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Home , Hieromonk, Mary of Egypt, Maximus the Confessor, Saint George

FROM THE FATHERS

“SO WICKED and hard to cure and strong are those things possessed in the depths of our souls that it is not possible to rub them out and to remove them through human efforts and virtue alone, unless through prayer we take the power of the Spirit as an ally and, in this way, conquer the evil which is playing the tyrant within us, as the Spirit teaches us through the voice of :From my secret sins cleanse me andfrom wanton sin spare Thy servant (see Ps.18:11).” , + 395 A.D.

“DO NOT PRAY for the fulfilment of your wishes, for they not accord with the of God. But pray as you have been taught, saying, Thy will be done in me (see Luke 22:42). Always entreat Him in this way - that His will be done. For He desires what is good and profitable for you, whereas you do not always ask for this.” Evagrius the Solitary, + 399 A.D.

“MY LIFE is full of lapses, and my one hope is Thy great mercy. When my heart becomes the receptacle of distractions of this nature and the container of a mass of empty thoughts, then too my prayers are often interrupted and distracted; and in Thy sight, while I am directing the voice of my heart to Thy ears, frivolous thoughts somehow rush in and cut short the aspiration

1 o f t h e d e e p e s t imp o rtance . Wec anh ardl y re g ardt h isasa t rivial mat t e r.Butnot h ingc anre s t o reh o p et ou se xce p tThyme rcy .” S a i n tAu g u s t i n eofHi p p o ,+4 3 0A . D .

“ K N O WINGt h ew ile so ft h ee vilo ne ,l e tu sp rayf o r d e l iverancef romt h et e mp t at ionss u b je c tt oo u rvol it ion,s ot h at w ed onotd e fle c to u rd e s iref romD ivinel o ve;andl e tu sb ravel y e ndu ret h et rialst h atc o meu nso u g h t ,s incet h e yvisitu sw it h G o d ’sc o nse ntandb ye ndu ringt h e mw es h o wt h atw eh avenot p u tnat u reb e f o ret h eC re at o ro fnat u re .M ayallo fu sw h oc all u p o nt h enameo fo u rLordJes u sC h ristb ed e l ivere df romt h e p re s e ntd e l ig h t sandt h ef u t u reafflict ionso ft h ee vilo neb y p articip at ingint h ere alit yo ft h eb l e s s ing sh e l dins t o reand alre ad y re veale d t o u s inC h rist o u r LordHimse l f .” Ven .Max i mu st h eC on fe s s or ,+6 6 2A . D .

“ WHE Ny o uap p roachaking ,y o us t andb e f o reh imb o l d l y , e ntre ath imo rall y ,andfixy o u re y e su p o nh im,t h u sd raw ingt o y o u rse l fh isroy alf avou r.Actint h es amemanne rw h e t h e rin c h u rcho rint h es o l it u d eo fy o u rc e l l .Whe ninG o d ’snamey o u g at he rt og e t he rw it ht hebre t hre n,p re se nty ou rse lfbold lyt o G o dando ff e rp s almsc h ante do rall y ;andl ikew isekee py o u r inte l l e c tat t e ntivet ot h ew o rdsandt oG o dHimse l f ,aw areo f Whoitist h aty o u rinte l l e c tad d re s s e sande ntre at s .F o rw h e n t h emindd e vot e sit s e l ft op ray e ract ivel yandw it hp u rit y ,t h e h e artisg rante d ine xp re s s ibl e p e ace andjoy w h ich c annot b e t aken aw ay .” S a i n tT h e ol i p t u sofP h i la dep h i a ,+1 3 2 2A . D .

“ THEM O REF IRMLYy o uaree s t abl ish e dint h ere c o l l e c t ion o fG o d-inme ntall ys t andingb e f o reG o diny o u rh e art-t h e morequie tw illy ou rt hou g ht sbe comeandt hele sst he yw ande r. Inne ro rde rands u c c e s sinp ray e rg ot o g e t h e r.” S a i n tT h e op h a nt h eR e c lu se ,+1 8 9 4A . D .

2 The as the Body of Christ Saint John of Shanghai, the Wonderworker

“And He (Christ) is the head of the body, the Church” (Col. 1:18), “which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:23).

IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES the Church is repeatedly called the Body of Christ. The Apostle Paul writes about himself: [I] now rejoice in my sufferings for you… for His Body’s sake, which is the Church (Col.1:24). Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, says he, are given by Christ ... for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ (Eph.4:11-12). At the same time, bread and wine are made into the Body and during the , and the faithful partake thereof. Christ Himself ordained it so, communicating His apostles at the Mystical Supper with the words, Take, eat; this is My Body; ... Drink ye all of it; for this is My Blood of the New Testament (Mat.26:26-28). How is the Body of Christ at the same time both the Church and the Holy Mystery? Are the faithful both members of the Body of Christ, the Church, and also communicants of the Body of Christ in the Holy Mysteries?

