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orthodoxydaily · 4 months ago

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SAINTS&READING: MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2025

Fifth Week of the Great Lent. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

St CYRIL ARCHBISHOP OF JERUSALEM (386)

Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, was born in Jerusalem in the year 315 and was raised in strict Christian piety. Upon reaching the age of maturity, he became a monk, and in the year 346 he became a presbyter. In the year 350, upon the death of Archbishop Maximus, he succeeded him on the episcopal throne of Jerusalem.

As Patriarch of Jerusalem, Saint Cyril zealously fought against the heresies of Arius and Macedonius. In so doing, he aroused the animosity of the Arian bishops, who sought to have him deposed and banished from Jerusalem.

There was a miraculous portent in 351 at Jerusalem: at the third hour of the day on the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy Cross appeared in the heavens, shining with a radiant light. It stretched from Golgotha above the Mount of Olives. Saint Cyril reported this portent to the Arian emperor Constantius (351-363), hoping to convert him to Orthodoxy.

The heretic Acacius, deposed by the Council of Sardica, was formerly the Metropolitan of Caesarea, and he collaborated with the emperor to have Saint Cyril removed. An intense famine struck Jerusalem, and Saint Cyril expended all his wealth in charity. But since the famine did not abate, the saint pawned church utensils, and used the money to buy wheat for the starving. The saint’s enemies spread a scandalous rumor that they had seen a woman in the city dancing around in clerical garb. Taking advantage of this rumor, the heretics forcibly expelled the saint.

The saint found shelter with Bishop Silvanus in Tarsus. After this, a local Council was held at Seleucia, at which there were about 150 bishops, and among them Saint Cyril. The heretical Metropolitan Acacius did not want to allow him to take a seat, but the Council would not consent to this. Acacius stormed out of the Council, and before the emperor and the Arian patriarch Eudoxius, he denounced both the Council and Saint Cyril. The emperor had the saint imprisoned.

When the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) ascended the throne he repealed all the anti-Orthodox decrees of Constantius, seemingly out of piety. Saint Cyril returned to his own flock. But after a certain while, when Julian had become secure upon the throne, he openly apostasized and renounced Christ. He permitted the Jews to start rebuilding the Temple of Jerusalem that had been destroyed by the Romans, and he even provided them part of the funds for the building from the state treasury.

Saint Cyril predicted that the words of the Savior about the destruction of the Temple down to its very stones (Luke. 21:6) would undoubtedly transpire, and the blasphemous intent of Julian would come to naught. Soon there was such a powerful earthquake, that even the solidly set foundation of the ancient Temple of Solomon shifted in its place, and what had been rebuilt fell down and shattered into dust. When the Jews resumed construction, a fire came down from the heavens and destroyed the tools of the workmen. Great terror seized everyone. On the following night, the Sign of the Cross appeared on the clothing of the Jews, which they could not remove by any means.

After this heavenly confirmation of Saint Cyril’s prediction, they banished him again, and the bishop’s throne was occupied by Saint Cyriacus. But Saint Cyriacus soon suffered a martyr’s death (October 28).

After the emperor Julian perished in 363, Saint Cyril returned to his See, but during the reign of the emperor Valens (364-378) he was exiled for a third time. It was only under the holy emperor Saint Theodosius the Great (379-395) that he finally returned to his archpastoral activity. In 381 Saint Cyril participated in the Second Ecumenical Council, which condemned the heresy of Macedonius and affirmed the Nicea-Constantinople Symbol of Faith (Creed).

Saint Cyril’s works include twenty-three Instructions (Eighteen are Catechetical, intended for those preparing for Baptism, and five are for the newly-baptized) and two discourses on Gospel themes: “On the Paralytic,” and “Concerning the Transformation of Water into Wine at Cana.”

At the heart of the Catechetical Instructions is a detailed explanation of the Symbol of Faith. The saint suggests that a Christian should inscribe the Symbol of Faith upon “the tablets of the heart.”

“The articles of the Faith,” Saint Cyril teaches, “were not written through human cleverness, but they contain everything that is most important in all the Scriptures, in a single teaching of faith. Just as the mustard seed contains all its plethora of branches within its small kernel, so also does the Faith in its several declarations combine all the pious teachings of the Old and the New Testaments.”

Saint Cyril, a great ascetic and a champion of Orthodoxy, died in the year 386.

REPOSE OF St MARIA (SKOBTSOVA) OF PARIS (1945)

Elizaveta Pilenko, the future Mother Maria, was born in 1891 in Riga, Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, and grew up in the south of Russia on the shore of the Black Sea. Her father was mayor of the town of Anapa, while on her mother's side, she was descended from the last governor of the Bastille, the Parisian prison destroyed during the French Revolution.

Her parents were devout Orthodox Christians whose faith helped shape their daughter's values, sensitivities and goals. As a child she once emptied her piggy bank in order to contribute to the painting of an icon that would be part of a new church in Anapa. At seven she asked her mother if she was old enough to become a nun, while a year later she sought permission to become a pilgrim who spends her life walking from shrine to shrine.

At the age of 14, her father died, an event that seemed to her meaningless and unjust and led her to embrace atheism. "If there is no justice," she said, "there is no God." She decided God's nonexistence was well known to adults but kept secret from children. For her, childhood was over. When her widowed mother moved the family to Saint Petersburg in 1906, she found herself in the country's political and cultural center — also a hotbed of radical ideas and groups — and became part of radical literary circles that gathered around such symbolist poets as Alexander Blok, whom she first met at age 15. Like many of her contemporaries, she was drawn to the left, but was often disappointed at the radicals she encountered. Though regarding themselves as revolutionaries, they seemed to do nothing but talk. "My spirit longed to engage in heroic feats, even to perish, to combat the injustice of the world," she recalled. Yet no one she knew was actually laying down his or her life for others. Should her friends hear of someone dying for the Revolution, she noted, "they will value it, approve or not approve, show understanding on a very high level, and discuss the night away till the sun rises and it's time for fried eggs. But they will not understand at all that to die for the Revolution means to feel a rope around one's neck."

