Honouring St Jonah of Moscow – the Canons of the Feast

Dear brothers and sisters, greetings to you all as we celebrate the feast of St Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia. 

This holy hierarch and wonderworker – from the west of modern day Ukraine – was the first metropolitan elected by the Russian Church itself, in response to Constantinople’s embracing the Unia with Rome and the Phanar’s ‘man in Russia’, Isidore wholeheartedly becoming an enthusiastic Uniate and Catholic Cardinal – fleeing Russia and dying in western exile.

At the beginning of his tenure upon the metropolitical cathedra, it was still titled the Metropolia of Kiev, Galicia and all Rus’, but by the time of his death it reflecting the geographical transfer of the throne to Moscow, as the Metropolia of Moscow and all Rus’

On this feast, on which the Church allows the consolation of fish, in honour of the saint, please honour him and try to pray the canon of the feast – praying for the Church at a time when schism threatens unity, and for the Ukrainian and Russian peoples.

Holy Father and Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us!

Canon of the Theotokos, the acrostic whereof is: “O Mother of God, grant unto me abundant grace”, in Tone VI:

Ode I, Irmos: When Israel walked on foot in the sea as on dry land, * on seeing their pursuer Pharaoh drowned, * they cried: * Let us sing to God * a song of victory.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

When Eve partook of the forbidden fruit of the garden, she brought the curse upon herself; but in giving birth to Christ, the First-fruits of blessing, O pure one, thou hast annulled it.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O pure one who hast given birth to Christ as a pearl is engendered by the lightning of God, with the light of thy radiance dispel the gloom of my passions and the turmoil of transgressions.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

With noetic eyes, Jacob mystically foresaw the expectation of the nations: God, incarnate of thee, Who through thy mediation hath delivered us.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

When princes were lacking in the tribe of Judah, O most pure one, thy Son and God, coming forth as a leader, hath now truly become king over the ends of the earth.

Canon of the Holy Hierarch, in Tone VIII:

Ode I, Irmos: Having passed through the water as upon dry land, * and having escaped the malice of the Egyptians, * the Israelites cried aloud: * Unto our God and Redeemer let us sing.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

As thou delightest in the divine gifts given by God, and dost answer the petition of each with miracles, O father, grant me the power to sing thy sacred festival.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Divine grace was poured forth in thy lips, O holy hierarch Jonah, and thou wast a shepherd of the Church of Christ; for thou wast adorned by God, Whom thou didst glorify by thy life.

The precious shrine of thy relics exudeth sweet fragrance and poureth forth healings, so that the infirmities of the faithful who piously honour thee are ever driven away, O holy hierarch.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Having acquired thee as a firm rampart, O holy hierarch, the Church of Christ ever abideth, praising its Master, Who hath glorified thee.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Theotokos, thou, the undefiled Maiden, became a temple of God for Him Who made His abode within thee in a manner beyond understanding, driving delusion away from men’s souls.

Ode III, Irmos: There is none as holy as Thou, * O Lord my God, * who hast exalted the horn of the faithful O good One, * and strengthened us upon the rock * of Thy confession.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The Good One, assuming my corruptible and mortal flesh through thy womb, O most pure Mother of God, rendered it incorruptible, eternally binding it to Himself.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Beholding God incarnate of thee O Virgin the choirs of angels were filled with awe and fear; and with never-ceasing hymnody they honour thee as the Mother of God.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O Mother of God, the Prophet Daniel was stricken with awe, beholding thee, the noetic mountain from whence the Stone was cut without the aid of men’s hands, which hath mightily crushed the temples of the demons.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Neither speech nor the tongue of man is able to worthily praise thee, O Virgin; for from thee Christ, the Bestower of life, was well pleased to become incarnate, O most pure one.

Irmos: O Lord, Creator of the vault of Heaven * and Builder of the Church, * do Thou strengthen me in Thy love, O Summit of desire, * O Support of the faithful, * O only Lover of mankind.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Thou didst ascend to the summit of the virtues, O holy hierarch, and, receiving the sacred anointing of thy superior life, on an exalted cathedra thou didst serve God as a great high priest.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Having acquired thee as a beacon, O most wise and holy hierarch, the Church of Christ is illumined by thy virtuous instructions, saying: Thou, O Lord, art my strength and confirmation!

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Having cut off all carnal desire with divine desire, thou didst shine forth in a perfect life; wherefore, thou hast passed from hence into never-waning effulgence.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As thou wast the successor of hierarchs O holy hierarch, thou didst strive in word, deed and upright teaching to emulate them; wherefore, we honour thee as a holy hierarch of Christ.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O lustrous tongs of the divine Ember, O bush which was not consumed by the Godhead: Burn up the tinder of my passions, and rescue me from everlasting fire.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Go thou quickly before …”: Thy life hath been shown to all as brilliant, and thy most festive memorial, resplendent with miracles, filleth the faithful with awe. Wherefore, we honour thee now with joy. O boast of hierarchs, pray thou that our souls be saved. (Twice)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

We hymn thee, O Bride of God, Mother of Christ God, glorifying thine unapproachable Offspring, by Whom we have been delivered from the deceit of the devil and from all misfortune, O Sovereign Lady Theotokos; and we faithfully cry out: Have mercy on thy flock, O thou who alone art all-hymned!

Ode IV, Irmos: Christ is my power, * my God and my Lord, * the holy Church divinely singeth, * crying with a pure mind, * keeping festival in the Lord.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O most pure one, we who have been saved by thee hymn thee, the all-immaculate one, and piously chanting, we cry aloud: Blessed art thou who hast given birth unto God, O Ever-virgin!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O all-blessed Virgin, thou hast given birth to the never-waning Light Who in the flesh shineth upon those in the darkness of life; and thou hast poured forth joy upon those who hymn thee, O Ever-virgin.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Through thee, O all-holy one, grace hath blossomed forth and the law hath ceased to be; for thou hast given birth to the Lord Who granteth us forgiveness, O pure Ever-Virgin.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Tasting of the fruit rendered me mortal; but the Tree of life Who revealed Himself through thee, O most pure one, rose from the dead and made me a partaker of the sweetness of paradise.

