DOCSLIB.ORG

The Archangel

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Archangel St. Seraphim of Sarov: . the devil strives to lead a man into despair. Just as the Lord is solicitous about our salvation, so too the murderer of men, the devil, strives to lead a man into despair. A lofty and sound soul does not despair over misfortunes, of whatever sort they may be. Our life is as it were a house of temptations and trials; but we will not renounce the Lord for as long as He allows the tempter to remain with us and THE ARCHANGEL for as long as we must wait to be revived through patience and secure passion- less! Judas the betrayer was fainthearted and unskilled in battle, and so the enemy, St. Michael Orthodox Church seeing his despair, attacked him and forced him to hang himself, but Peter, a firm rock, when he fell into great sin, like one skilled in battle did not despair nor lose St. Clair, Pennsylvania heart, but shed bitter tears from a burning heart, and the enemy, seeing these tears, his eyes scorched as by fire, fled far form him wailing in pain. And so brothers, St. Antioch teaches, when despair attacks us let us not yield to it, but being strengthened and protected by the light of faith, with great courage let us say to the evil spirit: “What are you to us, estranged from God, a fugitive from heaven and evil servant? You dare do nothing to us. Christ, the Son of God, has authority both over us and over everything. It is against Him that we have sinned, and before Him that we will be justified. And you, destroyer, leave us. Strengthen by His venerable Cross, we trample under foot your serpent’s head” (St. Antioch, Discourse 27). Diocesan Website: http://www.acrod.org Camp Nazareth: http://www.campnazareth.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acroddiocese Twitter: https://twitter.com/acrodnews You Tube: https://youtube.com/acroddiocese July 30, 2017 + Please Remember St. Michael Orthodox Church in your Will + Rev. Fr. Jeff L. Zias: 570-429-0670 Joseph T. Yarashus: 570-691-4143 Great Martyr Marina (Parish Council President) Epistle: 1 Corinthian 1:10--18 The Gospel of St. Matthew 14:14--22 Website: www.stmichaelorthodox.org The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the U.S.A ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE OF CONSTANTINOPLE 4 Liturgical Schedule July 30, SUNDAY Great Martyr Marina 9:00 a.m. Confessions 9:30 a.m. Hours of Prayer 10:00 a.m. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom August 01, Tuesday +Wally Vacula (40th Day) 9:00 a.m. Memorial Liturgy, offered by Anna Vacula August 02, Wednesday Prophet Elias ~ St. Michael’s Calendar of Events ~ 9:00 a.m. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom Aug. 14: Dormition Fast Begins! How will you keep the Fast? August 05, Saturday 6:00 p.m. Vespers (Tone-8) Aug. 17: Parish Council Meeting, 7:00 p.m. August 06, SUNDAY Great Martyr Christina Aug. 19: Holyday Liturgy: Transfiguration of the Lord, 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Confessions Aug. 28: Holyday Liturgy: Dormition of the Mother of God, 9:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Hours of Prayer 10:00 a.m. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom THE CHURCH, through the ordering of the church building and her di- August 08, Tuesday +Elsie Stencovage vine service, acts upon the whole man, educates him wholly: acts upon 9:00 a.m. Memorial Liturgy, offered by Mr. & Mrs. Kyle Stencovage his sight, hearing, smelling, feeling, taste, imagining, mind and will, by August 10, Thursday +Proto Deacon Gregory Hatrak (40th Day) the splendor of the images, and of the building in general, by the fra- 9:00 a.m. Memorial Liturgy, offered by Fr. Jeff & Family grance of the incense, by the veneration of the gospels, cross and imag- August 12, Saturday - es, by the singing, and by the reading of the scriptures. 6:00 p.m. Vespers (Tone-1) August 13, SUNDAY Righteous Eudocimus MAY CHRISTIANS attach themselves wholly, with all their hearts, to 9:00 a.m. Confessions the Church of Christ, that in her they may be firmly established unto the 9:30 a.m. Hours of Prayer end of their days on earth. May they all be zealous to fulfill her com- 10:00 a.m. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom mandments and ordinances, and in her may they obtain eternal salva- tion through Christ Jesus our Lord. —St. John of Kronstadt + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 2 3 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Compassion for Animals in the Orthodox Church
