Saturday September 7/20 ns 2025 • Holy Martyr Sózon, St. Cassiané the Hymnographer; St. Chrysostomos the New of Phlorina, the Confessor ~ Saturday before the Elevation: I Cor. 2:6-9; St. Matt. 10:37-11:1

Saturday September 7/20 ns 2025

QUOTES FROM THE SAINTS (scroll down):

+ COUNSELS ON PRAYER

by Holy Elder Hieronymos of Ǽgina

+ HOW THE TRUE FAITH

HAS COME DOWN TO US

and also

+KNOWING GOD

St. Silouan of the

Holy Mountain Athos

In love and honor we remember 

today...

The Holy Martyr Sózon,

St. Cassiané the Hymnographer;

St. Chrysostomos the New

of Phlorina, the Confessor

Sózon was born in Lyconia. He was a shepherd and kept all of God's laws, instructing his peers and friends in his pious Faith. In a vision he was shown that he would suffer martyrdom for Christ. 

This was in the time of Maximian, magistrate of Cilicia, who perpetrated a terrible persecution of Christians in the nearby city of Pompeiopolis. In that city there was a certain golden idol which the pagans worshiped. Sozon left his flock, went to the city, entered the pagan temple and broke the arm off the golden idol. He crumbled it into bits and distributed it to the poor. There was a great uproar because of this, and the pagans sought out the guilty one. So that no one else would suffer for his deed, Sozon went to the magistrate and declared himself to be a Christian and the perpetrator of that act. His torturers first beat him, then suspended him from a tree and scraped his body with iron combs. When he was nearly dead, they cast him into a fire, where St. Sozon gave up his holy soul to God. He suffered in about the year 304. St. Sozon's relics were miracle-working, and a church in his name was built over them.

1 Corinthians 2:6-9 KJV

6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Saint Matthew 10:37-11:1 KJV

37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

11 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

COUNSELS ON PRAYER

by Holy Elder Hieronymos of Ǽgina

• Whether you have zeal or not, do not cease praying

and do not become negligent in your prayer.

For whatever reasons, do not cease praying /

And try to shed one teardrop every night.

• Do not let a day pass without prayer,

• Persevere in and increase your prayer.

Say the prayers our Church has prescribed:

the Six Psalms, Small Compline, the Paraklesis, etc.

Read them from prayer books, but now and then

leave the books aside for a while. That is, without

the book, apart from the words of prayer written

there, speak to Christ on your own. Simply, and

from the heart, speak to Him as though you were

seeing Him before you: “My Father, I have sinned;

I did not spend my day in a spiritual way, but with

worldly things. I judged, spoke a lot, laughed in an

inappropriate way, ate a lot, did not pray. I had so

many weaknesses and falls. Forgive me, Lord,”

and so on. Speak that way and Christ will take pity

on you and send you tears. And tears have to come,

because such prayerful tears will give you strength

and joy. They will take away your sorrows.

Just as when you do not work, you do not get paid,

so without toil, effort, diligence, prayer, etc.,

neither spiritual gifts nor a taste for holy and

spiritual things come.

• Humility, tears, prayer, and a pure soul. Tears do

not come when one has not spent his day well,

in a spiritual manner.

• If a day has passed during which you do not

sense Christ in your heart by means of prayer,

reading of the Psalter and the Gospel, etc.,

consider such a day to be a waste! Beg with tears,

like Mary Magdalene, saying: “Do not abandon me,

O my Christ! Do not leave me alone, O my Christ!

My sweetest Christ, do not take my soul before

I become all Thine!” With each prayer, you must

shed one teardrop. And when you are filled with

compunction, do not tell it to anyone, because it is

a Divine gift and you might lose it!

HOW THE TRUE FAITH HAS

COME DOWN TO US

and

KNOWING GOD

St. Silouan of the

Holy Mountain Athos

The soul of all peoples always felt

that God exists, even though they

didn't know enough to worship the

true God. The Holy Spirit, however,

taught the Prophets first, then the

Apostles, after them the Holy Fathers

and our bishops and so the true faith

has come down to us. We knew the Lord

through the Holy Spirit. And once

we knew him, our soul became fixed in him.

Know, you peoples, that we were made

in order to glorify God in heaven, and

don't attach yourselves to the earth.

Because God is our Father and He loves

us, His greatly desired children. People

who don't know grace, don't seek it.

People have become attached to the earth

and this is why most of them don't know

that there's nothing earthly which can

compare with the sweetness of the

Holy Spirit.

TO BELIEVE OR TO KNOW

St. Silouan of the

Holy Mountain Athos

To believe that God exists is one thing;

to know God is another. The soul that

comes to know God fully, not longer

desires anything else. Nor does it

attach itself to anything on the earth;

and if you put before it a Kingdom,

it would not desire it. For the love

of God gives such sweetness and joy

to the soul that even the life of a king

can no longer give it any sweetness.