Irmos: O Lord, I have heard the mystery of Thy dispensation; * I have considered Thy works, * and I have glorified Thy Divinity.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

As a great lamp, O holy hierarch, with the radiance of thy virtues and the splendours of thy miracles thou dost enlighten the faithful, who earnestly hymn thee.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Planted in the house of the Lord like a most comely olive-tree, O holy hierarch and father, thou didst flourish in the courts of the house of our God, imparting health unto men’s souls and bodies.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Thy most precious body became the abode of the most holy Spirit, O holy hierarch Jonah; and lying in the tomb it driveth evil spirits away from men through the power of Him Who dwelleth within thee.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou didst shine forth in word, deed and simplicity of heart, O holy hierarch Jonah. Be thou mindful of us who honour thy memory, O venerable one.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O most pure one, He Whom naught can contain, confined Himself within thy womb, in His goodness saving me who am sunk in sin.

Ode V, Irmos: Illumine with Thy divine light, I pray, O Good One, * the souls of those who with love rise early to pray to Thee, * that they may know Thee, O Word of God, * as the true God, * Who recalleth us from the darkness of sin.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Shining forth radiantly in purity, O all-hymned one, thou wast the divine dwelling-place of the Master; for thou alone hast been revealed to be the Mother of God, bearing Him in thine arms as a babe.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Shining forth radiantly in purity, O all-hymned one, thou wast the divine dwelling-place of the Master; for thou alone hast been revealed to be the Mother of God, bearing Him in thine arms as a babe.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Bearing the noetic beauty of thy most comely soul, thou hast become the Bride of God, O pure one, thy virginity sealed, illumining the world with the light of purity.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Let the assembly of the ungodly lament, they who do not profess thee openly to be the pure Mother of God; for thou hast been revealed unto us as the divine portal of the Light, dispelling the gloom of transgressions.

Irmos: O Light never-waning, * why hast Thou turned Thy face from me * and why hath the alien darkness surrounded me, * wretched though I be? * But do Thou guide my steps I implore Thee * and turn me back towards the light of Thy commandments.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Having thy pure mind ever turned toward God, O holy hierarch, thou didst guide well the flock of Christ; wherefore, with the angels and hierarchs thou hast inherited a habitation which passeth not away, O venerable one, for which cause thou art resplendent with miracles.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

With a mind most pure thou didst gaze upon the Mind which is the cause of all; wherefore, having received gifts of miracles, O most wise and holy hierarch, thou dost amaze the faithful who honour thee with love.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

From the time of thy youth thy life shone forth, adorned with the virtues and arrayed with exalted miracles, O holy hierarch Jonah, and even after thy repose it hath manifestly glorified thee.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O right praiseworthy father, thou wast truly the glory of hierarchs, the helper of the faithful, the adornment of the Church, the foundation of the virtues and the confirmation of piety.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

In divers forms the honourable prophets beheld the unfathomable abyss of the divine mystery of thy pure birthgiving, O most pure and divinely joyous one, insofar as they were able so to do.

Ode VI, Irmos: Beholding the sea of life surging with the tempest of temptations, * I run to Thy calm haven, and cry to Thee: * Raise up my life from corruption, * O greatly Merciful One.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Moses, great among the prophets, perceived thee beforehand as the ark, the table, the lamp, the jar, as prophetic tokens of the incarnation of the Most High through thee, O Virgin Mother.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Moses, great among the prophets, perceived thee beforehand as the ark, the table, the lamp, the jar, as prophetic tokens of the incarnation of the Most High through thee, O Virgin Mother.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Death is slain and the corruption brought about by Adam’s condemnation is abolished, struck down by thy Fruit, O Sovereign Lady for thou hast given birth to Life, Who doth deliver those who hymn thee from corruption.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The Law lapsed impotent, and the shadow passed away when grace appeared unto me, in a manner beyond understanding and comprehension, through the birth of God the Saviour by thee, O greatly hymned one.

Irmos: I will pour out my prayer unto the Lord, * and to Him will I proclaim my grief; * for my soul is filled with evils, * and my life unto Hades hath drawn nigh, * and like Jonah I pray unto Thee: * Raise me up from corruption, O God.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Thou dost now shine, O holy hierarch, adorned with a crown of majesty; and as a true bishop, truly clothed in righteousness, thou hast preserved the inheritance of the Saviour; wherefore, the voice of God cried out to thee: Enter into the joy of thy Lord!

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Meek and innocent, thou didst follow in the steps of the Master and pass over from things corruptible to things eternal; wherefore, with the saints thou hast attained unto the land of the meek, for which cause the councils of the pious hymn thee.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Because of thy great light and purity, Christ revealed thee to be a child of the light and of the day, and made thee a hierarch and pastor of His Church, which thou didst serve as an excellent shepherd before departing unto the heavenly mansions.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Aflame with prudence of mind and desire of spirit, O holy hierarch, thou didst pass through thy life, avoiding tangible things as transitory, O father Jonah, and wast translated unto the divine habitations.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Virgin Who hast given birth to the holy Word, our one God Who truly resteth in the saints, sanctify my soul, and as thou art merciful grant unto me an outpouring of compunction, O most immaculate one.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “To thee, the champion leader …”: O wise one from childhood thou didst give thyself over wholly to the Lord, * laying waste to thy body through fasting and the keeping of vigils; * wherefore, thou wast revealed to be a pure vessel and abode of the most holy Spirit. * For this cause He ordained thee as hierarch and pastor for His Church, * and having tended it well, thou didst depart unto the Lord Whom thou didst love. * We therefore beseech thee: Be thou mindful of us who honour thy holy memory with faith, * that we may all cry aloud unto thee: ** Rejoice, O father Jonah, most honoured and holy hierarch!

Ikos: As a man by nature, O father, thou didst struggle in a superhuman manner, in fasting and the keeping of vigils, in prayer and labours, becoming a model of virtue for many; wherefore, God ordained thee as a hierarch and pastor of His Church. Wherefore we entreat thee: Pray thou to God, the Benefactor of all, that He grant our civil authorities victory over our enemies, and that we may find grace and mercy on the day of judgment, that we may all cry aloud unto thee: Rejoice, O father Jonah, most honoured and holy hierarch!