3 In neither instance is this name “Body of Christ” used metaphorically, but rather in the most basic sense of the word. We believe that the Holy Mysteries which keep the form of bread and wine are the very Body and the very Blood of Christ. We likewise believe and confess that Christ is the Son of the Living God, come into the world to save sinners, and become true man, that His flesh, taken from the Mary, was true human flesh; that, body and soul, Christ was true man, in all respects like man, except sin, and at the same time remaining true God. The Divine nature was neither diminished nor changed in the Son of God in this incarnation, likewise the human nature was not changed at this incarnation, but retained in full all human qualities. Unchanged and unconfused forever, indivisibly and in- separably, Godhead and manhood were united in the One Person of the Lord Christ. The Son of God became incarnate to make people partakers of the Divine nature (2Ptr1:4), to free them from sin and death, and to make them immortal. Uniting ourselves with Christ, we receive Divine grace which gives human nature strength for victory over sin and death, and the Lord Jesus Christ has shown people the way to victory over sin by His teaching, and He grants them eternal life, making them partakers of His eternal kingdom by His Resurrection. In order to receive that Divine grace from Him the closest possible contact with Him is necessary. Drawing all to Himself by His Divine love, and uniting them unto Himself, the Lord has united to each other those who love Him and come unto Him, uniting them into one Church. The Church is unity in Christ, the closest union with Christ of all who rightly believe on Him and love Him, and all their union is through Christ. Now the Church consists of both her earthly and heavenly parts, for the Son of God came to earth and became man that He might lead man into heaven and make him once again a citizen of paradise, returning to him his original condition of sinless- ness and wholeness and uniting him unto Himself.

4 This is accomplished by the action of Divine grace granted through the Church, but effort is also required from man himself. God saves His fallen creature by His own love for him, but man’s love for his Creator is also necessary and without it salvation is impossible for him. Striving toward God and cleaving unto the Lord by its humble love, the human soul obtains power to cleanse itself from sin and to strengthen itself for the struggle to full victory over sin. And the body partakes in that struggle, being now the vehicle and instrument of sin, but foreordained to be the instrument of righteousness and the vessel of holiness. God created man, breathing Divine breath into the animate body created earlier from the earth. The body was to have been an instrument of the spirit, subject to God, for through it the human spirit manifests itself in the material world. The spirit reveals its properties and qualities through the body and its separate members which God gave it as to His own image, because the body as a manifestation of the both is called and very truly is “our beauty created in the image of God” ( from the Funeral Service). When the first-created people fell away in spirit from their Creator, the body, hitherto subject to the spirit and obtaining its directions through the soul, ceased to be subordinate to it and began to strive to dominate it. In place of the law of God the law of the flesh began to rule man. Sin, having cut man off from God, the source of life, has rent man himself asunder, violated the union of spirit, soul and body, and death has entered into him. The soul, not surrounded now by the streams of life, could no longer transmit them to the body which became corruptible, and languor became the lot of the soul. Christ came to earth to restore anew the fallen image and return it to union with Him Whose image it is. Uniting man unto Himself, God thus restores him to his original goodness in all its fullness.

5 Granting grace and sanctification to the spirit, Christ also purifies, strengthens, heals and sanctifies the spirit and the body. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (with Him) (1Cor.6:17). The body, then, of the man who has been united unto the Lord must be an instrument of the Lord, must serve for the fulfilment of His will, and become a part of the Body of Christ. For the full sanctification of man, the body of the servant of the Lord must be united with the Body of Christ, and this is accomplished in the mystery of Holy Communion. The true Body and the true Blood of Christ which we receive, becomes a part of the great Body of Christ. Of course, for union with Christ, the mere conjoining of our body with the Body of Christ does not suffice. The consumption of the Body of Christ becomes beneficial when in spirit we strive toward Him and unite ourselves with Him. Reception of the Body of Christ, with aversion to Him in spirit, is like the approach to Christ of those who struck Him and mocked and crucified Him. Their approaching Him served not for their salvation and healing, but for their condemnation. But those who partake with piety, love and readiness to bring themselves to serve Him, closely unite themselves with Him and become instruments of His Divine will. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him, said the Lord (John6:56). Uniting with the Risen Lord and through Him with the entire eternal , man draws from It power for eternal life and does himself become immortal. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me even he shall live by Me (John 6:57). All who believe in Christ and are united unto Him by giving themselves to Him and by the reception of Divine grace con- jointly constitute the Church of Christ, the Head of which is Christ Himself, and they who enter into her are her members.

