felt a warmth and a flame enter his heart from the icon. It did not burn

him, but he felt a certain sweetness and contrition within. From that

time, his heart began to repeat the Jesus Prayer of itself. In this way,

the Virgin Theotokos fulfilled his request. St. Maximus fulfilled his

obedience in the Lavra of St. Athanasius on Mt. Athos. In order to

conceal his ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, and to avoid

celebrity, he behaved like a fool. One day, he had a vision of the

Mother of God, who told him to ascend the mountain. On the summit

of the Holy Mountain, he prayed for three days and nights. Again, the

Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him surrounded by angels, and

holding Her divine Son in Her arms. Prostrating himself, the saint

heard the All-Holy Virgin speak to him, "Receive the gift against

demons... and settle at the foot of Athos, for this is the will of My

Son." She told him that he would ascend the heights of virtue, and

become a teacher and guide for many. Then, since he had not eaten

for several days, a heavenly bread was given to him. As soon as he

put it in his mouth, he was surrounded by divine light, and he saw the

Mother of God ascending into Heaven. St. Maximus told his vision to a

certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel.

He was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. He

pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious

ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. St. Maximus did

not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like

a lunatic. Whenever he moved, he would burn his hut down. Therefore,

he was called "Kavsokalyvites," or "Hut Burner." Those on the Holy

Mountain, knowing of the extreme deprivations and sorrows of St.

Maximus, for a long time regarded him with contempt, even though he

had attained the height and perfection of spiritual life. When St.

Gregory of Sinai (August 8) arrived on Athos, he encountered the holy

fool. After speaking to him, he began to call him an earthly angel. St.

Gregory persuaded St. Maximus to stop behaving like a fool and to

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live in one place so that others might benefit from his spiritual

experience. Heeding the words of St. Gregory and the advice of other

Elders, St. Maximus selected a permanent dwelling in a cave near the

renowned Elder Isaiah. Knowing of his gift of clairvoyance, the

Byzantine Emperors John Paleologos (1341-1376) and John

Kantakouzenos (1341-1355) visited him and were surprised by the

fulfillment of his predictions. Theophanes, the igumen of Vatopedi

monastery, wrote about St. Maximus: "I invoke God as my witness,

that I myself saw several of his miracles. Once, for instance, I saw

him travel through the air from one place to another. I listened as he

made a prediction concerning me, that first I would be an igumen, and

then Metropolitan of Ochrid. He even revealed to me how I would

suffer for the Church." St. Maximus abandoned his solitude only just

before his death, and settled near the Lavra of St. Athanasius, where

he surrendered his soul to the Lord at 95 years of age (+ 1354). After

his death, as in life, St. Maximus was glorified by many miracles.

TODAY IS JANUARY 14

Saint Nino, Equal of the Apostles and

Enlightener of Georgia

FEAST DAY

The virgin Nino of Cappadocia was a relative of Great-martyr George

and the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple.

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Her father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, and her

mother, Sosana, was the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem.

When Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their

possessions and moved to Jerusalem. Soon after, Nino’s father was

tonsured a monk. He bid farewell to his family and went to labor in the

wilderness of the Jordan. After Sosana had been separated from her

husband, Patriarch Juvenal ordained her a deaconess. She left Nino in

the care of an old woman, Sara Niaphor, who raised her in the

Christian Faith and related to her the stories of Christ’s life and His

suffering on earth. It was from Sara that Nino learned how Christ’s

Robe had arrived in Georgia, a country of pagans. Soon Nino began to

pray fervently to the Theotokos, asking for her blessing to travel to

Georgia and be made worthy to venerate the Sacred Robe that she

had woven for her beloved Son. The Most Holy Virgin heard her

prayers and appeared to Nino in a dream, saying, “Go to the country

that was assigned to me by lot and preach the Gospel of our Lord

Jesus Christ. He will send down His grace upon you, and I will be your

protector.” But the blessed Nino was overwhelmed at the thought of

such a great responsibility and answered, “How can I, a fragile

woman, perform such a momentous task, and how can I believe that

this vision is real?” In response, the Most Holy Theotokos presented

her with a cross of grapevines and proclaimed, “Receive this cross as

a shield against visible and invisible enemies!” When she awoke,

Nino was holding the cross in her hands. She dampened it with tears

of rejoicing and tied it securely with strands of her own hair.

(According to another source, the Theotokos bound the grapevine

cross with strands of her own hair.) Nino related the vision to her

uncle, Patriarch Juvenal, and revealed to him her desire to preach the

Gospel in Georgia. Juvenal led her in front of the Royal Doors, laid his

hands on her, and prayed, “O Lord, God of Eternity, I beseech Thee on

behalf of my orphaned niece. Grant that, according to Thy will, she

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may go to preach and proclaim Thy Holy Resurrection. O Christ God,

be Thou to her a guide, a refuge, and a spiritual father. And as Thou

didst enlighten the Apostles and all those who feared Thy name, do

Thou also enlighten her with the wisdom to proclaim Thy glad

tidings.” When Nino arrived in Rome, she met and baptized the

princess Rhipsimia and her nurse, Gaiana. At that time the Roman

emperor was Diocletian, a ruler infamous for persecuting Christians.

Diocletian fell in love with Rhipsimia and resolved to marry her, but

Sts. Nino, Rhipsimia, Gaiana, and fifty other virgins escaped to

Armenia. The furious Diocletian ordered his soldiers to follow them

and sent a messenger to Tiridates, the Armenian king, to put him on

guard. King Tiridates located the women and, following Diocletian’s

example, was charmed by Rhipsimia’s beauty and resolved to marry

her. But St. Rhipsimia would not consent to marry, and in his rage the

king had her tortured to death with Gaiana and the fifty other virgins.

St. Nino, however, was being prepared for a different, greater task,

and she succeeded in escaping King Tiridates’ persecutions by hiding

among some rose bushes. When she finally arrived in Georgia, St.

Nino was greeted by a group of Mtskhetan shepherds near Lake

Paravani, and she received a blessing from God to preach to the

pagans of this region. With the help of her acquaintances, St. Nino

soon reached the city of Urbnisi. She remained there a month, then

traveled to Mtskheta with a group of Georgians who were making a

pilgrimage to venerate the pagan idol Armazi. There she watched with

great sadness as the Georgian people trembled before the idols. She

was exceedingly sorrowful and prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, send

down Thy mercy upon this nation …that all nations may glorify Thee

alone, the One True God, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ.” Suddenly a

violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky, shattering the

pagan statues. The terrified worshipers fled, scattering across the

city. St. Nino made her home beneath a bramble bush in the garden of

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the king, with the family of the royal gardener. The gardener and his

wife were childless, but through St. Nino’s prayers, God granted them

a child. The couple rejoiced, declared Christ to be the True God, and

became disciples of St. Nino. Wherever St. Nino went, those who

heard her preach converted to the Christian Faith in great numbers.

St. Nino even healed the terminally ill Queen Nana after she declared

Christ to be the True God. King Mirian, a pagan, was not at all pleased

with the great impression St. Nino’s preaching had made on the

Georgian nation. One day while he was out hunting, he resolved to kill

all those who followed Christ. According to his scheme, even his wife,

Queen Nana, would face death for failing to renounce the Christian

Faith. But in the midst of the hunt, it suddenly became very dark. All

alone, King Mirian became afraid and prayed in vain for the help of the

pagan gods. When his prayers went unanswered, he finally lost hope

and, miraculously, turned to Christ: “God of Nino, illumine this night

for me and guide my footsteps, and I will declare Thy Holy Name. I

will erect a cross and venerate it, and I will construct for Thee a

temple. I vow to be obedient to Nino and to the Faith of the Roman

people!” Suddenly the night was transfigured, the sun shone radiantly,

and King Mirian gave great thanks to the Creator. When he returned to

the city, he immediately informed St. Nino of his decision. As a result

of the unceasing labors of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, Georgia was

established as a nation solidly rooted in the Christian Faith. St. Nino

reposed in the village of Bodbe in eastern Georgia and, according to

her will, she was buried in the place where she took her last breath.

King Mirian later erected a church in honor of St. George over her

grave.