Ode VII, Irmos: An Angel made the furnace bedew the holy Children. * But the command of God consumed the Chaldeans * and prevailed upon the tyrant to cry: * O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The furnace, which prefigured thy birthgiving, did not consume the three youths; and the divine Fire, without consuming thee, dwelt within thee, and hath taught all to cry: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

As thou didst foretell, O all-pure Mother, the ends of the earth, enlightened by thy brilliant radiance and grace, call thee blessed and, chanting, cry aloud: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The most evil serpent sank his pernicious fangs in me, O Mother of God, but thy Son Himself broke them and gaveth me the power to cry: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Thou art the cleansing of nature, O thou who alone art divinely blessed, for, bearing in thine arms God Who sitteth upon the shoulders of the cherubim, thou dost cry aloud: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Irmos: The Children of Judaea, * who of old came to dwell in Babylon, * trampled underfoot the flame of the furnace * through their faith in the Trinity, * as they sang: ‘O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.’

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

When Christ God beheld thy goodly disposition, in that thou didst live not for thyself, but for the Lord Who worked within thee, therefore He hath adorned thee with healing miracles.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Shining forth like a lamp in thy pure works and corrections, thou didst shepherd well the Church given thee by God, chanting unto Christ: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

As thou didst study the law of the word day and night, O holy hierarch, forgetting the things which thou didst leave behind, and yearning for the things which lay before thee, thou didst cry aloud unto the Creator and Master: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thine excellent life was known unto all, O holy hierarch, wherefore, Christ hath glorified thee after thy repose. Him didst thou fervently serve, O Jonah our father, chanting: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The fire of the Godhead did not consume thee, O Virgin; for the bush on the mountain, which once burnt yet remained unconsumed, prefigured thee, O most pure one.

Ode VIII, Irmos: Thou didst make flame bedew the holy children, * and didst burn the sacrifice of a righteous man with water. * For Thou alone, O Christ, dost do all as Thou willest, * Thee do we supremely exalt throughout all ages.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Thy Son, adorning thee as Queen with the radiance of the Spirit, as with a golden robe, set thee at His right hand, O most pure one. Him do we supremely exalt throughout all ages.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

He Who established the world by His will alone took flesh of thy most pure womb, desiring to restore what He had created. Him do we supremely exalt throughout all ages.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Through the union of the Word to me, a man, thou didst become a divine habitation, manifestly shining forth with the radiance of virginity; wherefore, we hymn thee throughout all ages.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The golden lamp-stand prefigured thee who ineffably received the unapproachable Light Who illumineth all things with His radiance; wherefore, we hymn thee, O pure one, throughout the ages.

Irmos: The King of heaven, * Who is glorified by the hosts of angels, * let us praise and supremely exalt throughout all ages.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Humble and meek, thou didst live an angelic life on earth, O holy hierarch; wherefore, thou dwellest with the saints in the land of the meek, chanting unto Christ: Praise and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

The most precious shrine of thy relics is a temple of sanctity, O holy hierarch, and drawing forth the grace of healing therefrom, we hymn the Lord, the Master of all, Who hath given thee to us as a healer, and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Deified by the will of God, O holy hierarch, thy mind became utterly estranged from carnal passions, chanting unto Christ: Praise and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As is meet, we, the faithful, venerate the precious shrine of thy relics, O holy hierarch Jonah, drawing forth sweet fragrance like myrrh for those who believe, crying out to Christ the Master: O all ye works, supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Heal thou the sufferings of my heart, O thou who hast given birth to the Wellspring of dispassion, and guide me to the divine life, that I may glorify thee throughout all ages.

Ode IX, Irmos: It is impossible for mankind to see God * upon Whom the orders of Angels dare not gaze; * but through thee, O all-pure one, * did the Word Incarnate become a man * and with the Heavenly Hosts * Him we magnify and thee we call blessed.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

A Star, shining forth beams of divinity from out of Jacob, hath shone upon those held fast by darkness; for through thee, O all-pure one, Christ God the Word, hath become incarnate; and illumined by Him, we bless thee with the armies of heaven.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Strengthened by thy power and grace, I fervently offer up hymnody to thee with all my heart. Wherefore O pure Virgin, do thou accept it, and grant me thy grace of surpassing radiance, from thy treasuries of incorruption, O divinely blessed one.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Thou wast manifestly shown to be the material of the Godhead, from which the Word wove the robe of His body, deifying my form, O Virgin; and having clothed Himself therein, He hath saved all who magnify thee with a pure mind.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Through thine ineffable and indescribable birthgiving resurrection hath now been given to the dead, O all-pure Theotokos; for, clad in the flesh through thee, Life hath shone forth upon all and manifestly destroyed the gloom of death.

Irmos: Saved by thee, O pure Virgin, * we confess thee to be truly the Theotokos, * and together with the choirs of the bodiless hosts * thee do we magnify.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

Thou gavest wings to thy mind with a pure heart and divine ascents, desiring to gaze upon the beauty of the one God; and art illumined by the effulgence thereof, O divinely wise and holy hierarch.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

O holy hierarch Jonah, with the grace of Christ preserve thou thy fold and thy flock, entrusted to thee by God, which hath thee as a shepherd driving the terrible wolves away from all the faithful.

Hierarch of Christ, Jonah, pray to God for us.

As of old Israel translated the body of the chaste Joseph, so now the faithful, receiving the shrine of thy relics, O holy hierarch Jonah, venerate it with love, magnifying Christ.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Today thy splendid memorial, shining forth, illumineth the hearts of the faithful, O holy hierarch; wherefore, entreat Christ God, that he who hath composed this hymnody may be preserved from the pursuit of the evil one, and receive mercy on the day of judgment.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

With the light of repentance, O most immaculate one, enlighten me who am darkened by slothfulness, that I may hymn, magnify and glorify thee, the all-immaculate Sovereign Lady.