In 1910, she married Dimitri Kuzmin-Karaviev, a Bolshevik and part of a community of poets, artists and writers, but she later commented that it was a marriage born "more of pity than of love." In addition to politics and poetry, she and her friends also talked theology, but just as their political ideas had no connection at all to the lives of ordinary people, their theology floated far above the actual Church. There was much they might have learned, she reflected later in life, from "any old beggar woman hard at her Sunday prostrations in church." For many intellectuals, the Church was an idea or a set of abstract values, not a community in which one actually lives.

Though still regarding herself an atheist, gradually her earlier attraction to Christ revived and deepened, not yet Christ as God incarnate but Christ as heroic man. In time, she found herself drawn toward the religious faith she had abandoned after her father's death. She prayed and read the Gospel and the lives of saints and concluded that the real need of the people was not for revolutionary theories but for Christ. She wanted "to proclaim the simple word of God," she told Blok in a letter written in 1916. Desiring to study theology, she applied for admission to Saint Petersburg's Theological Academy of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in those days an entirely male school whose students were preparing for ordination. As surprising as her wanting to study there was the rector's decision that she could be admitted.

By 1913, her marriage collapsed. Later that year, her first child, Gaiana, was born. Just as World War I was beginning, she returned with her daughter to southern Russia, where her religious life grew more intense. For a time she secretly wore lead weights sewn into a hidden belt as a way of reminding herself both "that Christ exists" and also to be more aware that minute-by-minute many people were suffering and dying in the war. She realized, however, that the primary Christian asceticism was not self-mortification, but caring response to the needs of other people.

In October 1917, she was present in Saint Petersburg when Russia's Provisional Government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. Taking part in the All-Russian Soviet Congress, she heard Lenin's lieutenant, Leon Trotsky, dismiss people from her party with the words, "Your role is played out. Go where you belong, into history's garbage can!" She grew to see how hideously different actual revolution was from the dreams of revolution that had once filled the imagination of so many Russians! In February 1918, she was elected deputy mayor of Anapa. Eventually, she was arrested, jailed, and put on trial for collaboration with the enemy. In court, she rose and spoke in her own defense: "My loyalty was not to any imagined government as such, but to those whose need of justice was greatest, the people. Red or White, my position is the same — I will act for justice and for the relief of suffering. I will try to love my neighbor." It was thanks to Daniel Skobtsov, a former schoolmaster who was now her judge, that she avoided execution. After the trial, she sought him out to thank him. Eventually they married.

As the course of the civil war was turning in favor of the Bolsheviks, the Skobtsovs fled to Georgia, where she gave birth to a son, Yura, in 1920. A year later, having relocated to Yugoslavia, she gave birth to Anastasia, Their long journey ended with their arrival in Paris in 1923, where to supplement their income she made dolls and painted silk scarves, often working ten or twelve hours a day.

A friend introduced her to the Russian Student Christian Movement, an Orthodox association founded in 1923. She began attending lectures and other activities and felt herself coming back to life spiritually and intellectually. In 1926, she grieved the death of her daughter Anastasia. She emerged from her mourning determined to seek a "new road before me and a new meaning in life, to be a mother for all, for all who need maternal care, assistance, or protection." She devoted herself to social work and theological writing. In 1927 two volumes, Harvest of the Spirit, were published, in which she retold the lives of many saints.

In 1930, she was appointed traveling secretary of the Russian Student Christian Movement, work which put her into daily contact with impoverished Russian refugees throughout France and neighboring countries. She often lectured, but she was quick to listen to others as they related some terrible grief that had burdened them for years. She took literally Christ's words, that He was always present in the least person. "Man ought to treat the body of his fellow human being with more care than he treats his own," she wrote. "Christian love teaches us to give our fellows material as well as spiritual gifts. We should give them our last shirt and our last piece of bread. Personal alms-giving and the most wide-ranging social work are both equally justified and needed."

In time, she began to envision a new type on community, "half monastic and half fraternal," that would connect spiritual life with service to those in need, in the process showing "that a free Church can perform miracles." Father Sergei Bulgakov, her confessor, was a source of support and encouragement, as was her bishop, Metropolitan Evlogy [Georgievsky], who was responsible from 1921 to 1946 for the many thousands of Russian expatriates scattered across Europe. Recognizing her devotion to social work, and knowing of her waning marriage, he suggested to her the possibility of becoming a nun. In time, Daniel came to accept the idea after meeting with Metropolitan Evlogy. In the spring of 1932, in the chapel at Paris' Saint Sergius Theological Institute, she was professed as a nun with the name Maria. She made her monastic profession, Metropolitan Evlogy recognized, "in order to give herself unreservedly to social service." Mother Maria called it simply "monasticism in the world." Intent "to share the life of paupers and tramps," she began to look for a house of hospitality and found it at 9 villa de Saxe in Paris, which she leased with financial assistance from Metropolitan Evlogy. She began receiving guests, mainly young Russian women without jobs, giving up her own room to house them while herself sleeping on a narrow iron bedstead in the basement. A room upstairs became a chapel — she painted the iconostasis icons — while the dining room doubled as a hall for lectures and dialogues.