6 Christ, invisible to the bodily eye, manifests Himself on earth clearly through His Church just as the unseen human spirit manifests itself through its body. The Church is the Body of Christ both because its parts are united to Christ through His Divine mysteries and because through her Christ works in the world. We partake of the Body and Blood of Christ in the holy Mysteries, so that we ourselves may be members of Christ’s Body: the Church. This is not accomplished instantly. Fully abiding in the Church is already victory over sin and complete purification therefrom. To some degree everything sinful estranges us from the Church and keeps us out of the Church; this is why in the prayer read at over every penitent we have the phrase: “reconcile, and unite unto Thy Holy Church.” Through repentance a Christian is cleansed and united closely to Christ in partaking of the Holy Mysteries, but later the grime of sin again settles upon him and estranges him from Christ and the Church, and therefore repentance and communion are again necessary. As long as the earthly life of a man endures, up to the very departure of the soul from the body, the struggle between sin and righteousness goes on within him. However high a spiritual and moral state one might achieve, a gradual, or even headlong and deep fall into the abyss of sin is always possible. Therefore, communion of the holy Body and Blood of Christ, which strengthens our contact with Him and refreshes us with the living streams of the grace of the Holy Spirit flowing through the Body of the Church, is necessary for everyone. How very impor- tant communion of the Holy Mysteries is we see from the life of Saint the Great to whom, as well as to other dwelling in the same desert, angels brought Holy Communion; and in the life of St. Mary of we read that her final wish after many years of desert life was the reception of the Holy Mysteries. The lives of St. Sabbatius of Solovki and a multitude of others tell us similar things. Not in vain did the Lord speak and say: Amen, amen, I say unto you, except ye eat the Flesh of

7 the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you (John 6:23). To partake of the Body and Blood of Christ is to receive in oneself the Risen Christ, the Victor over death, granting to those with Him victory over sin and death. Preserving in ourselves the grace-filled gift of Communion, we have a guarantee and foretaste of the blessed, eternal life of the soul and body. Up to the very “Day of Christ,” His Second Coming and the Judgment of the whole world, the struggle of sin with righteous- ness will continue, individually in each person and collectively in all mankind. The earthly Church unites all who are reborn through Baptism and who have taken up the cross of the struggle with sin, and who follow after Christ the contest-master of this struggle. The Divine , the offering of the bloodless sacrifice and partaking thereof, sanctifies and strengthens its partakers and makes those who receive of the Body and Blood of Christ true members of His Body, the Church. But only with death is it determined whether a man remained a true member of the Body of Christ to his last breath, or whether sin has triumphed in him and has driven out the grace binding him to Christ and received by him in the Holy Mysteries. He who as a member of the earthly Church has reposed in grace goes over from the earthly Church into the heavenly Church; but he who has fallen away from the earthly Church will not enter into the heavenly, for the Church in this world is the way into the heavenly. The more one is found to be under the influence of the grace of Communion and the more tightly one has united himself to Christ, the more one will find pleasure in communion with Christ and in His coming Kingdom. Therefore, it is important to partake of the Mysteries of Christ just before death, when the lot of a man is determined forever. It is necessary to try to receive just before death, if there

8 be even the smallest possibility of this, to beseech the Lord to find us worthy of this and to take thought for others, so that they may not be deprived of Communion before the end. Inasmuch as sin continues to operate in the soul until death, so the body is liable to the consequences and bears in itself the seeds of disease and death from which it is freed only when it decays after death, and then rises at last free of them in the general resurrection. He who unites himself in spirit and in body with Christ in this life will be with him in spirit and in body in the life to come. The grace-filled streams of the life-creating Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ are the well-spring of our eternal joy in converse with the risen Christ and in the contemplation of His glory. The same consequences of sin, not yet driven out finally from the human race, operate not only in individual people, but through them they are manifested in the earthly activity of entire sections of the Church. , schisms, and disputes arise constantly, tearing away part of the faithful. Misunder- standings between local churches or parts of them have troubled the Church since antiquity, and prayers for their cessation are constantly heard in the divine services. “We pray for the unity of the churches,” “unity to the churches” (Resurrection ,Triadic,TonePl.4), “dissensions of the Church set aright” (Service to the , 8th Novem- ber, 26th March, 13th July) and similar prayers in the course of centuries have been offered by the . Even on Holy and Great Saturday before theEpitaphion of Christ, the Church pronounces: “O most blameless, pure Virgin who didst bring forth the Life, stop the scandals of the Church, and grant peace as thou art good” (last verse of the second stasis of the Lamentations). Only when Christ appears on the clouds will the tempter be trampled down, and all scandals and temptations disappear. At that time the struggle between good and evil, between life and death will cease, and the earthly Church will merge with the Church Triumphant in which God will be all in all (1Cor.15:28).