Troparion, Tone IV: Having dedicated thyself wholly to the Lord from thy youth, * thou didst become a model of virtue in prayers, labours and fasting; * wherefore, beholding thy goodly intent, God appointed thee * a hierarch and pastor of His Church: * wherefore, thy precious body hath been preserved * whole and incorrupt after thy repose. ** O holy hierarch Jonah, entreat Christ God, that He save our souls.

ST JONAH, METROPOLITAN OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA

Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, was born in the city of Galich into a pious Christian family. The father of the future saint was named Theodore. The youth received monastic tonsure in one of the Galich monasteries when he was only twelve years old. From there, he transferred to the Moscow Simonov monastery, where he fulfilled various obediences for many years.

Once, St Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow (May 27 and July 2), visited the Simonov monastery. After the Molieben, he blessed the archimandrite and brethren, and also wished to bless those monks who were fulfilling their obediences in the monastery.

When he came to the bakery, he saw St Jonah sleeping, exhausted from his work. The fingers of the saint’s right hand were positioned in a gesture of blessing. St Photius said not to wake him. He blessed the sleeping monk and predicted to those present that this monk would be a great hierarch of the Russian Church, and would guide many on the way to salvation.

The prediction of St Photius was fulfilled. Several years later, St Jonah was made Bishop of Ryazan and Murom.

St Photius died in 1431. Five years after his death, St Jonah was chosen Metropolitan of All Russia for his virtuous and holy life. The newly-elected Metropolitan journeyed to Constantinople in order to be confirmed as Metropolitan by Patriarch Joseph II (1416-1439). Shortly before this the nefarious Isidore, a Bulgarian, had already been established as Metropolitan. Spending a short time at Kiev and Moscow, Isidore journeyed to the Council of Florence (1438), where he embraced Catholicism.

A Council of Russian hierarchs and clergy deposed Metropolitan Isidore, and he was compelled to flee secretly to Rome (where he died in 1462). St Jonah was unanimously chosen Metropolitan of All Russia. He was consecrated by Russian hierarchs in Moscow, with the blessing of Patriarch Gregory III (1445-1450) of Constantinople. This was the first time that Russian bishops consecrated their own Metropolitan. St Jonah became Metropolitan on December 15, 1448. With archpastoral zeal he led his flock to virtue and piety, spreading the Orthodox Faith by word and by deed. Despite his lofty position, he continued with his monastic struggles as before.

In 1451 the Tatars unexpectedly advanced on Moscow; they burned the surrounding area and prepared for an assault on the city. Metropolitan Jonah led a procession along the walls of the city, tearfully entreating God to save the city and the people. Seeing the dying monk Anthony of the Chudov monastery, who was noted for his virtuous life, St Jonah said, “My son and brother Anthony! Pray to the Merciful God and the All-Pure Mother of God for the deliverance of the city and for all Orthodox Christians.”

The humble Anthony replied, “Great hierarch! We give thanks to God and to His All-Pure Mother. She has heard your prayer and has prayed to Her Son. The city and all Orthodox Christians will be saved through your prayers. The enemy will soon take flight. The Lord has ordained that I alone am to be killed by the enemy.” Just as the Elder said this, an enemy arrow struck him.

The prediction of Elder Anthony was made on July 2, on the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos. Confusion broke out among the Tatars, and they fled in fear and terror. In his courtyard, St Jonah built a church in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow from the enemy.

St Jonah reposed in the year 1461, and miraculous healings began to take place at his grave.

In 1472 the incorrupt relics of Metropolitan Jonah were uncovered and placed in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kremlin (the Transfer of the holy Relics is celebrated May 27). A Council of the Russian Church in 1547 established the commemoration of St Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow. In 1596, Patriarch Job added St Jonah to the Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs (October 5).

St Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow is also commemorated on March 31.

Last Sunday and the Week Ahead

Dear brothers and sisters,

It was wonderful to have such a well-attended Liturgy for the feast of “All the Saints who have shone forth in the lands of Rus’ ”, and good to have so many new faces. 

As I said in my homily, this feast is no doubt one which could be misrepresented by some, as some sort of representation of a ‘Russkiy Mir’ approach to the Church, holiness and the saints – but we are clear that this feast has nothing to do with ethnicity, politics or nationhood, but rather a celebration of the holiness of those whom GOD has glorified in all of the Rus’ lands: in the territory of the modern states of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, and the Carpatho-Russian region which overlaps several modern European states – and the lands of the Empire

Among the saints of Rus’, in addition to East Slavs (among whom we must not forget the Rusyn peoples of Carpatho-Russia), we celebrate the saints of the early Varangian (Norse) ruling class, Greeks, Mongol-Tartars, Germans, Finns, Latvians, Lithuanian’s, Estonians, Hungarians, Romans, native Siberian peoples and countless other nationalities – all linked by their holiness and their glorification by God in the Rus’ lands and the territory of the Empire (however we may view it). 

As we celebrate this feast, we make no differentiation between Slav, Greek of Mongol, but celebrate the memory of all of the saints who have been God-pleasing and glorified by Him.

Beyond the Rus lands, saints such as St John (Maximovich) the Wonder Worker and St Maria of Paris laboured in the spiritual-care of the exiles of the Revolution, and they together with the likes of St Seraphim of Sarov and St Silouan of Mount Athos have gained a place in the loving-hearts of people of all nations and languages, not just Orthodox faithful, but Christians from many backgrounds.

The saints we have celebrated are not just OUR saints, but EVERYBODY’S saints; the Greek saints celebrated in Greek parishes the last Sunday, Romanian saints in Romanian parishes, Serbian saints in Serbian parishes are equally OUR saints. There are no passports, borders and ethno-linguistic divisions in Heaven – and we are meant to reflect that reality here and now!

At a time of division and fragmentation, this feast must be one of unity, and a sign of hope for the Orthodox faithful across borders and battle zones, and we look to the saints as our example in these difficult and painful times.

This coming Sunday will see the celebration of All the Saints who have shone forth in the Isles of Britain, again with no differentiation according to nation, tribe and language, but a celebration of holiness and God’s grace.