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TODAY IS JANUARY 15

Saint John the Hut-Dweller

FEAST DAY

Saint John the Hut-Dweller was the son of rich and illustrious parents,

and was born in Constantinople the early fifth century. He received a

fine education, and he mastered rhetoric and philosophy by the age of

twelve. He also loved to read spiritual books. Perceiving the vanity of

worldly life, he chose the path that was narrow and extremely

difficult. Filled with longing to enter a monastery, he confided his

intention to a passing monk. John made him promise to come back for

him when he returned from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and take him

to his monastery. He asked his parents for a Gospel so that he might

study the words of Christ. John's parents hired a calligrapher to copy

the text, and had the volume bound in a golden cover studded with

gems. John read the Gospel constantly, delighting in the Savior's

words. The monk kept his promise to come back for John, and they

went secretly to Bithynia. At the monastery of the "Unsleeping"

(Akoimitoi), he received monastic tonsure. The young monk began his

ascetical labors with zeal, astonishing the brethren with his

unceasing prayer, humble obedience, strict abstinence, and

perseverance at work. After six years, he began to undergo

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temptations. He remembered his parents, how much they loved him,

and what sorrow he caused them. He regretted leaving them, and was

filled with a burning desire to see them again. St. John explained his

situation to the igumen St. Marcellus and he asked to be released

from the monastery. He begged the igumen for his blessing and

prayers to return home. He bid farewell to the brethren, hoping that by

their prayers and with the help of God, he would both see his parents

and overcome the snares of the devil. The igumen then blessed him

for his journey. St. John returned to Constantinople, not to resume his

former life of luxury, but dressed as a beggar, and unknown to

anyone. He settled in a corner by the gates of his parents' home. His

father noticed the "pauper," and began to send him food from his

table, for the sake of Christ. John lived in a small hut for three years,

oppressed and insulted by the servants, enduring cold and frost,

unceasingly conversing with the Lord and the holy angels. Before his

death, the Lord appeared to the monk in a vision, revealing that the

end of his sorrows was approaching, and that in three days he would

be taken into the Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, he asked the steward

to give his mother a message to come to him, for he had something to

say to her. At first, she did not wish to go, but she was curious to

know what this beggar had to say to her. Then he sent her another

message, saying that he would die in three days. John thanked her for

the charity he had received, and told her that God would reward her

for it. He then made her promise to bury him beneath his hut, dressed

in his rags. Only then did the saint give her his Gospel, which he

always carried with him, saying, "May this console you in this life, and

guide you to the next life." She showed the Gospel to her husband,

saying that it was similar to the one they had given their son. He

realized that it was, in fact, the very Gospel they had commissioned

for John. They went back to the gates, intending to ask the pauper

where he got the Gospel, and if he knew anything about their son.

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Unable to restrain himself any longer, he admitted that he was their

child. With tears of joy they embraced him, weeping because he had

endured privation for so long at the very gates of his parental home.

The saint died in the mid-fifth century, when he was not quite twenty-

five years old. On the place of his burial the parents built a church,

and beside it a hostel for strangers. When they died, they were buried

in the church they had built. In the twelfth century the head of the

saint was taken by Crusaders to Besançon (in France), and other

relics of the saint were taken to Rome.

TODAY IS JANUARY 16

Veneration of Apostle Peter's Precious Chains

FEAST DAY

Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great and king of the Jews,

grew wroth against the Church of Christ, and slew James, the brother

of John the Evangelist. Seeing that this pleased the Jews, he took

Peter also into custody and locked him up in prison, intending to keep

him there until after the feast of the Passover, so that he could win

the favor of the people by presenting him to them as a victim. But the

Apostle was saved when he was miraculously set free by an Angel

(Acts 12:1-19). The chains wherewith the Apostle was bound received

from his most sacred body the grace of sanctification and healing,

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which is bestowed upon the faithful who draw nigh with faith. That

such sacred treasures work wonders and many healings is witnessed

by the divine Scripture, where it speaks concerning Paul, saying that

the Christians in Ephesus had such reverence for him, that his

handkerchiefs and aprons, taken up with much reverence, healed the

sick of their maladies: "So that from his body were brought unto the

sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them,

and the evil spirits went out of them" (Acts 19:12). But not only the

Apostles' clothing (which certainly touched the bodies of the sick),

but even their shadow alone performed healings. On beholding this,

people put their sick on stretchers and beds and brought them out

into the streets that, when Peter passed by, his shadow "might

overshadow some of them"(Acts 5:15). From this the Orthodox

Catholic Church has learned to show reverence and piety not only to

the relics of their bodies, but also in the clothing of God's Saints.

TODAY IS JANUARY 17

Saint Anthony the Great

FEAST DAY

Saint Anthony the Great is known as the Father of monasticism, and

the long ascetical sermon in The Life of St. Anthony by St. Athanasius

(Sections 16-34), could be called the first monastic Rule. He was born

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in Egypt in the village of Coma, near the desert of the Thebaid, in the

year 251. His parents were pious Christians of illustrious lineage.

Anthony was a serious child and was respectful and obedient to his

parents. He loved to attend church services, and he listened to the

Holy Scripture so attentively, that he remembered what he heard all

his life. When St. Anthony was about twenty years old, he lost his

parents, but he was responsible for the care of his younger sister.

Going to church about six months later, the youth reflected on how

the faithful, in the Acts of the Apostles (4:35), sold their possessions

and gave the proceeds to the Apostles for the needy. Then he entered

the church and heard the Gospel passage where Christ speaks to the

rich young man: "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess

and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and

come follow Me" (Mt.19:21). Anthony felt that these words applied to

him. Therefore, he sold the property that he received after the death

of his parents, then distributed the money to the poor, and left his

sister in the care of pious virgins in a convent. Leaving his parental

home, St. Anthony began his ascetical life in a hut not far from his

village. By working with his hands, he was able to earn his livelihood

and also alms for the poor. Sometimes, the holy youth also visited

other ascetics living in the area, and from each he sought direction

and benefit. He turned to one particular ascetic for guidance in the

spiritual life. In this period of his life St. Anthony endured terrible

temptations from the devil. The Enemy of the race of man troubled the

young ascetic with thoughts of his former life, doubts about his

chosen path, concern for his sister, and he tempted Anthony with

lewd thoughts and carnal feelings. But the saint extinguished that fire

by meditating on Christ and by thinking of eternal punishment,

thereby overcoming the devil. Realizing that the devil would

undoubtedly attack him in another manner, St. Anthony prayed and

intensified his efforts. Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him

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the path of salvation. And he was granted a vision. The ascetic beheld

a man, who by turns alternately finished a prayer, and then began to

work. This was an angel, which the Lord had sent to instruct His

chosen one. St. Anthony tried to accustom himself to a stricter way of

life. He partook of food only after sunset, he spent all night praying

until dawn. Soon he slept only every third day. But the devil would not

cease his tricks, and trying to scare the monk, he appeared under the

guise of monstrous phantoms. The saint however protected himself

with the Life-Creating Cross. Finally the Enemy appeared to him in the

guise of a frightful looking black child, and hypocritically declaring

himself beaten, he thought he could tempt the saint into vanity and

pride. The saint, however, vanquished the Enemy with prayer. For

even greater solitude, St. Anthony moved farther away from the

village, into a graveyard. He asked a friend to bring him a little bread

on designated days, then shut himself in a tomb. Then the devils

pounced upon the saint intending to kill him, and inflicted terrible

wounds upon him. By the providence of the Lord, Anthony's friend

arrived the next day to bring him his food. Seeing him lying on the

ground as if dead, he took him back to the village. They thought the

saint was dead and prepared for his burial. At midnight, St. Anthony

regained consciousness and told his friend to carry him back to the

tombs. St. Anthony's staunchness was greater than the wiles of the

Enemy. Taking the form of ferocious beasts, the devils tried to force

the saint to leave that place, but he defeated them by trusting in the

Lord. Looking up, the saint saw the roof opening, as it were, and a ray

of light coming down toward him. The demons disappeared and he

cried out, "Where have You been, O Merciful Jesus? Why didn't You

appear from the very beginning to end my pain?" The Lord replied, "I

was here, Anthony, but wanted to see your struggle. Now, since you

have not yielded, I shall always help you and make your name known

throughout all the world." After this vision St. Anthony was healed of

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his wounds and felt stronger than before. He was then thirty-five

years of age. Having gained spiritual experience in his struggle with

the devil, St. Anthony considered going into the Thebaid desert to

serve the Lord. He asked the Elder (to whom he had turned for

guidance at the beginning of his monastic journey) to go into the

desert with him. The Elder, while blessing him in the then as yet

unheard of exploit of being a hermit, decided not to accompany him

because of his age. St. Anthony went into the desert alone. The devil

tried to hinder him, by placing a large silver disc in his path, then

gold, but the saint ignored it and passed by. He found an abandoned

fort on the other side of the river and settled there, barricading the

entrance with stones. His faithful friend brought him bread twice a

year, and there was water inside the fort. St. Anthony spent twenty

years in complete isolation and constant struggle with the demons,

and he finally achieved perfect calm. The saint's friends removed the

stones from the entrance, and they went to St. Anthony and besought

him to take them under his guidance. Soon St. Anthony's cell was

surrounded by several monasteries, and the saint acted as a father

and guide to their inhabitants, giving spiritual instruction to all who

came into the desert seeking salvation. He increased the zeal of

those who were already monks, and inspired others with a love for the

ascetical life. He told them to strive to please the Lord, and not to

become faint-hearted in their labors. He also urged them not to fear

demonic assaults, but to repel the Enemy by the power of the Life-

Creating Cross of the Lord. In the year 311 there was a fierce

persecution against Christians, in the reign of the emperor Maximian.

