From the Fathers

FROM THE FATHERS

“HE has not said: ‘Ofer Me riches, or calves, or kids, or a fast, or avigil,’so that you may not be able to say ‘I have no such things; I cannot do such things.’ But that which is light and easy, and quickly done, this He commands us to do, saying unto us, ‘Let you forgive your brother his faults against you, and I shall forgive you yours against Me.’” Ven. Ephraim the Syrian, + 373 A.D.

“FORGIVE one another your ofences, and let him who seeks to be forgiven be not himself a seeker of vengeance. For when we say, Forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors (Matt. 6:12), we bind ourselves in the most enduring bonds unless we fulfl what we profess. And if the most sacred contract of this prayer has not in every respect been fulflled, let every man now at least examine his conscience, and gain the pardon of his sins by forgiving those of others.” Saint Leo the Great, Pope of Rome, + 461 A.D.

“FOR an ofence, whatever kind may have been given, one must not only not avenge oneself, but on the contrary must all the more forgive from the heart, even though it may resist this, and must incline the heart by conviction of the word of God: If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses (Matt. 6:15), and again: Pray for them which despitefully use you (Matt.5:44).” Ven. Seraphim of Sarov, + 1833 A.D.

1 Homily on the Meeting of the Lord Saint Theophan the Recluse, + 1894A.D. WHAT atenderscenetheMeetingoftheLordshowsus!The venerable elder Simeon, holding the infant God in his hands, on either side of him are the righteous Joseph and the Most Holy Mother of God. Not far away is the Prophetess Anna, an eighty- year-old ascetic and woman of prayer. Their eyes are all directed toward the Saviour. Their attention is absorbed by Him and they drink in spiritual sweetness from Him, which feeds their souls. You can judge for yourself how blessed was the state of these souls! But, brethren, we are called not only to think about this blessedness, but also to taste it in reality, for all are called to have and carry the Lord in themselves, and to disappear in Him with all the powers of their spirit. When we have reached that state, then our blessedness will be no lower than that of those who participated in the Meeting of the Lord. They were blessed who saw it; we shall be blessed who have not seen, but believed. Pay attention. I will show you briefy how to achieve this. Here is what you should do. 1. First of all, repent. Remember that nothing must be done in spiritual life without repentance. No matter what anyone endeavours to seek, let the beginning of it be repentance. Just as a house cannot be built without a foundation, nor a feld be sown or planted without frst being cleared, so also without repentance we cannot begin our spiritual search; anything begun without repentance was begun in vain. Thus, frst of all, repent - that is, weep over everything bad that you have done, and resolve to do only what is pleasing to God. This will be like turning your gaze and your whole body towards the path of meeting the Lord, and taking the initial step upon that path.

2 2. Next, keep this state of repentance constant; establish for yourself a manner of life and conduct that would make every step or movement something directing your attention to our Lord and Saviour. Such an order of life will establish itself naturally, if: a) you do everything that you do for the glory of the Lord and Saviour, for Christ's sake. Here we mean not only great deeds, but all deeds. For, seeing and hearing, silence and speaking, food and drink, sitting and walking, work and rest can all be dedicated to the Lord and sanctifed by His All-Holy Name. There isn't a minute when we are not doing something; so, by thus dedicating your activity, you will be meeting the Lord minute by minute, directing all of your activities to His glory. You can even more conveniently do this and reap fruits from it if you also: b) insert into the order of your daily activities the practice of prayer - both in church and at home; and in general make it your rule to be a strict fulfller of all the rules and order of the Holy Church to the last iota, without vain elaboration and distorted commentary,and with simplicity of heart. As the content of all prayer is the Lord and our turning to Him, by doing it and participating in it you will be meeting the Lord through your heart's sympathy and delight. If after this: c) you fll all your interim time with reading the Scriptures about the Lord, listening to talks about Him, or with your own contemplation of Him and the great work of salvation that He wrought on earth, then you will see for yourself that nothing will remain within us or outside of us that does not bring remembrance of the Lord, bring Him to your attention, or carry your spirit to meet Him. 3. Just the same, you should not forget that all of these labours and occupations are only preparation. You should not stop at them, but rather strive onward. Just as food taken in rough form later imbues refned elements needed for life, so must these occupations performed visibly and tangibly turn into aspiritofaveryrefnedinclinationorstrivingtowardtheLord. Namely, the labour of consecrating all our activities to the Lord should have the quality of reaching with our whole soul's desire only for the Lord; when we do all our prayers or attend the Divine services, a feeling should form in our hearts of accord

3 only with the Lord and what is His. Underlying our reading and hearing the Holy Scripture about the Lord should only be the eager directing of our mind's attention toward the Lord alone. These labours are that very working of the feld, and these strivings are the growth of what has been sown. The frst are the stem and branches, the latter are the fower and fruit. When these inclinations come up in us, it will mean that our spirit has gone out with all its consciousness and disposition to meet the Lord. Since the Lord is everywhere, and He Himself seeks to meet with our spirit, their mutual meeting will then come about by itself. From that moment on, our spirit will begin to taste the blessedness of Righteous Simeon; that is, it will begin to bear in the embrace of its powers a striving for the Lord, Who is its complete satiety and satisfaction. This is what is called tasting the Lord, rest in Him, mentally standing before the Lord, walking in the presence of the Lord, and ceaseless prayer - the object of all God's saints' labour, desire, and seeking. IwishthatallofyouwhocelebratetheMeetingoftheLord be vouchsafed this blessing. If anyone complains that he would like the fruit but the labour it takes to get it is too hard, the answer is: Good. There is an easier method, a method simpler than the one laid out. Here it is! Repent; then, with zeal for keeping all of God's commandments, walk unfailingly in the Lord's presence, striving for Him with all your mind's attention, all your heart's feelings, and all your will's desires. If you thus dispose yourself, you will soon meet the Lord. He will come down to you and abide in you, as in the embrace of Righteous Simeon. There is no other way to lighten the labour needed to seek a meeting with the Lord. The Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,ispowerfulandstrong to help in this work. Again, however, not by itself; but under the condition that all the strength of our spirit be directed toward the Lord! Be sober, be vigilant (1 Ptr. 5:8). Seek those things which are above … and your life is hid with Christ in God (Col. 3:1, 3). Then, having become one in spirit with the Lord (cf. 1 Cor. 6:17), you will behold and embrace the Lord, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you (Jn 16:22), neither in this age, nor in the age to come. Amen.