In preparation for Sunday, confessions will be heard on Friday, and you are asked – as usual – to email me at otetzmark@hotmail.com, message me via Facebook or send a text. Requests by Wednesday night please.

Following confessions, we will have a catechism discussion on the Eucharist this Friday at 19:00 in the parish room at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, in Butetown. Thanks, as always, to Father Dean, and Georgina for making this possible.

To echo Deacon Mark’s comments at the end of Sunday Liturgy, any children who need to eat due to the very late time of Holy Communion should eat something simple before coming to Church on Sundays. We understand that from bedtime on Saturday to communion time on Sunday is a very long time, and we recognise pastoral necessity for some of our very young parishioners. Food can easily be postny/fasting and should be plain and functional – no animal products and no chocolate cereals are needed.

Our children need to realise that days for Holy Communion are different and should understand that mum and dad, older children and adults are fasting, and they must be helped to grow into this discipline.

Also, children over seven should be confessing before communion, and children’s clothing (like their parents) should be appropriate for Church, with head-coverings for our little girls during Liturgy. This is how children learn that we do things differently in Church to honour God.

They cannot learn Orthopraxis without the input of their parents and elders, and sacred Tradition is in adult hands of to pass on. Without transmission there is no Tradition, and we see the sad results of this in other Orthodox communities where confession before communion, fasting, modest dress, and even reverent silence and behaviour in Church seem optional.

We continue the Apostles’ Fast throughout this week…

Monday June 27 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Tuesday June 28 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil. St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow (1461).

Wednesday June 29 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Thursday June 30 N.S. – Fast. Wine and oil.

Friday July 1 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Saturday July 2 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil.

Sunday July 3 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil.

… and we look forward to the Feast of St Peter and St Paul.

Finally, your prayers are asked for Archpriest Luke, Ruth-Silouana, and Isaiah of our Swansea-Llanelli parish as they self-isolate with covid.

Wishing you a blessed week.

May God bless you.

In Christ – Fr Mark

The fortieth day since the repose of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion

As we mark the fortieth day since the repose of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, our First-Hierarch, we pray for the repose of his soul, for the mercy of God, for the remission of his sins, and that he may be granted eternal rest in the heavenly mansions – in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

May his memory be eternal! Вѣчная память!

Canon to Saint Cyril of Alexandria

The Canon to Our Holy Father, St Cyril of Alexandria, the Acrostic Whereof Is: “Cyril Is the Harp of Divine Visions” 

The Composition of Theophanes, in Tone IV.

 Ode I, Irmos: Through the deep of the Red Sea, * marched dry-shod Israel of old, * and by Moses’ outstretched hands, * raised in the form of a cross, * the power of Amalek was routed in the wilderness.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Receiving light-giving grace from God, O Cyril, and revealed as a radiant beacon, thou hast shone forth noetic rays upon us by thy commemoration, that we may hymn thee as is meet.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

As a keeper of the commandments of Christ thou wast full of the effulgence of the Spirit, O most wise Cyril, having been cleansed of the passions; thou didst truly become a dwelling-place of the most divine Trinity.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As one full of zeal and boldness, O glorious Cyril, contending for the right Faith thou hast truly denounced the God-opposing blasphemies of impious heresies.

Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

In giving birth to the Creator of all, Who raised up us who had been humbled by the fall of our first father, O all-immaculate Bride of God, thou hast thereby healed the broken state of mankind.

Ode III, Irmos: Thy Church, O Christ, rejoiceth in Thee crying aloud: * Thou, O Lord, art my strength, * my refuge and foundation.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Strengthened in Christ, O Cyril, with a steadfast mind thou didst destroy the wiles of the evil serpent like a spider’s web.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Thou didst shake off the mire of the passions from thy soul, O Cyril, and cast down the uprising of every thought which exalteth itself against Christ.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As a successful spiritual athlete, O father, thou didst steadily turn away from every carnal pleasure, as being harmful and detrimental.

Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

With joy we all exceedingly glorify thee as the only blessed one among women who became the habitation of God.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn, in Tone III: Spec. Mel.: “Awed by the beauty of thy virginity …”: As a pillar and sacrifice of the Church of Christ, O father, thou didst most wisely preserve it unshaken by the temptations of the evil one; for thou didst destroy all the evil works of Nestorius, proclaiming the Mother of God to be the Theotokos. Wherefore, having assembled, we honour thee, O divinely blessed Cyril.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Doxasticon from the Pentecostarion, or this Theotokion in Tone III: As an uncultivated vine, O Virgin, * thou didst sprout forth the most-comely Cluster of grapes * Which poureth forth upon us the wine of salvation * making glad the souls and bodies of all. * Wherefore, ever blessing thee as the cause of good things, * with the angel we cry out to thee: ** Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace!

Stavrotheotokion: Thy pure unwedded Mother, O Christ, * upon seeing Thee hanging dead upon the Cross, * said, weeping maternally: * “How hath the iniquitous and thankless council of the Jews * repaid Thy many and great wonders, O my Son, * Thou Who hast filled them with Thy gifts? ** I hymn Thy divine condescension!”

Ode IV, Irmos: Beholding Thee, the Sun of righteousness, * lifted up upon the cross, * the Church now standeth arrayed and doth worthily cry aloud: * Glory be to Thy power, O Lord.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Seeing thee, O God-bearing father Cyril, who hath vanquished soul-corrupting passions and restrained carnal thoughts, Christ set thee as a primate of His divine Church.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Inheriting the paternal virtue of Mark as a beloved son, thou wast a successor of his divine throne, following in the footsteps of the evangelist.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Tended by Christ like a lamb, O father, thou didst pasture like a shepherd, thy flock, on thy spiritually nourishing discourses, feeding them grace as though it were grass and flowers.

Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Giving birth to the incarnate Word of God Who before was incorporeal, O all-hymned and most joyous one, thou hast restored the world. Wherefore, O Bride of God, with Orthodox faith we proclaim thee.