    International Journal of Orthodox Theology 10:2 (2019) 9 urn:nbn:de:0276-2019-2025 His Eminence Kallistos Ware, Metropolitan of Diokleia Compassion for Animals in the Orthodox Church Abstract In this article, His Eminence Metro- politan Kallistos Ware deals with the question about the place of animals in the liturgical and theological world of the Orthodox Church. “The art of the icon is par excellence a liturgical art.” Therefore, if we can find icons with animals and plants or stars and all nature, we might understand this as an eschatological view of the uni- verse. “We humans are not saved from the world but with the world; and that means, with the animals.” Another meaningful question of this article is: “Do animals have souls?” “Even if animals are not ensouled, yet they are undoubtedly sentient. They are responsive and vulnerable. (…) As His Eminence Kallistos living beings, sensitive and easily Ware, Metropolitan of hurt, they are to be viewed as a Diokleia 10 His Eminence Kalistos Ware, Metropolitan of Diokleia 'Thou', not an 'It', (…) not as objects to be exploited and manip- ulated but as subjects, capable of joy and sorrow, of happiness and affliction. They are to be approached with gentleness and tenderness; and, more than that, with respect and reverence, for they are precious in God's sight.” Keywords Compassion, animals, Orthodox Church, worship, soul What is a merciful heart? It is a heart on fire for the whole of creation, for humankind, for the birds, for the animals, for the demons, for all that exists. St Isaac the Syrian (7th century) 1 A place for animals in our worship? As I sit writing at my table, I have before me a Russian icon of the martyrs St Florus and St Laurus.
    [Show full text]
  • Orthodox Books
    Orthodox Books Orthodoxy:Introductions and Overviews Ancient Faith Topical Series Booklets Cclick here^ The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology - Cambridge Companions to Religion, Mary Cunningham & Elizabeth Theokritoff Eastern Orthodox Christianity: A Western Perspective, Daniel B. Clendenin Encountering the Mystery: Understanding Orthodox Christianity Today, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Introducing Eastern Orthodox Theology, Fr Andrew Louth Introducing the Orthodox Church-Its Faith and Life, Fr. Anthony Coniaris The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to its History, Doctrine, and Spiritual Culture, Fr John McGuckin The Orthodox Faith Series, Fr Thomas Hopko The Orthodox Way, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware Doctrine After Death, Vassilios Bakoyiannis The Deification of Man, Georgios Mantzaridis The Mystery of Christ, Fr. John Behr The Mystery of Death, Nikolaos Vassiliadis The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, Fr Vladimir Lossky The Nicene Faith, vols 1 and 11, Fr. John Behr Church History The Christian Tradition 2: The Spirit ofEastern Christendom 600-1700,Jaroslav Pelikan The Great Church in Captivity: A Study of the Patriarchate of Constantinople from the Eve of the Turkish Conquest to the Greek War ofIndependence, Steven Runciman History of the Byzantine State, George Ostrogorsky The Lives of Orthodox Saints, Ormylia Monastery The Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware Liturgy and Sacraments The Divine Liturgy: A Commentary in the Light of the Fathers, Hieromonk Gregorios and Elizabeth Theokritoff The Eucharist:
    [Show full text]
  • Prophet Amos Right-Believing Prince Lazar, Great Martyr
    SAINT LUKE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH Lazar, having been visited by an angel of ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA - ARCHDIOCESE OF WASHINGTON God on the night before the battle, was 6801 GEORGETOWN PIKE, MC LEAN, VIRGINIA 22101 offered a choice between an earthly or a www.oca.org www.wdcoca.org www.stlukemclean.org Heavenly kingdom. This choice would ARCHPRIEST JOHN VITKO – 925-667-6451 (c), 703-893-1759 (Church office) result in a victory or defeat, respectively, at the coming Battle of Kosovo (1389). Lazar JUNE 28, 2020 opted for the Heavenly kingdom, which PROPHET AMOS will last forever and ever. “Perishable is the earthly kingdom, but forever and ever is the RIGHT-BELIEVING PRINCE LAZAR, Kingdom of Heaven!" GREAT MARTYR OF SERBIA As a result, he perished on the