Wishing to suffer with the holy martyrs, St. Anthony left the desert

and went to Alexandria. He openly ministered to those in prison, he

was present at the trial and interrogations of the confessors, and

accompanying the martyrs to the place of execution. It pleased the

Lord to preserve him, however, for the benefit of Christians. At the

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close of the persecution, the saint returned to the desert and

continued his exploits. The Lord granted the saint the gift of

wonderworking, casting out demons and healing the sick by the

power of his prayer. The great crowds of people coming to him

disrupted his solitude, and he went off still farther, into the inner

desert where he settled atop a high elevation. But the brethren of the

monasteries sought him out and asked him to visit their communities.

Another time St. Anthony left the desert and arrived in Alexandria to

defend the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaean and Arian

heresies. Knowing that the name of St. Anthony was venerated by all

the Church, the Arians said that he adhered to their heretical

teaching. But St. Anthony publicly denounced Arianism in front of

everyone and in the presence of the bishop. During his brief stay at

Alexandria, he converted a great multitude of pagans to Christ.

People from all walks of life loved the saint and sought his advice.

Pagan philosophers once came to Abba Anthony intending to mock

him for his lack of education, but by his words he reduced them to

silence. Emperor Constantine the Great (May 21) and his sons wrote

to St. Anthony and asked him for a reply. He praised the emperor for

his belief in Christ, and advised him to remember the future judgment,

and to know that Christ is the true King. St. Anthony spent eighty-five

years in the solitary desert. Shortly before his death, he told the

brethren that soon he would be taken from them. He instructed them

to preserve the Orthodox Faith in its purity, to avoid any association

with heretics, and not to be negligent in their monastic struggles.

"Strive to be united first with the Lord, and then with the saints, so

that after death they may receive you as familiar friends into the

everlasting dwellings." The saint instructed two of his disciples, who

had attended him in the final fifteen years of his life, to bury him in

the desert and not in Alexandria. He left one of his monastic mantles

to St. Athanasius of Alexandria (January 18), and the other to St.

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Serapion of Thmuis (March 21). St. Anthony died peacefully in the year

356, at age 105, and he was buried in the desert by his disciples.

TODAY IS JANUARY 18

Saint Ephraim the Lesser

FEAST DAY

Ephraim the Lesser, is the great 11th-century writer, translator,

philosopher, and defender of the Georgian Church. His work

Reminiscences and other sources, however, provide us with the

means to speculate about the major periods of his life and labors. In

1027, when King Bagrat IV (1027–1072) ascended the Georgian

throne, many noblemen of the Tao region in southern Georgia

relocated to Greece. Among them was the honorable Vache, son of

Karichi, whom scholars believe was Ephraim’s father. After receiving

a Greek education in Constantinople, Ephraim settled in the Black

Mountains near Antioch and began his labors there. His achievements

in Georgian theological and philosophical writing are immeasurable.

The number of his works is almost one hundred, and the subjects

cover nearly every branch of theological inquiry. Ephraim even

developed his own theory of translation, which later formed the

foundation for written composition in the Georgian language. His

theory consists of three essential points: 1. A composition must be

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translated from the original, that is, from the language in which it was

first written. 2. The translation must carry the same literal meaning

as the original, but accuracy in this regard must not violate the nature

of the language into which the text is being translated. 3. A section of

commentary that examines all relevant historical, grammatical, and

literary issues should be included with the translated text. Ephraim

translated five of the works of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, The

Ascetic Rules of St. Basil the Great, the writings of St. Ephraim the

Syrian, commentaries on the Epistles and Psalms, and many other

important patristic writings. Among Ephraim the Lessor’s original

works, his most significant is An Explanation of the Reasons for the

Conversion of Georgia, a compilation of existing essays and his own

commentaries on the nation’s conversion. In the second half of the

11th century, the monks of Antioch and the Black Mountains began to

deny the independence of the Georgian Church. Among other claims,

they argued that none of the Apostles had preached the Christian

Faith in Georgia. It became necessary to prove that the Georgian

Church was indeed autocephalous, and members of the nation’s elite

accordingly called upon Ephraim to settle this issue. Ephraim studied

many patristic writings in the original Greek, gathered the ancient

sources, and succeeded in fully securing the independent existence

of the Georgian Church. St. Ephraim wrote the following about the

Apostles’ preaching: “Know that from the time the Apostles were

preaching, according to the Prophet David: Their voice was heard

through all the earth, and their words resounded in every village.” In

Georgia, Andrew the First-called preached the Gospel in Avazgia (now

Abkhazeti), and from there he journeyed to Ossetia (now Shida Kartli).

Bartholomew also preached in Georgia, in the Kartli region.” St.

Ephraim never left the Black Mountains. In 1091 he was enthroned as

the abbot of Kastana Monastery (The precise location of Kastana is

unknown, but according to modern archaeologists, it was probably in

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the Black Mountains. Our holy father Ephraim reposed in the Lord

around the year 1101. He is included in a list of the departed compiled

by the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi in 1103, and the year of his death has

been approximated from the information given in this source. Saint

Ephraim was canonized by the Orthodox Church of Georgia because

of his God-pleasing life and the many commendable works he

performed on behalf of the Church and his nation.

TODAY IS JANUARY 19

Saint Mark, Bishop of Ephesus

FEAST DAY

The great teacher and invincible defender of the One, Holy, Orthodox,

and Apostolic Church, Saint Mark, was the offspring and scion of the

imperial city, Constantinople. Reared by most pious parents, and

instructed in secular and spiritual wisdom, he became preeminent in

both. Saint Mark lived as an ascetic on the Prince's Islands and later

in the monastery of Saint George Magana in Constantinople. He

passed through all the degrees of the priesthood, and was finally

advanced to the dignity of Archbishop and the lofty throne of the

Metropolis of Ephesus. At the insistence of Emperor John Paleologos,

the Saint was sent to the council of the Latin’s in Florence, to unite

the churches that had been divided for so many years. He astounded

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the papal teachers with the divine wisdom of his words, and was the

only one who did not sign the blasphemous decree of that false

council. Because of this, the Holy Church of Christ has ever honored

this great man as a benefactor, teacher, sole defender, and invincible

champion of the Apostolic Confession. He reposed in 1443.

TODAY IS JANUARY 20

Holy Martyrs Saints Inna, Pinna and Rimma

FEAST DAY

The Holy Martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma were Slavs from northern

Scythia (modern-day Bulgaria). They were disciples of the holy

Apostle Andrew the First-Called in the first century and preached the

Gospel of Christ and baptized many of those who sought the True

Faith. The women traveled with St. Andrew on many of his missions.

In present-day Kiev, they all stood on a hill and planted a cross,

prophesying that one day there would be a flowering of Christianity in

that city. Learning they were Christians, the local prince had them

seized and demanded that they offer sacrifice to the idols. However,

the women refused to denounce Christ. It was wintertime, and the

rivers were so frozen that not only people but horses with carts could

travel across the ice. The prince ordered that the women be tied to

logs. They were gradually lowered into the freezing water, and when

the ice reached their necks, they offered their blessed souls to the

Lord. The Cathedral of St. Andrew in Kiev, Ukraine, was built on the

same spot where the holy martyrs stood with St. Andrew.

