St. Eugene of Aitolia,
St. John the New Chozebite
Evsígnios served as a soldier under Emperor Maximian, Emperor Constantine the Great and under Constantine's sons. He was present during the torturing of the holy female martyr Basiliscus [May 22]. He saw myriads of angels and the Lord Jesus Himself as He received the soul of this holy martyr from the angels. Evsígnios fought under Emperor Constantine and saw the Cross which appeared to the emperor. He served in the army for sixty full years and during the reign of Constantine's sons resigned from military service and settled in Antioch, the place of his birth. There, he lived a god-pleasing life in fasting, prayer and good works. During the time of Julian the Apostate, two men who were arguing on the street asked him to be their judge. He dispensed justice to the correct one and the man at fault became angry and went to the emperor and accused Evsígnios of being a Christian. The emperor summoned Evsígnios to court but he strongly denounced the emperor for his apostasy from the Faith and reproached him with the shining example of Constantine the Great. The enraged Julian ordered that he be beheaded. Evsígnios was martyred at a ripe old age in the year 362 A.D. and took up habitation in the Kingdom of Heaven.
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
2 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.
WHY WE BLESS GRAPES & FRUITS ON THE GREAT FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
It is the tradition of the Day of
Transfiguration to consecrate grapes, apples and other fruit after the Divine
Liturgy. The custom of bringing fruit to the temple for consecration originates
in the Old Testament time (Genesis 4:2-4; Exodus 13:12-13; Numbers 15:19-21;
Deuteronomy 8:10-14). The Apostles brought this tradition to the Church of the
New Testament (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Instructions regarding bringing fruit to
temple is found in the Third Rule of the Apostolic Canon, the earliest
collection of ecclesiastic laws (canons), known since the second century. In
Greece, August is the month of ripeness of fruit, mostly grapes etc. which are
brought to temple for consecration as Thanksgiving to God. St. John Chrysostomos
wrote, "Plowman receives fruit from the earth not so much for his labor
and diligence, as out of goodness of God Who grows this fruit, because neither
is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the
increase." Grapes are brought to temple because they are directly related
to the Eucharistic Holy Mysteries (sacraments); that is why in the prayer for
consecration of grapes the priest says, "Bless, Lord, this new fruit of
vine which reached ripeness because Thou kindly provided good weather, drops of
rain and stillness. Let eating this fruit of vine make us joyful. And give us
the honor of offering this fruit to Thee, as the gift of purging of sins,
altogether with the Holy Body of Thy Christ."
In the first centuries of Christianity,
the faithful brought forth to the temple the fruit and crops of the new
harvest: bread, wine, oil, incense, wax, honey etc. Of all these offerings,
only bread, wine, incense, oil and wax were taken to the altar, while the rest
was used for the needs of the clergy and the poor whom the church was caring
for. These offerings were to express gratitude to God for all goods, but at the
same time help servants of God and people in need. Until today, consecration of
bread and wine, eggs and milk and other food has been kept in consecration of Artoklasia
in the church and meals at home on Pascha. Consecration of flowers and tree
branches is performed now on Palm Sunday, the days of the Holy Trinity and
Exaltation of the Cross, and on Sunday of the week of the Veneration of the
Cross. Rice with raisins and honey are used as offerings in services for the
dead and remembrance repast. Prosphora are brought forth for proskomide (the
service of the preparation of the Eucharist, everywhere even today.
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