4 Sermon on Meatfare Sunday Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky And from thy presence whither shall I fee? (Ps.138:6) THE QUESTION of the eternal sufering of sinners in the afterlife became one of the liveliest points of discussion in the Protestant world, and the rejection of the concept found fervent defenders in some preachers … Human nature would rather answer this question in the negative; in the history of Christianity, there have long been attempts to see in the words about eternal Gehenna in the word of God only an allegory or with conditional meaning. This view- point sometimes even creeps in amongst us. Meanwhile, Meatfare Week is upon us. The Gospel message in Orthodox churches about the Day of Judgment: And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (Matt.25:46), is something terrible to recall not only on that Sunday but for the entire week that follows. The Saviour and the Apostles spoke unambiguously many times of the eternal condemnation of sinners, which is a fate which could befall each and every one of us. The Fifth Œcumen- ical Council rejected the teaching of the so-called Origenists about the ultimate salvation of all people and even of evil spirits. One must subject our thoughts to the voice of the Word of God with humility and with the knowledge that Divine determina- tion is higher than our reasoning. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, says the Lord through Prophet Esaias, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Es.55:8-9). But man is generous towards himself. He is not inclined to doubt the promised eternal bliss of the righteous, but he doubts the eternal condemnation of sinners, carelessly ignoring the notion that in denying the latter, one must then deny the former: if one sees the words about eternal sufering as conditional, then we must view the promise of eternal blessedness as conditional, too.

5 Are we to boldly delude ourselves that the Saviour is only frightening us with everlasting fre (Mt. 25:41), that it is only a pedagogical tool coming from His lips? Shall we not put ourselves under His wrath for such a thought, for such self-consolation? The Psalms say: Why hath the ungodly provoked God? For he hath said in his heart: He will not make enquiry (9:33). Let us then not doubt the truth of God’s word. If we are not able to discover God’s thoughts for ourselves, let us be satisfed that we can ease our approach by wisely accepting God’s deter- minations. Human thought makes two main errors on the teaching of eternal suferings. The frst: how can temporary, even singular, actions lead to eternal damnation? The other: if condemnation is even just, is not the law of fairness defeated by Divine love? The frst, as we see, touches upon the relationship between the temporal and the eternal. Yes, our actions can be singular, and one might say feeting: time rushes by, our actions, our words and thoughts are forgotten. But in some deeper sense, nothing in the world disappears forever: all moves into eternity. The impetus created by one thought, one word, one action, leads to further impetuses and movements; it is simply that we do not notice them or take them into account. The planted seed gives root and prepares for a future harvest. Time is like a vessel in the ocean, which is eternity. Death will come, and we will be immersed in eternity, where the life of the soul continues, though there is no longer the cycle of day and night, there is no onset of fatigue followed by time of rest, there are no clocks, no time; and this life of the soul continues with open and widened eyes directed at ourselves and at all that surrounds us, and also at all the fruits that we cultivated in earthly life, and at the consequences of our actions. Agood tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit (Mt. 7:18). Our future life is a direct consequence of what we do. Planted within time, it is harvested in eternity. Good deeds will not be lost. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward (Mark 9:41), said the Saviour as He sent His disciples to preach. For this cup

6 of water is the participation in the Good News of faith in Christ, even if the giver does not recognize it as such. Evil that is done will likewise not be lost in eternity. Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Mt. 12:36). An idle word can serve as a temptation and could spur another person to sin and even to a crime. Here we clearly see the logic of reward and punishment in future life: a person gathers for himself wealth for the Kingdom of God, and prepares for himself reward or punishment. For by thy words thou shalt be justifed, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned”(Mt.12:37). Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant (Luke 19:22), said the Lord in His parable on the talents. Such is the conclusion of pure fairness, this is the logic of justice. This is how the eternal fate of man is determined after temporary life on earth. This fate, determined by justice, would be sorrowful for all of us without exception, since we are all impure and sinful, for any thing that defleth shall in no wise enter into [the Kingdom of God] (Rev.21:27). In the Kingdom there is only holiness; there is not a spot of sin; yet the common state of man is a mix of good and evil. But meeting us halfway is Divine mercy,the love of God. Herein lies the answer to the second question: on the meeting and concord of God’s justice with the mercy of God. God’s love came to us with the sacrifce of the Cross of the Son of God, prepared to remove impurity from our soul and to compensate for our lack of personal holiness. The Resurrection of Christ opened for us the Kingdom of the Son of God. But in order for the forgiving and all-embracing love of Christ to lead us into this Kingdom, we must respond to it, we must come to love our Saviour, come to love His brethren, to enter in the spirit and body into His Church, which is His Body, to joy- fully commune with Him, to weave ourselves into that prayerful bond, which spread like threads in all directions and bonds the body of the Church, concentrated in the middle in God. Here we fnd cleansing, purifcation, justifcation, sancti- fcation. Here mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other (Ps. 84:10). Truth, Christ,