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TODAY IS JANUARY 21

The Holy Martyr Saint Eugene of Trebizond

FEAST DAY

The Holy Martyrs Eugene, Candidus, Valerian and Aquila suffered for

their faith in Christ during the reign of Diocletian (284-305) and

Maximian (305-311), under the regimental commander Lycius.

Valerian, Candidus and Aquila had hidden themselves in the hills near

Trebizond, preferring life among the wild beasts to living with the

pagans. They were soon found, however, and brought to Trebizond.

For their bold and steadfast confession of faith in Christ the holy

martyrs were whipped with ox thongs, scraped with iron claws, then

were burned with fire. Several days later St. Eugene was also

arrested, and subjected to the same tortures. Later, they poured

vinegar laced with salt into his wounds. After these torments, they

threw the four martyrs into a red-hot oven. When they emerged from it

unharmed, they were beheaded, receiving their incorruptible crowns

from God. Saint Eugene became the Patron Saint of Trebizond during

the Byzantine era (orderofsteugene.com).

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TODAY IS JANUARY 22

Saint Macarius of Zhabyn

FEAST DAY

Saint Macarius of Zhabyn, Wonderworker of Belev, was born in the

year 1539. In his early years he was tonsured with the name

Onuphrius, and in the year 1585 he founded Zhabyn's Monastery of the

Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple near the River Oka,

not far from the city of Belev. In 1615 the monastery was completely

destroyed by Polish soldiers under the command of Lisovski.

Returning to the charred remains, the monk began to restore the

monastery. He again gathered the brethren, and in place of the

wooden church a stone church was built in honor of the Entry of the

Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, with a bell-tower at the gates.

The saint spent his life in austere monastic struggles, suffering cold,

heat, hunger and thirst, as the monastery accounts relate. He often

went deep into the forest, where he prayed to God in solitude. Once,

when he was following a path in the forest, he heard a faint moaning.

He looked around and saw a weary Polish man reclining against a tree

trunk, with his sabre beside him. He had strayed from his regiment

and had become lost in the forest. In a barely audible voice this

enemy, who might have been one of the destroyers of the monastery,

asked for a drink of water. Love and sympathy surged up within the

monk. With a prayer to the Lord, he plunged his staff into the ground.

At once, a fresh spring of water gushed forth, and he gave the dying

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man a drink. When both the external and internal life of the monastery

had been restored, St. Onuphrius withdrew from the general monastic

life, and having entrusted the guidance of the brethren to one of his

disciples, he took the schema with the name Macarius. For the place

of his solitude, he chose a spot along the upper tributary of the River

Zhabynka. About one verst separated the mouth of the tributary and

the banks of the River Oka. The ascetical struggles of St. Macarius

were concealed not only from the world, but also from his beloved

brethren. He died in 1623 at the age of eighty-four, at the hour when

the roosters start to crow. He was buried opposite the gates of the

monastery on January 22, the commemoration of St. Timothy, where a

church was later built and named for him. The Iconographic Originals

has preserved a description of St. Macarius in his last years: he had

gray hair with a small beard, and over his monastic riassa he wore the

schema. Veneration of St. Macarius was established at the end of the

seventeenth century, or the beginning of the eighteenth. According to

Tradition, his relics remained uncovered, but by 1721 they were

interred in a crypt. In the eighteenth century the monastery became

deserted. The memory of his deeds and miracles was so completely

forgotten, that when the incorrupt relics of the monastery's founder

were uncovered during the construction of the church of St. Nicholas

in 1816, a general panikhida was served over them. The restoration of

the liturgical commemoration of St. Macarius of Belev is credited to

Igumen Jonah, who was born on January 22 (the Feast of St.

Macarius), and who began his own monastic journey at the Optina

monastery not far from the Zhabyn monastery. In 1875 Igumen Jonah

became head of the Zhabyn monastery. His request to re-establish the

Feast of St. Macarius was strengthened by the petition of the people

of Belev, who through the centuries had preserved their faith in the

saint. On January 22, 1888, the annual commemoration of St.

Macarius of Zhabyn was resumed. In 1889, a church dedicated to St.

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Macarius was built at his tomb. Igumen Jonah, who lived at the

monastery and actually participated in the construction, decided that

in addition to the building project, the holy relics of St. Macarius

would also be uncovered. When everything was on the point of

readiness, St. Macarius appeared to the participants and sternly

warned them that they should not proceed with their intention, or

they would be punished. The memory of this appearance was

reverently preserved among the monks of the monastery.

TODAY IS JANUARY 23

The Holy Saint Hieromartyr Clement

Bishop of Ancyra

FEAST DAY

Saint Hieromartyr Clement, who was from Ancyra in Galatia, was the

son of an unbelieving father, but a believing mother whose name was

Sophia. At first he lived as a monk, later he became the bishop of his

city. He suffered so many things in confession of the Faith in Christ,

that the time of his sufferings and struggles stretched out over a

period of twenty-eight years. Finally he and Saint Agathangelus (who

was from Rome) were beheaded together during the reign of

Diocletian and Maximian, in the year 296.

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TODAY IS JANUARY 24

Saint Xenia the Fool for Christ of St. Petersburg

FEAST DAY

Our righteous Mother Xenia of St. Petersburg was born about the year

1730. She was married to a Colonel named Andrew; when she was

twenty-six years old her husband died suddenly, having been drinking

with his friends. Left a childless widow, Xenia gave away all that she

had and vanished from St. Petersburg for eight years; it is believed

that she spent this time in a hermitage, learning the spiritual life.

When she returned to Saint Petersburg, she wore her husband’s

military clothing, and would answer only to the name Andrew, that is,

the name of her late husband. She took up the life of a homeless

wanderer, and was abused by many as insane; she bore this with

great patience, crucifying the carnal mind through the mockery she

endured, and praying for her husband’s soul. She was given great gifts

of prayer and prophecy, and often foretold things to come; in 1796 she

foretold the death of Empress Catherine II. Having lived forty-five

years after her husband’s death, she reposed in peace at the age of

seventy one, about the year 1800. Her grave became such a source of

miracles, and so many came to take soil from it as a blessing, that it

was often necessary to replace the soil; when a stone slab was

placed over her grave, this too disappeared over time, piece by piece.

Saint Xenia is especially invoked for help in finding employment,

lodging, or a spouse.

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The Gravestone of St. Xenia

The only record of "vital statistics" that has been left to us

concerning Blessed Xenia is the epitaph on her gravestone: In the

name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here rests the body of the

servant of God, Xenia Grigorievna, Wife of the imperial chorister,

Colonel Andrei Theodorovich Petrov. Widowed at the age of 26, a

pilgrim for 45 years. She lived a total of 71 years. She was known by

the name Andrei Theodorovich. May whoever knew me pray for my

soul that his own may be saved. Amen.

Blessed St. Xenia was a "fool-for-Christ," who, for 45 years, wandered

around the streets of St. Petersburg, Russia. For the first 26 years of

her life, Xenia had lived quite comfortably. However, after her

husband suddenly died, the Holy Spirit led her to give away all her

possessions to the poor. She put on her dead husband’s clothes and

called herself by his name, saying that Xenia had died. Homeless, she

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lived in the streets all year round for 45 years, owning only the ragged

clothes on her back. The Holy Spirit also led her to give away her

mind and her heart to God. By giving everything away, she became

rich in humility, simplicity, self-denial, kindness, and deep and

profound love for all. By pretending to be insane, she showed how

insane the world and its values are. By denying herself the comforts

of a home, a bed, decent clothes, food, and the appearance of being

"normal," she helps us to examine what really is important in life, and

what really is "normal." By her self-denial, Blessed St. Xenia daily died

to her old self and daily lived only for God. She trusted totally that

God would provide for her, as He provides for the birds. During the day

she wandered the streets, dressed in rags, enduring heat and cold,

snow and rain, mocked by people. At night she went out into the

fields and prayed all night, and at other times she spent the night at

the Smolensk Cemetery. It was at this cemetery that she helped the

workmen build the Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God

(photo below), by secretly carrying bricks up the scaffold during the

night.