battlefield. "We die with Christ, to live forever," he THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST told his soldiers. Soon after death Lazar was Epistle Reading Gospel Reading glorified. Romans 5:1-10 Matthew 6:22-33 CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! Memory Eternal † HE IS AND EVER SHALL BE! We pray for the blessed repose of the soul of the newly-departed Gregory, cousin of Reader David Lumovich and Alexia Kolias; David’s mother Daisy Lumovich, Troparion for Prophet Amos and Joyce Warner on the anniversaries of their falling asleep. Vecnaja Pamjat † Celebrating the memory of Your Prophet Amos, O Lord, for his sake, we entreat You, save our souls. SS Peter & Paul Fast and Feast The Apostles Fast continues until the Feast of SS Peter & Paul on Sunday, July 12. Troparion for Right-believing Prince Lazar the Great Martyr of Serbia Longing for the beauty of God’s glory, you were found pleasing to Him while yet Orthodoxy 201 – Wednesday, July 1 – 7PM in the flesh and by good deeds multiplied the talents entrusted to you.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin JULY AUGUST 2021
    Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church WE WELCOME ALL OUR VISITORS AND GUESTS to our church services. You are invited to pray with us at Liturgy and every service. Please note that Holy Communion may only be received by 45 Ideal Street, Buffalo NY 14206 prepared Orthodox Christians. Our non-Orthodox guests are welcomed to receive blessed bread at Mailing Address: 44 Benzinger Street, Buffalo NY 14206 the conclusion of the Liturgy. Rectory Phone: 716.248.1306 A Parish of the Orthodox Church in America If anyone has any questions on the Liturgy or the Orthodox faith, please feel free to talk with Father John after services or give him a call. Rev. Fr. John P. Hutnyan, Parish Priest CELL PHONE: 716.681.0302 GENERAL SERVICE SCHEDULE EMAIL: [email protected] Saturday: 6:00pm Vespers Sunday: 9:30am 3rd & 6th Hours / 10:00am Divine Liturgy 1st Sunday of month: 9:25am General Confession Service Widom of t Faters _________________________ CHURCH WEBSITE: www.peterandpauloca.org CHURCH FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/SaintsPeterAndPaulBuffalo The icon…fills a constant task, which has been It is more important to teach by a life of doing that of Christian art from the beginning: to good than to preach in eloquent terms. reveal the true relationships between God and —St. Isidore of Pelusium PARISH PRIEST: Rev. Fr. John P. Hutnyan man…To the disoriented world the icon brings a CELL: 716.681.0302 EMAIL: [email protected] testimony of authenticity, of the reality of By the cross we know the gravity of sin and the another way of life…The icon can teach us greatness of God’s love toward us.
    [Show full text]
  • JULY 2021 for His Name Alone Is Exalted! Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church Rev
    Let them praise the Name of the LORD! JULY 2021 For His Name alone is exalted! Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church Rev. Father John Beal Sunday Services 8:50 AM Matins – 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy 43404 30th St. W, Lancaster, California 93536 Website: www.stsch.org – Church Phone: 661-945-1212 For confirmation on any event, please phone or text Sylva Robinson at 661-794-8307 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 nd 2 Sunday of Matthew Matthew 4:18-23 Independence Day 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 3rd Sunday of Matthew Matthew 6:22-33 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Holy Fathers th of the 4 Feed the Ecumenical Hungry Council Matt 5:14-19 8:30-10:30AM Parish Council 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 5th Sunday of Matthew Matt 8:28-9:1 CHURCH CALENDAR FOR JULY 20211 Normal fasting rules this month: see footnote for fasting guide Thu 1 Saints Kosmas and Damianos of Rome, the Unmercenary Healers. Deposition of the Precious Robe of our Most Holy Theotokos at Vlacherne CP. Sat 3 Martyrs Hyacinthos, St. Anatolios, Patriarch of Constantinople Sun 4 St. Andrew the Hymnographer, Bishop of Crete. Royal Martyrs of Russia (Tsar Nicolas II and his family 1918). Martyr Kyprilla. St. Martha, mother of St. Symeon Mon 5 St. Athanasios, Founder of Great Lavra Monastery on Holy Mt. Athos. St. Lampados the Wonder-worker. New-martyrs Grand-duchess Elizabeth and Barbara (nun and friend) Tue 6 Sisoes the Great.