9 In the Kingdom of Christ to come, there will no longer be need for receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, for all who have been vouchsafed it will be in closest converse with Him and will enjoy the pre-eternal light of the Life-originating Trinity, ex- periencing that blessedness which no tongue can express, and which is incomprehensible to our feeble mind. For this reason, after partaking of the Holy Mysteries at Liturgy, in the altar the prayer is always said which we sing on Paschal days: “O Christ, Thou great and most sacred Pascha! O Wisdom, Word and Power of God! Grant us to partake of Thee more fully in the unwaning day of Thy kingdom” (Paschal Canon, 9th Ode). Translated from the Russian by Lardas,now Archpriest George. Taken from Orthodox Life,Volume 31,No.5,September – October 1981, published by Holy Trinity ,Jordanville. ❇❇❇❇❇❇ How to live in accord with the A translation of a Booklet published by the Synodal Press in Russia in 1905, somewhat adapted to meet the needs of our times Love for One’s Neighbour HAVING taken heed of our most important responsi- bilities with regard to God, let us now look at what is required in the relationships of a Christian with his neighbours. A new commandment I give unto you,says Jesus Christ, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another(John 13:34-35).

10 Abba Dorotheus very beautifully explains that we journey to union with God for the most part by way of love for our neigh- bour. “Represent to yourself,” he says, “a circle upon the ground. Imagine that this circle is the world, and its very centre is God, and that there are straight lines going from the periphery to the centre: these lines are the lives of people. And so, as far as they can the holy ones enter within the circle, going to its centre, desiring to be close to God, and therefore to each other, because as far as they draw close to each other, so do they draw closer to God. Consider this, and then think of isolation; as much as we separate one from another so much do we also separate from God. Such is the essence of love: the more we are united with our neighbours, so much the more we are united with God.” This is because love is the greatest Christian virtue. When the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian had reached deep old age and had become enfeebled through his great labours and could no longer walk to the assemblies of the faithful,his disciples carried him there in their own hands. With his very last strength he considered it his sacred duty to instruct the . Near the end, it was difficult for him even to speak. Then he would only repeat time and again: “My children, love one another!” Wondering that he repeated this alone, his disciples asked him why he did it. “This is a commandment of the Saviour,” John replied, “it is the quintessence of the whole of the law.” All the types and activities of love can briefly be placed under fairness, kind-heartedness and friendliness. … to be continued with “Fairness” ❇❇❇❇❇❇ “IT IS NECESSARY to preserve the fruit of prayer. It is spoiled and lost very often due to idle talking right after prayer and from dreaming, which is also idle talking, only with your- self. Silence after prayer is very beneficial; it keeps the prayer in the mind, heart, and even the mouth, audible to you.” Ven. Nikon of Optina, + 1931 A.D.

11 Saint Romanos the Melodist SAINT ROMANOS was from Emesa. He was ordained a in the church of Viritou, in Syria, and then went to during the reign of Anastasius I (around 496). There he liked to go often to Vigils at the Church of the Panagia of Blachernae, but mostly at the Church of the Panagia “at the Kyrou,” where he spent day and nights with vigils and prayers, with modesty and devoutness. He longed to be able to chant for the glory of God, but he did not have the gift of melody. One Christmas Eve, the appeared to him holding a contakio in her hand (a piece of paper rolled into a scroll) and gave it to him and told him to eat it. As soon as he tasted it, an inexpressible sweetness filled his mouth. He then climbed into the pulpit and started to chant with an angelic voice:On this day the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth to God the Word ineffably. With the gift of composing hymns and the Grace of the Holy Spirit, Saint Romanos spent the rest of his life adorning most of the feasts of the Church with divine hymns.

FromAppearances and Miracles of the Theotokos Oropos, Attica, Holy Monastery of the Paraklete 1996 Sent us by the Sisters of the Convent of the Holy Angels, Afidnai. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇

“THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of this (chanting in church) is not good harmony, but the content of what is sung… It is necessary not only to understand the hymn, but to be in sympathy with it, to accept the contents in the heart, and to sing it as if it came from your own heart.” Saint Theophan the Recluse, + 1894 A.D.

12 THE COMING MONTH OCTOBER is a quiet month liturgically, something beloved of the monastics. There are no Great Feasts, and no special fasting periods, although of course we all keep the Wednesday and Friday fasts, and the monastics and several lay people also keep Mondays as a fast day in honour of the Holy Angels. On 2nd / 15th October, we celebrate the holyHieromartyr and the Virgin Justina,the heavenly protectors of the sacred Monastery in Fili, where our received the monastic . Saint Cyprian was a pagan, a native of . While still a child he was given over by his misguided parents for service to the pagan gods, the demons. From seven years of age until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centres of paganism: on Mount Olym- pus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis and at Babylon. Having become learned in pagan philosophy and adept in occult crafts, on Olympus he was consecrated into the pagan priesthood. Having discovered great power by the summoning of unclean spirits, he beheld the prince of darkness himself, and conversed with him and received from him, as his faithful , a host of demons in attendance. When he later returned to Antioch, Cyprian achieved fame and celebrity as an eminent pagan , amazing people by his ability to cast spells, to summon pestilence and plagues, and to seemingly summon the dead. This mighty pagan priest brought many a human soul to ruin, teaching them to do service to demons. But in this city there lived a Christian, the virgin Justina. Having turned her own father and mother away from pagan error and led them to the true faith in Christ, she dedicated herself to the Heavenly Bridegroom and spent her time in fasting and prayer, remaining a virgin. When a youth, Aglaides, proposed marriage to her, the saint refused him. Agalides turned to Cyprian and sought his help for a magic spell to charm Justina into marriage. But no