Ode V, Irmos: Thou, O Lord, who camest into the world, * art my light, * a holy light turning from the darkness of ignorance * those who sing Thy praises in faith.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Thy discourse, O Cyril, likened to a mighty torrent which floOdeth rivers, hath scoured away the craftiness of the heretics.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

The vile division of Arius and the abominable mingling of Sabellius hast thou equally consigned to the abyss, O Cyril.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O Cyril, like treasuries of gold and precious stones, thou hast left to the Church of Christ thine enriching discourses.

Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Let heaven sprinkle down gladness and grace upon the earth, for it now sendeth on high gladness, the only Mother of God.

Ode VI, Irmos: The church crieth out unto Thee O Lord, * ‘I will sacrifice unto Thee with a voice of praise’ * having been cleansed of the blood of the demons’ * by the blood that for mercy’s sake flowed from Thy side.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

With tongs the seraph gave the prophet an ember, and by thy hands, O initiate of the sacred mysteries, thou hast given to the Church of Christ a purifying ember from the divine Fire.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Thou didst not destroy aliens as did Samson, but cast down all the foreign doctrines of the heterodox, giving might to the Orthodox, O Cyril.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Manifestly heading the divinely elect council, O father, thou didst cast down the impiety of Nestorius and his Christ-opposing audacity, O father, breathing forth with zeal for the true Mother of God.

Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou didst bud forth the Fruit of incorrupt understanding, O Birthgiver of God, being revealed to the world as an ever-living mediator of incorruption for those who hymn thee with faith and love.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, in Tone VI: Spec. Mel.: “Fulfilling the dispensation …”: Thou hast manifestly poured forth upon us * an abyss of the doctrines of theology * from the wellsprings of the Saviour, * drowning heresies and saving thy flock unharmed * from the threefold waves, O blessed Cyril, ** as a guide for all lands, revealing things divine, O venerable one.

Ikos: When the great, beauteous and radiant sun showeth itself at dawn, darkness is driven away and the moon retreateth, for night cannot abide therein: Shining forth with the light of day, it illumineth the air, revealing the sky as beautiful, and adorning the earth, causing plants to grow therein, it also maketh bright the sea, and adorneth the whole world. Alike in all is the most radiant Cyril, whose wise teachings save the world. For he illumineth the souls of the faithful therewith and ever vanquisheth heresies with piety; for he is a guide for all lands, revealing divine things.

Ode VII, Irmos: In the Persian furnace the youths and descendants of Abraham, * burning with a love of piety * rather than by a flame of fire, * cried aloud saying: * Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Of old Moses, entered the darkness on Mount Sinai, and received the law which slayeth by the letter; but thou, O blessed Cyril, hast disclosed the hidden beauty of the Spirit.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

As revelation was manifest to the children of old in the indistinct images of the law, O father, thou, having lifted the lid from the cup given thee, hast opened it like a rose of understanding, making manifest in speech the images.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Theologizing that the three Hypostases are an uncommingled indivisible divine unity but manifestly distinct, O father Cyril, thou didst utter immutable truths concerning the one Essence and Godhead.

Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The angels beheld strange things in thy birthgiving, O Mother of God: the corrupt nature of the race of mortals hastening toward the life of incorruption and the glory of heaven.

Ode VIII, Irmos: Having spread his hands, Daniel closed the lions jaws * in their den; * while the zealously pious youths, * girded with virtue, * quenched the power of the fire and cried aloud: * Bless ye the Lord, all ye works of the Lord.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Like a wave of the sea the well-spring of wisdom truly flowed forth in thee; for ever-flowing rivers of the doctrines of piety issued forth from within thee, as Christ foretold, O father; for thy divinely chosen words surpass in number, the sands.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Thou wast a wise pastor and teacher of the Church, O venerable Cyril, manifestly interpreting both covenants; for, possessing thy discourses as an anchor and a paternal inheritance, it crieth aloud: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou hast taught that the indivisible, uncommingled, and ineffable union of the Word, the Fashioner of all, Who for our sake assumed flesh, O Cyril, pointed towards an individual will for each nature, crying aloud: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Son and Word of God Who is wholly unapproachable in His essence, made His abode within thee, O most pure one, and, clothing Himself in our essence, in that He is merciful, He appeared accessible in the flesh and dwelt with us who cry aloud: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Ode IX, Irmos: Eve dwelt under the curse of sin * because of the infirmity of disobedience; * but thou, O Virgin Theotokos, * hast through the Offspring of thy pregnancy * blossomed forth blessing upon the world. * Wherefore, we all magnify thee.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

O Cyril, thou didst cast down the disdain directed against the understanding of Christ and His divine Mother, and all the might of the ungodly Nestorius, as well as the dual son-ship, and the mingling of essences of the Acephalites.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

With the power of understanding and the enlightenment of grace, O blessed one, thou didst theologize concerning the consubstantial Trinity and the incarnate Word of God; showing thyself to be a champion of the Theotokos, wherefore thou art now glorified in the highest.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O ever-memorable father, thou dost mercifully look down from on high upon us who hymn thee, granting victory over all heresies to our right-believing hierarchs, by thy supplications lifting up the horn of the Orthodox, and illumining those who magnify thy memory.

Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Beset by many falls and the cruelty of misfortunes, O all-hymned one, I now offer thee a sacrifice of praise and earnestly cry out to thee: O holy Theotokos, help me, for I finish my hymnody glorifying thee.

Troparion, Tone VIII: Teacher of Orthodoxy, instructor of piety and chastity, * luminary of the Church, God-inspired instructor of Hierarchs, * O supremely wise Cyril, thou hast illumined all by thy teaching; * O harp of the Spirit entreat Christ God that our souls be saved.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria

Today we commemorate the repose of this great Father of the Church. He is also remembered on January 18, the date of his flight from Alexandria.

Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, a distinguished champion of Orthodoxy and a great teacher of the Church, came from an illustrious and pious Christian family. He studied the secular sciences, including philosophy, but most of all he strove to acquire knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and the truths of the Christian Faith. In his youth Cyril entered the monastery of Macarius in the Nitreia hills, where he stayed for six years. Theophilus (385-412), the Patriarch of Alexandria, ordained him as a deacon, numbered him among the clergy and entrusted him to preach.