    [Show full text]
  • Mass of St. Oliver Plunkett 4: Thoughts for a Homily 5
    Resource Contents 1: Printable Sketch of St. Oliver 2: Prayers and Hymn to St. Oliver 3: Mass of St. Oliver Plunkett 4: Thoughts for a Homily 5: Quotations from St. Oliver’s Letters 6: St. Oliver Timeline Prayer to St. Oliver Glorious Martyr, St. Oliver, who willingly gave your life for your faith, help us also to be strong in faith. May we be loyal like you to the see of Peter. By your intercession and example may all hatred and bitterness be banished from the hearts of Irish men and women. May the peace of Christ reign in our hearts, as it did in your heart, even at the moment of your death. Pray for us and for Ireland. Amen. The above prayer has been promoted widely in recent years and many people recite it daily for the intention of Peace and Reconciliation in Ireland. Armagh Diocesan Prayer to St. Oliver Oliver, Saint and Hero, You followed the way of Jesus and stood up for what you believed in. We honour your memory. Guide the Church of Armagh As we engage with the challenges of our time. Direct our energies in ways that nurture faith in Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Walk with us on the pilgrim path, Which involves renewal and change. Help us to trust in Jesus as leader and teacher. May we value all that is sacred And embrace courageously ways of peace And reconciliation. Amen St. Oliver Plunkett pray for us. Hymn to St. Oliver: Shorter version: verses 1, 2 & 6. 1 Come glorious martyr, rise Into the golden skies, Beyond the sun! Wide, wide the portals fling And martyr hosts, O sing To greet his entering “Well hast thou done”.
    [Show full text]
  • Marquette History of Theology
    MARQUETTE HISTORY OF THEOLOGY VOLUME II: LATE MEDIEVAL TO 1800 Edited by Patrick Carey In Collaboration With Michel René Barnes Alexander Golitzin Mickey Mattox Marcus Wriedt David Schultenover Wanda Zemler-Cizewski 1 CONTENTS SECTION I: LATE MEDIEVAL THEOLOGY, 1350-1500 Jean Gerson ............................................................ 1 On Mystical Theology .............................................. 2 Jean Gerson: Selections from A Deo exivit, Contra curiositatem studentium and De mystica theologia speculativa, ed. and trans. Steven E. Ozment, Textus Minores, vol. 38 (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1969), 47–73, 85–89. Gabriel Biel ........................................................... 13 The Circumcision of the Lord ....................................... 14 Heiko Augustinus Oberman, Forerunners of the Reformation: The Shape of Late Medieval Thought (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966), 165–74. Desiderius Erasmus ..................................................... 22 The Praise of Folly ................................................ 23 Karl F. Thompson, ed., Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation, 3rd ed., Classics of Western Thought, vol. 2 (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1980), 286–302. Excerpts from Desiderius Erasmus, The Praise of Folly, trans. by Hoyt Hopewell Hudson (copyright 1941 © 1969 by Princeton University Press; Princeton Paperback, 1970), 16–125. SECTION II: BYZANTINE CHURCH, 1350-1800 Nicholas Cabasilas ...................................................... 36 The Life in Christ ................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy Spirit and Ethics: a Response to Philip S. Keane