One night the workmen hid to find out who was helping them, and

discovered that it was "Crazy Xenia." Whenever someone gave her

alms, she immediately gave it to the poor. As the years passed, the

Holy Spirit filled Xenia with greater riches, and she became

increasingly blessed. After a while, some people started to notice that

"crazy Xenia" wasn’t so crazy after all, but was an instrument of

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divine grace, to whom had been given deep spiritual powers: she

could see into people’s hearts and into the past and future, and

appeared to people in visions. Anyone whom she touched was

blessed. Because she gave up living for herself, she was able to live

for others, helping those in need. She especially helped families,

children and marriages, as she continues to do today. After she fell

asleep in the Lord, around 1803, she continued to help those who

asked for her assistance. Throughout the 19th century, tens of

thousands of people came every year to her grave, and countless

miracles occurred. In 1902 a chapel was built over her grave in the

Smolensk Cemetery, located on the western end of Vasiliev Island in

St. Petersburg. This chapel has now been reconstructed (photo

below), again welcoming the pilgrims who come there every day, and

the miracles continue to occur.

For 200 years people have been turning to the Blessed one, and she

has been helping them. Her great spiritual power and her deep love

for people transcend the grave and are manifested daily. One of the

most popular of God’s "chosen ones," her canonization in 1988 was

official recognition of what the faithful had long witnessed and

experienced.

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TODAY IS JANUARY 25

Saint Gregory the Theologian

FEAST DAY

Saint Gregory the Theologian (329-390) was born in 329 AD in Arianzo,

town of Cappadocia, by Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus and Nonnus. He

has two brothers: the Caesarea and known for piety of Gorgon sister.

Nazianzus In, taught elementary education, while the average in

Caesarea, where he meets a classmate Basil. Then go near famous

teachers of rhetoric in Palestine and Alexandria, and finally at the

University of Athens. The study lasted 13 years (from 17 to 30 years).

Following his studies in Athens Gregory returns to his homeland he

was offered seat yet overwhelming Professor. There, his father,

Bishop Nazianzus, the ordained presbyter. But St. Gregory prefers the

quiet of anachoritiriou at Sea, close to his friend Kingdom for more

exercise in spiritual life. Afterwards, however, from warm entreaties

of his own, he returns home and enters active service of the Church.

At 43 years old, God lifted the episcopal office. Headquarters was the

site of Gennadios which never poimane due Martian inhabitants. But

death comes to hurt his soul, with successive deaths of relatives.

First his brother Caesarea after his sister mermaid, after his father

and finally his mother Nonnus. After these tribulations, the divine

Providence brings him to Constantinople (378), which defends

amazing how Orthodoxy and critical hits Arians, who had flooded

Istanbul. situation was very difficult. All the temples of

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Constantinople was in the hands of the heretics. But the Saint did not

despair. Converts a room in the house that hosted a church and gives

a symbolic name. Calls the church Agia Anastasia sample that

believed in the resurrection of the Orthodox Faith. Races are

dangerous. Heretics Uploaded over the roofs of the houses throw

stones, so the Saint Gregory tested much. In the church of St.

Anastasia utters the famous five theological reasons that gave him

the title of fair Theologian. After this match, Theodosius the Great

highlights the Patriarch of Constantinople (381). The Second

Ecumenical Council recognized him as President. But a portion of the

bishops antipolitefetai for trivial reasons. Then Gregory, disgusted,

says the resignation, in leaving his native Arianzo peace and ends

with his life, in 390. Much is left of his writings. Of particular interest

are the 408 philosophical poems about 18,000 verses. They are

among the largest spirit of Christianity and of the greatest athletes of

the Orthodox faith. His skull is kept in the Monastery of Vatopedi on

Mount Athos.

TODAY IS JANUARY 26

Saint Xenophon

FEAST DAY

This Saint, a wealthy nobleman of Constantinople, was filled with

piety toward God. He had two sons, Arcadius and John, whom he sent

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to Beirut to study law. But they were shipwrecked during their

voyage; barely saved, they forsook all things and departed for

Palestine. Saint Xenophon and his wife Mary, ignorant of what had

happened, went in search of their sons. On finding them in Jerusalem,

dressed in the habit of monks, they also took up the monastic life.

During Saint Xenophon life in Jerusalem, he became a great healer

and did many miracles. And thus, having completed their lives in

holiness, they departed for the Lord about the beginning of the sixth

century. Saint Xenophon and his sons reposed at Saint Sabbas

Monastery, and Mary at the Monastery of Saint Theodosius.

TODAY IS JANUARY 27

Saint Peter, Archbishop of Voronezh

FEAST DAY

Archbishop Peter was born on February 18, 1878, On graduating from

the Kazan Theological Academy, in 1902, he served as a teacher in

the Oryol theological seminary. In December, 1917 Vladyka was

arrested for the first time by the Tver Cheka and imprisoned as a

hostage. In May, 1921, Vladyka was arrested for "arousing religious

fanaticism." During an outbreak of typhus, Vladyka fell ill and was

transferred to the hospital of the Trinity skete, where he lay for 14

days. "I do not want to live any longer. The Lord is calling me to

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Himself." And he wrote this several times. As he was writing "not" for

the last time, his hand fell, and he died. It was January 27.

TODAY IS JANUARY 28

Saint Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Ninevah

FEAST DAY

Saint Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Ninevah, lived during the sixth

century. He and his brother entered the monastery of Mar Matthew

near Ninevah and received the monastic tonsure. His learning, virtue,

and ascetic manner of life attracted the notice of the brethren, and

they proposed that he head the monastery. St. Issac did not want this

burden, preferring a life of silence, so he left the monastery to live

alone in the desert. His brother urged him more than once to return to

the monastery, but he would not agree. However, when the fame of

St. Isaac's holy life had spread, he was made Bishop of Ninevah.

Seeing the crude manners and disobedience of the inhabitants of the

city, the saint felt that it was beyond his ability to guide them, and

moreover, he yearned for solitude. Once, two Christians came to him,

asking him to settle a dispute. One man acknowledged that he owed

money to the other, but asked for a short extension. The lender

threatened to bring his debtor to court to force him to pay. St. Isaac,

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citing the Gospel, asked him to be merciful and give the debtor more

time to pay. The man said, "Leave your Gospel out of this!" St. Isaac

replied, "If you will not submit to Lord's commandments in the Gospel,

then what remains for me to do here?" After only five months as

bishop, St. Isaac resigned his office and went into the mountains to

live with the hermits. Later, he went to the monastery of Rabban

Shabur, where he lived until his death, attaining a high degree of

spiritual perfection. From the early eighth century until the beginning

of the eighteenth century, nothing was known about St. Isaac of Syria

in Europe except for his name and works. Only in 1719 was a

biography of the saint published at Rome, compiled by an anonymous

Arab author. In 1896, more information on St. Isaac came to light. The

learned French soteriologist Abbot Chabot published some eighth

century works on Syrian history by Iezudena, bishop of Barsa, where

the account of St. Isaac the Syrian was found.

TODAY IS JANUARY 29

Martyr Saint Ashot Curapalati

King of of Artanuji

FEAST DAY

In the year 786, St. Ashot, the son of Adarnerse, ascended the throne

of Kartli. From the very beginning of his reign he fought fiercely for

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the reunification of Georgia. His first step was to take advantage of

the Arab Muslims’ weariness and banish them from Tbilisi. Three

years passed and, under the leadership of a new ruler, the

reinvigorated Muslims began to hunt for Ashot. The king was forced to

flee after he delayed taking action against them. The enemy had

again conquered Tbilisi. Ashot was compelled to leave Kartli, and he

departed for Byzantium with his family and small army. The refugees

journeyed as far as Javakheti in southern Georgia and stopped near

Lake Paravani for a rest. But while they were sleeping, a Saracen

army assailed their camp. The king’s army was doomed, but “God

helped Ashot Kuropalates and his scant army. He bestowed power

upon them, and they defeated an enemy that greatly outnumbered

them.” The king was deeply moved by God’s miraculous intervention

and decided that, rather than journeying on to Byzantium as he had

intended, he would remain in the region of Shavshet-Klarjeti. At that

time southern Georgia was suffering great calamities. A cholera

epidemic intensified the struggles of a people devastated by a

ruthless enemy. Very few had survived, but that powerless and

wearied remnant gladly received Ashot Kuropalates as their new

leader, and the king began to restore the region at once. Ashot

Kuropalates restored Artanuji Castle, which had originally been built

by King Vakhtang Gorgasali and later ravaged by the Arab general

Marwan “the Deaf.” Ashot founded a city nearby and proclaimed it the

residence of the Bagrationi royal family of Klarjeti. He also

constructed a church in honor of Sts. Peter and Paul. As it is written,

“God granted Ashot Kuropalates great strength and many victories.”