In need of larger facilities, a new location was found two years later in an area of Paris where many impoverished Russian refugees had settled. While at the former address she could feed only 25, here she could feed a hundred. Here her guests could regain their breath "until the time comes to stand on their two feet again." Her credo was: "Each person is the very icon of God incarnate in the world." With this recognition came the need "to accept this awesome revelation of God unconditionally, to venerate the image of God" in her brothers and sisters. As her ministry evolved, she rented other buildings, one for families in need, and another for single men. A rural property became a sanatorium. By 1937, she housed several dozen women, serving up to 120 dinners every day. Every morning, she would beg for food or buy cheaply whatever was not donated.

Despite a seemingly endless array of challenges, Mother Maria was sustained chiefly by those she served — themselves beaten down, people in despair, cripples, alcoholics, the sick, survivors of many tragedies. But not all responded to trust with trust. Theft was not uncommon. On one occasion a guest stole 25 francs. Everyone guessed who the culprit was, a drug addict, but Mother Maria refused to accuse her. Instead she announced at the dinner table that the money had not been stolen, only misplaced, and she had found it. "You see how dangerous it is to make accusations," she commented. At once the girl who stole the money burst into tears.

Mother Maria and her collaborators would not simply open the door when those in need knocked, but would actively seek out the homeless. One place to find them was an all-night café at Les Halles where those with nowhere else to go could sit for the price of a glass of wine. Children also were cared for, and a part-time school was opened at several locations. Turning her attention toward Russian refugees who had been classified insane, Mother Maria began a series of visits to mental hospitals. In each hospital five to ten percent of the Russian patients turned out to be sane and, thanks to her intervention, were released. Language barriers and cultural misunderstandings had kept them in the asylum. In time, she and her associates helped establish clinics for TB sufferers and a variety of other ministries. Another landmark was the foundation in September 1935 of a group named "Orthodox Action" — a name proposed by her friend, philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev. Cofounders included Father Sergei Bulgakov, historian George Fedotov, the scholar Constantine Mochulsky, the publisher Ilya Fondaminsky, and her long-time coworker Fedor Pianov, with Metropolitan Evgoly serving as honorary president. With financial support from supporters across Europe and the United States, a wider range of projects and centers were made possible: hostels, rest homes, schools, camps, hospital work, help to the unemployed, assistance to the elderly, publication of books and pamphlets, etc. In all of these growing ministries, Mother Maria's driving concern was that it should never lose its personal or communal character.

In October 1939, Father Dimitri Klepinin, then 35 years old, began to assist Mother Maria as she began the last phase of her life — a series of responses to World War II and Germany's occupation of France. While Mother Maria could have fled Paris when the Germans were advancing, or even sought refuge in America, she would not budge. "If the Germans take Paris, I shall stay here with my old women. Where else could I send them?" She had no illusions about the Nazi threat, which to her represented a "new paganism" bringing in its wake disasters, upheavals, persecutions and wars. With defeat came greater poverty and hunger, and the local authorities in Paris declared her house an official food distribution point, where volunteers sold at cost price whatever food Mother Maria had bought in that morning.

Russian refugees were among the particular targets of the occupiers. In June 1941, a thousand were arrested, including several close friends and collaborators of Mother Maria and Father Dimitri, who launched an aid project for prisoners and their dependents. Early in 1942, their registration now underway, Jews began to knock at Mother Maria's door, asking Father Dimitri if he would issue baptismal certificates to them. The answer was always yes. The names of those "baptized" were also duly recorded in his parish register in case there was any cross-checking by the police or Gestapo, as indeed did happen. Father Dimitri was convinced that in such a situation Christ would do the same. When the Nazis issued special identity cards for those of Russian origin living in France, with Jews being specially identified, Mother Maria and Father Dimitri refused to comply, though they were warned that those who failed to register would be regarded as citizens of the USSR — enemy aliens — and be punished accordingly.

With the subsequent mass arrest of Jews — 12,884, of whom 6,900 (two-thirds of them children) were brought to the Velodrome d'Hiver sports stadium and held for five days before being sent to Auschwitz — Mother Maria entered the stadium and for three days offered comfort to the children and their parents, distributing what food she could bring in. She even managed to rescue a number of children by enlisting the aid of garbage collectors and smuggling them out in trash bins. Meanwhile, her house house was bursting with people, many of them Jews. "It is amazing," Mother Maria remarked, "that the Germans haven't pounced on us yet." Father Dimitri, Mother Maria and their coworkers set up routes of escape to the unoccupied south. It was complex and dangerous work. Forged documents had to be obtained. A local resistance group helped secure provisions for those Mother Maria's community was struggling to feed.

On February 8, 1943, while Mother Maria was traveling, Nazi security police entered the house and found a letter in her son Yura's pocket in which Father Dimitri was asked to provide a Jew with a false baptismal document. Yura, now actively a part of his mother's work, was taken to the office of Orthodox Action, soon after followed by his distraught grandmother, Sophia Pilenko. The interrogator ordered her to bring Father Dimitri. Once the priest was there, said the interrogator, they would let Yura go. His grandmother Sophia was allowed to embrace Yura and give him a blessing. It was last time she saw him in this world.

The following morning, after celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Father Dimitri set off for the Gestapo office, where he was interrogated for four hours, making no attempt to hide his beliefs. The next day, February 10, Mother Maria was arrested and her quarters were searched. Several others were called for questioning and then held by the Gestapo. She was confined with 34 other woman at the Gestapo headquarters in Paris. Her son Yura, Father Dimitri and their coworker of many years, Feodor Pianov, were held in the same building. Pianov later recalled witnessing Father Dimitri being prod and beaten by an SS officer while Yura stood by, weeping. Father Dimitri "began to console him, saying the Christ withstood greater mockery than this."