13 matter what Cyprian tried, he could accomplish nothing, since the saint by her prayers and fasting overturned all the wiles of the devil. Cyprian set loose demons upon the holy virgin, trying to rouse in her the fleshly passions, but she dispelled them by the power of the sign of the Cross and by fervent prayer to the Lord. All the spells were ineffectual against the faithfulness of the virgin, and the demons fled at the mere look or even name of the saint. Cyprian’s soul, corrupted by the power he had hitherto exercised, was confounded by his failure. “Thou dost take fright at even the mere shadow of the Cross and the name of Christ indeed maketh thee to tremble,” said Cyprian to Satan, “then what wilt thou do, when Christ Himself is come before thee?” The devil thereupon flung himself upon the pagan priest for repudiating him, and began to beat him. Cyprian then first tested for himself the power of the sign of the Cross and the name of Christ, in guarding himself from the fury of the enemy. Having perceived that it availed, with deep repentance he con- signed all his pagan books to the flames and sought instruction from the local Bishop Anthimus. Having gone into the church, he did not want to leave it until he received the grace of Holy Baptism. By his efforts to follow a righteous manner of life, Saint Cyprian discerned the great power of fervent faith in Christ, and redeemed his more than thirty year service to Satan. Such was his spiritual progress that in a short period he was ordained priest, and thereafter consecrated bishop. The holy hierarch converted so many pagans to Christ, that in his diocese there was no one left to offer sacrifice to idols, and their pagan temples fell into ruin. Saint Justina withdrew to take up the ascetical life. Later, during the time of the persecution against Christians under the Emperor , the were apprehended and brought to , where after fierce tortures they were beheaded with the sword. A soldier Theoctistus, looking upon the guiltless sufferings of the saints, declared himself a Christian and was executed together with them. Because of their witness against the power of the evil spirits, the two are resorted to in prayer by those undergoing temptations from the unclean powers of darkness.

14 Our Venerable Father the New Theologian (12th /25th) was born in 949A.D. in the city of Galatea, and he was educated at Constantinople. His father prepared him for a career at the imperial court, but when he was still in his teens, he met the renowned Elder Simeon the Pious at the Studion Monastery, and the Elder became his guide in his spiritual development. He remained in the world for several years pre- paring himself for the monastic life under the Elder’s guidance. Saint Simeon the Pious recommended to the young man the writings of Saint Mark the Ascetic and other spiritual writers. He read these books attentively and tried to put into practice what he read. Three points in Saint Mark’s work, “On the Spiritual Law” particularly impressed him. First, you should listen to your conscience and do what it tells you if you wish your soul to be healed. Second, only by fulfilling the com- mandments can one obtain the activity of the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, one who prays only with the body and without spiritual knowledge is like the blind man who cried out, “Son of David, have mercy upon me.” When the blind man received his sight, however, he called Christ the Son of God (John 9:38). Saint Simeon was wounded with a love for spiritual beauty, and tried to acquire it. In addition to the rule given him by his Elder, his conscience told him to add a few more Psalms and prostrations, and to repeat constantly, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me.” During the day, he cared for the needs of people living in the palace of Patricius. At night, his prayers grew longer and he remained praying until midnight. Once, as he was praying in this way, a most brilliant divine radiance descended upon him and filled the room. It seemed to him that he himself became light. Then his mind upward to the heavens, and he saw a second light brighter than the light which surrounded him. Then, on the edge of this second light, he seemed to see his Abba, Simeon the Pious. Seven years after this vision, Saint Simeon entered the monastery of the Studion at the age of twenty-seven. There he increased his fasting and vigilance, and learned to renounce his own will. The enemy of our salvation stirred up the brethren of the monastery against Saint Simeon, even though he was indifferent to the praises or reproaches of

