FROM THE FATHERS

“IF HE WHO FILLS his desire with one of the things he pur- sues should then incline his desire to something else, he finds himself empty again in that regard. And if he should fill himself with this, he becomes empty and a vacant container once more for something else. And we never stop doing this until we depart from this material life.” , + 395 A.D.

“LET US LEAVE behind worldly things and raise ourselves towards the soul’s true good. How long shall we continue with trivial playthings? Will we never assume a manly spirit? We are more feeble than tiny children, and unlike them we make no progress towards greater things. When they grow up, their abandon their games … we, however, have remained children, enchanted by what deserves mockery and derision. Abandoning all effort to attain higher things and to develop an adult intelligence, we are seduced by worldly amusements.” Ven. Nilus the Ascetic, ca 430 A.D.

“HE WHO does not hold to his own will always has what he wills; for externally he does not get his own way, but whatever happens, no matter what it is, gives him quiet satisfaction and he discovers for himself that he has what he wills. For he does not want things to happen as he wishes; he wants things to have happened as they have happened.” Ven. Dorotheus of Gaza, sixth century

1 AHomily

By o ur Fat h er Among t h e S a i n t s , Gr e g ory V, Pat r i a rc h of C on s ta n t i nop l e W ho was Ma rty r ed by the T ur ksi n the year 1821

I,t her efor e,t hebonds m ani n t heLor d , beseechyou t hatyew alk w o r t hyo f t hecall i ngw her ewi t h yew er e call ed, w i t h all hum i l i t y andm eekness , w i t h l o ng-s u ff er i ng, bear i ngw i t h o neanot heri n l o v e endeavo u r i ngt op r eser v et heu ni t yo ft heS p i r i t i n t hebondo f p eace. Ther e i s o nebod y,ando neS p i r i t , evenasals o yew er e call edi n o nehop e o f you r call i ng; o neLor d , o neF ai t h,o neBapt i s m , o neG o d andF athero f all , Whoi s o v erall , andt hro u ghall , andi n you all ( E p h . 4:1-6) .

THEBLES S E D PAU L,b e ingf re e f rom all c o nce it , d idnot s e e kh o nou randg l o ryf romt h eC h rist iansw h oc amet ob e l ie ve inC h ristt h rou g hh im;rat h e rh ec o nsid e re dh imse l fas o ne oft he manyandt h e l e ast o f all . F o rt h isre aso n,h enowc all sh imse l f t h e irs e rvantande ntre at s t h e m,e ven asw e h e ard t od ay, not w it hau t h o rit yandb yc o mmands ,b u tw it he ntre at yh ew rit e st o t h eE p h e s iansf o rt h e irs alvat ionandnotf o rh iso w np rofit. S ince b e inga b o nds manf o r t h e s akeo f C h rist ’snameh ass u c h g re atd ig nit yandl o f t ine s s—inde e d ,e venmoreh o nou rt h anan e arth l yking d o m—f o rt h isre aso nd o e sh ec allh imse l fne it h e r t e ach e r,norap o s t l e ,nore vang e l ist ,b u tab o nds manf o rt h e s akeo fC h rist :“ I,t h eb o nds manint h eLord,b e s e e c hy o u .”F o r t h es o u lo ft h eb l e s s e dAp o s t l e ,inimit at iono ft h eLord, p re f e rre dt obet orme nte d ,t obef e t t e re dw it hchains,andt obe f o u ndinp riso nrat h e rt h ant od w e l linHe avenw it ht h e h e avenlyh o s t sne art h et h roneo ft h eM ast e r,Whof o rt h es ake ofou rloveconde sce nde dt osu ff e rd ishonou r,t obecrucified , andt oc alld e at h“ g l o ry”f o ro u rs ake,e venasHes ay sint h e Gosp e ls,“ Fat he r,g lorif yThouM e .”Heu se st hew ord“ g lory"t o

2 refer to the condemnation He endured when, in the midst of two thieves,Hewashungonacrossoutofloveforus. And verily, Paul is not to be held in awe so much for his being taken up into the third Heaven, for the revelations which he received, for his resurrecting the dead and his other miracles, as much as he is esteemed as blessed, and is reverenced by the angels, and is a scourge to the demons because of his being found fettered in the prisons. For even the Lord does not esteem as blessed those who raise the dead and heal the blind, but those who are persecuted by men, and are reproached, and against whom all manner of evil is spoken because of His Name. There- fore, desiring to exhort the Ephesians to humble-mindedness, the Apostle sets forth his bonds and brings to mind the calling and vocation of the Faith which is great and lofty, inasmuch as they who are called Christians have Christ as their Head, Who raised us up,and seated us together with Himself in the Heavens, and made us sons of God by grace, and heirs of the Heavenly Kingdom with eternal glory. First he entreats them to be humble-minded, for the evil one had sown discord and malice among the Ephesians, just as he had among the Corinthians because of the gifts the believers had received from God. He enjoins them to conduct themselves with all in a humble manner; we, young and old, rich and poor, men and women, although divided according to bodies, never- theless have all to become humble-minded, that is, that we should not only be humble in speech, but in manner and disposition of soul as well. He entreats them not to be humble in one respect, and boastful and audacious in another, but humble in all things, both to friends and enemies, to young and old. For then is there true humble-mindedness according to the commandment of the Lord, when they who accomplish some- thing or receive a gift from God are poor and humble in heart, and when they who are meek and long-suffering do not become angered at their brethren, but bear one another with love. For when we do not bear any of the faults of our neighbour, how will God forgive us who sin daily? Therefore, it is evident that love is acquired when we are zealous to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the bond of peace, just as the body of man which has various members is sustained and held together by one spirit, one soul, and thus the various members of the body constitute