In April, the prisoners were transferred to Compiegne, where Mother Maria was blessed with a final meeting with Yura, who said his mother "was in a remarkable state of mind and told me ... that I must trust in her ability to bear things and in general not to worry about her. Every day [Father Dimitri and I] remember her at the proskomidia ... We celebrate the Eucharist and receive Communion each day." Hours after their meeting,Mother Maria was transported to Germany.

On December 16, Yura and Father Dimitri were deported to Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, followed several weeks later by Pianov. In January 1944, Father Dimitri and Yura were sent to another camp, Dora. Within ten days of arrival, Yura contracted furunculosis. On February 6, "dispatched for treatment" — a euphemism for "sentenced to death." Four days later Father Dimitri, lying on a dirt floor, died of pneumonia. His body was disposed of in the Buchenwald crematorium.

Meanwhile, Mother Maria — now "Prisoner 19,263" — was sent in a sealed cattle truck to the Ravensbruck camp in Germany, where she endured for two years, an achievement in part explained by her long experience of ascetic life. She was assigned to Block 27 and befriended the many Russian prisoners who were with her. Unable to correspond with friends, little testimony in her own words has come down to us, but prisoners who survived the war remembered her. One of them, Solange Perichon, recalls: "She was never downcast, never. She never complained.... She was full of good cheer, really good cheer. We had roll calls which lasted a great deal of time. We were woken at three in the morning and we had to stand out in the open in the middle of winter until the barracks [population] was counted. She took all this calmly and she would say, 'Well that's that. Yet another day completed. And tomorrow it will be the same all over again.' ... She allowed nothing of secondary importance to impede her contact with people."

Anticipating that her own exit point from the camp might be via the crematoria, Mother Maria asked a fellow prisoner whom she hoped would survive to memorize a message to be given at last to Father Sergei Bulgakov, Metropolitan Evlogy and her mother: "My state at present is such that I completely accept suffering in the knowledge that this is how things ought to be for me, and if I am to die, I see this as a blessing from on high." Her work in the camp varied. There was a period when she was part of a team of women dragging a heavy iron roller about the camp's pathways for 12 hours a day. In another period she worked in a knitwear workshop. Her legs began to give way. As her health declined, friends no longer allowed her to give away portions of her own food, as she had done in the past to help keep others alive.

With the Red Army approaching from the East, the concentration camp administrators further reduced food rations while greatly increasing the population of each block from 800 to 2,500. In serious decline, Mother Maria accepted a pink card freely issued to any prisoner who wished to be excused from labor because of age or ill health. In January 1945, those who had received such cards were transferred to what was called the Jugendlager — the "youth camp" — where the authorities said each person would have her own bed and abundant food. Mother Maria's transfer was on January 31. Here the food ration was further reduced and the hours spent standing for roll calls increased. Though it was mid-winter, blankets, coats and jackets were confiscated, and then even shoes and stockings. The death rate was at least fifty per day. Next all medical supplies were withdrawn. Those who still persisted in surviving now faced death by shootings and gas, the latter made possible by the construction of a gas chamber in March 1945, in which 150 were executed every day. Amazingly, Mother Maria survived five weeks in the "youth camp" before she was returned to the main camp on March 3. Though emaciated and infested with lice, with her eyes festering, she began to think she might actually live to return to Paris, or even go back to Russia.

Such was not to be the case. On March 30, 1945 — Great, Holy and Good Friday that year — Mother Maria was selected for the gas chambers, in which she perished the following day, on Great and Holy Saturday. Accounts are at odds about what happened. According to one, she was one of the many selected for death that day. According to another, she took the place of another prisoner, a Jew, who had been chosen. Although perishing in the gas chamber, she did not perish in the Church's memory. Survivors of the war who had known her would again and again draw attention to the ideas, insights and activities of the unusual nun who had spent so many years coming to the aid of people in desperate straits. Soon after the end of World War II, essays and books about her began to appear in France and Russia. A Russian film, "Mother Maria," was made in 1982. There have been two biographies in English and, little by little, the translation and publication in English of her most notable essays.

On January 18, 2004, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized Mother Maria Skobtsova as a saint, along with her son Yuri; the priest who worked closely with her, Fr. Dimitri Klépinin; and her close friend and collaborator Ilya Fondaminsky. Their glorification took place in Paris' Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

Isaiah 37:33-38:6

33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,’ Says the Lord. 35 ‘For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’ ” 36 Then the angela of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’ ” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. 6 “I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.”

Proverbs 14:27-15:4

27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. 28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor, But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince. 29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly. 30 A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones. 31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. 32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness, But the righteous has a refuge in his death. 33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known. 34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people. 35 The king’s favor is toward a wise servant, But his wrath is against him who causes shame.

1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternorthodoxchurch #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #bible #wisdom #old testament #saints

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anastpaul · 1 year ago

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Monday in Passion Week, Nostra Signora della Misericordia / Our Lady of Mercy, Italy (1536), St Cyril of Jerusalem and the Saints for 18 March

Monday in Passion Week – FAST Nostra Signora della Misericordia / Our Lady of Mercy, Patron of Savona, Italy (1536) – 18 March:HERE:https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/18/nostra-signora-della-misericordia-our-lady-of-mercy-patron-of-savona-italy-1536-and-memorials-of-the-saints-19-march/ St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Confessor Father & Doctor of the Church, Theologian,…

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#ourladyofmercyofsavona #saints18march #stalexanderofjerusalem #stanselmoflucca #stcyrilofjersualem #stedwardthemartyr #stsalvatorofhorta

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 years ago

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[from my files]

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“St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in instructing catechumens, wrote: “The dragon sits by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the Father of Souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.” No matter what form the dragon may take, it is of this mysterious passage past him, or into his jaws, that stories of any depth will always be concerned to tell, and this being the case, it requires considerable courage at any time, in any country, not to turn away from the storyteller.” ― Flannery O'Connor, Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose

#my flickr files #dargon #Flannery O'Connor #quotes #stories #storyteller

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cruger2984 · 2 years ago

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THE DESCRIPTION OF POPE SAINT LEO THE GREAT Feast Day: November 10

"Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace is the mother of unity. Peace is the rest of the blessed souls. Peace is the dwelling place of eternity."

