Today we praise in love
The Apodosis of the Transfiguration
• Tr. rel. of St. Máximos
the Confessor;
• Sts. Dorótheos and Dosítheos;
• St. Tíkhon of Zadónsk,
the Wonder-Worker
• Sts. Dorótheos and Dosítheos;
• St. Tíkhon of Zadónsk,
the Wonder-Worker
~ Fast day ~
A mighty spiritual giant, who was broken by nothing and by no one, whose image does not fade with the ages, Venerable Maximos the Confessor is a faithful indicator, even till now, of how one may follow after Christ by that path by which Saint Maximos so faithfully followed the Lord.
Saint Maximos was born at the end of the sixth century in Constantinople of noble parents and received an excellent philosophical and theological education. Under the Emperor Heraclius (610-641), he was among the imperial counsellors. Seeing the spread of the heresy of the Monothelites, with which even the Emperor himself was infected, (the Monothelites rejected a human will in Jesus Christ, whereby they diminished the significance of His sufferings on the Cross; the Monothelites incorrectly thought that the human nature of Jesus Christ was swallowed up and annihilated by His Divine nature), he left the imperial palace and joined the monks in the Chrysopolis Monastery. Subsequently, Venerable Maximos became the superior of this monastery.
A profound theologian of his time and a strict defender of Orthodoxy, Maximos very ably and successfully demonstrated the incorrectness of the Monothelite heresy, for which he was subjected to persecutions many times by the enemies of the Church.
Venerable Maximos's arguments in behalf of Orthodoxy were so powerful that after a public debate on the faith with Pyrrhus, the Monothelite Patriarch of Constantinople, the latter renounced the heresy in 645.
Venerable Maximos was sent into exile several times and each time would again be called back to Constantinople. The heretics often passed from admonitions and promises to threats, abuse and the beating of Venerable Maximos.
On one occasion, Saint Maximos was called back to Constantinople, where the imperial grandees, Troilus and Sergius, again subjected him to interrogation. They began to accuse Saint Maximos of pride for esteeming himself as the only Orthodox who is being saved and for considering all others to be heretics who are perishing.
To this, the Saint replied: “When all the people in Babylon were worshipping the golden idol, the Three Holy Youths did not condemn anyone to perdition. They did not concern themselves with what others were doing, but took care only for themselves, so as not to fall away from true piety. In precisely the same way, Daniel also, when cast into the den, did not condemn any of those who, in fulfilling the law of Darius, did not want to pray to God; but he bore in mind his duty, and desired rather to die than to sin and be tormented by his conscience for transgressing God’s Law.
God forbid that I, too, should condemn anyone, or say that I alone am being saved. However, I would sooner agree to die than, having apostatized in any way from the right faith, endure the torments of my conscience.”
Then Troilus and Sergius began to point out to Saint Maximos that already the whole Christian world recognized the Monothelite Patriarch of Constantinople as legitimate, that all the Eastern Patriarchs and their locum tenens were in communion with him, and that the plenipotentiary (diplomat - having full power to take independent action) representatives of the Roman Pope will serve with the Patriarch and commune with him. Thus, he is the only one remaining in the whole world who does not recognize the Patriarch.
The Saint answered: “If even the whole universe should begin to commune with the Patriarch, I will not commune with him. For I know from the writings of the holy Apostle Paul that the Holy Spirit will give over to anathema even the angels, if they should begin to preach any other gospel, introducing anything new.”
Subsequently, they cut off
his right hand and tongue . . .
By God's Providence, the severed right hand of Saint Maximos has been kept as a great treasure in the Monastery of Saint Paul on the Holy Mountain Athos since the 12th Century. It was the only known relic of Saint Maximos until the 2010 discovery of his relics in his grave in Georgia which were authenticated in 2015.
Venerable Maximos wrote many theological works in defense of Orthodoxy. Especially valuable are his instructions on the spiritual and contemplative life, some of which were included in the “Philokalia” (a collection of patristic instructions on prayer and the ascetic life). In these ascetical instructions, the spiritual profundity and perceptiveness of Saint Maximos’s thought is revealed. Also, an explanation of the Liturgy that has a great theological significance has come down to us from him.
2 Corinthians 5:15-21 KJV
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Saint Mark 1:16-22 KJV
16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
Eldress Makrina of Portaria:
"Every person must
cultivate his own world..."
"Every person must
cultivate his own world..."
Gerontissa (Eldress) Makrina of Portaria (+June 4th, 1995)
Every person must cultivate his own world, to train it, to make it [soft as] cotton. Among us, "our words should pour forth with honey, the hand should reach towards your sister like cotton...", said St. Nektarios.
Every person must cultivate his own world, to train it, to make it [soft as] cotton. Among us, "our words should pour forth with honey, the hand should reach towards your sister like cotton...", said St. Nektarios.
No comments:
Post a Comment