Upon the death of Patriarch Theophilus, Cyril was unanimously chosen to the patriarchal throne of the Alexandrian Church. He led the struggle against the spread of the Novatian heresy in Alexandria, which taught that any Christian who had fallen away from the Church during a time of persecution, could not be received back into it.

Cyril, seeing the futility of admonishing the heretics, sought their expulsion from Alexandria. The Jews appeared a greater danger for the Church, repeatedly causing riots, accompanied by the brutal killing of Christians. The saint long contended with them. In order to wipe out the remnants of paganism, the saint cast out devils from an ancient pagan temple and built a church on the spot, and the relics of the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John were transferred into it. A more difficult struggle awaited the saint with the emergence of the Nestorian heresy.

Nestorius, a presbyter of the Antiochian Church, was chosen in 428 to the see of Constantinople and there he was able to spread his heretical teaching against the dogma about the uncommingled union of two natures in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nestorius called the Mother of God not the Theotokos, but rather Christotokos or “Birth-giver of Christ,” implying that she gave birth not to God, but only to the man Christ. The holy Patriarch Cyril repeatedly wrote to Nestorius and pointed out his error, but Nestorius continued to persevere in it. Then the saint sent out epistles against Nestorianism to the clergy of Constantinople and to the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), denouncing the heresy. Cyril wrote also to other Churches, to Pope Celestine and to the other Patriarchs, and even to monks of several monasteries, warning of the emergence of a dangerous heresy.

Nestorius started an open persecution against the Orthodox. In his presence one of his partisans, Bishop Dorotheus, pronounced an anathema against anyone who would call the Most Holy Virgin Mary the Theotokos.

Nestorius hated Cyril and brought out against him every kind of slander and fabrication, calling him a heretic. The saint continued to defend Orthodoxy with all his powers. The situation became so aggravated, that it became necessary to call an Ecumenical Council, which convened in the city of Ephesus in the year 431. At the Council 200 bishops arrived from all the Christian Churches. Nestorius, awaiting the arrival of Bishop John of Antioch and other Syrian bishops, did not agree to the opening of the Council. But the Fathers of the Council began the sessions with Cyril presiding. Having examined the teaching of Nestorius, the Council condemned him as a heretic. Nestorius did not submit to the Council, and Bishop John opened a “robber council”, which decreed Cyril a heretic. The unrest increased. By order of the emperor, Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria and Archbishop Memnon of Ephesus were locked in prison, and Nestorius was deposed.

Soon Saints Cyril and Memnon were freed, and the sessions of the Council continued. Nestorius, not submitting himself to the determinations of the Council, was deprived of priestly rank. By order of the emperor he was sent to the faraway place Sasim in the Libyan wilderness, where he died in grievous torments. His tongue, having blasphemed the Mother of God, was overtaken by punishment — in it there developed worms. Even Bishop John of Antioch and the remaining Syrian bishops signed the decrees of the Council of Ephesus.

Cyril guided the Alexandrian Church for 32 years, and towards the end of his life the flock was cleansed of heretics. Gently and cautiously Cyril approached anyone, who by their own simpleness and lack of knowledge, fell into false wisdom. There was a certain Elder, an ascetic of profound life, who incorrectly considered the Old Testament Priest Melchizedek to be the Son of God. Cyril prayed for the Lord to reveal to the Elder the correct way to view the righteous one. After three days the Elder came to Cyril and said that the Lord had revealed to him that Melchizedek was a mere man.

Cyril learned to overcome his prejudice against the memory of the great John Chrysostom (November 13). Theophilus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and uncle of Cyril, was an antagonist of John, and presided in a council in judgment of him. Cyril thus found himself in a circle antagonistic to John Chrysostom, and involuntarily acquired a prejudice against him. Isidore of Pelusium (February 4) repeatedly wrote to Cyril and urged him to include the name of the great Father of the Church into the diptychs of the saints, but Cyril would not agree.

Once in a dream he saw a wondrous temple, in which the Mother of God was surrounded by a host of angels and saints, in whose number was John Chrysostom. When Cyril wanted to approach the All-Holy Lady and venerate her, John Chrysostom would not let him. The Theotokos asked John to forgive Cyril for having sinned against him through ignorance. Seeing that John hesitated, the Mother of God said, “Forgive him for my sake, since he has labored much for my honor, and has glorified me among the people calling me Theotokos.” John answered, “By your intercession, Lady, I do forgive him,” and then he embraced Cyril with love.

Cyril repented that he had maintained anger against the great saint of God. Having convened all the Egyptian bishops, he celebrated a solemn feast in honor of John Chrysostom.

Cyril died in the year 444, leaving behind many works. In particular, the following ought to be mentioned: commentaries On the Gospel of Luke, On the Gospel of John, On the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians and to the Hebrews; also an Apologia in Defense of Christianity against the Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Of vast significance are his Five Books against Nestorius; a work on the Most Holy Trinity under the title Thesaurus, written against Arius and Eunomios. Also two dogmatic compositions on the Most Holy Trinity, distinguished by a precise exposition of the Orthodox teaching on the Procession of the Holy Spirit. Cyril wrote Against Anthropomorphism for several Egyptians, who through ignorance depicted God in human form. Among Cyril’s works are also the Discussions, among which is the moving and edifying Discourse on the Exodus of the Soul, inserted in the Slavonic “Following Psalter”.

Source: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2020/06/09/101595-saint-cyril-archbishop-of-alexandria

 

Celebrating the Yaroslavskaya Icon of the Mother of God

Today we celebrate the feast of the Yaroslavskaya Icon of the most Holy Mother of God, one of the “Umilenie” of “Tenderness” icons that are so loved in the Slavic lands.

This was the first wonderworking icon of the Mother of God revealed during the Tatar-Mongol yoke, and was brought from Kiev to Yaroslavl soon after the invasion of Batu Khan by the holy right-believing Princes Basil and Constantine (July 3).

As we stand or kneel before the icon, we encounter the Virgin’s deep love and care for the Infant-Saviour, as she holds Him close to her – though her face shows reflective inner thought rather than looking at the Child or at us. The Saviour touches His mother’s face, focusing on her as he holds the hem of her robe with his other hand.