The region of Klarjeti took on a new life, and through the efforts of St.

Grigol of Khandzta and his companions, the former wasteland was

transformed into a borough bustling with churches, monasteries, and

schools. Georgian noblemen soon began traveling to Klarjeti to forge

their nation’s future with King Ashot and the other God-fearing

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leaders. Ashot Kuropalates was not only a leader who campaigned

vigorously for the unification of Georgia—he was truly a godly-minded

man. With great honor and joy he was the host of Fr. Grigol of

Khandzta, a “heavenly man and an earthly angel.” Fr. Grigol blessed

Ashot’s kingdom and his inheritance. Upon those who labored at

Khandzta Monastery, Ashot Kuropalates bestowed the best lands,

including Shatberdi, to serve as rural estates, which would supply

food for the monastery. His children, Adarnerse, Bagrat, and Guaram,

would later contribute much of their own fortune to the revival of the

monasteries in the Klarjeti Wilderness. (Udabno in Georgian.

Translated as “wilderness,” these deserted places where hermits

made their abodes often attracted monks and pious laymen as the

fame of these holy men spread. Over the centuries, with the

foundation of numerous monasteries, these deserts became veritable

cities and only retained the name “wilderness” in a figurative sense.)

But after some time the usually virtuous King Ashot fell in love with a

certain woman. He forgot his honor, his achievements, and his loyalty

to God and the nation and took her to Artanuji Castle, an estate that

had been built for the queen. St. Grigol, however, heard about the

king’s adulterous relationship and became exceedingly sorrowful. He

confronted the king about his behavior, and the desperate Ashot

promised to leave the woman, but he could not bring himself to fulfill

his promise. So Fr. Grigol took her to Mere Monastery and turned her

over to the abbess, Mother Pebronia, without telling Ashot. Upon

hearing what had happened, King Ashot pleaded with Mother Pebronia

to return the woman, but the abbess refused. At long last Ashot

bowed his head to the nun and repented, saying, “Blessed is the man

who is no longer alive to this world.” The king rediscovered his love

for God and his country, and he prepared to return to Kartli. But his

plans were foiled when a certain Muslim warrior named Khalil

invaded, conquering the lands of Kartli, Hereti, and Kvemo Kartli.

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Ashot sent his men to assemble an army, but before the troops had

been gathered, the Saracens attacked and forced them to flee. The

king then traveled to Nigali Gorge with the intent of enlarging his

army. Some of the draftees turned out to be traitors, and when the

king discovered the betrayal, it was already too late. He hid in a

church, but the godless men found him and stabbed him to death in

the sanctuary. “They murdered him on the altar, as though

slaughtering a sacrificial lamb, and his blood remains there to this

day,” writes Sumbat, the son of Davit, in his book Lives of the

Bagrationis. Thus the first Bagrationi king, “a believer, upon whom the

inheritance of the Georgian people was established,” was also a

martyr. The Georgians took revenge on the murderers of their beloved

king. When the people of Doliskana heard that Ashot had been killed,

they pursued his murderers and killed them near the Chorokhi River.

Venerable Grigol and the Georgian people wept bitterly over the loss

of their king and hope. St. Ashot’s holy relics were buried in the

Church of Sts. Peter and Paul that he himself had built.

TODAY IS JANUARY 30

Blessed Saint Peter, the King of Bulgaria

FEAST DAY

Saint Peter, King of Bulgaria, was the son of the militant Bulgarian

prince Simeon. St. Peter was distinguished for his Christian piety, and

he often turned to St John of Rila, asking his prayers, spiritual

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guidance and advice. King Peter concluded peace with Byzantium on

terms advantageous for Bulgaria. He also gained recognition from the

Patriarch of Constantinople for the autonomy of the Bulgarian Church,

and the affirmation of a Patriarchal throne in Bulgaria, benefiting all

the Bulgarian Church. St. Peter aided in the successful extirpation of

the Bogomil heresy in his lands. He was martyred in the year 967 for

his belief in St. John of Rila, at fifty-six years of age.

TODAY IS JANUARY 31

Saint Theodota in Egypt

FEAST DAY

St. Theodota was the thirteen-year-old daughter of St. Athanasia. She

and her two sisters were arrested with their mother because they

were Christians. St. Theoctiste was fifteen, and St. Eudoxia was

eleven. Sts. Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them, for

they were concerned that the women might renounce Christ when

faced with torture. Sts. Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure

what lay before them. Learning of this, the ruler of the city arrested

Sts. Cyrus and John, and seeing their steadfast and fearless

confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters

to witness their torture. The tyrant did not refrain from any form of

torture against the holy martyrs. The women were not frightened by

the sufferings of Sts. Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to

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confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their

crowns of martyrdom.

INSIDE AN ORTHORDOX CHURCH

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TODAY IS JANUARY 1

Saint Basil The Great, Archbishop of

Caesarea in Cappadoci

FEAST DAY

Saint Basil the Great was born about the end of the year 329 in

Caesarea of Cappadocia, to a family renowned for their learning and

holiness. His parents' names were Basil and Emily. His mother Emily

(commemorated July 19) and his grandmother Macrina (Jan. 14) are

Saints of the Church, together with all his brothers and sisters:

Macrina, his elder sister (July 19), Gregory of Nyssa (Jan. to), Peter of

Sebastia (Jan. 9), and Naucratius. Basil studied in Constantinople

under the sophist Libanius, then in Athens, where also he formed a

friendship with the young Gregory, a fellow Cappadocian, later called

"the Theologian." Through the good influence of his sister Macrina

(see July 19), he chose to embrace the ascetical life, abandoning his

worldly career. He visited the monks in Egypt, in Palestine, in Syria,

and in Mesopotamia, and upon returning to Caesarea, he departed to

a hermitage on the Iris River in Pontus, not far from Annesi, where his

mother and his sister Macrina were already treading the path of the

ascetical life; here he also wrote his ascetical homilies. About the

year 370, when the bishop of his country reposed, he was elected to

succeed to his throne and was entrusted with the Church of Christ,

which he tended for eight years, living in voluntary poverty and strict

asceticism, having no other care than to defend holy Orthodoxy as a

worthy successor of the Apostles. The Emperor Valens, and

Modestus, the Eparch of the East, who were of one mind with the

Arians, tried with threats of exile and of torments to bend the saint to

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their own confession, because he was the bastion of Orthodoxy in all

Cappadocia, and preserved it from heresy when Arianism was at its

strongest. But he set all their malice at naught, and in his willingness

to give himself up to every suffering for the sake of the Faith, showed

himself to be a martyr by volition. Modestus, amazed at Basil's

fearlessness in his presence, said that no one had ever so spoken to

him. "Perhaps," answered the saint, "you have never met a bishop

before." The Emperor Valens himself was almost won over by Basil's

dignity and wisdom. When Valens' son fell gravely sick, he asked

Saint Basil to pray for him. The saint promised that his son would be

restored if Valens agreed to have him baptized by the Orthodox;

Valens agreed, Basil prayed, and the son was restored. But

afterwards the Emperor had him baptized by Arians, and the child died

soon after. Later, Valens, persuaded by his counsellors, decided to

send the saint into exile because he would not accept the Arians into

communion; but his pen broke when he was signing the edict of

banishment. He tried a second time and a third, but the same thing

happened, so that the Emperor was filled with dread, and tore up the

document, and Basil was not banished. The truly great Basil, spent

with extreme ascetical practices and continual labors, at the helm of

the church, departed to the Lord on the 1st of January, in 379, at the

age of forty-nine. His writings are replete with wisdom and erudition,

and rich are these gifts he set forth the doctrines concerning the

mysteries both of the creation (see his Hexaemeron) and of the Holy

Trinity (see On the Holy Spirit). Because of the majesty and keenness

of his eloquence, he is honored as "the revealer of heavenly things"

and "the Great."