3 one unit in a bond of peace. In like manner the one body of Christ by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, is one and binds us together in the unity of the spiritual body, just as the soul being one, holds the various members of the body together in concord and gives to each individual member due strength and pro- vision, without ever disquieting the members among them- selves. Wherefore, we are encouraged to this spiritual intimacy by this one calling and vocation of the Faith, by the one God and Father, who is Lord and reigns over all, Who provides for all, and Who dwells within all of us; by this we know, believe, and incontrovertibly confess that all Christians who are dispersed throughout all the regions of the earth, both they who are alive and they who have reposed in Christ, the righteous who pleased God before the incarnation of Christ, and they who in the future shall be born until the end of time, are all the one body of Christ, and Christ is the Head of all; for the Lord promises to all without exception eternal life and immortal glory,although here in this present life grace distributes to each one certain spiritual and bodily gifts according to the measure of the gift of Christ, just as the members of our bodies have varied functions. Without one member rebelling against and envying the other, they continue in their work assisting, helping, and showing compassion for one another, and thus they accomplish the will and resolve of the body and the one head. So in imitation of the body of man, the spiritual body of the must also labour and act without envy and discord in order to accomplish the one purpose of its Head, which is Christ. The Apostle was compelled to write these things to the Ephesians because the enemy had sown tares among them and many other believers, and also among the Corinthians, on account of the various gifts which they had received; that is, some he led into arrogance, some into envy, others into dis- sension, still others into grief and despondency. He wrote with more exactness concerning these things to the Corinthians, for there to a greater extent these aforesaid passions of envy, dis- cord, despondency, and haughtiness had become predominant. For this reason, in order that he might accommodate all, the divine Paul, according to his apostolic understanding, said there that the distribution of grace is given according to the faith of

4 each individual, but here according to the measure of the gift of Christ, so that he might not grieve those who were not deemed worthy of great gifts. So then, if we wish to acquire and partake of the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, which is given by Christ our Head, we must be united among ourselves as the members of the body are. For there are two ways in which we divide ourselves from the spirit- ual body of the Church: the first is when love towards one another grows cold, the second is when we treat one another in an unbecoming manner; because by these two ways we sever ourselves from the entire body of the Church. What is the proper recompense due to those wretches who have been appointed by God to correct and bring peace to others and who, instead of this, themselves divide and confuse them? Nothing is able to divide the Church as can the love of power: And nothing provokes God as does a Church that is divided. Even if certain individuals succeed in accomplishing ten thousand good things, yet if they are guilty of dividing the Christians — be they many or few — they shall not suffer lesser punishments than those who sever and cut off the members of the physical body. A certain holy man once said something fearful concerning those who scandalise and bring confusion into the Church of Christ. He said that not even martyrdom would blot out their sin. For how is it possible for one who spills his blood for the sake of God’s glory and sacrifices his life for the love of God’s Name, to be also responsible for bringing turmoil into the Church of Christ and among his Christian brethren, for whom Christ sacrificed His life? Let us hearken to what the Apostle Paul says concerning this fearful sin: “I am not worthy to be called an apostle, for I persecuted the Church of Christ.” The harm which is brought upon the Church of Christ by impious enemies and heretics is not as harmful and ruinous as the harm which is done by brethren of the same faith. For the injury caused by enemies is actually a cause of great splendour for the Church of Christ, but that which comes from those of the same faith is a cause of shame for the Church, which becomes like one persecuted and warred against by her own children. For when enemies behold those who have been spiritually born and nourished by the Church and who have communicated her ineffable Mysteries, undergoing a sudden change and conduct-

5 ing themselves inimically towards their own mother, of course they will conclude that there is great error in our Faith. When some have contrary teachings, and they believe and preach them, we must in no wise associate with them. But when we believe the same teachings, and yet we are severed from the fullness of the Church and we cut off others, we manifestly show the aim of accursed vanity and love of power. Because of this same wickedness of the love of power, the earth was rent asunder and swallowed up Korah, Dathan, and Abiron (Num. 16:31-33). For this very same reason, a most fearful punishment is prepared for those who scandalise and bring turmoil into the Church, even though by God’s unfathomable long-suffering they do not receive here the due punishment for their love of power. Such, indeed, are all those who teach heresy, who through love of power disturb the fullness of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Christ. Let us neither say not think that they also believe in one Lord, have one Baptism, and confess the one Faith. If their opinions are correct, then by necessity our own must be incorrect. But if our own doctrines are upheld and believed and given credence and confessed by all as being good, true, correct, and unadulterated, manifestly then, the so-called of all heretics are evil, bereft of divine grace, abominable, and loathsome, and the grace of ordination and the priesthood by which these sacraments are performed has vanished and departed from them. And when there is no priest- hood, all the rest are dead and bereft of spiritual grace. We say these things, beloved, lest anyone — either man or woman — be misled by the heterodox regarding their apparent sacraments and their so-called . Rather, let each one stand firmly in the blameless and true Faith of Christ, especially that we may draw to ourselves those who have been led astray and unite them as though they were our own members to the one Head, Christ, to Whom be glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Translated fromAn Explanation of the Apostolic Lections, Thessalonica, 1984 (in Greek). ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇

6 A Panegyric on the Occasion of the Commemoration of the Holy Martyrs Cyprian and Justina

FeastDay-2nd /15th October by His Eminence, Bishop [now Metropolitan] Photii of Triaditza, Bulgaria.

