How many hundreds if not thousands of distracting images do we encounter every day? How many of these are demonic in origin? How easily these images are manipulated by demons for the purpose of our soul’s destruction! Therefore, it is vitally important that we spend time before holy images, in veneration and prayer.
“The images of the saints upon our icons represent to us the nearness in the spirit of God’s saints, who all live in God and are always near to us in the Holy Ghost, through our hearty faith and prayer to them.”
☦️ St John of Kronstadt
“The images of the saints upon our icons represent to us the nearness in the spirit of God’s saints, who all live in God and are always near to us in the Holy Ghost, through our hearty faith and prayer to them.”
☦️ St John of Kronstadt
The Righteous Anna (Dormition July 25/Aug 7), Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, was of the tribe of Levi, and the daughter of Matthan the priest. After a long life pleasing to God, she entered into rest at a great age.
Divinely-wise Anna, you carried in your womb the pure Mother of God, who gave life to our Life. Therefore, you are now carried joyfully to the inheritance of heaven, to the abode of those who rejoice in glory, where you seek forgiveness of sins for those who faithfully honour you, ever-blessed one.
Icon at the Monastery of St George, Jerusalem
Divinely-wise Anna, you carried in your womb the pure Mother of God, who gave life to our Life. Therefore, you are now carried joyfully to the inheritance of heaven, to the abode of those who rejoice in glory, where you seek forgiveness of sins for those who faithfully honour you, ever-blessed one.
Icon at the Monastery of St George, Jerusalem
His body was stretched on a rack, thrown into a cauldron of boiling tar, and cast into the sea with a stone around his neck. Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon (July 27 / Aug 9) survived all these attempted executions. With each one of them, and more and more people came to believe in Jesus Christ. Finally, God's purpose was achieved when Panteleimon was tied to an olive tree and beheaded. The tree became covered with fruit. Many who were present at the execution were also converted to Christ. To this day, St Panteleimon is a wellspring of healing for those afflicted by diseases and suffering.
Holy Passion-bearer and healer Panteleimon, entreat the merciful God, to grant our souls forgiveness of transgressions.
More on the life and miracles of the saint at since33.org/0727-panteleimon.html
Holy Passion-bearer and healer Panteleimon, entreat the merciful God, to grant our souls forgiveness of transgressions.
More on the life and miracles of the saint at since33.org/0727-panteleimon.html
The increasing materialism of the modern world caused St Paisios of Mt Athos (July 12) great anguish. He warned us that by focusing on material possessions we become worried, anxious, and deadened to the spiritual life. The person who is possessed by material things “trembles for fear that his things will be taken away from him. Simplify your life so as to be freed from worldly anxiety, so that your life might have meaning.”
Pray for Hospitalized Metropolitan Longin of Banchen
In 2008, Met. Longin was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. He and the hundreds of orphans in his care are now among countless political victims of the Kyiv regime. Met. Longin is in hospital after a severe stroke— and unable to pay utility bills or take care of his children because the state will not allow anyone to help him.
Along with several other hierarchs, Metropolitan Longin being persecuted under the charge of “inciting religious enmity” for remaining faithful to the canonical church.
Related story https://spzh.news/en/zashhita-very/73954-metropolitan-longin-faces-arrest-what-will-happen-to-his-400-children?
In 2008, Met. Longin was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. He and the hundreds of orphans in his care are now among countless political victims of the Kyiv regime. Met. Longin is in hospital after a severe stroke— and unable to pay utility bills or take care of his children because the state will not allow anyone to help him.
Along with several other hierarchs, Metropolitan Longin being persecuted under the charge of “inciting religious enmity” for remaining faithful to the canonical church.
Related story https://spzh.news/en/zashhita-very/73954-metropolitan-longin-faces-arrest-what-will-happen-to-his-400-children?
“Being early, I sat down to pray in a front pew. I noticed some streaks on the cheeks of the Virgin Mary on the Iconostasis in the front of the chapel. Before anything could sink in, however, their Parish Council president, Mr. Mansour Rayan, came by and we talked for a while.
Finally I interrupted him and asked if the icons up front had been blessed or sprinkled recently. He said, ‘No, why?’ I pointed to the icon of the Theotokos. We walked up to get a closer look. Mansour called Fr. Nicholas who was in the altar area. We asked him if the icon had been recently blessed. He said, ‘No, why?’ I pointed to it and said, ‘It looks like it’s weeping.’
