ordinarily been enough to bring the
church down long ago, but there are seventeen of them!
May we all remember how God honored St. Theodora when she forsook
the easy justification of her own honor in the eyes of men. St.
Theodora pray to God for us!
It struck me that the words of this saintly woman had great power. May my body become a Church (Temple) my hair a forest and my blood a river. The power of words are immense, and when said in a spiritual environment, your words may have immense power and you may find that you wish you could withdraw those words. I am of the opinion that even words said to another in anger, or disgust or in love or hate may carry more power than we think, even if not said in a spiritual environment. The message I carry away after seeing this, is to be very careful what I say and to whom I say it. I have removed words like 'divorce' and "hate" from my life dictionary.
I really enjoyed reading the article about St.Theodora of Vasta. She showed extraordinary bravery when she served in the army to save her father from being forced into service. When faced with false accusations from a girl who thought she was a boy her piety and bravery was remarkable, she rather go to her death than reveal her secret. The place where she lived and died is very beautiful.
On
8 September 1943, the day of the feast of the Nativity of the
Theotokos, the Italians capitulated and in the beginning refused to
surrender their weapons to their German allies. In Orchomenos of Boetia
the regional organization E.A.M. felt they could capitalize on this and
accept the Italian arms. The Italians refused this and went with their
weapons to Livadia. On the way the Germans surrounded them and
disarmed them, and the Italians betrayed the people of Orchomenos by
stating their intentions. When the Germans learned of the intentions of
the people of Orchomenos they sent against them the next day,
September 9th, armored vehicles. When the people of Orchomenos heard
this they left and arrived at the crossroads of Agios Andreas,
unprepared and disorganized as they were, and scattered throughout the
surrounding area to the most remote Dionysus (Tsamaliou). The Germans
continued the chase, to retaliate against Orchomenos, as was their
usual tactic.
When
the Germans entered Orchomenos they took 600 hostages, left a section
in the village, and sent three tanks against the rest to Dionysus. On
the night of the 9th towards the 10th of September, at around midnight,
about 550 meters away from the Byzantine Church of the Panagia Skripou
(874 AD), the three German tanks were immobilized for no apparent
reason. As the German commander known as Hoffman later recounted, the
form of a woman had appeared in the night sky with her hand raised in a
prohibitive stance. Commander Hoffman then requested a tractor to pull
the tanks, and he beheld another miracle when the tractor was able to
easily pull the heavy tanks like an empty matchbox. He then proclaimed
"miracle! miracle!" and asked the residents to take him into the church.
From the icon in the church the commander recognized the woman to be
the Virgin Mary. He fell down on his knees and said: "This woman saved
you! You must honor her and glorify her!"
Orchomenos
was indeed saved by the Panagia and the 600 hostages were freed with a
vow by the commander that the village would not be harmed. Following
the war, Commander Hoffman returned to the Church of Panagia Skripou,
donating an icon of the vision he saw along with an large oil lamp. Just
about every year he returned on September 10th to commemorate the
event and light a candle in the church. For this reason the Panagia
Skripou celebrates a feast on September 10th every year. A procession
takes place with the icon on this day to the spot where the tanks were
immobilized.
The Holy Martyr Hermione was a daughter of Saint Philip the
Deacon (October 11). Wishing to see the holy Apostle John the
Theologian, Hermione with her sister Eutychia went to Asia Minor in
search of the saint. During their journey, they learned the saint had
died. Continuing on, the sisters met a disciple of Saint Paul named
Petronius, and imitating him in everything, they became his disciples.
Saint Hermione, having mastered the healing arts, rendered help to many
Christians and healed the sick by the power of Christ.
During this
period, the emperor Trajan (98-117) waged war against the Persians and
he came with his army through the village where the saint lived. When
they accused Hermione of being a Christian, he gave orders to bring her
to him.
At first the emperor, with casual admonitions, sought to
persuade the saint to renounce Christ. When this did not succeed, he
commanded that she should be struck on the face for several hours, but
she joyfully endured this suffering. Moreover, she was comforted by a
vision of the Lord, in the form of Petronius, sitting upon the throne of
judgment. Convincing himself that she was steadfast in her faith,
Trajan sent her away. Hermione later built a hospice in which she took
in the sick, treating their infirmities both of body and soul.
Trajan’s
successor, Hadrian, again commanded that the saint be brought to trial
for confessing the Christian Faith. At first, the emperor commanded that
she be beaten mercilessly, then they pierced the soles of her feet with
nails, and finally they threw her into a cauldron with boiling tar,
lead and sulphurous brimstone. The saint bore everything, giving thanks
to God.