In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Holy Hierarchs, Reverend Fathers and Mothers, Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ: … YOU are all familiar with the Life of the holy Martyrs Cyprian and Justina, whose memory the Church celebrates today. We have all read and heard many times about the exploits of these Martyrs of Christ. But let us ask ourselves: Are their exploits comprehensible to us modern-day Christians? We, carried away by the common aspiration for a life of greater ease, comfort, and pleasure, set aside - whether openly or secretly, in the depths of our souls - such basic principles of Christian life as self-denial and patience in the face of temptations, difficulties, and human weaknesses and failings. Yes, we can imagine the tortures undergone by the Martyrs and conclude that they were incredible and excruciating. But here we stop; we are unable to go beyond this. The significance of these tortures is beyond our comprehension, because we do not know from experience even a portion of the faith, hope, and love of the Martyrs. The Holy Martyrs’ faith in Christ the God-Man, and in the eternal life that He has granted us, vanquishes trepidation before tortures and fear before bodily death.

7 The faith of St. Justina crushed the power of the demons and put Cyprian the magician to shame, and she was adorned with the crown of martyrdom. The faith of Saint Cyprian brought forth two fragrant fruits - those of repentance and martyrdom. As for our own faith.... Our own faith frequently does not suffice for us to make even the first steps in Christian life, to set out towards Christ, and to begin to live together with Him in spirit and in truth. The seed of our faith is choked among the weeds - which, alas, we often take for wheat, though these weeds smother the tender seeds of our faith. The holy Martyrs’ hope rises above all human wishes for health, long life, and worldly prosperity. Indeed, it is not easy to bury all of one’s earthly hopes so as to remain rich in one, sole, Heavenly hope, which does not die in the grave and is not obliterated by decay. Yet a Christian is called to just this. But as for us....We,like everyone else today,chase after many desires and hopes - with the sole difference that we also have the hope that God will fulfil above all else these desires of ours, which evaporate in time and dissolve in space, until not a trace remains of them.... How unattainable for us is the love of the holy Martyrs! Innumerable are the afflictions of the Martyrs of Christ, but their love for Christ is incomparably greater than all of these tribulations. In the face of such love, torments are diminished and pain is dampened. How can we understand such love, when the earthly love that we know inevitably brings with it torments greater than the love itself? How can we understand such love, when self-love firmly binds our hearts, does not accept the Grace-filled waves of love of Christ, and imperiously dictates the measure to which it allows us to be “Christians”? But are we really able to compare ourselves with the holy Martyrs? Of course not. We can, however, and must follow their goal. Their aspiration is greater than the breadth of the world. Their aspiration is devotion unto death to our Saviour, by means of faith, hope, and love. Is this not also the purpose of every Christian?“Be ye faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of Life,”says the word of

8 the Living God (Rev. 2:10). If we contrast this aspiration to our everyday desires and goals - a tranquil, comfortable, prosperous life here on earth, a life in accordance with our own perceptions - then how will our Christian conscience fare? Yes, our goal, our homeland, our house is not here, in the ephemeral, cold embrace of this world, in the bonds of time and place. By means of the forests and the deserts, the precipices and the abysses of this age, the Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ, leads His faithful back to Himself, towards His King- dom, of which there is no end. *** Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Let us pray to the holy Martyrs Cyprian and Justina on this their feast day that they might protect this holy dedicated to them [Fili]; that they might intercede for the unity of our Sister Churches in Greece, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, and Bulgaria; that they, with the All-Immaculate , might beseech the Triune God to vouchsafe us to pass the remainder of our lives in repentance, piety, and chastity; and, at the end of our earthly lives, that He might welcome us into the Heavenly Tabernacles, wherein we shall glorify and hymn Him unto the ages of ages. Holy wondrous Martyrs of Christ Cyprian and Justina, pray for us! Amen! Delivered during the on the Patronal Feast of the Monastery of Cyprian and Justina, Fili, Attica, 2nd October, 2011 (old style). ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇

“A PLACE does not save you. There is no place where you can flee from yourself.” Ven. Nikon of Optina, + 1931 A.D.

“WHEREVER we may decide to withdraw or to resettle, we will drag along our inner chaos, for just as everywhere is an earthly paradise for humble souls, for the proud everywhere will be torture and hard labour, worse than death.” Ven. Antony of Optina, + 1865 A.D.

9 Howtoliveinaccord with the Gospel

A translation of a Booklet published by the Synodal Press in Russia in 1905, somewhat adapted to meet the needs of our times.

The Important Thing in the Life of a Christian - Love.

