Thursday Oct 30/Nov 12ns/2026 • Holy Martyrs Zenóbios and Zenobía; Holy Apostle Cleopas; St. Joseph, Patriarch of Constantinople I Thess. 4:18-5:10; St. Luke 11:14-23

Zenόbios and Zenobίa were from the town of Aegea in Cilicia. They inherited the true Faith and great material wealth from their parents. Working zealously for the Faith and with great love, they distributed all their wealth to the poor.

Because their hands were so generous, the hand of God shielded them from every evil intent of men and demons. The generous hands of Zenόbios, which gave to the poor, were endowed by God with the gift of miracle-working, and Zenόbios healed the sick of every kind of infirmity merely by touching them. Zenόbios was appointed Bishop of Aegea.

During a persecution, the Prefect Lysias arrested him and said: "I offer you two choices: life or death; life if you worship the gods, or death if you do not.'' St. Zenόbios replied: "Life without Christ is not life but death, whereas death for the sake of Christ is not death but life.''

When Zenόbios was subjected to cruel tortures, Zenobίa came to the judge and said: "I also want to drink from this cup of suffering, and be crowned with that wreath.''

After being tortured in fire and in boiling pitch, both were beheaded with the sword in about the year 285. Thus this brother and sister took up their habitation in the Kingdom of the Immortal Christ the King.

1 Thessalonians 4:18-5:10 KJV

4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

5 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Saint Luke 11:14-23 KJV

11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.

15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.

16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.

18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

THE HEART IS LIKE A SPONGE

Saint Theophan the Recluse

We are the creation of the God of all. Has He forgotten us or have we forgotten Him?

The Lord is on the Cross. Stand in front of Him in your thoughts and ponder, how would the Lord meet you once He comes down from the Cross? Keep thinking about this for some time, and your conscience will clearly tell you the truth.

Adam and Eve made a choice and reaped the result. The saint tells us how we can reverse it

The heart is like a sponge that has absorbed various liquids. Squeeze it and the liquid will come out. The pressures upon the heart are the life experiences and circumstances of this world, which can produce either good or evil depending on which part of the heart pressure is placed upon. Pay attention. Such thoughts can lead to a good level of self realization.

Faith is a requirement but the promise given

Learn about the teachings of the Orthodox Christian Church and hold onto them in your heart - and you will see the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Again, the choice is ours. Shall we refuse the Gift and be justified?

Knowing what is contained in the Holy Mysteries of the church, be a communicant of the Mysteries as often as possible, with faith and with the Holy Tradition of the church. Then the Divine power of God, will direct you to the Kingdom of Heaven.

ARISE MY SOUL

WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING?

Some days go well and some days don't, but how often do we take advantage of the help of the saints so that things go according to God's will since the saints and the Mother of God lived and breathed His Will. If you don't believe they can help, you won't call on them. Nevertheless we should know that many times Christ sends His spiritual centurions to help us regardless of our slothfulness or disbelief.

YES ETERNAL BUT ...

Yes, we're eternal. It is our nature given to us by our Creator - The Holy Trinity, Who is beginningless and without end, yet so many people believe that we are product of anonymity or Mother Nature, driven mostly by superego (Freud), experience and instinct. If we affiliate ourselves more with corruptible attachments and passions than with Christ, we end up alienated from Him.  Did He not say we must love Him with ALL our heart, mind and soul and love our neighbors as ourselves.

Q:  Does God speak to all those He created, people, animals, the wind?   

 

Please note: 

ABOUT HOMILIES
If, especially prior to prayers, we read, contemplate and reflect on the God-given guidance found in the testimony of the saints in homilies, we will find not only crucial clarity in scripture but also clarity of our spiritual status in our journey from transient darkness to the Eternal Light of the Holy Trinity.

• The Ascetical  Homilies and Vignette portions of the PARAGON will no longer be linked/archived to PARADISE NOW since one need only scroll down for past posts which include homilies and vignettes.

• When irregular sized fonts appear on the PARAGON, they are not always errors but often glitches created by Google.

• Texts in blue are the comments made by the creator of the PARAGON.

 

Wednesday Oct 29/Nov 11 ns/2026 • Holy Martyr Anastasía of Rome, Sts. Abrámios and Mary ~ Fast day ~ I Thess. 4:1-12; St. Luke 11:9-13

 

ANASTSIA was born in Rome of noble parents, and was left an orphan at the age of three. As an orphan, she was taken to a convent near Rome where the abbess was Sophia, a nun of the highest level of perfection. After seventeen years, Anastasia was well known-among the Christians as a great ascetic, and among the pagans as a rare beauty.