    • CTSA PROCEEDINGS 51 (1996): 114-19 • THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ETHICS: A RESPONSE TO PHILIP S. KEANE Philip Keane's thoughtful and suggestive paper discusses how pneumatology can address issues in moral theology and vice versa. He begins from the perspec- tive of a rationalistic, philosophical Catholic moral theology and shows how it can be broadened and deepened through a fuller awareness of the Holy Spirit. His reflections reveal paths of thought leading in various directions, all of which invite further fruitful reflection. He discusses the mystery of transcendence in God and at the core of the human person and the presence and activity of the Trinity as a community of persons. He identifies the Holy Spirit as the source of deeper ethical understanding in the following areas: interpretation of the Bible and historical experience; moral insight through artistic creativity and imagina- tion; repentance, asceticism, self-discipline, virtue and character; and prayer, liturgy, spiritual discernment and knowledge of God. I have been asked to make a response based on the theology and spirituality of the Orthodox Church. My impression is that many of Keane's insights resonate remarkably well with major themes in Eastern Christian teaching and practice. Let me suggest briefly how within the Orthodox tradition the Holy Spirit gathers into one the divergent pathways whose starting points Keane has so clearly signposted. THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SAINTS St. Silouan the Athonite, a spiritual teacher of our own century, focuses on the indwelling and activity of the Holy Spirit as central to authentic spiritual life. Very significantly, his criterion for discerning the presence of the Spirit in a person's life and prayer is precisely an ethical one.
    [Show full text]
  • Life and Teaching of Saint Seraphim of Sarov’ by N
    THE SERIES ‘CHRISTIAN ASCETICS EN SAINTS OF RUSSIA’ ‘Life and Teaching of Saint Seraphim of Sarov’ by N. Puretzki and the Monastery of Sarov Saint Seraphim is one of the most venerated saints of Russia, and has greatly influenced the spiritual life, not only of the entire Russian clergy, but also of the thousands of laymen who were drawn to Christian mysticism. Staretz Seraphim has formulated in his teaching in simple words the purpose and the ways of Christian ascetic life, in order to make them understandable to all those seeking God. The cover image is a photo of his miracle-working icon in the Russian Orthodox Church in the name of Saint Mary of Magdala in The Hague. This icon was presented to the church by the last Russian Tzar, Nicolas II, a martyr and a saint; the reason being that the church was originally the domestic chapel of Queen Anna Paulowna, who was a member of the Royal Romanov House, and the wife of King Willem II of the Netherlands. This icon has another particular characteristic: it is not a strictly formal representation of a saint, but one of the two portraits of Saint Seraphim. This book is published with the blessing of Monsignor Simon, Archbishop of Brussels and Belgium and temporarily of The Hague and the Netherlands Publisher: Gozalov Books, The Hague Editors: ‘English Writers’, Wassenaar, the Netherlands and the Convent Portaïtssa at Trazegnies, Belgium ISBN: 978-90-812765-2-8 Size: 203 x 127 mm Cover: Paperback, full colour Extent: 76 Illustrations: 4 pen drawings Price: £ 7.00 For Trade Distribution: Gazelle Book Services Ltd., White Cross Mills, Hightown, Lancaster LA1 4XS Tel: 01524 68765 Fax: 01524 63232 email: sales@ gazellebooks.co.uk.