IF ONE traces the ministry of Christ from the beginning to the end, then one cannot but see that everything was filled with love. Therefore for the Christian the most important rule of life must be love. The distinguishing mark of the Gospel, and it is compiled in this way, is that it gives us modest rules and injunctions on how we should live, but alongside all these it gives one fundamental basis for life - love. The Christian himself must needs choose how he should behave in one situation or another, striving to do so, that it will be in accord with the spirit of Christian love. And we shall not be mistaken if we say that the person who desires to live according to the Gospel must carefully observe the law of love in his life, just as the Divine Proclaimer of Christianity did, Who was incarnate and the Bestower of holy love. A new commandment I give unto you, said Christ the Saviour, 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(Jn 13:34-35). Only that person follows the Gospel, who recognises the pre-eminent significance of love, who recognises the sensibility

10 of love, and not only recognises these things, but also hungers and thirsts after love. Christian love must be manifest in three ways, in our relationships with God, with our neighbour and with ourselves. With regard to our relationship with God, the Christian is required to surrender himself as fully as possible to the will of God, and to abide by all that was enjoined upon us by Him through Jesus Christ. Like a person who constantly bears in mind Christianity’s purpose and essence, which is dearer to him than everything on earth, not for a moment letting go of this thought,so should we be if we actually love God. We have to give Him our entire being, to constantly represent Him to ourselves as the merciful Father, Who regards us with love, and we must therefore be fearful of grieving Him in any way by our sins. Therefore for the Christian even sinful thoughts are forbidden. “Take a look at the law codes of all peoples,” says the re- nowned English writer Farrar [maybe Frederic William Farrar -transl. ] “Starting from the very beginning of the world, the law of Gautama (Buddha), Zoroaster, Confucius, Mani, Solon, Lycur- gus, the Twelve Tablets of the Law (the most ancient of the written laws of Rome) - in not one of these codes will you find a law that forbids sinful thought… “How does this come about? Because human laws only forbid that which is within their understanding. People cannot know the thoughts of the heart. But God knows all things. Our innermost thoughts are laid bare before Him.” And do not think this evil thought or that one means nothing at all. Every transgression of the commandments has its origin in a sinful thought. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,the Lord said (Matt.15:19). Initially only evil thoughts are engendered, and through this you are deceived by the devil’s lies, thinking “what harm can possibly come from sinful thoughts?” You do not realise that all the most dreadful sins begin thus: murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false-witness, deception, pride, lewdness. For this reason it is profitable for a man’s soul, that he, with God’s aid, cast out all evil thoughts from within himself. … to be continued with “Our Relationship with our Neighbour.”

11 The Protection of the Theotokos

This month we celebrate the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God (1st / 14th), but very often we keep the feasts merely as a form of outward acknowledgement. The short piece below was sent to us by the sisters of theConvent of the Holy Angels, Afidnai, in Greece. It shows that the celebration of the feast can be something that we experience and rejoice in ourselves, and not just something we give a nod to. THE Elder Theophilaktos had love and devotion for our Panagia (the All-holy One) as her true child. He showed special devotion to the of the Panagia, “It is Truly Meet.” At thekalyveof the Holy Unmercenaries on there is a Chapel dedicated to these saints. Ontheleftsideofthe hangs the holy icon of the Theotokos “It is Truly Meet,” which many times heard his prayers and also his complaints. His Elder, Father Joakim, taught him to turn to the icon during times of sorrows and difficulties. Afflictions and sorrows are not absent from the hard monastic life. When in bodily pain and inconsolable, he would ap- proach the icon with tears and beseech our Panagia. Then he would hear a sweet voice saying to him: “I will not abandon you, do not be afraid!” The simple and Grace-filled Elder was greatly consoled when he would pray in front of this icon, and his bodily and spiritual pain would disappear. Later, this icon was taken to the main church for the protection of all the fathers of the skete. Another time, one of the fathers saw the Elder very joyful and asked him: “Elder, why are you so joyful?” “Don’t you see how beautiful our Panagia is?” He answered, pointing at the icon of the Theotokos. Who knows what he experienced while gazing at the Divnely-graced face of the Panagia!

12 All the Athonite fathers greatly honour and revere our Panagia,and the Panagia in turn abundantly gives her blessings. The Lady Theotokos has not broken the promise she made to Saint Peter the Athonite to protect the Athonite ; she always protects, consoles, and shelters her children. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ O LADY, we revere thy hallowed Protection, which is like a beaming sun, and in joy we cry to thee: Rejoice, O godly palace of God Most High; Rejoice, O living cloud, which guideth God’s New Israel to divine rest, which, O all-hymned Bride of God, is the Kingdom of Heaven with all the Saints.

A hymn from the service for the festival of the Protection. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ THE COMING MONTH OCTOBER opens with the beautiful festival of the Protection of the All-holy Mother of God (1st / 14th), as noted above. This feast celebrates an event in the life of Saint Andrew the Fool-for-Christ-sake and his disciple Epiphanius. They were once praying in the Church of the Mother of God of Blachernae in Constantinople, and were granted a vision. They saw the Theotokos, standing over the assembly of the faithful, praying to her Son and God, and holding her veil or shawl over them. Thus the Panagia is seen as our protection from afflic- tions, dangers, sicknesses and needs. She is the protection we seek in response to our difficulties, our relationships, even our very survival. It is important to remember this because, perhaps through an idea which sometimes creeps in from the post- schism West, she is erroneously seen also as a protection against her Son - a blasphemous thought, as if she were more