One of the greatest popes in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, was born circa 400 AD in Tuscany according to Liber Pontificalis. By 431, as a deacon, he was sufficiently well known outside of Rome that John Cassian dedicated to him the treatise against Nestorius written at Leo's suggestion. About this time, Cyril of Alexandria appealed to Rome regarding a jurisdictional dispute with Juvenal of Jerusalem, but it is not entirely clear whether the letter was intended for Leo, in his capacity of archdeacon, or for Pope Celestine I directly.

He was a man of deep learning and exceptional qualities, after his ordination, he became the personal secretary of the Pope.

In 440, during his absence in Gaul, Pope Sixtus III died, and on September 29th, he was unanimously elected by the people to succeed him. Soon after assuming the papal throne Leo learned that in Aquileia, Pelagians were received into church communion without formal repudiation of their errors; he censured this practice and directed that a provincial synod be held where such former Pelagians be required make an unequivocal abjuration. Leo raised the prestige of the Holy See to unprecedented heights, and, his greatest theological triumph was the Council of Chalcedon in 451, where he confirmed the doctrine of the Incarnation against Eutyches, who professed that Christ has only one divine nature.

When the papal legates read his letter, the bishops endorsed it with famous words: 'Peter has spoken through Leo.'

His masterly exposition of the relationship between the two natures of Christ has remained in the church's official teaching.

In 452, Attila the Hun, infamously known as the 'Scourge of God', set out with his army to attack Rome, after the indecisive outcome of the Battle of Chalons a year ago. Attila then invaded Italy, sacking cities such as Aquileia and heading for Rome. He allegedly demanded that the sister of the reigning Emperor Valentinian III be sent to him with a dowry. Panic seized the whole population, while several soldiers deserted their position. Leo confronted the invaders with a cross and persuaded the ruler of the Huns to return his country. A tradition said that Attila changed his mind when he saw behind the Pope the threatening figures of the apostles Peter and Paul, determined to defend from heaven their church on earth.

There was one time when Leo begged forgiveness for 40 days at the tomb of St. Peter. Then the apostle appeared to him and said: 'Your sins are forgiven by God, except those committed in conferring Holy Orders.'

Thereafter, he restricted the ordination of the candidates of mature age who had been thoroughly tested. Leo died on November 10, 461 at the age of 60 or 61, and, as he wished to be buried as close as possible to the tomb of St. Peter, his body was entombed within the portico of Old St. Peter's Basilica. He was the first pope to be buried within St. Peter's. Pope Sergius I had Leo's remains moved to the south transept, inside the basilica in 688. The relocation was apparently due to the number of later papal burials obscuring the prominence that Sergius believed Leo's tomb should have.

#random stuff #catholic #catholic saints #pope st. leo the great #leo the great #pope leo i #doctor of the church

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modestcatholiclife · 2 years ago

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Introduction/Catholicism in the Outback

Welcome to my blog! To introduce myself: I'm a 21 year old Australian woman about to start catechism in the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church. I'll primarily be using this blog as an account of my journey in the spiritual life and with my other self-improvement endeavours. Thank you for joining me on this journey. Now to start my first blog post in media res.

At this time, I'm visiting my grandparents on their farm alongside my fiance, mother, and two younger brothers (18 & 10). This is our fourth day here. It's lovely being out in nature, waking up to kangaroos outside my window.

My fiance and I have been treating this as a spiritual retreat of sorts, seeking to restore our prayer life which has been falling to the wayside as of late. The two of us are staying in the cottage that sits behind my grandparents' house. I've been praying my usual minor hours of the Chasoslov (Horologion) and we've been doing a matins and vespers of sorts together, using the morning and evening prayers from our Orthodox Study Bibles. We've been using my fiance's Psalter instead of the single Psalm those prayers ask for. I'm really enjoying this style of prayer and am greatly considering adding it to my own prayer life. In addition, we've been reading through St. Cyril of Jerusalem's Catechetical Lectures together in order to prepare me for my own upcoming catechism. I still don't feel even remotely prepared but it's been a big help to my understanding of the faith.

Of course, we can't spend all of our time alone in our cabin in prayer. This is a family trip and a chance for my fiance to meet his future grandparents-in-law. This was also when we were able to tell my grandparents of our engagement, as I didn't want to tell them over the phone. This news has been passed on to my aunty who we are hoping to visit this year. She and my uncle live in Melbourne; just an hour away by plane. I've never been on a plane, or out of state, and there is a lovely Ukrainian Catholic Church in Melbourne that my fiance and I would love to see. However, the two we've spent more of our time with on this trip have been my grandparents' two dogs: Owwie the kelpie and Chanel the poodle. Owwie is very friendly and Chanel is too, though she can be rather skittish.