7 appears on earth, and the truth of justice bows down beforeit: Truth hath spring up out of the earth; and righteousness hath looked down from heaven” (Ps.84:11). This is the foundation for our hope for future life in the King- dom of God: [laid] only upon the mercy of God. We dare not declare our “rights.” We must not claim the “justice” of reward. The love of Christ - but what if this love is rejected by mankind? What if the hand ofered to us from above is not taken? What if the ofer of forgiveness is unheeded? What if the response to this ofer is antagonism and proud refusal? Is the refusal of the Divine call possible? Yes, it is possible, reality demonstrates this. Voltaire expressed this attitude, de- claring his hatred for Christianity. Nietzsche likewise - at least until his emotional illness overcame him- sharply despised the teaching of Christianity on humility, patience, mercy, and he created the prideful cult of the superman who rose above the concepts of good and evil. Similar is today’s militant atheism which declared war against all religion, especially the Christian faith. How are we to consider the afterlife of Nero alongside that of the Apostles Peter and Paul? Stalin together with the martyrs of our time? Those killed for the faith, the truth of God and Church, and their executioners? On a smaller scale we see how sin distances us from God. The frst sin of Adam led to humanity seeking to hide from God. Adam, Where art thou? Iheardthyvoiceinthegarden,andI was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself (Gen. 3:9- 10). The desire to hide from God and the impossibility of doing so is the beginning of sufering for the sinner. From thy presence whither shall I fee? (Ps.138:6). What are the suferings of Gehenna: fre, worms, sheer darkness in the future age? The Fathers of the Church point out that this is not a place, but a condition of existence. “Sinners,” writes St John the Damascene, “will be given to eternal fame, not the physical fre of earth, but of a kind known only to God.” Mankind, to the extent that sin grows in him, departs from God and the Divine Kingdom; it becomes alien to him. In the words of Dostoevsky, the sinner “returns the ticket” ofered to him. Therefore the sinner scrapes together upon his own head the burning coals, committing himself to life without the rays of

8 Divine light, to sheer darkness, where there is the weeping and gnashing of teeth. Is this the torment of the conscience? Not likely. A conscience that gnaws is the conscience has not yet been extinguished; it is the light of truth that has not yet gone out in the soul. The suferings of the conscience have a cleansing efect. Those other suferings are probably not the same. There, the loss of life in God is combined with an impossibility-as horrify- ing as it is to imagine!-an unwillingness to repent. The fallof the devil shows that the love of God does not disarm evil. How are pride, envy, jealousy, wrath, hatred to be replaced with grati- tude, meekness, humility and love? What power is able to extin- guish spitefulness against one’s condemnation, when the state of enmity might even comprise an excruciating passion of sorts? “Many foolish people,”writes St John Chrysostom,“wish only to elude Gehenna: but I deem far more torturous than Gehenna to be outside of the glory of the Kingdom of God; and whosoever is deprived of it, I think, should weep not so much from the suferings of Gehenna, as much as the deprivation of heavenly blessings; for that one thing is the most cruel of all suferings.” On the eve of Great Lent, the Holy Church reminds us of the Dread Judgment and of the punishment of sinners. But much more often, on a daily basis, she reminds us of the joy of the Kingdom of God, imparting within us the hope for it with the words of the Creed which we read every day: “I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come, Amen.” Let us accept this reminder of Judgment Day with all our hearts, to bring earnest repentance during Lent and to strengthen us in the hope that the Lord does not deprive us, too, of His Heavenly Kingdom. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇

“HOW can one laugh at a clergyman? So what if he serves poorly? He still has grace. He is ordained. One must not, must not, laugh!” Ven. Anatoly of Optina

9 As Great Lent approaches, we include this guidance regarding confession. It is not, of course, exhaustive, but may help some people. PROPER CONFESSION BEFORE confession one should try to recall all the sins which one has committed voluntarily or involuntarily, and be prepared and resolved to try to give them up. One cannot come hoping to have old sins washed away, only to start a new series right away. This may indeed happen, but it should never be our intention or hope. Our intention and hope should always be to embark on a new way of life. And so be frmly resolved to follow the advice your confessor gives you. One must attentively examine one's life in order to recall not only those sins committed since the last confession, but also those which have not been confessed through genuine forgetful- ness. Then, with compunction and a contrite heart, approach the Cross and the Gospel and begin the confession of your sins. And never withhold any part of your life from your confessor. It is no good confessing having a drop of milk on a Friday, and not mentioning that you are living with a partner, unmarried! Confess your sins honestly, remembering that you open them not to a man, but to God Himself. God knows your sins already and only wants your admission of them. You should not be embarrassed before your confessor: he is apersonjustasyou are. He knows human shortcomings well, man's tendency towards sin. For this reason he cannot be your terrible judge at confession. Is the reason that you are embarrassed before your confessor that you are afraid to lose his good opinion of you? On the contrary, he will have all the more love for you when he sees your open, honest confession. Furthermore, if you are afraid to reveal your sins before just one person, your spiritual father, how will you overcome your embarrassment appearing at God's Last Judgment? There, all your sins which you have not confessed will be opened before God Himself, the Angels and all the people.