13 merciful and loving than He is! Counteracting this thought, the hymns of the festival repeatedly emphasise the radiance and brightness of her protection. Usually a shelter or protection puts us in the dark, hers does not but rather sheds light from the Light, her Son, upon us. In the Old Testament, a cloud led the children of Israel as they made their way to the Promised Land through the wilderness (Exod. 13:21), and a cloud covered their congregation (Exod. 40:34). In the journey of us, the children of the New Israel, through the wilderness of this life, the Mother of God similarly leads us and protects us. These Old Testament manifestations thus prefigured the ministry of the Mother of God, revealed in this festival. Even further back, the first act of our Saviour, when He saw the nakedness of our first parents after their fall, was one of the greatest love - He covered their nakedness (Gen.3:21),replacing the covering of the excuses that they had cobbled together themselves (Gen.3:7). Similarly, our loving Mother, the All-holy Theotokos, covers the nakedness of our spiritual poverty. We have no further need of excuses, only of repentance and prayer. While standing over the people, pro- tecting them, the Mother of God was also praying for them,this too is a blessing revealed by the vision of St Andrew: she is also constantly praying for us. Thus celebrating this joyful festival and recalling the many blessings we have received through the intercessions of the Mother of God, we pray to Her: O Theotokos, we shall not cease from speaking of thy mighty acts, all we the unworthy ones; for if thou hadst not stood to intercede for us, who would have delivered us from such numerous dangers? Who would have preserved us all until now in true freedom? O Lady, we shall not turn away from thee; for thou dost always save thy servants from all manner of grief. On the day after the Protection (2nd/ 15th), we celebrate the day of Saint Andrew the Fool-for-Christ’s-sake, whose vision related above is the foundation of that feast. He also is commemorated on 28th May / 10th June. Saint Andrew came from Scythia and lived during the reign of Leo VI the Wise (886- 912). In his childhood he was sold as a slave to a general in the East who was pious and virtuous, who loved him and raised him as his own child. He even sent him to school to study sacred letters. He studied the lives of the saints, and especially loved the martyrs and wanted to imitate their zeal and love for Christ.

14 Thus he grew up in piety. Whatever he had he would distribute to the poor, which often left him hungry. But God comforted him, and made him worthy of lofty spiritual visions and great gifts. Directed by a revelation from above, he took up the struggle of being a fool-for-Christ. The saint customarily prayed in deserted places or, at times when people were busy and would not pay attention to him, in the holy churches. Once at dawn, he went to pray and the church gates were closed. He made the sign of the Cross over them, and they immediately opened. A young man, who happened to be passing by and saw this, said: "This is a servant of God whom we idiots call crazy. And how many other such servants of God are there that no one knows about!" Saint Andrew called for him to approach and admonished him not to reveal to anyone what he had seen until he, the Saint, had died, otherwise he would face a great temp- tation. Another young and virtuous man, Epiphanius, came to know Saint Andrew. Because he had inner purity, he realized that he was a Saint and not someone insane or possessed, as others thought. Epiphanius became the Saint’s trusted disciple and was granted to receive lofty spiritual teaching from him. Whenever he was troubled he would flee to Saint Andrew, who protected him from temptations and errors. In one of their meetings Epiphanius bent to kiss his hand when Saint Andrew suddenly knelt before him and said: "Bless me, Master!" This proved to be a foretelling that Epiphanius would become Patriarch of Constantinople, which indeed occurred forty years later. Then the Saint advised him how to shepherd his reason- endowed flock, which was by trusting in Christ through the Church. Once as Andrew was wandering the streets he met a whom people considered pious and virtuous. The Saint, however, with his spiritual gift, understood that this monk was avaricious, because he saw the demon of avarice wrapped around his neck, and his guardian angel sadly standing afar off. To become rich the monk had shamefully sinned by receiving payments from those whose confessions he heard. Being granted by God to perceive this, Saint Andrew spoke to him and tried to lead him to repentance and salvation. A most radiant angel of God appeared to the monk, for his heart was changed for the good. Immediately, he went about distributing his hoarded gold to the poor and needy. From then on, he pleased God in every- thing and was more greatly glorified than before. Once, Saint

15 Andrew was sitting with his disciple Epiphanius and a demon drew near to Epiphanius and began to distract his thoughts, but he did not dare to approach Andrew. The Saint cried out: "Depart, impure adversary!" The devil drew back and replied maliciously, "You are my adversary, such as no other in all of Constantinople!" Andrew did not drive him away immediately, but permitted him to speak. And the devil began: "I feel that the time is coming when my work will be finished. At that time, men will be worse than I, as children will be even more wicked than adults. Then I will rest and will not teach men anything any- more, since they themselves will carry out my will in all things." Andrew asked him: "In what sins do your kind rejoice the most?" The devil replied: "The service of idols, slander, malice against one's neighbour, the sodomite sin, drunkenness and avarice - in these we rejoice the most." After the evil spirit had said this and much more, St. Andrew breathed on him and he disappeared. Walking one day along the streets of Constan- tinople, the Saint saw a splendid funeral. A rich man had died, and his cortege was magnificent. But when he looked more closely,Andrew saw a host of little black figures capering merrily around the corpse, one leering like a prostitute, another barking like a dog, a third grunting like a pig, a fourth pouring some- thing filthy over the body. And they were mocking the mourners and saying: "You're singing over a cur!" Andrew wondered what this man had done. Turning round, he saw a handsome youth standing weeping behind a wall. "For the sake of the God of heaven and earth,tell me the reason for your tears,"hesaid. The young man then told him that he had been the dead man's guardian angel, but that the man had, by his sins, greatly offended God, casting his angel's counsel from him and giving himself over utterly to the black demons. And the angel said that this man was a great and unrepentant sinner: a liar, a hater of men, a miser, a shedder of blood and a dissolute man who had turned three hundred souls to immorality. In vain was he honoured by the Emperor and respected by the people. In vain this great funeral. Death had caught him unrepentant, and the harvest had come without warning. Again, Saint Paul was not alone in being caught up into Paradise to hear "unspeakable words" (2 Cor. 12:4). This also happened to Andrew the Fool. One winter night, he was lying among the dogs on a dunghill, to warm his frozen body. An angel appeared to him and caught