15 others. Because of the increased discontent in the monastery, Saint Simeon was sent to the Monastery of Saint Mamas in Constantinople. There he was tonsured into the monastic schema, and increased his spiritual struggles. He attained to a high spiritual level, and increased his knowledge of spiritual things through reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, as well as in conversation with holy Elders. Around the year 980, Saint Simeon was made of the monastery of Saint Mamas and continued in this office for twenty-five years. He repaired and restored the monastery, which had suffered from neglect, and also brought order to the life of the . The strict monastic discipline, for which Saint Simeon strove, led to great dissatisfaction among the brethren. Once, after Liturgy, some of the monks attacked him and nearly killed him. When the of Constantinople expelled them from the monastery and wanted to hand them over to the civil authorities, Saint Simeon asked that they be treated with leniency and be permitted to live in the world. About the year 1005, Saint Simeon resigned as abbot and handed over to one Arsenius by name, while he himself settled near the monastery in peace. There he composed his theological works, portions of which appear in the . The chief theme of his works is the hidden activity of spiritual perfection, and the struggle against the passions and sinful thoughts. He wrote instructions for monks: “Theological and Practical Chapters,” “A Treatise on the Three Methods of Prayer,” and “A Treatise on Faith.” Moreover, Saint Simeon was an outstanding church poet. He also wrote “Hymns of Divine Love,” about seventy poems filled with profound prayerful meditations. The sublime teachings of Saint Simeon about the mysteries of mental prayer and spiritual struggle have earned him the title “the New Theologian.” These teachings were not the invention of Saint Simeon, but they had merely been rather forgotten over time. Some of these teachings seemed unacceptable and strange to his contemporaries. This led to conflict with Constantinople’s church authorities, and Saint Simeon was banished from the city. He withdrew across the Bosphorus and settled in the ancient monastery of Saint Macrina. The saint peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in the year

16 1021. During his life he received the gift of working miracles. Numerous miracles also took place after his death; one of them was the miraculous discovery of his . His Life was written by his cell-attendant and disciple, Saint Nicetas Stethatos. Since 12th March falls during , Saint Simeon’s feast is transferred to 12th October. Our Venerable Mother Paraskevi the Newwas born into a pious family, living during the eleventh century in the village of Epivato, between Silistra and Constantinople. Her older brother Euthymios became a , and later he was consecrated as Bishop of Matidia. One day, while attending the divine services with her mother at the age of ten, the words of the Lord pierced her heart like an arrow, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself" (Mt. 16:24). From that time she began to give her clothing to the needy, for which reason she endured much grief from her family. When her parents had reposed, Paraskevi went to Constantinople, a city full of churches with many and wonderworking . There she met some zealous ascetics who instructed her in the spiritual life. She settled at the church of the Most Holy Theotokos in Heraclea Pontica where she spent five years in concentrated prayer and fasting before making a to the Holy Land, where she had long desired to venerate the sacred places. She did not return to Constantinople but, yearning to withdraw still further from the world and its distractions, she crossed the River Jordan into the wilderness. There she lived the ascetic life until she reached the age of twenty-five. An angel of the Lord ordered her to return to her homeland, saying: "Leave the wilderness and return to your homeland; it is necessary that you render your body to the earth there, and your soul to the habitation of the Lord." Saint Paraskevi obeyed, and returned to Epivato, where she lived for two years in ceaseless fasting and prayer. The blessed one departed to the Lord at the age of twenty-seven, and was buried near the sea. She was given a , but as no one knew who she was or where she was from, she was buried in an unmarked grave. It pleased God, however, to reveal the glory of His saint. Years after her repose,

17 the body of a dead sailor washed ashore. It had already begun to decay and give off a horrible stench before a stylite elder nearby found it and asked the villagers to bury it. They unknowingly dug the grave right over the unmarked grave of Saint Paraskevi. That night, one of the grave-diggers, a pious man by the name of George, had a dream. He saw a queen seated on a throne, surrounded by a glorious company of soldiers. One of them said to him, "George, why did you disdain the body of Saint Paraskevi and bury a stinking corpse with it? Make haste and transfer the body of the Saint to a worthy place, for God desires to glorify His handmaiden on earth." Then the saint herself spoke: "George, dig up my relics at once. I can't bear the stench of that corpse." And she told him who she was and that she was originally from Epivato. That same night, a devout woman, , had a similar dream. On being told about these dreams the next morning, the villagers took lighted candles and went to the cemetery, where they dug down and discovered the holy one’s sacred relics, fragrant and incorrupt. The relics were taken to the church of the Apostles Peter and Paul, where, by the prayers of the holy ascetic, many people were healed of various diseases and the blind received their sight. She remained there for about 175 years. Her relics were moved to Trnovo in Bul- garia in A.D. 1238 and placed in the . Patriarch Euthymios wrote her Life and established the day of her as 14th October. However the Turks occupied in A.D. 1391, and her relics were given to Mircea the Elder, Prince of the Romanian Land. Some years later the relics were entrusted to Saint Angelina of , who placed them in the Ružica Church, Belgrade. When that city fell to Ottoman forces in A.D.1521, the relics were translated to Constantinople and placed in the patriarchal cathedral. In 1641, during the time of Patriarch Parthenios the Elder of Constantinople, the Patri- archate of Constantinople found itself in great financial need. The Moldavian Prince, Voivod Vasily, offered them substantial financial aid, and in thanksgiving the Patriarch gave him the relics of St. Paraskevi to sanctify his homeland.He lowered the sacred relics over the fortified wall of Phanar and they were secretly transported to Iaşi. On 13th June, 1641, her incorrupt

