July 4th Andrew, Bishop of Crete, Author of the Great Canon He spent the first seven years of his life in silence. From birth he had been a mute, and there seemed to be little hope that he would ever speak. Deeply concerned, his parents had taken him from one healer to the next, [...]
The Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: During the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. In a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home [...]
Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem July 2nd After thirty years of tumult and turmoil, the venerated old man was finally dying. The year was 458 A.D. The old man lay motionless on the sickbed that he knew would also be his deathbed. During the last few days of his life, he would have a chance to [...]
June 27th Joanna the holy Myrrh-Bearer As soon as she touched the body of the Holy Redeemer, she was cut with the sword of an overpowering grief. At the same time, however . . . amazingly . . . she also felt an immense wave of joy flowing deep within her heart! Her name was [...]
The Fast of the Apostles: On being sent into the world Adapted from an essay by Dr. Alexander Roman The Apostles’ Fast is one that was actually engaged in by the disciples of Christ following the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Having rejoiced throughout the fifty days following Pascha, the Resurrection of our [...]
A Cloud of Witnesses Saints and Martyrs From The Holy Land By Bishop Demetri M. Khoury INTRODUCTION According to the Church Fathers, a saint is simply a Christian who has received an immensely valuable gift from God—the gift of being able to strive toward the “spiritual perfection” of Jesus Christ. Although human beings are imperfect [...]
1- أيها الأحبّاء لقد منحنا الله المحبّ البشر اليوم عطايا تتخطّى كلَّ منطق بشريّ. لذلك لنفرح كلّنا معاً ولنرقص بفرح مسبّحين ربّنا. لأن اليوم هو عيدنا واحتفالنا. كما أن عصراً يخلف الآخر ودورة شمس تخلف أخرى هكذا وفي الكنيسة عيدٌ يخلف آخر فتتوالى الاحتفالات الكنسيّة الواحد تلو الآخر. قبل أيّام احتفلنا بالصليب بالآلام وبالقيامة. [...]
Word Magazine June 1977 Page 16 THE FAST OF THE DORMITION OF THE HOLY THEOTOKOS AUGUST 1st through 14th By Fr. Gabriel Barrow During the first fourteen days of August during each year, the Holy Orthodox Church enters into a strict fast period in honor of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary. The eminent [...]
Saint Seraphim of Sarov was born on the 19th of July, 1759. His birthplace was Kursk, Russia, a town famous for its miracle-working icon of the Mother of God. At birth he was named Prokhor, after the disciple of Saint John the Theologian. While still a small child, Prokhor’s father died and his mother, Agatha, [...]
Word Magazine June 1999 Page 38 WHO WE ARE TO BECOME WHO WE CAN BE By Archpriest Steven Rogers There are perhaps no two men more greatly revered yet so seemingly different than Saints Peter and Paul. Commemorated by the Orthodox Church on June 29, Saints Peter and Paul, “the heads of the Apostles” as [...]