16 him up to Paradise, as he himself said whether in the body or out of the body he himself was unable to explain. He spent a fortnight in the heavenly world, and was taken up to the third heaven. "I saw myself clad in shining garments like lightning, with a wreath of flowers on my head and girt with a kingly girdle, and I rejoiced greatly at this beauty, and marvelled in mind and heart at the unspeakable loveliness of God's Paradise, and I walked around it with great gladness." There are many other such incidents and revelations recorded in the full life of the saint. Andrew, the fool-for-Christ, went to his rest at the age of sixty-six in the year 936, having, in his ‘foolishness’ and lest even his death should seem honourable, gone to a portico near the Hippodrome which was the haunt of the city prostitutes. There he lay down and gave up his soul. A poor woman living nearby was drawn to the spot by a fragrance like that of incense and found him. She went to tell others but, when they returned with her, his body had disappeared. His life was recorded by the presbyter of the church of the Holy Wisdom, who had been a spiritual father to Saint Andrew and his disciple Epiphanius. Among the other Saints celebrated this month we have:- TheNew Virgin-Martyr Zlata (13th / 26th) was from the village of Slatena of the district of Meglen which lies near the borderof Bulgaria. Sheissometimesknownbythe Greek version of her name,Chryse, but both this and Zlata mean Golden. She was of a poor family, one of four daughters. Yet she was rich in virtue, her fervent faith in God and by her virginity and prudence. There was a certain Turk there who, seeing her natural beauty, was overcome by lust for her and sought an appropriate time to accomplish the evil purpose which he had conceived. One day the Saint came out with other women to gather wood. When the Turk learned of this, he took some others with him, seized her and carried her off by force to his house. At first he began to flatter the Saint with many promises, attempting thus to convert her to his false religion. He told her that if she became Muslim, he would take her as his wife. Atthe same time he began to threaten her also, saying that if she were not convinced by his words he would submit her to great tortures. But when she who was truly golden, both in mind and in name, heard these things so unexpectedly she did not fear at all but in her heart she called upon the name of our Lord Jesus

17 Christ to come to her aid, and with great nobility and boldness she answered: "I believe and worship my Christ and Him alone do I have as my Bridegroom Whom I shall never deny, even though you inflict ten thousand tortures upon me, even though you cut my body into small pieces." Understanding that they alone would not be able to convince her, they resorted to other means. Knowing that women are more adept than men in deceiving others, especially other women, they gave the Saint over to their women and commanded them to use every means to convince her. For nearly six months the women incited the blessed one to accept their religion but in vain did they labour, for the blessed one was firmly established upon the immovable rock of the Faith of Christ. Afterwards they called the Martyr's own parents and sisters and with great threats commanded them to instruct their daughter to become Muslim, or else she would be put to death and they would be tortured and would suffer great loss. When her family members came (for fear constrained them to do this, though unwillingly), they said all those things which usually soften even the hardest and most adamant souls, and they even suggested that she deny Christ just for the sake of appearances, telling her that Christ is compassionate and will forgive you this sin because of the necessity and violence. Zlata, who was manly and mighty in soul, was not at all moved by their entreaties and tears. Rather, like one above flesh and blood, and beyond the laws and limits of nature, she told them: "You, who incite me to deny Christ, the true God, are no longer my parents and sisters, nor do I wish to have you as such henceforth. But in your stead, I have my Lord Jesus Christ as father, my Lady the Theotokos as mother, and the Saints as my brothers and sisters." And with this answer she turned them away. When the Muslims saw that they could achieve nothing, nor turn the Saint from the Faith of Christ, they began torturing the Martyr. At first, for three whole months, they beat her daily with clubs. Later they skinned her and took many strips from her flesh and left them hanging in front of her, so that she might be stricken with fear at the sight of them. The blood ran like a river from the virginal body of the Martyr, and the earth was reddened. Afterwards they heated a skewer and passed it directly through the ears of the Martyr, so that smoke came forth from her nose and mouth. While suffering such numerous and such grievous tortures, which