Probus, the pagan governor, heard of Anastasia and sent his soldiers to bring her to him. For two hours, the good Abbess Sophia counseled Anastasia how to keep the Faith, how to resist flattering deceits, and how to endure torture. Anastasia said to her:

"My heart is ready to suffer for Christ; my soul is ready to die for my Sweet Jesus.'' Brought before the governor, Anastasia openly expressed her faith in Christ the Lord, and when the governor tried to turn her away from the Faith-first by promises and then by threats-the martyr said to him: "I am ready to die for my Lord not only once, but-oh, if it were only possible-a hundred times!'' When they stripped her naked to humiliate her, she cried out to the servants: "Whip me, cut me up and tear me apart, cover my naked body with wounds and cover my shame with blood!'' She was beaten, torn and cut up. On two occasions she felt a great thirst and asked for water, and a Christian, Cyril, gave her a drink, for which he was blessed by the martyr of Christ and beheaded by the pagans.

Anastasia's breasts and tongue were severed, but an angel of God appeared and sustained her. Finally, she was beheaded outside the city. Blessed Sophia found her body and buried it honorably.

Anastasia was crowned with the wreath of martyrdom during the reign of Decius.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 KJV 

4 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

Saint Luke 11:9-13 KJV

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

St. Basil the Great:

On Giving Thanks to the Creator

As thou takest thy seat at table, pray. As thou liftest the loaf, offer thanks to the Giver. When thou sustainest thy bodily weakness with wine, remember Him Who supplies thee with this gift, to make thy heart glad and to comfort thy infirmity. Has thy need for taking food passed away? Let not the thought of thy Benefactor pass away too. As thou art putting on thy tunic, thank the Giver of it. As thou wrappest thy cloak about thee, feel yet greater love to God, Who alike in summer and in winter has given us coverings convenient for us, at once to preserve our life, and to cover what is unseemly. Is the day done? Give thanks to Him Who has given us the sun for our daily work, and has provided for us a fire to light up the night, and to serve the rest of the needs of life. Let night give the other occasion of prayer. When thou lookest up to heaven and gazest at the beauty of the stars, pray to the Lord of the visible world; pray to God the Arch-artificer of the universe, Who in wisdom hath made them all. When thou seest all nature sunk in sleep, then again worship Him Who gives us even against our wills release from the continuous strain of toil, and by a short refreshment restores us once again to the vigour of our strength. Let not night herself be all, as it were, the special and peculiar property of sleep. Let not half thy life be useless through the senselessness of slumber. Divide the time of night between sleep and prayer. Nay, let thy slumbers be themselves experiences in piety; for it is only natural that our sleeping dreams should be for the most part echoes of the anxieties of the day. As have been our conduct and pursuits, so will inevitably be our dreams. Thus wilt thought pray without ceasing; if thought prayest not only in words, but unitest thyself to God through all the course of life and so thy life be made one ceaseless and uninterrupted prayer.”

Saint Theophylact's

Homily On Todays Gospel

St Luke 11:9. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Observe the precision of His words. He did not say, ‘ask once,’ and it shall be given, but ‘keep asking,’ that is, seek continuously. 

St Luke 11:10. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ‘Everyone who asks receives.’ But does one who asks for what is useless also receive? No. For, first, a request for something useless cannot truly be called a request before God. For he who prays to God must ask for that which God gives. But if someone asks for what is harmful, he does not make a prayer to God, for God does not give that which is harmful. 

St Luke 11:13. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Then listen to how even the Lord Himself teaches us what we ought to ask. He says: the son asks for ‘bread,’ ‘fish,’ and ‘egg.’ Just as these make up a person’s food, so must our requests be beneficial and serve us for salvation. The one asking for ‘bread’ is, perhaps, anyone asking that faith in the Trinity and soundness in the dogmas be revealed to him. For these, as that which establishes the heart, are bread. He who asks for ‘fish’ is one who, swimming in the sea of this life, asks God for help to remain alive like a fish and not be drowned amid temptations. The one who asks for an ‘egg’ desires that there be born within him virtuous souls, which—having taken wing, rising in spirit and soaring above the earth—may rightly be likened to birds.

 ~ V I G N E T T E S ~

NO NEW VIGNETTES TODAY

WED. OCT 29/NOV 11

Please note: 

ABOUT HOMILIES
If, especially prior to prayers, we read, contemplate and reflect on the God-given guidance found in the testimony of the saints in homilies, we will find not only crucial clarity in scripture but also clarity of our spiritual status in our journey from transient darkness to the Eternal Light of the Holy Trinity.

• The Ascetical  Homilies and Vignette portions of the PARAGON will no longer be linked/archived to PARADISE NOW since one need only scroll down for past posts which include homilies and vignettes.

• When irregular sized fonts appear on the PARAGON, they are not always errors but often glitches created by Google.

• Texts in blue are the comments made by the creator of the PARAGON.

Tuesday Oct 28/Nov 10ns/2026 • Holy Martyrs Terence and Neonílla; St. Stephen the Sabbaïte; St. Athanásios, Patriarch of Constantinople; St. Philaret the Confessor, Metropolitan of New york; St. Theophilos the Fool for Christ of the Kiev Caves I Thess. 3:8-13; St. Luke 11:1-10- Homily CHRISTIAN SERVICE; WAR by St Philaret Metropolitan of New York

Saint Terence was from Syria, and suffered for Christ with his wife Neonílla and their seven children Sabelus, Photius, Theodoulos, Vele, Hierax, Nitus, and Eunice. They were denounced as Christians and brought before the authorities for interrogation.