And the Lord granted her His mercy: the fire went out, the
lead spilled out, and the saint remained unharmed. Hadrian in surprise
went up to the place of torture and touched at the cauldron, to
ascertain whether it had cooled. When he touched at the cauldron, he
burned the skin on his hand, but even this did not dissuade the
torturer.
Regardless
of whether one considers myths that the saint was left untouched by
some torture, it is important that we have a saint female doctor, who
lived in the 1st century AD. And she is not the only one. You can see
about the Sts. Zenais and Philonilla the Sisters.He gave orders to heat a
sort of skillet and put the
holy martyr in it naked. Here again another miracle took place. An angel
of the Lord scattered the hot coals and burned many who stood by the
fire. The saint stood in the skillet, as though on green grass, singing
hymns of praise to the Lord.
When she was removed from the
skillet, the holy martyr seemed to be willing to offer sacrifice to the
pagan god Hercules. The delighted emperor gave orders to take her off to
the temple. When the saint prayed to God, a loud thunderclap was heard,
and all the idols in the pagan temple fell and shattered.
In a
rage, the emperor ordered that Hermione be led out of the city and
beheaded. Two servants, Theodulus and Theotimos, were entrusted to carry
out the execution. Since they were in such a hurry to execute the
saint, not allowing her time for prayer, their hands withered. Then they
believed in Jesus Christ and with repentance they fell at the feet of
Saint Hermione. They besought her to pray that the Lord would call them
to Himself before her. This is what transpired, through her prayers.
After this, she also fell asleep in the Lord.
Hieromartyr Babylas, Bishop of Antioch, and those with him
The Hieromartyr Babylas and with him the three youths Urban,
Prilidian, Epolonius and their mother Christodoula died as martyrs under
the emperor Decius (249-251). During his stay in their city of Antioch in Syria,
the emperor arranged for a large festival in honor of the pagan gods.
At
the same time, Babylas, the holy and God-fearing Bishop of Antioch, was
serving the Divine Liturgy in church. He prayed for his flock and
taught them to endure all tribulations for Christ with courage. The
idolater Decius, curious to witness the Divine Mysteries, decided to
enter the church.
News of this reached the bishop, so he went out
to meet Decius and blocked the path to the church, for he was unwilling
to permit impiety in the temple of God. When the emperor approached the
church doors, Saint Babylas refused to let him enter, so the emperor
had to abandon his intention. He wanted to take revenge on the saint
right away, but when he saw the large throng of Christians, he feared
they might riot.
The next day the angry emperor ordered that the
church be set on fire, and for Bishop Babylas to be brought before him.
When asked why he had insulted the imperial dignity by not allowing the
emperor to enter the church, the holy bishop answered, “Anyone who would
rise up against God and want to desecrate His sanctuary, is not worthy
of respect, but has become the enemy of the Lord.”
Decius declared
that the holy bishop must worship the idols in order to make up for his
lack of respect for the emperor, or else face execution. After
convincing himself that the martyr would remain steadfast in his faith,
he commanded the military commander Victorinus to put him in heavy
chains and lead him through the city in disgrace. The holy martyr
replied, “Emperor, these chains are as venerable for me as your
imperial crown is for you. For me, suffering for Christ is as desirable
as the imperial power is for you. Death for the Immortal King is as
precious to me as your life is to you.”
At the trial with Bishop
Babylas were three young brothers, who did not forsake him even in this
most difficult moment. Seeing them, the emperor asked, “Who are these
children? “
“These are my spiritual children,” the saint replied,
“and I have raised them in piety, I have given them an education,
cultivated them with guidance, and here before you in a small body are
these great young men and perfect Christians. Test them and see.”
The
emperor tried in all sorts of ways to entice the youths and their
mother Christodoula to renounce Christ, but in vain. Then, in a rage, he
ordered each of them to be whipped with a number of blows corresponding
to their age. The first received twelve blows, the second, ten, and the
third, seven. Dismissing the mother and children, the torturer again
summoned the bishop, telling him that the children had renounced Christ.
He did not believe the lie, however.
Then he commanded all the
martyrs be tied to a tree and burned with fire. Seeing the stoic bravery
of the saints, the emperor finally condemned them to be beheaded with
the sword.
Interior of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian (by Thanasis Christodoulou via 