18 relics were placed in the Monastery of the Three Hierarchs there,where many healings took place. On 26th December, 1888, after being rescued from a fire, Saint Paraskeva's relics were moved again. This time they were placed in the Metropolitan Cathedral at Iaşi, where they remain until the present day. The Saint’s name, Paraskevi, means preparation, and therefore coincides with the name of the day of preparation for the Sabbath, Friday. Thus in some Slavic sources she is called Pyanitsa (Friday), and often her name is shortened to Petka. Her relics having travelled through so many lands, the faithful in all those places have a great love for her, having received so many blessing by her intercessions. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ POINTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE “I UNDERSTAND that there are times in the services when we are not supposed to move at all; can you clarify when they are, please? - A.K, Hounslow, Mddx. OF COURSE, we are not supposed to move about in church to any great extent in any case. The Psalmist says, Be still and know that I am God,and being still in church services is a stepping stone towards that. As the Ever-memorable Arch- bishop Vitaly said in a piece we reproduced in last month’s magazine, when we enter church we should take our place, and do no more than give a silent nod to those around us in greeting. The late Metropolitan Antony of Ennismore Gardens also once put out a wise instruction. He told his parishioners that if by chance they enter the church after the Liturgy has begun, they should only light their candles if they have arrived before the Little , but otherwise keep them and offer them at the completion of the services, so that other people in church are not distracted by their moving around and ostentatiously put- ting up candles. In both these instructions, we see a commen- dable concern for maintaining peace and quiet in the services.

19 Naturally if there is an emergency, you may move to deal with it at any time: if your toddler starts causing a disturbance, then you straightway take him out; if an old lady catches her hair on fire fiddling with the candles, you run and help her; if someone is taken ill or faints, do not hesitate to help. Also at certain times, we all move, notably in the formation of processions, and at the Entreaty in the Vigil Service when the whole congregation moves into the narthex or sometimes to the outside of the church. There are some local differences between the various churches on when in the services you should not move. Some of the most important are: during the reading of the Six Psalms at the beginning of - in many churches the faithful even refrain from crossing themselves during these; during any recital of the Lord’s Prayer; during any reading of the Gospel; during the Magnificat and Great Doxology in Matins; during the Cherubic Hymn in the Liturgy; fromLet us love one another that we may confess and the Creed until the end of the Ana- phora - that is the priest’s blessing:And the mercies of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ shall be with you all; and when the priest is reading any special prayer or blessing. Also, it is best not to move around when the are serving in the main body of the church, censing etc., and certainly one should never move across the church in front of them when they are facing the open Royal Gates, thus crossing between them and the altar. When and if you have to move from one place to another, do so quietly and unostentatiously; do not rush or swagger. Move quietly, trying even in this to maintain the prayerful atmosphere of the service. In other churches, you may find they have other times when they are particularly careful to be still, then of course you should show love for them by following their discipline. A good rule is, that unless it is absolutely necessary to move, stay still, moving only perhaps to sit down during the kathismata and during the sermon.

20 NEWS from the Richmond Diocese of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece SAINT EDWARD’S DAY THIS YEAR, we kept the feast under unusual constraints because of the government regulations. The Vigil Service on the eve and the Divine Liturgy on the day of the feast were led by Bishop Ambrose of Methoni from Greece andBishop Sofronieof ,Romania,and BishopAmbrose preached at the Liturgy. Fr Borislav Popov, Fr Nicolae Capitanu from the Annunciation Parish in Naphill, and Hieromonk Sabbas assisted the . The Parish Breakfast, buffet , was held outside so that the people could more easily socially isolate, staying in their family groups. After the refreshments Their Graces were taken back to London by parishioners.

CONVENT TRUSTEES’ MEETING WHILE His Grace was in , following the recent repose ofMother Vikentia, a meeting of the trustees of the Convent of the Annunciation in London was held at Brondes- bury Park on Thursday, 17th September. Their legal advisors and accountant were present, and we considered ways forward for the trust. After the business, the Bishop and two Brother- hood members were treated to tea by the sisters.