Though it was hot when we came up here, averaging at about 30° (that's Celsius) on our first three days, the weather has turned on us now. It's not overly cold, but it keeps raining. My fiance and I did use the pool the other day but have spent more of our time cleaning up the cottage. The last people to stay here were my aunty and uncle from Melbourne two years ago so there was a lot of grime stuck to the floors. It took us a good few hours but was well worth it. I've also gotten a start on using my self-care planner, gifted to my by a friend on my last birthday. I've written in the twelve major feasts (looking forward to the Holy Theophany tomorrow), along with all the birthdays and appointments I could remember. I plan to buy a packet of highlighters to distinguish the liturgical seasons on the year-at-a-glance section of my planner. I've also filled out a lot of my Glow Up doc, where I write out all of my goals for the year. I have one that I share with friends, a habit we started back in high school, but this is the first time where I've created one by myself. I've added additional headings (with friends the headings were: Fitness, Hobbies/Interests, Hot Girl Summer - whose most common goal was always "get a haircut", Money, School - now known as Education, Social, and Tomfoolery & Shenanigans), and gone into more detailed and personal goals. Hopefully that makes sense. It's extensive, and will become more so when I get back home to my laptop.

I haven't been doing as much independent reading I would like, only having read a few chapters of The Little Book of Skin Care by Charlotte Cho and my fiance and I have continued to slack on our exercise regime, but we still have three more days here.

And that's the end of my first blog post, the only other major thing we plan to do today is book in a time for both of us to take our driver knowledge test.

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

#catholic #catholic women #christianity #christian women #christian living #christian faith #church fathers #jesus christ #jesus #byzantine #eastern orthodoxy #orthodox christianity

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thepastisalreadywritten · 5 months ago

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SAINT OF THE DAY (March 18)

On March 18, the Roman Catholic Church honors St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a fourth-century bishop and Doctor of the Church whose writings are still regarded as masterful expressions of Christian faith.

St. Cyril is also remembered for his exhaustive Biblical knowledge and his endurance in the face of misunderstanding and opposition.

Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians who likewise celebrate him as a saint on March 18 also remember him on May 7, the date of a miraculous apparition said to have occurred soon after his consecration as a bishop.

What we know of Cyril's life is gathered from information concerning him from his younger contemporaries, namely, Epiphanius, Jerome, and Rufinus, as well as from the fifth-century historians, Socrates, Sozomen and Theodoret.

Cyril was most likely born in Jerusalem around the year 315, shortly after the legalization of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.

Although that legalization put a stop to many of the persecutions that threatened the Church for two centuries, it indirectly gave rise to a number of internal controversies — both in regard to theology and the jurisdiction of bishops — in which Cyril would find himself involved.

Cyril received an excellent education in classical Greek literature as well as the Bible.

He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Maximus of Jerusalem and succeeded him as bishop in 348.

During his early years as a bishop, most likely around 350, he delivered a series of lectures to new initiates of the Catholic Church.

Twenty-four of the lectures have survived and are studied today.

In a 2007 general audience, Pope Benedict XVI praised the saint for providing an “integral form of Christian instruction involving body, soul, and spirit.”

St. Cyril's teaching, the Pope said, “remains emblematic for the catechetical formation of Christians today."

In 351, three years after Cyril became the Bishop of Jerusalem, a large cross-shaped light appeared for several hours in the sky over the city — an event that many interpreted as a sign of the Church's triumph over heresy.

It could also, however, be understood as a sign of the suffering the new bishop would undergo in leading his flock.

Unlike many other Eastern bishops and priests of the fourth century, Cyril did not allow his classical learning to lead him away from believing in the full humanity and divinity of Christ.

However, the man who consecrated Cyril as a bishop, Archbishop Acacius of Caesarea, was an ally of the Arians — who claimed that Jesus was a creature and not God.

Because of his connection to the archbishop, Cyril himself was unjustly suspected of heresy by many of his brother bishops.

But he also found himself at odds with Archbishop Acacius, who claimed to have jurisdiction over the birthplace of the Church.

Altogether, these disputes led to Cyril being exiled from Jerusalem three times in the course of 20 years.

Cyril first took refuge with Silvanus, Bishop of Taraus. He appeared at the Council of Seleucia in 359 in which the semi-Arian party was triumphant.

Acacius was deposed and St. Cyril seems to have returned to his see. But the emperor was displeased at the turn of events.

In 360, Cyril and other moderates were again driven out and only returned at the accession of Julian in 361.

In 367, a decree of Valens banished all the bishops who had been restored by Julian, and Cyril remained in exile until the death of the persecutor in 378.

In 380, St. Gregory of Nyssa came to Jerusalem on the recommendation of a council held at Antioch in the preceding year.

He found the Faith in accord with the truth and expressed admiration of his pastoral effort, but the city was a prey to parties and corrupt in morals.

In 381, St. Cyril participated in the Second Ecumenical Council, which condemned two different forms of Arianism and added statements about the Holy Spirit to the Nicene Creed of 325.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem died in 387.

He was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883.

#saint of the day #St. Cyril of Jerusalem

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apenitentialprayer · 2 years ago

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The very word Church can be understood according to two possible etymologies. It is either the convocatio or evocatio or else the congregatio of the faithful, i.e., the Church can be considered either as calling all men to herself in order to gather them together in view of their salvation or as being this very gathering of those who have become "believers," the faithful. The first of these two meanings predominated during the early centuries of Christianity. It was the one employed by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, for instance, in his Catecheses. [...] But the second word is also found more than once in the writings of the Fathers: in the Explanatio symboli of Nicetas of Remesiana, for instance, or in the Treatise on the Mysteries by St. Hilary of Poitiers. St. Thomas Aquinas prefers to use this word, saying, "Ecclesia est idem quod congregatio." So, it is not surprising to find a similar definition in the Roman Catechism, whose authors were all staunch Thomists.