    [Show full text]
  • DECEMBER 27, 2020 Very Rev
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte DECEMBER 27, 2020 Very Rev. Christopher A. Roux HOLY FAMILY Rector & Pastor SUNDAY CYCLE: B — WEEKDAY CYCLE: I — PSALTER: WEEK I WEEKEND MASSES Saturday Vigil: 5:30 pm Sunday: 7:30 am, 9 am, 11 am and 12:30 pm DAILY MASSES Monday - Friday: 12:10 pm Saturday: 8 am HOLY DAY SCHEDULE 7:30 am, 12:10 pm, 7 pm CONFESSION Thirty minutes before daily Masses Saturday: 7:30 am and 4 - 5 pm Sunday: 10 - 11 am ADORATION Wednesday: 8 am - 6 pm Sunday: 10 - 11 am PARISH OFFICE HOURS Mon., Wed., Fri.: 9 am to 5 pm Mission Statement We the members of The Cathedral of St. Patrick, through the mercy of God the Father, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, seek to grow continually in knowledge of and love for God. We strive to enable ongoing conversion to Christ of our adults, to inspire faith in our children, and to be witnesses of His love in the greater community. Address: 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte, NC 28203 Phone: (704) 334-2283 E-Mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.stpatricks.org THIS WEEK AT THE CATHEDRAL DATE MASSES & INTENTIONS EVENTS 8:00 am † Roger Lee Leonard 7:30 AM—Confession Saturday Requested by Jenny Orso 8:00 AM—Mass December 26th 5:30 pm † Maria Naccarella 4:00—5:00 PM—Confession 5:30 PM—Mass Requested by the Rodriguez Family 7:30 am † Salvatore DiSapio Requested by Michelle Parides 7:30 AM—Mass Sunday 9:00 am Pro Populo 9:00 AM—Mass December 27th 10:00—11:00 AM—Adoration 11:00 am † Mickey Willyard 10:00—11:00 AM—Confession Requested by the Mooney Family 11:00 AM—Mass Holy Family 12:30 pm † John M.
    [Show full text]
  • Concelebration with Agafangel
    ■ Yet more historic pages in the chronicle of the Orthodox Resistance Greek and Russian Anti-Ecumenists Embrace in Concelebration An historic visit lory to God for all things! The Holy Synod in Resistance had the especial blessing of welcoming His Eminence, Bishop Agafangel ofG Odessa and Tauris to its Headquarters, that is, to the Holy Monastery of Sts. Cyprian and Justina, in Phyle, Attica, offering him hospitality thereat from November 15 to November 20, 2007 (Old Style). ■ Our momentous and multilevel interaction with His Eminence, Bishop Agafangel took on the nature of a truly historic visit, in view of the fact that this blessed Hierarch already heads that large segment of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA) which not only has not accepted the false union, this past May, between the ROCA and the Moscow Patriarchate, but which is fully conscious that it constitutes the continuation of the original Rus- sian Orthodox Church Abroad, since it continues to preserve the latter’s Historical Heritage. * * * On Wednesday, November 15, around 7:00 p.m., our Holy Synod welcomed His Eminence, Bishop Agafangel with gladness and rejoicing to its Synodal Headquarters. At the conclusion of the Doxology service in the Monastery’s new Cathedral, His Grace, Bishop Cyprian of Oreoi, Acting President of the Holy Synod, addressed His Eminence, conveying to him welcoming wishes from our ailing and much-revered First Hierarch, Metropolitan Cyprian, and also from the oth- er members of our Hierarchy. “In your person,” said His Grace, the Act- ing President, “we behold Holy Russia, from the times of St.
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy Great Martyr Barbara Commemorated on December 4
    The Holy Great Martyr Barbara Commemorated on December 4 The Holy Great Martyr Barbara lived during the reign of Emperor Maximian (305-311). Her father, the pagan Dioscorus, was a rich and illustrious man in the Syrian city of Heliopolis. After the death of his wife, he devoted himself to his only daughter. Realizing Barbara’s extraordinary beauty, Dioscorus hid her from the eyes of strangers. He built a tower where only her pagan teachers were allowed to see her. From the tower, there was a view of hills stretching into the distance. By day she was able to gaze upon the wooded hills, the swiftly flowing rivers, and the meadows covered with a blanket of flowers; by night the harmonious and majestic heavens twinkled and provided a spectacle of inexpressible beauty. Soon she began to ask herself questions about the Creator of so splendid a world. Gradually, she became convinced that the soulless idols were merely the work of human hands. Although her father and teachers offered them worship, she realized that the idols could not have made the surrounding world. The desire to know the True God so consumed her soul that Barbara decided to devote all her life to this goal, and to spend her life in virginity. The fame of Barbara’s beauty spread throughout the city, and many sought her hand in marriage. Despite the entreaties of her father, she refused all of them. Barbara warned her father that his persistence might separate them forever. Dioscorus decided that his daughter’s temperament had been affected by her life of seclusion.
    [Show full text]