BURIALS AT SAINT EDWARD’S 3rd September:Frini Andrea of Kingston- upon-Thames was laid to rest in St Edward’s Cemetery. The funeral had been chanted at Saint Nectarius’s Church, Battersea, byFr Christodoulos Christodoulou. 4th September:Artem Bondarenko of Carshalton was laid to rest here. His funeral was chanted at theCathedral

21 of the Mother of God in West London by Archpriest Vitaly Serapinas. 10th September:Robert Steelof Downton, Wilt- shire, the husband of parishionerAquilina Steel, was laid to rest in the portion of our cemetery reserved for non-Orthodox friends of our community. 14th September:Christopher Griersonof Clapham Park, London, was laid to rest here after a funeral at the Antiochian Cathedral of in Regents Park. The funeral and burial were served byHis Eminence Metropolitan Silouan of the British Isles and Ireland and Archpriest Samir Gholam. In the event the Metro- politan arrived well ahead of the rest of the mourners, and was taken to visit the church and to see the exhibition room. May our Saviour grant rest with the Saints andMemory Eternal to Frini,Artem and Christopher,and grant His mercies unto Robert now and at the last and great day.

PRESENTATION TO ELIZABETH CASTLE SUBSEQUENT to the lockdown, Elizabeth Castle decided to retire from the choir at Saint Edward’s, and we thought we should give her a gift in thanksgiving for her extraordinarily long and faithful service. She is the only parishioner at Saint Edward’s who has been with us faithfully since our foundation in March, 1984. Throughout that period she has been a choir member, and indeed was one in an earlier parish under the Russian Church Abroad which has since disbanded. From the beginning she has been a trustee of the King Edward Orthodox Trust, and until about two years ago was the treasurer - she still keeps a close eye on things financial for us! We had hoped to make a presentation before the assembled masses on a Sunday, but with the current restrictions that proved impossible, and so on 6th /18th September, Elizabeth’s name day, we presented her with an ornamental gardening set (she is a keen gardener), and then later gave her a hand-painted icon of Saint Edward the Martyr. At the presentation after the Liturgy, Fr Sabbas made a short speech to thetwo or three gathered together.

22 TWO NEW ICONS FOR THE CHURCH AN ICON of theHoly Virgin Martyr Aquilina of Byblos(feast day: 13th / 26th June) has been donated to Saint Edward’s, by Aquilina Steel. It was painted by the sisters of theConvent of the Holy Angels, Afidnai, Attica, Greece. Also, the Brotherhood itself commissioned a new icon of theHoly George the Trophy-bearer from the sisters of theConvent of Saint Philothei in Grillby, Sweden, as the paint from the old icon had begun to flake, and so that icon was removed to the house. The new icon arrived on 3rd September, and at present it is being photographed, so that we can produce prints, and then it will be framed and placed in the church.

THE ICONOSTAS THROUGH the good officesofMax,asmall move toward finishing the new iconostas was accomplished on the day before Saint Edward’s feast. He inserted the brackets for four of the hanging lamps, so that for the feast itself for the first time in many months we had lighted lamps hanging before the principal icons there.

JOURNEY INTO DANELAW ON Thursday, 24th September, the two monastic from Saint Edward’s took the Holy Mysteries to Valentina Meade at her home in Bungay. They then went on to nearby Earsham where they were offered hospitality by Valentina’s daughter, Liggy, her husbandMatias, and their three children. First they visited theChapel of Saint Olaf, where the youngsters’ camp services are held and where the family worships when unable to get to a church. During their visit they also met Fr Liviu Barbuand Presbytera Ana-Mariaof the New Calendar Romanian Church and one of their parishioners, who happened to come to the farm withNicholas and Mirona Meade at that time.

23 VISITORS IN ADDITION toMetropolitan Silouan, mentioned above, on the feast of the Nativity of the All-holy Virgin, Matushka Natalia Petruchok from Pochaev, Ukraine, attended the festal Liturgy with us, and there were rather more individual visitors over the period, perhaps having become used to walking in the cemetery during the lockdown. Also on 31st August a group of theKingston Ramblers, led by David Cooper, visited the church.

SAINT CYPRIAN’S AVENUE WE SENT round an email message, and mentioned the fact in postscripts to two further emails, but somehow, two or three of you did not get the message. So we will repeat it here. Important restoration work is being undertaken on the Columbarium in Brook- wood Cemetery. That is the large domed building not far from the entrance to our church, on the right as you approach coming up Saint Cyprian’s Avenue. Because of this St David’s Avenue has been closed off. But on work days Saint Cyprian’s Avenue is likely to be in con- stant use by a large number of heavy vehicles and machinery, and so, when visiting the Brotherhood or the church, please do not park on Saint Cyprian’s, lest you block their access. Come right into the Brotherhood enclosure and park in there. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ PRACTICAL TIP IF you still entertain any hope at all of being saved, do not become a Liturgy only attendee at church. Such people, unless it is totally impossible for them to do otherwise, are already edging towards the exit door of faith. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ “THE VAIN DESIRES of this world separate us from our Homeland; love of them and habit clothe our soul as if it were in a hideous garment.” VEN. HERMAN OF ALASKA, + 1836 A.D.

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