Finally I interrupted him and asked if the icons up front had been blessed or sprinkled recently. He said, ‘No, why?’ I pointed to the icon of the Theotokos. We walked up to get a closer look. Mansour called Fr. Nicholas who was in the altar area. We asked him if the icon had been recently blessed. He said, ‘No, why?’ I pointed to it and said, ‘It looks like it’s weeping.’
I’ll never forget the stunned look on his face. He leaned forward, looked at it, crossed himself and said, ‘Oh my God, it’s weeping!’ He then called the chanters and others to gather around. Someone started singing and others joined in. I didn’t know what, it was in Arabic, but everyone was in awe: some crying, some just staring at it, some falling to their knees. We were all asking ourselves the same question: ‘What does this mean?’ I wondered if she was crying because of my sins.
Eventually we did start the liturgy, but word had gotten out. By midway through the service, the place was packed. More were coming by the minute. There were thousands of people squeezed in everywhere by the end of the service. The church never closed that night or for most of Holy Week. Fr. Nicholas couldn’t immediately get through to any of our bishops. They were all traveling for Holy Week.
Eventually we did start the liturgy, but word had gotten out. By midway through the service, the place was packed. More were coming by the minute. There were thousands of people squeezed in everywhere by the end of the service. The church never closed that night or for most of Holy Week. Fr. Nicholas couldn’t immediately get through to any of our bishops. They were all traveling for Holy Week.
So, in the middle of the liturgy Fr. Nicholas sent Deacon Saed Rihani to call Bishop Job, the OCA bishop in Chicago. He was there within an hour. He, too, wanted to check it out. By the end of the evening, and before the eyes of hundreds, the tears flowed down from both eyes in four rivulets all the way to the Virgin’s waist. A few of those tears were collected, olive oil was added, and Bishop Job anointed everyone present.
This started the most remarkable Holy Week I’ve ever had, my first as an Orthodox Christian.
…
The first thing Bishop Basil did when he walked up to the icon you might find a bit surprising. He rebuked it. He exorcised it. He said, ‘Satan, be gone.’ He knew that, even if it was not a human fraud, there still remained the possibility of it being a spiritual fraud, something of the devil to lead us into error, to deceive us in some way.
This started the most remarkable Holy Week I’ve ever had, my first as an Orthodox Christian.
…
The first thing Bishop Basil did when he walked up to the icon you might find a bit surprising. He rebuked it. He exorcised it. He said, ‘Satan, be gone.’ He knew that, even if it was not a human fraud, there still remained the possibility of it being a spiritual fraud, something of the devil to lead us into error, to deceive us in some way.
He then carefully examined the weeping image up close, front and back. Being on the Iconostasis, it’s a simple thing to look around the back, since it is a free-standing, thin panel. News reporters, researchers, and others have also examined it up close. On the first night, it was visibly flowing in front of hundreds, even thousands of witnesses, right in the middle of the Liturgy. No tubes, no plumbing, no reason for condensation to be on that one and no others. Besides the tears were coming directly out of her eyes. You could see them welling up deep within her pupils. Since then, the tears have regularly refreshed and moisten themselves.
I like what Bishop Basil said when he first came to examine the icon. He said to the crowds, ‘Do not believe in Christ because of this. Do not return to the Church because of this.’ Our faith must not be based on any little sign or wonder. Our faith is based on a far greater miracle, no other miracle matters. It is the miracle we celebrate at Christmas and Easter.
It is the miracle that, since we are unable to find God on our own, He came to us. He became one of us, we call that the Incarnation, to show us the way to Himself. He allowed Himself to be killed on Good Friday, so that he could defeat death forever on Easter Sunday. The greatest miracle of all is also the greatest historical fact--the empty tomb. The body of Jesus has never and can never be found, because it’s not here anymore. ‘He is not here. He is risen!’“
— from “A Personal Encounter with The Miraculous Lady of Cicero, Illinois”, by Fr. Douglas Wyper
I like what Bishop Basil said when he first came to examine the icon. He said to the crowds, ‘Do not believe in Christ because of this. Do not return to the Church because of this.’ Our faith must not be based on any little sign or wonder. Our faith is based on a far greater miracle, no other miracle matters. It is the miracle we celebrate at Christmas and Easter.
