Saturday
January 18
New Style January 31 2026
ARCHBISHOPS OF ALEXANDRIA
Saints Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ's Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics.
St Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. He surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. This radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. He returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. Like an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. He is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics).
St Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. He succeeded to his uncle's position in 412, but was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics. He later resumed his See, however. St Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 441, which censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. His wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine. St Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444, and is also commemorated on June 9 (the day of his repose)."
+IN BLESSED MEMORY
7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Saint Matthew 5:14-19 KJV
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Listen to the gospel above chanted in Arabic by Metropolitan Archbishop Samuel David
As the new-born child is the image of the full-grown man, so the soul is in a certain sense the image of God who created it. The child, on growing up, begins gradually to recognize its father, and when it reaches maturity, they dispose things mutually and equally, father with son and son with father, and the father's wealth is disclosed to the son. Something similar should have happened to the soul.
Before the fall, the soul was to have progressed and so to have attained full manhood (Eph. 4:13). But through the fall it was plunged into a sea of forgetfulness, into an abyss of delusion, and dwelt within the gates of hell. As if separated from God by a great distance, it could not draw near to its Creator and recognize Him properly. But first through the prophets, God called it back, and drew it to knowledge of Himself. Finally, through His own advent on earth He dispelled the forgetfulness, the delusion; then, breaking through the gates of hell. He entered the deluded soul, giving Himself to it as a model. By means of this model the soul can grow to maturity and attain the perfection of the Spirit. It is therefore for our sakes that the Logos of God is by divine permission tempted by the devil, and then endures vilifications, mockeries, beatings at the hands of savage men, and finally death on the Cross, showing us, as we said, what attitude we must take up towards those who vilify and mock us and bring us to our death. Thus we become as though deaf and dumb before them, not opening our mouth, so that clearly perceiving the subtlety and energy of evil, and as though nailed to the cross, we may call loudly to Him who can deliver us from death (Heb. 5:7) and cleanse us from our secret faults (Ps. 19:12); for "if they do not have dominion over me, then 1 shall be faultless" (Ps. 19:13). When we are faultless we find Him 'who has brought all things into subjection' (Ps. 8:6), and we reign and enjoy repose with Christ. Overpowered through the fall by material and unclean thoughts, the soul became as though witless. As a result, no small effort is needed for it to rise out of materiality and to grasp the subtlety of evil, so that it can commingle with unoriginate Intellect.
If you want to return to yourself and to recover your original glory, which you lost through your disobedience, heedlessly paying more attention to the orders and counsel of the devil than to the commandments of God, then you must now have done with him whom you obeyed and turn towards the Lord. But you must know that only after much labor and sweat of the brow will you recover your richness. Nor is it to your advantage to attain this blessed state without suffering and great effort, for if you do you will lose what you have received and betray your inheritance to the enemy. Let us each realize, then, what we have lost and repeat the lamentation of the prophet: 'Our inheritance is despoiled by strangers and our house by aliens' (O.T. Lamentations. 5:2), because we disobeyed the commandment and surrendered ourselves to our own desires, delighting in sordid and worldly thoughts. Then our soul was far away from God and we were like fatherless orphans. Thus, if we are concerned for our own soul we must make every effort to purge away evil thoughts and 'all the self-esteem that exalts itself against the knowledge of God' (2 Cor. 10:5). And when we have forcibly applied ourselves to keeping God's temple spotless, then He who promised to make His dwelling in it will come to us. Then the soul recovers its inheritance and is privileged to become a temple of God. For, after thus Himself expelling the devil and his army, from henceforth He reigns within us.
https://youtu.be/StUSGry1EbM?si=3WevmLIpxpn7cnhC
Saint Symeon Metaphrastis
Paraphrases of the Homilies of
St. Makarios of Egypt
Before the fall, the soul was to have progressed and so to have attained full manhood (Eph. 4:13). But through the fall it was plunged into a sea of forgetfulness, into an abyss of delusion, and dwelt within the gates of hell. As if separated from God by a great distance, it could not draw near to its Creator and recognize Him properly. But first through the prophets, God called it back, and drew it to knowledge of Himself. Finally, through His own advent on earth He dispelled the forgetfulness, the delusion; then, breaking through the gates of hell. He entered the deluded soul, giving Himself to it as a model. By means of this model the soul can grow to maturity and attain the perfection of the Spirit. It is therefore for our sakes that the Logos of God is by divine permission tempted by the devil, and then endures vilifications, mockeries, beatings at the hands of savage men, and finally death on the Cross, showing us, as we said, what attitude we must take up towards those who vilify and mock us and bring us to our death. Thus we become as though deaf and dumb before them, not opening our mouth, so that clearly perceiving the subtlety and energy of evil, and as though nailed to the cross, we may call loudly to Him who can deliver us from death (Heb. 5:7) and cleanse us from our secret faults (Ps. 19:12); for "if they do not have dominion over me, then 1 shall be faultless" (Ps. 19:13). When we are faultless we find Him 'who has brought all things into subjection' (Ps. 8:6), and we reign and enjoy repose with Christ. Overpowered through the fall by material and unclean thoughts, the soul became as though witless. As a result, no small effort is needed for it to rise out of materiality and to grasp the subtlety of evil, so that it can commingle with unoriginate Intellect.
If you want to return to yourself and to recover your original glory, which you lost through your disobedience, heedlessly paying more attention to the orders and counsel of the devil than to the commandments of God, then you must now have done with him whom you obeyed and turn towards the Lord. But you must know that only after much labor and sweat of the brow will you recover your richness. Nor is it to your advantage to attain this blessed state without suffering and great effort, for if you do you will lose what you have received and betray your inheritance to the enemy. Let us each realize, then, what we have lost and repeat the lamentation of the prophet: 'Our inheritance is despoiled by strangers and our house by aliens' (O.T. Lamentations. 5:2), because we disobeyed the commandment and surrendered ourselves to our own desires, delighting in sordid and worldly thoughts. Then our soul was far away from God and we were like fatherless orphans. Thus, if we are concerned for our own soul we must make every effort to purge away evil thoughts and 'all the self-esteem that exalts itself against the knowledge of God' (2 Cor. 10:5). And when we have forcibly applied ourselves to keeping God's temple spotless, then He who promised to make His dwelling in it will come to us. Then the soul recovers its inheritance and is privileged to become a temple of God. For, after thus Himself expelling the devil and his army, from henceforth He reigns within us.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another
No comments:
Post a Comment