18 would humble even the most stouthearted of men, the Martyr of Christ endured with great nobility, being strengthened by the power of the Cross and by her heartfelt love for Christ. When the Saint heard that there was nearby the priest Timothy, the of the sacred Monastery of Stavronikita on Mount Athos, a man modest and trustworthy whom she had as her spiritual father, who also narrated her martyrdom, she sent word to him by a certain Christian that he make supplication unto God, that she might be accounted worthy to finish the course of her martyrdom in a manner pleasing to God. Meanwhile, not being satisfied with the numerous torments which they had inflicted upon the Saint, but rather marvelling how she remained yet alive and did not die, her cruel and hard-hearted torturers could not endure the fact that they all had been conquered by a maiden, and they became enraged and hung the lamb of Christ upon a wild peartree,and all ran at herwith theirknives and cut the sacred body of the virgin to pieces. This took place on 13th October, 1795. Thus was the good Zlata tested and made radiant, truly like gold in a furnace. She surrendered her holy soul into the hands of her immortal Bridegroom, and received a double crown as virgin and as athlete. As for her sacred relics, certain Christians took them secretly and buried them with reverence. Our Holy Father John of Suzdal (15th / 28th) entered a monastery in Suzdal while a youth. For his virtue, he was later, in 1350, consecrated the first Bishop of Suzdal and Nizhegorod by the Patriarch of Constantinople. At the time of his first Divine Liturgy, a great light shone around him. He was known for his love towards the destitute and the sick. He built poor houses and a . A skilled teacher, he taught the people in language they could understand, leading souls to repentance. Often by the grace of God it was enough just for the sick to touch him in order to receive healing. Once, during the Divine Liturgy, Prince Boris saw a majestic-looking man clad in resplendent serving with the Bishop and asked him who he was. "If God has shown you this," Bishop John replied, "how dare I conceal it? He is an Angel of the Lord who, unworthy as I am, always serves with me. But so long as I am alive, tell no one of it!" Indeed the Saint disliked any reference to his virtues and said that the greatest virtue is that which remains hidden. At one time, he was the victim of the slanders of certain envious

19 clergymen and was condemned to exile. As he was leaving the city, he prayed, "Lord, do not set this to their account as a sin!" God struck His calumniators with blindness and they fell at the Saint's feet and asked him to forgive them. He restored their sight and the people later built a church to commemorate the miracle. After the annexation of Suzdal by the Moscow Diocese, Saint John took the monastic schema and withdrew to the Bogoliubov Monastery. He lived there in seclusion and died in peace on 15th October, 1373. Numerous miracles took place at his grave. His sacred relics rest in the Cathedral of Suzdal where they continue to work miracles. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ POINTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE THE REPLY BELOW was sent to a correspondent several years ago but the same question cropped up in conversation recently, so it seems worthwhile reproducing it here again:- I REMEMBER the Zeitoun apparitions* happening. Actually as there was in fact no message it is hard to tell whether these were genuine manifestations of the Mother of God or something else. The actual figure always seemed just a cloudy shape, and as the lady with the bright red finger-nails explained in her piece on the You-Tube clip you sent me about it, the apparition left people confused - "You did not know what to do," she said. The Fathers tell us that true manifestations bring us peace, not excitement and confusion, so I would be wary of accepting them too readily. That miracles happened there is also not much of a guide. Miracles happened at the old pagan shrines, and do so today in all sorts of spiritual environments. The devil works them to deceive. The spectacle of the events rather worries me and the "Roman Catholic" sentimentality, doves, lights, etc. The Mother of God appeared several times to Saint Seraphim of Sarov for instance, but quietly and surrounded by saints not by sentimental symbols. But then, perhaps we do not need to know whether these particular apparitions are from Heaven or from the infernal regions. We have the feasts and the celebrations of the Mother of God on which the Church has set the seal of authenticity by her celebration of them, we have the , the hymns, etc, - we have riches enough. * Repeated apparitions purportedly of the Mother of God in Egypt which began on 2nd April,1968.

20 NEWS from the Richmond Diocese of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece

SAINT EDWARD’S AUTUMN FEAST THIS YEAR, the anniversary of the enshrinement of the sacred relics of Saint Edward the Martyr at Brookwood in 1984 fell on Monday 3rd / 16th September. With Bishop Ambrose’s blessing, we celebrated a day early, with the Vigil Service on the Saturday evening and the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy on Sunday. At the former,Archimandrite Daniel served, andBishop Ambrose, Fr Borislav Popov, Fr Nicolae Capitanu, and Hieromonk Sabbas, joined him and concelebrated at the liti at the end of Vespers and for the polyeleos at Matins. Bishop Sofronie and Fr Alexis remained in the altar. At the Divine Liturgy, all seven concelebrated together, and so many of the faithful attended that we were thankful that the weather was fine, as some had to stand outside. Bishop Ambrose preached on the witness of Saint Edward and on the Gospel appointed for that Sunday, the Parable of the Vineyard. The service was conducted in English, Romanian and Greek, with a little Slavonic. At the end of the Liturgy, the sacred relics’ casket was opened for the faithful to venerate them, and so many people came that this in itself took about an hour. One, perhaps over- enthusiastic, participant remarked that doubtless since the Reformation never had so many people venerated Saint Edward’s relics on one day! After the Divine services, we had our usual buffet-style Parish Breakfast in the Old Mortuary, then Fr Nicolae returned to the church to celebrate a wedding. A number of pilgrims from theRussian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition, Ennismore Gardens, London, had attended the celebration and after the wedding they asked to be allowed to say prayers and chant hymns to the saint in Slavonic before his shrine, which they did. In the afternoon, Bishop Ambrose who had stayed with us over Saturday night returned to London, as did Bishop Sofronie, but the next morning Bishop Ambrose paid us another short visit. He then had to return to Greece for a meeting of the Holy Synod of our Church.