It is the miracle that, since we are unable to find God on our own, He came to us. He became one of us, we call that the Incarnation, to show us the way to Himself. He allowed Himself to be killed on Good Friday, so that he could defeat death forever on Easter Sunday. The greatest miracle of all is also the greatest historical fact--the empty tomb. The body of Jesus has never and can never be found, because it’s not here anymore. ‘He is not here. He is risen!’“
— from “A Personal Encounter with The Miraculous Lady of Cicero, Illinois”, by Fr. Douglas Wyper
If you wish, the Lives of the Saints are a sort of Orthodox Encyclopedia. In them can be found everything which is necessary for the soul which hungers and thirsts for eternal righteousness and eternal truth in this life, and which hungers and thirsts for Divine immortality, and eternal life. If faith is what you need, there you will find it in abundance: and you will feed your soul with food which will never make it hungry. If you need love, truth, righteousness, hope, meekness, humility, repentance, prayer, or whatever virtue or podvig (spiritual struggle), in them, the Lives of the Saints, you will find a countless number of holy teachers for every podvig and will obtain grace-filled help for every virtue.
✝️ St Justin Popovich
✝️ St Justin Popovich
"Praise ye the name of the Lord; O ye servants, praise the Lord. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord is good..." + from Psalm 134 (Ps. 135 - Hebrew Numbering), Fri. Matins (Kathisma 19,20)
https://churchmotherofgod.org/text-of-prayers-of-the-church/daily-readings-from-the-psalter/1042-kathisma-15.html
https://churchmotherofgod.org/text-of-prayers-of-the-church/daily-readings-from-the-psalter/1042-kathisma-15.html
Before his baptism, the holy and right-believing Vladimir, Baptizer of Kievan Rus' (July 15/ July 28) was a great pagan conqueror who had many wives and erected many pagan statues in the lands over which he ruled.
Upon finding out that other faiths existed beyond his own paganism, he sent his envoys out into the world to find out who possessed true faith.
His envoys met with Muslims, but felt that they lacked joy, and that their faith was very mechanical. The envoys also met with Jews and Catholics, but were still unimpressed. But when the envoys arrived in Constantinople and attended Divine Liturgy in Hagia Sophia, they declared: “We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth."
Taking the word of his envoys, St. Vladimir had himself and his nation baptized into the Orthodox Church. St. Vladimir changed completely after his baptism. He destroyed all the pagan statues and replaced them with churches.
Upon finding out that other faiths existed beyond his own paganism, he sent his envoys out into the world to find out who possessed true faith.
His envoys met with Muslims, but felt that they lacked joy, and that their faith was very mechanical. The envoys also met with Jews and Catholics, but were still unimpressed. But when the envoys arrived in Constantinople and attended Divine Liturgy in Hagia Sophia, they declared: “We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth."
Taking the word of his envoys, St. Vladimir had himself and his nation baptized into the Orthodox Church. St. Vladimir changed completely after his baptism. He destroyed all the pagan statues and replaced them with churches.
He also attempted to live in peace as much as possible with his neighbors and had only one wife. He is described as a wolf who became a lamb.
How shall I who am negligent stand before Thy terrible throne? How shall I who am impatient and useless enter into the community of those who have here brought forth the fruits of righteousness? By what traits will they acknowledge me when the saints and the righteous upon their heavenly beds recognize each other according to their deeds?
✝️ St Ephraim the Syrian
✝️ St Ephraim the Syrian
On his feast day (July 15/July 28), monastery bells ring across Russia, Ukraine, Slavic lands and throughout the Russian Diaspora in honour of Russia's baptizer and enlightener, Holy Equal-of-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir.
On renouncing idolatry, St Vladimir devoted all his labour to serving Christ and His Church. He decreed that churches be built throughout the land where the idols had been pulled down-- including the temple at Kiev, dedicated to the most holy Mother of God. It was built at the spot where St Theodore and his son John suffered martyrdom for Christ.
On renouncing idolatry, St Vladimir devoted all his labour to serving Christ and His Church. He decreed that churches be built throughout the land where the idols had been pulled down-- including the temple at Kiev, dedicated to the most holy Mother of God. It was built at the spot where St Theodore and his son John suffered martyrdom for Christ.
Many people are under the impression that the Saints are far from us. They are indeed far from those who have, of their own will, withdrawn themselves, but they are very near to those who keep the commandments of Christ and have the grace of the Holy Spirit. In the heavens, all live and all are sustained by the Holy Spirit; but the Spirit is the same also upon the earth. The Holy Spirit unites all men and that is why the Saints are near to us. When we pray to them, by the Holy Spirit they hear our prayers and our souls feel that they are praying for us.
✝️ Saint Silouan of Mount Athos
✝️ Saint Silouan of Mount Athos