The saints confessed Christ and mocked the pagan gods, even as their sides were raked with iron hooks. Vinegar was poured into their wounds, which were then set afire. The saints encouraged one another and prayed to God to help them. He sent angels to free them from their bonds and to heal their wounds.

Then the saints were thrown to the wild beasts, who became gentle and did not harm them. Afterward, they were thrown into a cauldron filled with hot pitch, but they were not burned. Seeing that nothing could harm the saints, the pagans beheaded them.

1 Thessalonians 3:8-13 KJV

3:8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.

9 For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;

10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.

12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

Saint Luke 11:1-10 KJV

11 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

ABOUT HOMILIES

If we read, contemplate and reflect on the God-given guidance found in the testimony of the saints in homilies, we will find not only crucial clarity in scripture but also clarity of our spiritual status in our journey from transient darkness to the Eternal Light of the Holy Trinity.

Christian Service; War

St Philaret Metropolitan of New York

Naturally, this Christian patriotism we have spoken of requires from each of us as great a service as possible to the nation. The value of such service is even more significant if it is rendered unselfishly - free of any material calculations and considerations. A person serves the country in one way or another when he participates in its life by, for example, expressing himself in the press or in civil elections, etc. In this, one must strive to bring benefit to the whole country, the whole people, and not to one's own personal or party interests - then one's conscience will be at peace. It may be that one will not attain great external success, but let him, nevertheless fulfil the duty of a patriot and a faithful child of the nation in an honorable and Christian manner.

There is a saying, "In misfortune, a friend is known." Love for the nation is most clearly manifested in times of national trials and troubles. We all know how it feels when someone close to us is ill. We do not want diversions or satisfactions. In our sorrow and concern, we sometimes cannot even eat or drink or sleep. One who truly loves one's nation will manifest similar feelings during times of national troubles. If our heart is filled with nothing but our own personal experiences and interests, if we moan and sigh while our deeds remain far from our words, then our love for the nation is poor indeed.

One of the clearest and most self-denying struggles of service to one's homeland is to die for the nation. A Christian soldier is a defender of the homeland, and clearly fulfils Christ's precept, "there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for ones brethren."

War in itself is absolutely evil, an extremely sad phenomenon and deeply contrary to the very essence of Christianity. Words cannot express how joyous it would be if people ceased to war with one another and peace reigned on earth. Sad reality speaks quite otherwise, however. Only some dreamers far removed from reality and some narrowly one-sided sectarians can pretend that war can be omitted from real life.

It is quite correct to point out that war is a violation of the commandment, "Do not kill." No one will argue against that. Still, we see from the Holy Scripture that in that very same Old Testament time when this commandment was given, the Israelite people fought on command from God, and defeated its enemies with God's help. Consequently, the meaning of the commandment, "Do not kill," does not refer unconditionally to every act of removing a person's life. This commandment forbids killing for revenge, in anger, by personal decision or act of will. When our Savior explained the deep meaning of this commandment, He pointed out that it forbids not only actual killing, but also an un-Christian, vain anger.

Nevertheless, in a conversation with the apostles about the last days, the Lord told them, "You will hear of wars and reports of wars. See that you are not distressed: for all this must be." With these words, the Lord refutes all statements that war is avoidable.

True, we have already examined the fact that war is a negative phenomenon. Yet, it will exist, sometimes as the sole defense of truth and human rights, or against seizure, brutal invasion and violence. Only such wars of defense are recognized in Christian teaching. In fact, we hear of the following event in the life of St. Athanasios of the Holy Mountain.

Prince Tornikian of Georgia, an eminent commander of the Byzantine armies, was received into monasticism at St Athanasios' monastery. During the time of the Persian invasion, Empress Zoe recalled Tornikian to command the armies. Tornikian flatly refused on the grounds that he was a monk. But St. Athanasios said to him, "We are all children of our homeland and we are obligated to defend it. Our obligation is to guard the homeland from enemies by prayers. Nevertheless, if God deems it expedient to use both our hands and our heart for the common weal, we must submit completely ... If you do not obey the ruler, you will have to answer for the blood of your compatriots whom you did not wish to save." Tornikian submitted, defeated the enemy and rescued the homeland from danger.

In a conversation with Mohammedans, about war, St. Cyril the Enlightener of the Slavs said, "We meekly endure personal offenses; but as a society, we defend each other, laying down our lives for our neighbors..."

One can, of course, sin and sin greatly while participating in war. This happens when one participates in war with a feeling of personal hatred, vengeance, or vainglory and with proud personal aims. On the contrary, the less the soldier thinks about himself, and the more he is ready to lay down his life for others, the closer he approaches to the martyr's crown.

THOSE WHO HAVE EARS

To ears attuned to things ephemeral, Christ's voice is more difficult to hear than the sound of a single feather or particle of dust floating in the still air; His voice is louder than a trillion galaxies crashing together when heard by the eternal soul.