- Henri de Lubac (The Christian Faith: An Essay on the Structure of the Apostles' Creed, pages 171-172, 172-173

#Christianity #Ecclesia #etymology #definitions #Latin #Henri de Lubac

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orthodoxadventure · 3 months ago

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But He who descended into the regions beneath the earth came up again; and Jesus, who was buried, truly rose again the third day. And if the Jews ever worry thee, meet them at once by asking thus: Did Jonah come forth from the whale on the third day, and hath not Christ then risen from the earth on the third day? Is a dead man raised to life on touching the bones of Elisha, and is it not much easier for the Maker of mankind to be raised by the power of the Father? Well then, He truly rose, and after He had risen was seen again of the disciples; and twelve disciples were witnesses of His Resurrection, who bare witness not in pleasing words, but contended even unto torture and death for the truth of the Resurrection. What then, shall every word be established at the mouth of two of three witnesses, according to the Scripture, and, though twelve bear witness to the Resurrection of Christ, art thou still incredulous in regard to His Resurrection?

St. Cyril of Jerusalem - Excerpt on the Resurrection

#Saint Cyril of Jerusalem #Christianity #Orthodox Christianity #Catholicism #Easter

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ststevanofdecani · 25 days ago

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"Why dont the Orthodox Church evangelise as per the instructions of Jesus? You never see them evangelising, only defending the Orthodox faith."

Orthodoxy absolutely believes in evangelism. Just not the forced sales pitch in your face kind.

Christ commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations, and the Eastern Orthodox Church has taken that seriously for 2,000 years. The Gospel was preached from Jerusalem to Antioch, to Constantinople, to Russia, Serbia, Ethiopia, the Americas, Japan, and even the snowy mountains of Alaska. We have missionary saints like St. Innocent of Alaska, Sts. Cyril and Methodius, and St. Nicholas of Japan, who labored with love and sacrifice to bring Christ to people who had never heard His name.

But here’s the thing. Orthodox evangelism doesn’t usually come with catchy phrases, flashy concerts, or guilt tripping altar calls.

Why?

Because we believe something radical in today’s world of marketing, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me DRAWS him" (John 6:44).

We don’t "sell" Jesus. We live Him.

Orthodoxy evangelizes by embodying the Gospel, by living the sacramental life of the Church, gathering in communal worship, repenting daily, loving our neighbor, and standing firm in the truth. We don’t coerce. We don’t manipulate. We don't use fear tactics. The Church is a spiritual hospital, not a street team holding up signs and handing out judgements.

And defending the faith? Yes. That is evangelism too! When the early Fathers refuted heresies, they weren’t just arguing, they were protecting the Gospel so future generations could know the real Christ, not some watered down version.

If we are faithful, God will draw hearts. That’s His job. Ours is to be the lighthouse, not the salesman.

That's how we evangelise, then the Father draws them.

Because the glory doesn't go to us. The glory goes to God!

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catholicholyland · 3 months ago

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Exploring Jerusalem: Top Scenic Sites to Include in Your Holy Land Tour

Find the beauty of Jerusalem with our guide to the top scenic sites. Explore must-visit landmarks, breathtaking views, and historic locations on your Holy Land tour.

Jerusalem is a living museum rich with spiritual, historical, and cultural marvel, not only a historic site. Its holy sites, beautiful scenery, and energetic towns draw visitors.

Whether you are a pilgrim, history lover, or simply seeking stunning scenery, Jerusalem has much to see. A well-rounded itinerary guarantees you see the most beautiful and significant locations.

The Beautiful Ancient City: A Journey Through Time

Rich in history and culture, the Old City of Jerusalem is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Walking along its narrow, meandering streets, you will find centuries-old structures that chronicle the history of many countries, from the Romans to the Ottomans.

Every quarter of the old city, the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Armenian presents a distinctive window onto the rich cultural tapestry that Jerusalem is made up of. During your pilgrimage to Jerusalem, take advantage of your opportunity to see historic sites like the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

The Amazing Western Wall: Feeling the Spiritual Connection

Drawing millions of tourists yearly, the Western Wall also known as Kotel among the holiest locations in Judaism. Many feel the weight of history as they stand in front of this old wall; it also has great spiritual meaning for them.

Visitors may leave notes with prayers or wishes tucked into the seams of the wall, thereby building a powerful link to faith and hope. Whether one has a religious background or not, watching the ceremonies and the loyalty shown here can be quite emotional.

Mount of Olives: A Holy Place with Amazing Views

Rich in biblical history, the Mount of Olives provides amazing panoramic vistas of the Old City. This site is important in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and its a Popular pilgrimage site.

Ascending the mountain brings you old churches, olive groves, and Jewish graveyards. Particular at sunset, the perspective from the top is memorable and offers a great backdrop for reflection and contemplation.

The Amazing Mahane Yehuda Market — A Taste of Local Life

A busy center Mahane Yehuda Market is a really evidence of Jerusalem’s culinary culture. Here, You can explore several stalls offering local delicacies, spices, baked goods, and fresh produce here.

The market is an experience, not only a shopping venue. Interact with local merchants, taste regional cuisine, and fully experience the vibrant environment. The market becomes a vibrant social scene with bars and restaurants in the evening, so it’s a perfect place to enjoy the flavors of Jerusalem.

The Gethsemane Peaceful Garden — for Reflection and Peacefulness

At the base of the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane is a peaceful haven. Because it is so well-known as the location where Jesus prayed before his execution, this site offers much important spiritual introspection.

Adding to the feeling of history and calm, the ancient olive trees in the garden are thought to be over a thousand years old. Visitors often come here to meditate, seek peace, or just appreciate the lovely surroundings, hence this makes a wonderful getaway from the busy city.