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TODAY IS JANUARY 2

Saint Seraphim The Wonderworker Of Sarov

FEAST DAY

Saint Seraphim was born in the town of Kursk in 1759. From tender

childhood he was under the protection of the most holy Mother of

God, who, when he was nine years old, appeared to him in a vision,

and through her icon of Kursk, healed him from a grave sickness

from which he had not been expected to recover. At the age of

nineteen he entered the monastery of Sarov, where he amazed all

with his obedience, his lofty asceticism, and his great humility. In

1780 the Saint was stricken with a sickness which he manfully

endured for three years, until our Lady the Theotokos healed him,

appearing to him with the Apostles Peter and John. He was

tonsured a monk in 1786, being named for the holy Hieromartyr

Seraphim, Bishop of Phanarion (Dec. 4), and was ordained deacon a

year later. In his unquenchable love for God, he continually added

labors to labors, increasing in virtue and prayer with titan strides.

Once, during the Divine Liturgy of Holy and Great Thursday, he was

counted worthy of a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared

encompassed by the heavenly hosts. After this dread vision, he

gave himself over to greater labors. In 1794, Saint Seraphim took

up the solitary life in a cell in the forest. This period of extreme

asceticism lasted some fifteen years, until 1810. It was at this time

that he took upon himself one of the greatest feats of his life.

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Assailed with despondency and a storm of contrary thoughts raised

by the enemy of our salvation, the saint passed a thousand nights

on a rock, continuing in prayer until God gave him complete victory

over the enemy. On another occasion, he was assaulted by robbers,

who broke his chest and his head with their blows, leaving him

almost dead. Here again, he began to recover after an appearance

of the most holy Theotokos, who came to him with the Apostles

Peter and John, and pointing to Saint Seraphim, uttered those

awesome words, "This is one of my kind." In 1810, at the age of

fifty, weakened with his more than human struggles, Saint Seraphim

returned to the monastery for the third part of his ascetical labours,

in which he lived as a recluse until 1825. For the first five years of

his reclusion, he spoke to no one at all, and little is known of this

period. After five years, he began receiving visitors little by little,

giving counsel and consolation to ailing souls. In 1825, the most

holy Theotokos appeared to the Saint and revealed to him that it

was pleasing to God that he fully end his seclusion; from this time

the number of people who came to see him grew daily. It was also

at the command of the holy Virgin that he undertook the spiritual

direction of the Diveyevo Convent. He healed bodily ailments,

foretold things to come, brought hardened sinners to repentance,

and saw clearly the secrets of the heart of those who came to him.

Through his utter humility and childlike simplicity, his unrivalled

ascetical travails, and his angel-like love for God, he ascended to

the holiness and greatness of the ancient God-bearing Fathers and

became like Anthony for Egypt, the physician for the whole Russian

land. In all, the most holy Theotokos appeared to him twelve times

in his life. The last was on Annunciation, 1831, to announce to him

that he would soon, enter into his rest. She appeared to him

accompanied by twelve virgins-martyrs and monastic saints; with

Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian. With a body

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ailing and broken from innumerable hardships, and an unspotted

soul shining with the light of Heaven, the Saint lived less than two

years after this, falling asleep in peace on January 2, 1833, chanting

Paschal hymns. On the night of his repose, the righteous Philaret of

the Glinsk Hermitage beheld his soul ascending to Heaven in light.

Because of the universal testimony to the singular holiness of his

life, and the seas of miracles that he performed both in life and after

death, his veneration quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the

Russian Empire to every corner of the earth.

TODAY IS JANUARY 3

Saint Gordios the Martyr of Caesarea

FEAST DAY

The Martyr Gordios who was from Caesarea of Cappadocia, was a

centurion by rank. Unable to bear the impiety of the heathen, he

withdrew to the wilderness to purify himself through prayer and

fasting. After he perceived that his ascetical training had prepared

him sufficiently, he came down from the mountains when a certain

pagan festival was held in Caesarea, attended by all, and presented

himself before the multitude. Although the spectacles of the festival

continued, no one paid them any heed, but all eyes were turned upon

him. From his sojourn in the mountains, his look was wild, his beard

was long, his raiment squalid, his body like a skeleton; yet a certain

grace shone round about him. He was recognized, and a loud shout

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and tumult was made as his fellow Christians rejoiced, and the

enemies of the truth cried out for his death. He boldly professed his

faith before the Governor, and after torments was beheaded, in the

reign of Licinius in the year 314. Saint Basil the Great delivered a

homily on Saint Gordios, mentioning that some of those in his

audience had been present at the saint's martyrdom.

TODAY IS JANUARY 4

Synaxis of the Holy Seventy Apostles

FEAST DAY

After choosing the Twelve, Christ the Lord selected seventy lesser

apostles and sent them out to preach, as the holy Evangelist Luke

writes: “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also; and

sent them two and two before His face.” The Twelve generally

remained at Christ’s side, serving as witnesses to His life; but the

Seventy preceded Him in every place He visited. We do not know the

names of all the original Seventy, for, as Saint John the Evangelist

tells us, the time came when many of His disciples went back, and

walked no more with Him. Then said Jesus unto the Twelve, “Will ye

also go away?” As the Lord’s Passion approached, the number of His

disciples decreased further: hardly any of the Seventy remained, and

one of the Twelve betrayed Him. After the Resurrection Matthias was

numbered with the Twelve, while the ranks of the Seventy were

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gradually filled with men newly converted to piety by the Twelve

Apostles and Saint Paul, who was called by heaven to preside (with

Saint Peter) over the apostolic choir.

TODAY IS JANUARY 5

SAINT THEOPEMPTOS

FEAST DAY

Saint Theopemptos teaches us how we must be champions if we win

eternal glory, not this temporary world. Saint Theopemptos was

bishop during the reign of Emperor Diocletian where on January 23,

303 signed a decree merciless persecution against Christians. Saint

Theopemptos first confessed Christ Crucified to Diocletian. Of course,

immediately after he knew what awaited him. And indeed, underwent

a series of cruel tortures, which were simultaneously accompanied by

miracles. He was first put in a lit stove to burn, but miraculously came

out alive and unharmed. Then they put out an eye, and soon after,

required him to drink deadly poisons. Because, however, he was

saved by the Grace of God, he was harmless. To assure his death, he

was decapitated.

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TODAY IS JANUARY 6

The Theophany Of Our Lord And Saviour

Jesus Christ

FEAST DAY

About the beginning of our Lord's thirtieth year, John the Forerunner,

who was some six months older than Our Savior according to the

flesh, and had lived in the wilderness since his childhood, received a

command from God and came into the parts of the Jordan, preaching

the baptism of repentance unto the remission of sins. Then our Savior

also came from Galilee to the Jordan, and sought and received

baptism though He was the Master and John was but a servant.

Whereupon, there came to pass those marvelous deeds, great and

beyond nature: the Heavens were opened, the Spirit descended in the

form of a dove upon Him that was being baptized and the voice was

heard from the Heavens hearing witness that this was the beloved

Son of God, now baptized as a man (Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke

3:1-22). From these events the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ and

the great mystery of the Trinity were demonstrated. It is also from

this that the present feast is called "Theophany," that is, the divine

manifestation, God's appearance among men. On this venerable day

the sacred mystery of Christian baptism was inaugurated; henceforth

also began the saving preaching of the Kingdom of the Heavens.

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TODAY IS JANUARY 7

Saint Brannock of Braunton

FEAST DAY

St. Brannock lived in the sixth century, and tutored the children of the

Welsh ruler Brychan. He went with King Brychan on a pilgrimage to

venerate the tombs of the Apostles. On the way home, he stopped in

Brittany and remained there several years where he healed the sick

and did many more miracles. Eventually, the saint returned to Wales

and settled at Braunton, where he built a church. His holy relics are

said to rest beneath the altar of the Braunton church.

TODAY IS JANUARY 8

Saint Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus

FEAST DAY

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Saint Emilian was a zealous defender of the holy icons during the

reign of Emperor Leo the Armenian. He suffered torture and

martyrdom on August 8th in the year 820.

TODAY IS JANUARY 9

Saint Domnica of Constantinople

FEAST DAY

Saint Domnica came from Carthage to Constantinople in the time of

the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great. She was baptized by

Patriarch Nectarius and entered a women’s monastery. Through

strict and prolonged ascetic efforts, she attained high spiritual

perfection. The saint healed the sick, demonstrated power over the

natural elements, and predicted the future. By her miracles, she

moved inhabitants of the capital towards concerns about life eternal

and the soul. Adorned by virtues, the saint departed this life a

spotless virgin in her old age.