10 Be specifc when you confess, listing your sins separately. Saint John Chrysostom says: “One must not only say: I have sinned, or I am sinful, but one must declare each type of sin.” “The revelation of sins,” says Saint Basil the Great, “is subject to the same law as the declaration of physical ills...” The sinner is spiritually ill, and the confessor is the physician or healer. It stands to reason that one must confess or tell about one's sins in the same way as one who is physically ill describes the symp- toms of his illness to a physician from whom he expects to receive healing. Do not mention anyone else during confession, i.e. do not complain about anyone - what sort of confession is this? It is not confession, but judgment and a new sin. Do not attempt to justify yourself in any way during confession: blaming weakness, custom, etc. The more one justi- fes himself during confession, the less one is justifed by God. The more one denounces, judges and accuses oneself, the more one is justifed in the eyes of God. When questioned, do not say: “I can't remember, maybe I committed that sin.” God requires us to always remember our sins. So as not to cover ourselves by not remembering, we must confess our sins as often as possible. Those who, because of care- lessness,confess and take Communioninfrequently,andbecause of this forget their sins, have no one to blame but themselves. They cannot hope for remission of the sins which they failed to confess. Thus, it is imperative that we try to recall all our sins. When someone owes us something we are sure to remember this. Yet we forget our own debts before God! Does this not reveal an utter absence of concern foroursoulonourpart? Unless asked, do not list the sins you have not committed or things you have not done. Doing this, you liken yourself to the Pharisee of the Gospel. You do not confess your sins but boast, thereby increasing your judgment. We must confess with sorrow and a contrite heart the sins by which we have grieved our Lord God. It is not good that many tell of their sins matter-of-factly, without any remorse. They speak as though they are engaged in some casual conversation.

11 What is worse, some even allow themselves to engage in chitchat, levity, and small talk during confession. These are all signs of distractedness and lack of repentance, and are time- wasting deviations from the task in hand. Confessing in this manner, we do not cleanse ourselves of our sins, but rather increase them. Finally, confess your sins with faith in Jesus Christ, with hope in His mercy. Only with faith in Jesus Christ and hope in Him can we receive forgiveness of our sins. Without faith, we cannot receive remission. An example of this is Judas the traitor, who was remorseful about what he did, but did not have faith in Jesus, no hope in His mercy, and thus ended his own life. This then, is how we must confess in order to receive remission of our sins from our Lord God. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John1:9). ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ “AND what do many of us [the clergy]do?Wecelebratethe mysteries and the divine services, we read public prayers,unwill- ingly, indolently, negligently, and hurriedly or with omissions, wishing to fnish the holy work quicker that we may hasten after worldly vanity. What a fearful temptation, and what a grievous sin! Involuntarily one recalls God’s terrible words: Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord negligently. Isay,whatafearful temptation, and what a grievous sin! Through our blindness, we treat negligently or carelessly or half-heartedly the words of the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, breathing in the prayers of the services of the Church, we treat with neglect what would itself be the source of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and even the source of our own bodily health, if we would let it be so. For the words of the Church’s prayers, read calmly and fervently, with faith, reverence and the fear of God, have undoubtedly the won- derful property of enlivening, strengthening and healing our body as well as our soul. And yet by celebrating without due care, we mock the holy things of the Lord.” Saint John of Cronstadt, +1908 A.D.

12 Howtoliveinaccord with the Gospel AtranslationofaBookletpublished by the Synodal Press in Russia in 1905, somewhat adapted to meet the needs of our times. The duty of doing good to those in need DOING GOOD to those in need is something which often enough the Sacred Scriptures encourage us to do, giving us the most compelling incentives for doing so. For instance: Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away (Matt.5:42). Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest (Luke 6:35). But to do good forget not, writes the Apostle Paul (Heb. 6:35). Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, says the Prophet Esaias, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him? (Es. 58:7). He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again (Prov. 19:17). He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy (James 2:13). “If you had lived,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “in that golden time, when Jesus Christ visibly dwelt among men, would you not have prepared a bed for Him in your home, would you not have given alms, would you not have paid attention to serving, would you not have seated Him at your table? You ofer greater service if you do this for a poor man, because the radiance of His pleasing face and the features of His goodness involuntarily draw the hearts of all who follow after Him to Him. However, if you show Him mercy in the person of a man who is poor, ragged, bare, and flthy, then your faith is more

13 than living, your love is more than noble, and your piety is more than disinterested, because therein self-love has no place.” And so secondly, disinterestedness. Benefcence does not look for thanks, glory or a reward. For this reason it is often done in secret. When you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret (Matt. 6:3-4). However, to do agooddeedisoftennototherwisepossibleexceptintheviewof others and sometimes your calling requires that it be seen to be done. “If you do an act of mercy,” says Blessed Theophylact, “but not so that they will observe you, you will not be judged and you will not lose your reward. But if you do it out of vainglory, then you will lose your reward and will be judged, even though you did it in your own cellar: God either punishes or crowns the intention.” “And so,” Saint John Chrysostom teaches, “we must always do good, not concerned whether people see us or not, but content with one thing, that God Himself is the invisible witness of our activity.” For this reason we must not leave of doing good even when it cannot be hidden from the eyes of other people. Then it is good simply to pray thus: Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory (Ps.113:9). …tobe continued ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇

“HE THAT HONOURS the priest, will honour God also; and he who has learnt to despise the priest, will in the process of time insult God. He that receiveth you, He saith, receiveth Me (Matt.10:40). Hold my priests in honour (cf Sir.7:31), He says. The Jews learned to despise God, because they despised Moses, and would have stoned him. For when a man is piously disposed towards the priest, he is much more so towards God. And even if the priest be wicked, God seeing that thou respectest him, though unworthy of honour, through reverence to Him, will Himself reward thee.” Saint John Chrysostom, + 407 A.D.