Mt Tabor — the Mountain Where Jesus was Transfigured

Since the 4th Century, Christians have identified the mountain upon which the Transfiguration of Jesus took place as Mount Tabor. It is in the Jezreel Valley of Galilee.

In 348 AD St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, wrote that he believed Mt Tabor and not the neighboring Mount Hermon was the site where Jesus was transfigured. By the 6th Century, chapels dedicated to Jesus, Moses, and Eljah had been constructed on Mt Tabor, and in later centuries Byzantine and Crusader churches were built on the site.

In 1924 the present Church of the Transfiguration was completed at the summit of the mountain over the remains of a 12th century church. It is under the care of the Franciscans.

Reflection for Mt. Tabor

Jesus had many mountain experiences:

Before choosing the 12 apostles, Jesus went up the mountain and spent all night in prayer.

After the multiplications of the loaves, Jesus went up the mountain and spent the night in prayer.

Jesus went up the mountain and gave us the Sermon on the Mount.

At the Mount of Olives, Jesus prayed His heart out to His Father, hours before his death.

We need mountaintop experience in our lives, but society tends to level off the mountains and flatten them out. We build expressways that take the curves out of the road, and the roads become straight and flat. But somewhere we need mountaintop experiences that are singular, that take some preparation, time, and effort. We need to be in a place where things look different, and things always look different from a mountain. We need to be in a place where we experience the closeness of God. Lent is a time when we stay up half the night to experience the darkness and the new fire. It’s a mountain top experience, and we must resist the temptation to flatten it out for our convenience. It is hard to climb a mountain. It takes a lot of effort. But we need mountaintop experiences to know God and ourselves in a new light. Mt Tabor is such a place.

Conclusion:

Few cities can combine history, religion, and natural beauty as beautifully as the scenic sites of Jerusalem. From lush parks and panoramic overlooks to holy sites with breathtaking views, there is something for everyone.

A well thought out schedule guarantees you see the most spectacular sights of the city. Choose the optimum times for photography and contemplation when you visit. These moments will provide a genuine feel of Jerusalem’s eternal appeal and will linger with you long past your trip ends. Make a plan for a Catholic Tour to Jerusalem and gather the experiences of feeling the closeness of God.

#best catholic pilgrimages #catholic travel center #custom tour of the holy land #catholic tours and pilgrimages #holy land tour #catholic tours and travels #catholic tour company #catholic tour provider #catholic holy land tours #catholic pilgrimage tours

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antiochianorthodoxcumberlandmd · 3 months ago

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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Wednesday, May 07, 2025

Fast Day (Wine and Oil Allowed)

Feasts and Saints celebrated today:

3rd Wednesday after Pascha

Commemoration of the Precious Cross that appeared in the sky over Jerusalem in 351 A.D.

Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem

Akakios the Centurion of Byzantium

Repose of St. Nilus, abbot of Sora

Pachomios the New Martyr of Patmos

Readings for today:

Acts of the Apostles 26:1, 12-20

John 6:35-39

3rd Wednesday after Pascha

Apolytikion of 3rd Wed. after Pascha in the Second Tone

When You descended to death, O Immortal Life, then, the light of Your divinity destroyed Hades. When You raised the dead from the depths of darkness, all the heavenly powers cried out, "Glory to You our Christ, the Giver of Life."

The content on this page is under copyright and is used by permission. All rights reserved. These works may not be further reproduced, in print or on other websites or in any other form, without the prior written authorization of the copyright holder:

Apolytikion of 3rd Wed. after Pascha (c) Narthex Press

Commemoration of the Precious Cross that appeared in the sky over Jerusalem in 351 A.D.

Reading from the Synaxarion:

On this day in the year 351, not long after Cyril had succeeded Maximus as Archbishop of Jerusalem, during the reign of Constantius, the son of Saint Constantine the Great, on the day of Pentecost, the sign of the Cross appeared over Jerusalem. Saint Cyril, in his letter to the Emperor Constantius, says, "At about the third hour of the day, an enormous Cross, formed of light, appeared in the heaven above holy Golgotha and reaching to the holy Mount of Olives, being seen not by one or two only, but manifest with perfect clarity to the whole multitude of the city; not, as one might suppose, rushing swiftly past in fancy, but seen openly above the earth many hours in plain sight, and overcoming the beams of the sun with its dazzling rays" (PG 33:1 16q).

Apolytikion of Appearance of the Sign of the Cross in the First Tone

The image of Thy Cross at this time shone brighter than the sun, when Thou didst spread it out from the holy Mount of Olives to Calvary; and in making plain Thy might which is therein, O Saviour Thou didst also thereby strengthen the faithful. Keep us always in peace, by the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Christ our God, and save us.

Kontakion of Appearance of the Sign of the Cross in the Fourth Tone

Making its rays to shine above in the heavens, the spotless Cross dawned on the earth, bright with splendour; for it had opened Heaven, which was shut of old. Granted the effulgence of its divine operation, we are surely guided to the unwaning resplendence. In battles we possess it as a true weapon of peace and a trophy invincible.

Reading (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA

Apolytikion of Appearance of the Sign of the Cross (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA

Kontakion of Appearance of the Sign of the Cross (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA

Repose of St. Nilus, abbot of Sora

Prayer Before Reading Scripture

Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our minds that we may comprehend the message of Your Gospel. Instill in us also reverence for Your blessed commandments, so that having conquered all sinful desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give glory together with Your Father who is without beginning and Your all holy, good, and life giving Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Epistle Reading

The Reading is from Acts of the Apostles 26:1, 12-20

IN THOSE DAYS, King Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: "I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.' And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles-to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, tha t they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' "Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance."

Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Gospel According to John 6:35-39

The Lord said to the Jews who believed in him: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day."

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