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TODAY IS JANUARY10

Saint Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa

FEAST DAY

Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, was a younger brother of St Basil the

Great (January 1). His birth and upbringing came at a time when the

Arian disputes were at their height. Having received an excellent

education, he was at one time a teacher of rhetoric. In the year 372,

he was consecrated by St. Basil the Great as bishop of the city of

Nyssa in Cappadocia. St. Gregory was an ardent advocate for

Orthodoxy, and he fought against the Arian heresy with his brother St.

Basil. Gregory was persecuted by the Arians, by whom he was falsely

accused of improper use of church property, and thereby deprived of

his see and sent to Ancyra. In the following year St. Gregory was

again deposed in absentia by a council of Arian bishops, but he

continued to encourage his flock in Orthodoxy, wandering about from

place to place. After the death of the emperor Valens (378), St.

Gregory was restored to his cathedral and was joyously received by

his flock. In the year 381 St. Gregory was one of the chief figures of

the Second Ecumenical Council, convened at Constantinople against

the heresy of Macedonius, who incorrectly taught about the Holy

Spirit. At this Council, on the initiative of St. Gregory, the Nicean

Symbol of Faith (the Creed) was completed. In the year 383, St.

Gregory of Nyssa participated in a Council at Constantinople, where

he preached a sermon on the divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. In

386, he was again at Constantinople, and he was asked to speak the

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funeral oration in memory of the empress Placilla. Again in 394 St.

Gregory was present in Constantinople at a local Council, convened

to resolve church matters in Arabia. St. Gregory of Nyssa was a fiery

defender of Orthodox dogmas and a zealous teacher of his flock, a

kind and compassionate father to his spiritual children, and their

intercessor before the courts. He was distinguished by his

magnanimity, patience and love of peace. Having reached old age, St.

Gregory of Nyssa died soon after the Council of Constantinople.

Together with his great contemporaries, Sts. Basil the Great and

Gregory the Theologian, St. Gregory of Nyssa had a significant

influence on the Church life of his time. St. Gregory left behind many

remarkable works of dogmatic character, as well as sermons and

discourses. He has been called "the Father of Fathers."

TODAY IS JANUARY 11

Saint Theodosius the Great

FEAST DAY

Saint Theodosius the Great lived during the fifth-sixth centuries, and

was the founder of cenobitic monasticism. He was born in

Cappadocia of pious parents. Endowed with a splendid voice, he

zealously toiled at church reading and singing. St. Theodosius prayed

fervently that the Lord would guide him on the way to salvation. In his

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early years he visited the Holy Land and met with St. Simeon the

Stylite (September 1), who blessed him and predicted future pastoral

service for him. Yearning for the solitary life, Saint Theodosius settled

in Palestine into a desolate cave, in which, according to Tradition, the

three Magi had spent the night, having come to worship the Savior

after His Nativity. He lived there for thirty years in great abstinence

and unceasing prayer. People flocked to the ascetic, wishing to live

under his guidance. When the cave could no longer hold all the

monks, St. Theodosius prayed that the Lord Himself would indicate a

place for the monks. Taking a censer with cold charcoal and incense,

the monk started walking into the desert. At a certain spot the

charcoal ignited by itself and the incense smoke began to rise. Here

the monk established the first cenobitic monastery, or lavra (meaning

"broad" or "populous"). Soon the Lavra of St. Theodosius became

renowned, and up to 700 monks gathered at it. According to the final

testament of St. Theodosius, the lavra rendered service to neighbor,

giving aid to the poor and providing shelter for wanderers. St.

Theodosius was extremely compassionate. Once, when there was a

famine in Palestine and a multitude of people gathered at the

monastery, the monk gave orders to allow everyone into the

monastery enclosure. His disciples were annoyed, knowing that the

monastery did not have the means to feed all those who had come.

But when they went into the bakery, they saw that through the

prayers of the abbot, it was filled with bread. This miracle was

repeated every time St. Theodosius wanted to help the destitute. At

the monastery, St. Theodosius built a home for taking in strangers,

separate infirmaries for monks and laymen, and also a shelter for the

dying. Seeing that people from various lands gathered at the lavra,

the saint arranged for services in the various languages: Greek,

Georgian and Armenian. All gathered to receive the Holy Mysteries in

the large church, where divine services were chanted in Greek.

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During the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius (491-518) there

arose the heresy of Eutychius and Severus, which recognized neither

the sacraments nor the clergy. The emperor accepted the false

teaching, and the Orthodox began to suffer persecution. St.

Theodosius stood firmly in defense of Orthodoxy and wrote a letter to

the emperor on behalf of the monks, in which they denounced him and

refuted the heresy with the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils. He

affirmed moreover, that the desert-dwellers and monks would firmly

support the Orthodox teaching. The emperor showed restraint for a

short while, but then he renewed his persecution of the Orthodox. The

holy Elder then showed great zeal for the truth. Leaving the

monastery, he came to Jerusalem and in the church, he stood at the

high place and cried out for all to hear: "Whoever does not honor the

four Ecumenical Councils, let him be anathema!" For this bold deed

the monk was sent to prison, but soon returned after the death of the

emperor. St. Theodosius accomplished many healings and other

miracles during his life, coming to the aid of the needy. Through his

prayers he once destroyed the locusts devastating the fields in

Palestine. Also by his intercession, soldiers were saved from death,

and he also saved those perishing in shipwrecks and those lost in the

desert. Once, the saint gave orders to strike the semandron (a piece

of wood hit with a mallet), so that the brethren would gather at

prayer. He told them, "The wrath of God draws near the East." After

several days it became known that a strong earthquake had

destroyed the city of Antioch at the very hour when the saint had

summoned the brethren to prayer. Before his death, St. Theodosius

summoned to him three beloved bishops and revealed to them that he

would soon depart to the Lord. After three days, he died at the age of

105. The saint's body was buried with reverence in the cave in which

he lived at the beginning of his ascetic deeds.

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TODAY IS JANUARY 12

Saint Eupraxia the Elder

FEAST DAY

Saint Eupraxia the Elder was the mother of St. Eupraxia, maiden of

Tabennisi (July 25). She was the wife of the pious senator Antigonus,

who was related to the emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395).

Following the birth of their daughter, the couple decided to live from

that time forward as brother and sister. They distributed alms to the

poor, hoping to inherit the heavenly Kingdom. After she was widowed,

St. Eupraxia devoted herself completely to the service of the Lord.

After visiting several monastic establishments and bestowing liberal

alms, she came to the Tabennisi monastery in Egypt, where the

abbess was the nun Theodula, known for her strict rule. Deeply moved

by the pure way of monastic life, St. Eupraxia came often to this

monastery and always brought her eight-year-old daughter with her.

The virtues and prayers of her parents bestowed a particular grace of

God upon the child, who desired to dedicate herself to God. To her

mother's great joy, the abbess Theodula kept the younger Eupraxia at

the convent and blessed her to receive monastic tonsure. St. Eupraxia

the elder continued her works of charity, and increased her fasting

and prayer. Abbess Theodula, possessing the gift of clairvoyance, told

her of her impending end. Learning of her imminent death, Eupraxia

gave thanks to the Lord for His great mercy towards her. She bid

farewell to the sisters of the convent and to her daughter. She left her

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with these parting words: "Love the Lord Jesus Christ, and respect

the sisters. Never dare to think that they are below you and should

serve you. Be poor in your thoughts in order to profit by spiritual

treasures. Also remember your father and me, and pray for the

salvation of our souls." After three days the saint surrendered her soul

to the Lord (+ 393) and was buried at the monastery, where her

daughter continued her ascetic struggles.

TODAY IS JANUARY 13

Saint Maximus Kavsokalyvites

FEAST DAY

Saint Maximus Kavsokalyvites was educated at the church of the

Most Holy Theotokos at Lampsakos. At seventeen years of age he left

his parental home, became a monk, and passed his obedience under

Elder Mark, the finest spiritual instructor in Macedonia. After the

death of his teacher, the saint pursued asceticism under the guidance

of several desert Fathers of extremely strict life. Arriving in

Constantinople, St. Maximus was constantly at the Blachernae church

of the Most Holy Theotokos, as though he had taken up his abode at

the entrance. From his youth, St. Maximus had a great love for the

Mother of God. He persistently entreated Her to grant him the gift of

unceasing mental prayer. One day, as he was venerating her icon, he

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