14 THE COMING MONTH IN FEBRUARY our thoughts turn to Great Lent. This year the fast itself does not begin until the second day of March this year, but in February, we have three of the four preparatory Sundays: those of the Publican and Pharisee (8th / 21st), the Prodigal Son (15th / 28th), Judgment or Meatfare Sunday (22nd February / 7th March). The fourth and last, Forgiveness or Cheesefare Sunday falls on the 1st / 14th March. The names of these refer to the Gospel readings appointed for the Divine Liturgy, and the service of the day is based upon that evangelical message and expounds it for us. This fact emphasises why it is so important for the faithful to attend Matins services, because it is therein, particularly in the canon, that these truths are expounded. The last two Sundays also have the names Meatfare and Cheesefare. The sufx “fare” does not indicate a cele- bration, but means a farewell. They are respectively the last days before Pascha on which Orthodox Christians eat meat or dairy products. In the three weeks between these four Sundays, we follow difering fasting guidelines. After the Publican and the Pharisee, we have a fast-free week - lest like the Pharisee we become pufed up by our religious practices. The following week we fast as normally; and after Meatfare Sunday we have a week when on every day we can eat all foods except any containing meat products. On the last day before Lent, we commemorate the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, looking forward to the Saviour’s promise to the Good Thief at the end of the struggle, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise (Luke 23:43). Thus the week before becomes, as it were, an icon of life in Paradise of old, wherein all foods were permitted except those that involved killing animals, and wherein there was every delight except the carnal ones. Among the Saints we celebrate in February we have: The holy Martyr Tryphon of Lampsacus (1st /14th)wasbornin Phrygia, one of the regions of Asia Minor. On account of his purity, from his early years the Lord granted him the power to cast out demons and to heal various maladies. When Tryphon was still a youth, harmful snakes and insects appeared in a neighbouring village, devouring all the grains, leaves, and grass, so that the villagers began to sufer from famine. The young Tryphon prayed to God, asking Him

15 to send an angel to destroy the pests and harmful insects and, moreover, the saint himself used a special exorcism to remove them to inaccessible places, where they could no longer bring any harm to people. Accordingly, the Church has established a special service, containing Saint Tryphon’s exorcism, which is served in the felds and vineyards, in order to rid them of harmful snakes and other pests. In the vine-growing regions of the Balkans, the Saint’s festival is therefore kept with especial honour. Again, he once saved the inhabitants of his native town from starvation: by the power of his prayer, he turned back a plague of locusts that were devouring the grain and devastating the felds. Saint Tryphon gained particular fame by casting out an evil spirit from the daughter of the Roman Emperor Gordian. Helping everyone in distress, he asked only one thing from them: faith in Jesus Christ, by Whose grace he healed them. When the Emperor Decius assumed the imperial throne, he began a ferce persecution of Christians. Someone reported to the commander Aquilinus that Saint Tryphon was boldly preaching faith in Christ, and that he led many to Baptism. The saint was arrested and subjected to interrogation, during which he fearlessly confessed his faith. He was subjected to harsh tortures: they beat him with clubs, raked his body with iron hooks, they scorched his fesh with fre, and led him through the city after iron nails had been hammered into his feet. Saint Tryphon bravely endured all the torments without complaint. Finally, he was condemned to beheading with a sword. The holy martyr prayed before his execution, thanking God for strengthening him in his suferings. He also asked the Lord to bless those who should call upon his name for help. Just as the soldiers raised the sword over the head of the holy martyr, he surrendered his soul into the hands of God. Thus he was crowned in the city of Nicea in the year 250. Christians wrapped the holy body of the Martyr in a clean shroud and wanted to bury him in the city of Nicea, where he sufered, but in avisiontheholyMartyrcommandedthemtotakehisbodytohis native land, to the village of Lampsacus. Later on, the relics of Saint Tryphon were translated to Constantinople, and then to Rome. Much later in Russia, Saint Tryphon was particularly revered as a result of a miracle he wrought: once when Tsar Ivan the Terrible was out hunting, his falconer carelessly allowed the Tsar’s favourite falcon to fy away. The Tsar ordered the falconer, Tryphon Patrikeiev, to fnd the bird within three days, or else he would be put to death. The falconer searched all through the forest, but with no success. On the third day, exhausted by long searching, he returned to Moscow to the place

16 called Marinaya Grove. Overcome with weariness,he lay down to rest, fervently praying to his patron saint, the Martyr Tryphon, for help. In adreamhesawayouthonawhitehorse,holdingtheTsar’sfalconon his hand. The youth said,“Take the lost bird, go to the Tsar and do not grieve.” When he awoke, the falconer actually saw the falcon on a pine tree nearby. He took it to the Tsar and told him about the miraculous help he received from the holy Martyr Tryphon. Grateful to Saint Tryphon for saving his life, Tryphon Patrikeiev built a chapel on the spot where the saint appeared. Later on, he also built a church dedicated to the holy Martyr Tryphon in Moscow, of which city the Martyr is now revered as its heavenly protector. Because of this miracle Russianiconsdepictthesaintholdingafalcononhisarm. The Holy Martyr Agatha (5th /18th)wasbornintoanoblefamily at Catania in Sicily. According to others, she was from Palermo. However, from childhood she consecrated herself to the Lord and worked at heightening her rare beauty with the most precious adorn- ment of the true Faith and the holy virtues. At the time of her arrest, during the persecution under Decius, she was no more than ffteen. The Prefect Quintinian was greatly taken by her beauty when she appeared at his tribunal and, as he was interested in getting possession of her riches, he ofered to marry her. On being refused, he sent her to live for a month with Aphrodisia, a woman of corrupt life, who used all her wiles to persuade Agatha to accept him. But the young girl was unmoved by the glamour of worldly pleasures, and Aphrodisia admitted herself defeated, saying that it would be easier to change the nature of iron or stone than Agatha's resolve, frmly based as it was on the unshakeable rock of the Faith. When she was again brought to the tribunal, Quintinian said, “Since you are of noble birth, why are you behaving like a slave?” “Because I am a slave of Christ,” she replied, “and slaves of Christ are really the most free of all creation because they acquired self-mastery by His grace.” Since she persisted in mocking the gods which he urged her to worship, the Prefect slapped her face and sent her to prison while he decided what torments to infict on her. The next day, she was ordered to sacrifce to the gods which are demons if she wished to save her life, but she replied that we are saved only by Christ, the Son of the living God. She was stretched on a frame and beaten, then lacerated with iron claws and her wounds were seared with faming torches. “These tortures are agreatjoytome,”sheexclaimedtothefuryofthePrefect.“Corndoes not reach the granary until threshed and winnowed, and my soul cannot attain everlasting blessedness until separated by suferings