21 BAPTISMS AT BROOKWOOD SINCE the publication of our last issue, there have been four Baptisms at Saint Edward’s Church, all celebrated byFr Nicolae Capitanu:- MINA, the infant son ofGheorghita and Adriana- Laura Calbau of Aylesbury, was baptised on Saturday, 28th July / 10th August. His godfather is Valentin Calbau and his name saint, the Great Martyr Menas of Egypt. NECTARIE, sonofGheorghita and Ana Manolache of Harrow,was baptised on Saturday, 18th / 31st August. His god- parents arePetru and Gabriela Grigoras, and he is named after Saint Nectarius of Pentapolis the Wonder-worker. MARIA MAGDALENA, daughter ofFlorin Padurariu and Magdalena Crubotariu of Colindale, was baptised on the same day. Her godfather is Petru Cotoc, and she is named after the holyPeer of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. REBECCA, the infant daughter of Constantin and Irina Stan of Warrington, was baptised on the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, 8th / 21st September. Her god- parents areConstantin and Elena Cristescu,and her name saint is the Righteous Rebecca,the mother of the Old Testament Patriarch Jacob.

NEW ICON AND VESTMENTS WHEN Bishop Ambrose arrived from Greece he brought for us a newly hand-painted icon of the holyGreat Martyr Evphemia the All-famed. The icon had been painted by the monastic sisters of the Sacred Convent of the Holy Angels at Afidnai in Greece and was donated in return for some bookbinding that we had done for them. His Grace also brought a set of priestly vestments for Fr Sabbas. These were also sewn by the sisters at Afidnai and had been donated as an ordination gift by two of our parishioners,Elena Matthews and Aquilina Steel. With these the good Bishop brought a monastic cap, labelled for “one of the brethren,” a gift from the Convent.

22 WEDDING AT SAINT EDWARD’S LEST the church be left unduly long without a service, on the afternoon of Saint Edward’s day,Fr Nicolae Capitanu celebrated the wedding of Andrei Atudosiei and Maria Vladimirovna Subbotnitskaya of Leytonstone in Saint Edward’s Church. May our Saviour help them to keep the commandments in peace and concord, and may they be deemed worthy of His heavenly Kingdom. And may Saint Edward ever intercede for them.

VISITORS AT THE CONVENT Thurday 7th September: His Eminence, Metropolitan Silouan of the British Isles and Ireland ( of Antioch) visited the Convent of the Annunciation in Willes- den, accompanied byArchpriest Samir Gholam of the Saint George’s Cathedral, Regents Park, London. Fr Samir has for many years been a friend of both the Convent and our own community at Brookwood. Later in the day a group of pilgrims from Romania also visited the Convent, because of its foundation by Saint John Maximovitch.

VISITORS AT SAINT EDWARD’S Wednesday, 28th August: Paul and Pauline Cooper of Warrnambool, Australia and their son attended the Divine Liturgy on the Great Feast of the Dormition. TheWednesday Walkers, a group of about a dozen people, led by Anne Lamb of Woking, visited our church on the same day. Although they did not actually meet, by an odd coincidence Anne Lamb, seeing the Coopers’ names in the visitors’book,told us that she was also a native of Warrnambool! Tuesday, 3rd September: Hieromonk Nektarios, the superior of the Skete of Saint John, Hiram, Ohio (ROCA- MP), accompanied by theReader Isaac,visited to pray at the Shrine of Saint Edward.

23 Tuesday, 17th September: Margaret Hobbs of the Brookwood Cemetery Society brought a group of fifteen volunteers fromSurrey Landscapes Portfolioto see the church where for half-an-hour they asked many questions. Later they kindly wrote to Margaret saying that our church had “an unexpected interior and a warm welcome. I’d say it was a highlight of the visit, but then it was all so interesting.” Thursday, 19th September: Margaret brought a second group to see the church, this time about twenty-six members of theGuildford Institute, led byJohn Chapman, and they spent about three-quarters of an hour asking about the church and our Faith. On the same dayFr Gerard Mee of St Mary’s Church (Anglican), Thorpe, andFr Simon Hall of Saint Dunstan’s Church (Roman Catholic), Woking, came together to visit the church. ❇❇❇❇❇❇❇ PRACTICAL TIP IF YOU live far from a church and are perhaps isolated from an Orthodox parish, make sure that you make provision for spiritual care and for your end. This is particularly important if you are elderly, though young people die. And this is also parti- cularly important if you are in any way housebound, infirm or disabled, or if those around you and those who care for you are not Orthodox Christians. Make sure that they know that you are an Orthodox Christian; that they know that they should contact your priest when you are ill, and that if necessary he should come and attend to your spiritual needs. Also leave instructions regarding your funeral. Make sure it is known that that you do not wish your bodily organs to be donated, that you should not be embalmed or cremated, and that the funeral should be an Orthodox Christian one. Also if you are likely to have a pro- longed or painful illness it is a good idea to make a “living will,” so that the doctors and nursing staff know how you wish to be treated. We live in a society fast losing the last remnants of any Christian understanding and so we have to be more attentive.

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