17 from my body.” Quintinian ordered the torturers to cut of her breasts and to throw her, bleeding, into the dungeon. But at the dead of night her Guardian Angel and the Apostle Peter visited her surrounded by abrilliantlight,andhealedallherwounds. Quintinian had Agatha brought before his tribunal for a fourth time. He was unmoved by her miraculous recovery, and ordered her to be stripped of her clothing and rolled on a bed of potsherds and burning coals. Suddenly the entire city was shaken by an earthquake, and part of palace collapsed. The terrifed populace stormed into the praetorium and threatened to burn Quintinian in the remains of his palace unless he released the holy Martyr, thus he was avenged by God. Her tormentors backed backed of and the Saint was returned to prison. She begged the Lord, who had granted her the grace of steadfastness under torture, to grant her now to see the glory of His Face, and so she gave up her soul to God. When the people heard the news, they hurried to the prison with myrrh and sweet spices for her burial. Just as they were placing Saint Agatha's body in a porphyry sarcophagus, her Guardian Angel appeared in the city as a shining youth attended by a hundred white- clad children. He placed an inscribed marble tablet on the tomb, which read: “Holy devoted soul. Honour of God. Protection of the Land.” The Angel then disappeared. As for the evil Quintinian, he never obtained Agatha's wealth, for he was thrown from his chariot into a river when his horses bolted, and was drowned. On the frst anniversary of Agatha's death, Mount Etna erupted and Catania was on the brink of being engulfed by a stream of lava. Christians and pagans alike rushed to the Saint's tomb, lifted the veil from the sarcophagus and bore it like a shield to confront the river of fre, which stopped immediately. The same miracle has been repeated many times in the course of the centuries, and hence Saint Agatha is fervently venerated by the people of Catania as the patroness of their city. It should be mentioned from the outset that the stone sarcophagus in which Saint Agatha was entombed has survived till our days and is in the same crypt above which was erected the Church of Santa Agata la Vetere. The sacred relics of the Saint are incorrupt and fragrant, and remained intact in her crypt until A.D.1040. In A.D.593 asmallportionwastransferredtoRomeattherequestofSaint Gregory the Great, Pope of Rome, and was placed in the Church of Santa Agata dei Gotti. From this portion, in A.D. 597 Saint Gregory donated a piece to the Monastery of Saint Stephen in Capri. Another portion was sent to Constantinople at the end of the 10th century during the reign of Emperor BasilII and his brother Constantine VIII.

18 In A.D. 1040 the Saracens attacked Sicily, and the Byzantines were quick to help in this struggle. General George Maniakes excelled in these battles, but he came into confict with the leader of the feet Stephen, who was a relative of Emperor John II Comnenos. The confict arose after Stephen committed the grave error of allowing the escape of the Arab military commander, Abd Allah, the most important prisoner of war. This caused Maniakes to lose royal favour and so he went to Constantinople to apologize. He thought that in order to regain the favour of the Emperor he would have to take to Constan- tinople two treasures from the region, namely the incorrupt relics of the Holy Great Martyrs Agatha of Catania and Lucy of Syracuse. Eighty-six years were to pass before the relics of Saint Agatha returned home, and it was said that the Martyr herself made it clear that she desired this. Saint Agatha is not only widely honoured in the West, but in the East as well. Many cities and villages have her as a patron in Europe, and she is honoured as the patron of various professions and against various diseases and calamities, especially diseases and ailments associated with the breast. Her life was recorded in the late 5th century by an anonymous writer, and this became the basis upon which Saint Symeon the Translator wrote her life in the 9th century. In that same century Saint Methodius the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople, wrote an encomium in her praise. Our Holy Father Photius the Great, Patriarch of Con- stantinople (6th / 19th), was born into one of the great families of the Imperial City in A.D. 810. His father Sergius was the brother of the Holy Patriarch, Saint Tarasius, and his mother Eirene's brother had married the sister of the Empress Theodora. His parents had been martyred during the iconoclast persecution, bequeathing their son a more precious legacy than wealth and high rank, namely, love of the true Faith unto death. He received the best possible education in every branch of learning, both sacred and secular. He spent whole nights in study and, possessing exceptional intellectual ability, there was no feld of knowledge in which he did not become profcient. In breadth and depth of learning, he was the greatest scholar of his time and a central fgure in the intellectual renaissance of Byzantium after the turmoil of iconoclasm. He occupied a professorial chair at the Imperial School established in the Megnaura Palace, where he taught Aristotelian philosophy and theology. During an embassy to the Caliph at Baghdad, he composed from memory, for the beneft of his brother, acriticalsummaryofaround280booksofallkinds- his Myriobiblos (Library), a proof of the extent of his knowledge. On his return from

19 Baghdad with his mission accomplished, he was appointed chief secretary to the imperial chancellery, but he found time for his academic duties and for his beloved studies. In A.D. 857 Bardas, the uncle of Emperor Michael III, assumed power with the title of Caesar. He forced the resignation of the Holy Patriarch Ignatius, who had denounced his immoral behaviour, and prevailed on the clergy to elect the wise and pious Photius as his successor. Photius held out against his election as strongly as he could, since he regarded death itself as preferable to that perilous ofce in those troubled times; but in the face of injunctions and threats he at last gave way, and agreed to give up the peace of his study and philosophical discussions with like- minded friends. He was consecrated Patriarch on 25th December,A.D. 858, having been raised through all the degrees of the priesthood in the previous six days. In a letter to Caesar Bardas, he wrote: “Our promotion has not been willed by us and we are enthroned as a prisoner.” The more extreme supporters of Ignatius then used every means to oppose and discredit the new hierarch, alleging the irregu- larity of his sudden elevation from layman to Patriarch. Photius sought to avoid confrontation and did all in his power to re-establish unity and peace in the Church by strengthening Her in the “bond of perfection,” love. He took frm action against the remaining Mani- chean and Iconoclast heretics, and restored many churches, monas- teries and charitable foundations which had been damaged by the Iconoclasts. The Saint took a special interest in missions to spread the Gospel among the barbarians. But his attempts to appease the supporters of Ignatius failed; and, while expressing disapproval of the violent measures taken against them by the government, he was obliged to summon a Council in A.D.859, which confrmed the deposition of Ignatius and exiled him to Mytilene and then to Terebinthus. Agitation against Photios continued however and, inA.D.861, another Council, known as the “First-Second,” assembled in the Church of the Holy Apostles with the ofcial purpose of approving the restoration of Orthodoxy and of pronouncing the defnitive condemnation of Icono- clasm. This Council also recognized the validity of the nomination of Photius, with the full agreement of the papal legates there present, who, although acting contrary to the Pope's instructions, thought that they had thus achieved the triumph of papal authority. The arrogant and ambitious Pope Nicolas I seized the opportunity to assert openly for the frst time the pretension of the Popes of Rome to jurisdiction “over the whole earth and over the universal Church.” To the primacy of honour of the Roman Church, the Papacy now sought to add a

20 supremacy over the whole Church that was supposed to have been granted by Christ Himself. Pope Nicolas’s opposition and inter- ference in the afairs of the Byzantine Church, when he had only been requested to pronounce decisively on Iconoclasm, drove Saint Photius to condemn the novel usages of the Roman Church. “Abolition of small things which have been received through tradition,” he wrote, “will lead to complete contemptforthedogmas.” Incensed, the Pope accused Photius of being in illicit possession of another's See, and he decreed on his own initiative the deposition of the Patriarch of Constantinople - a thing unprecedented. Moreover, asserting the right of Popes to judge Councils, he declared that the decisions of the “First-Second” were invalid. Nor did he stop there, but summoned to Rome a Council of Western bishops, which declared Photius deposed and excommunicated all the clergy ordained by him. When Emperor Michael III objected to these proceedings, the Pope informed him that he derived his supremacy over the Universal Church from Christ Himself. Then, in successive letters, he subjected Photius to a litany of insults, to which that true disciple of the Saviour made no reply. The Holy Patriarch did not allow these conficts and cares to hamper his apostolic activity. With the support of the Emper- or, he promoted the evangelization of the Slav peoples, engaging Saints Cyril and Methodius on that great missionary endeavour which marked the beginning of the conversion of the Slav peoples of the Balkans. At about the same time, Boris (Michael) the Khan of Bul- garia, who had recently been baptized by Photius with the Emperor Michael as his godfather, bringing his whole nation into the Christian fold, sadly turned away from Constantinople, which had refused to grant him a patriarch, and sought support from Rome. Seizing his chance, the Pope immediately sent Latin missionaries to Bulgaria with instructions to spread their innovations in this young Church which the Byzantines had evangelized, especially the addition of the Filioque to the Creed. Seeing the peril of an innovation which touched on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, Saint Photius determined that it was time “for the meek to become a warrior” (Joel 4:9) and that he would have to break his silence and issue a rejoinder. He addressed an Encyclical Letter to all the bishops of the East in which he vigorously condemned the errors of the Latins, especially the Filoque. He summoned a great Council, which in A.D. 867 proclaimed the victory of Orthodox doctrine over all the heresies, and anathematized Pope Nicolas and his missionaries in Bulgaria. The two Churches were thus separated by a formal schism. Michael III was assassinated

21 at the end of 867, and Basil IbecameEmperor. He deposed Saint the Pope. The Council confrmed the rehabilitation of Photius, Photius, whom he imprisoned in the Monastery of the Protection, and annulled the Council of 870 and restored communion between the recalled Saint Ignatius. In spite of the irenic eforts of Saint Ignatius, two Churches, anathematizing all innovation and especially the here- the enemies of Photius then began a regular persecution of all the tical innovation of the Filoque to the Symbol of Faith. With the clergy ordained by him. In view of the continuing disturbance, the restoration of peace and unity in the Church, the greatest desire of the Emperor decided to refer the case of the two claimants to the Patri- hierarch was fulflled. He immediately set about the task of peace- archal throne to Rome for judgment, which was a godsend for the making,seeking reconciliation with his enemies and showingafatherly Papacy. Hadrian II, Nicolas's successor, called a Council in A.D. 869, care devoid of bitterness for the former partisans of Ignatius. When which once again condemned Photius, declared the Council of 867 Leo VI succeeded his father Basil I, he summarily deposed the holy invalid, publicly burnt its Acts and ordered that a new Council should Patriarch, holding him indirectly responsible for making known to his meet in Constantinople. The bishops, few in number, who attended father a plot which Leo had hatched against him. Saint Photius was this false Council, called the “Eighth Œcumenical Council” by the imprisoned in the Monastery of the Armenians and was confned Latins, were overawed by the Emperor and, in their cowardice, there for fve years, lacking all human consolation but shining like condemned the Beacon of the Church and exiled his supporters to the gold tried in the furnace of manifold temptations (1Ptr.6-7). This was boundaries of the Empire. More than 200 bishops were then deposed the period in which, without books of his own, he wrote the Mystagogy and many priests were defrocked. Haled like a criminal before the of the Holy Spirit, asystematicrefutationoftheFilioqueheresy,in Synod and summoned to answer the accusations made against him, which he shows that the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Saint Photius, after a long silence, replied: “God hears the voice of Person of the Father, the “Source of the Divinity,” and is sent to us by him who keeps silent. Jesus Himself by keeping silent did not escape the Son in order to make us “partakers of the Divine nature” (2 Ptr. condemnation.” As a worthy imitator of the Passion of the meek and 1:4). Leaving this treatise as his testament to the Holy Church in view long-sufering Jesus, Saint Photius, in spite of illness, bore for three of conficts to come, he departed to join the choir of Holy Fathers on years the pain of harsh imprisonment, deprivation of books and 6th February,A.D.893. The miracles which soon took place in plenty at company without a word of complaint. Imputing no responsibility to his tomb helped to convert even his inveterate enemies. Humble, the blameless Ignatius for these cruelties, he encouraged his sufering serene and long-sufering in tribulations, this true Confessor of the friends by letter and prayed for the Emperor and his persecutors. Faith, remains one of the great luminaries of Orthodoxy and a wholly Meanwhile, the bishops took cognizance of the fact that their trustworthy witness to the spirit of the Gospel. His life was one of cowardly opportunism had led them to submit their Church to the turmoils, contests and changes, which is undoubtedly instructive for dictates of Rome; and they persuaded the Emperor to declare invalid Christians of our own generation, who often seem to be of the opinion the decrees of the Council of 870 and to release Photius. The Saint that our life should properly just follow a path of ease and comfort. It was then received at court, and Basil appointed him as his children's does not. We need to be threshed and winnowed,as Saint Agatha said. tutor. Photius lost no time in making his peace with Ignatius. The two Saints, victims of the rivalry of contrary parties which had made use ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ of their names, embraced warmly, and Photius gave his entire support to the aged and infrm Patriarch, whom he visited daily. On the death of Saint Ignatius on 23rd October, A.D. 877, the Church unanimously placed Photius once again on the Patriarchal throne. Veneration of NEWS: the memory of Saint Ignatius was introduced not long after by With the Lockdown, there really has been no news in Photius himself, and the Church thus befttingly eulogizes them together in the Synodicon read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy. ACouncil the last month. Perhaps, after a little short of thirty-nine was convoked at Constantinople in 879-880 attended by 383 Fathers years here at Brookwood, we are beginning to approach under the presidency of Photius and in the presence of legates from something akin to monasticism!

22 the Pope. The Council confrmed the rehabilitation of Photius, annulled the Council of 870 and restored communion between the two Churches, anathematizing all innovation and especially the here- tical innovation of the Filoque to the Symbol of Faith. With the restoration of peace and unity in the Church, the greatest desire of the hierarch was fulflled. He immediately set about the task of peace- making,seeking reconciliation with his enemies and showingafatherly care devoid of bitterness for the former partisans of Ignatius. When Leo VI succeeded his father Basil I, he summarily deposed the holy Patriarch, holding him indirectly responsible for making known to his father a plot which Leo had hatched against him. Saint Photius was imprisoned in the Monastery of the Armenians and was confned there for fve years, lacking all human consolation but shining like gold tried in the furnace of manifold temptations (1Ptr.6-7). This was the period in which, without books of his own, he wrote the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit, asystematicrefutationoftheFilioqueheresy,in which he shows that the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Person of the Father, the “Source of the Divinity,” and is sent to us by the Son in order to make us “partakers of the Divine nature” (2 Ptr. 1:4). Leaving this treatise as his testament to the Holy Church in view of conficts to come, he departed to join the choir of Holy Fathers on 6th February,A.D.893. The miracles which soon took place in plenty at his tomb helped to convert even his inveterate enemies. Humble, serene and long-sufering in tribulations, this true Confessor of the Faith, remains one of the great luminaries of Orthodoxy and a wholly trustworthy witness to the spirit of the Gospel. His life was one of turmoils, contests and changes, which is undoubtedly instructive for Christians of our own generation, who often seem to be of the opinion that our life should properly just follow a path of ease and comfort. It does not. We need to be threshed and winnowed,as Saint Agatha said. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ NEWS: With the Lockdown, there really has been no news in the last month. Perhaps, after a little short of thirty-nine years here at Brookwood, we are beginning to approach something akin to monasticism!

23 PRACTICAL TIP THERE are numerous metaphors for the Church in the Scriptures, given us to help us understand what it is: a body, a household, a bride, a fock, a vine, a feld. They are all living, organic. Each one describes something which is a unity, but made up of various difering parts. It is something which Christians of our times seem readily to forget, and they tend, probably having been schooled in a Western, capitalistic ethos, to think of the Church as an institution. From this misunder- standing, many errors derive. First of all, we have the big one: the members of “World Orthodoxy” who describe their Churches as “canonical,” not because they are striving to adhere to the canons but because they are established in the worldly sense. But it also leads us astray on the personal level. People who are perhaps only nominally Orthodox see the Church, it seems, only as a kind of shop. How many calls our own small community alone gets, asking: “Do you do christenings / weddings / funer- als?” And this from people who have never contacted us before. Even people closer to the Church tend to forget that life within the Church involves us in commitment, in involvement with and working with others, with maintaining frank, honest, open and loving relationships with them, working together with them, supporting them, as members in a body or of a household, as a fock. If we step back from that understanding even in the slightest, we step back from the love of our Saviour, having stepped back from love of our neighbours. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ “THE TIME will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Holy Apostle Paul (2 Tim. 4:3-4)