This is a perfect icon of the sacred motherhood and love of the Mother of God, to whom we turn in prayer, particularly asking her maternal care for  the Archpriest Yves, the Subdeacon Peter, Gennady, Alexey, Valery, Irina, Anastasia, Fidelmia, Anamieka, Phoevos, Mary-Louisa, Mairi, Ruth-Silouana, the infant Lawrence, Susan and all who are sick- and for all refugees from Ukraine, who like her holy icon have fled from their homeland to escape war and bloodshed.

Save thy servants from harm, O Theotokos, for all we, after God, flee unto thee, as to an unassailable wall and intercessor.

Look with loving-kindness, O all-hymned Theotokos, upon my cruel bodily suffering, and heal the sickness of my soul.

Most Holy Lady, Theotokos save us!

The Apostles’ Fast

Dear brothers and sisters,

After celebrating the Sunday of All Saints, yesterday, today sees the beginning of the Apostles’ Fast, which will last until the feast of the Holy Chiefs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, on 12 July – new style.

In Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch, this Fast originated as a post Trinity-Pentecost Fast, as a time of spiritual purification and struggle, so that we might be personally granted the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This understanding is evident in the words of St Leo the Great, Pope of Old Rome (†461),

“After the long feast of Pentecost, fasting is especially necessary to purify our thoughts and render us worthy to receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit … Therefore, the salutary custom was established of fasting after the joyful days during which we celebrated the resurrection and ascension of our Lord, and the coming of the Holy Spirit.”

Past observance saw local variations in the length of this Fast, ranging from a week to a whole forty days. However, though the Fast commences on a moveable date (depending on the Pascha-Pentecostarion cycle) we now conclude the fast on the fixed date of the feast of the Holy Chief Apostles, varying from 8 days to 42 days.

As always, it is far more important that our fasting begins within us – with abstinence from sin – but the dietary Fast is one which helps us to put aside earthly cares, to pray MORE as we eat and cook LESS. We should not simply be changing ingredients, but moderating the amount we eat.

As in all Fasts, we give up all meat, eggs, and dairy food, striving to keep the fast from oil, and only partaking of wine/alcohol on days when it is blessed by the Church. During the Apostles Fast, we are permitted fish on Saturdays and Sundays, and on several other feasts.

Here is a summary of this year’s Fast, including some feasts, some of which explain the relaxation of the Fast on days which would usually be observed with a stricter fasting-regime. We are always aware that there is some variation in calendars, but follow ROCOR usage from the St Innocent and Jordanville calendars:

Monday June 20 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Tuesday June 21 N.S. – Fast. Wine and oil.

Wednesday June 22 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Thursday June 23 N.S. – Fast. Wine and oil.

Friday June 24 N.S. – Fast. Wine and oil. Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas (1st c.)

Saturday June 25 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil.

Sunday June 26 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil.

Monday June 27 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Tuesday June 28 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil. St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow (1461).

Wednesday June 29 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Thursday June 30 N.S. – Fast. Wine and oil.

Friday July 1 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Saturday July 2 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil.

Sunday July 3 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil.

Monday July 4 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Tuesday July 5 N.S. – Fast. Wine and oil.

Wednesday July 6 N.S. – Fast. Wine and oil. The Meeting of the Vladimir Icon

Thursday July 7 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil. Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

Friday July 8 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Saturday July 9 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil.

Sunday July 10 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil.

Monday July 11 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil. Venerable Fathers Sergius and Herman (14th c.), abbots of Valaam. Icon of the Mother of God ‘Of the Three Hands’

May God bless you all, and remember that even though it is not great Lent, it does not mean that this Fast is not important.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Troitsa Thanks

Dear brothers and sisters,

I would like to express profound thanks to all who made Troitsa such a joyful and festive celebration in St John’s, in labours for Liturgy, Vespers and trapeza… and the less than popular putting away and cleaning.

We greatly appreciated the profusion of flowers and greenery, including the lovely posies that our Warminster ladies arranged so that all of the thirty-three adults could hold flowers during the services, including wonderful bunches of flowers for the clergy – with Sweet Williams at my request, as we always had them in our Troitsa flowers in the Birmingham podvorie of St Seraphim. 

To have extras from Cheltenham was an unexpected surprise, and to have so many receiving Holy Communion was a great blessing.

Despite the considerable combined length of the Hours, Liturgy and Vespers, everyone remained buoyant and joyful, with our feast culminating in a wonderfully festive lunch, at which we all ate very well, concluding with much appreciated Torte Napoleon and Medovnik to celebrate Svetlana’s birthday.

Having chanted ‘Mnogaya leta’ for Melangell, a few days after her nameday, we also pray that our senior sister, Svetlana, may be blessed with Many Years!

As we celebrate the Day of the Holy Spirit, I wish you all a blessed and joyous continuation of the feast, enjoining you to heed the words of the righteous St Alexei Mechev,

“Call on the Holy Spirit – always keep your hearts pure so as not to drive away the Holy Spirit from them but to attract Him.”

Turn to the hymns of the feast, and fill this week with joyful prayer to the Heavenly King, the Comforter – to fill your life, your family and your home, as temples of the Holy Spirit.

С праздником! Happy Feast!

With love in Christ – Fr Mark

Greetings for Pentecost

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art in all places, and fillest all things, Treasury of good things, and Giver of life, come, and dwell in us, and cleanse us from every impurity; and save our souls, O good One.

Dear brothers and sisters, с праздником! Happy Feast!

Greetings to you all on this feast of Pentecost when we celebrate the sending-down of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles with the physical manifestation of God’s power.

The Acts of the Apostles described this descent of the Holy Spirit as being as or like a rushing wind, and flames of fire.  

This is as close as the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke could come to describing the descent of the Holy Spirit in human language, as ultimately, this outpouring was beyond the descriptive capability of human language.

Just as Ezekiel had to resort to using as and like to describe an attempted approximation of his vision of God on the heavenly chariot-throne; as Daniel had to do likewise in describing the Ancient of Days; as St John the Theologian did in describing his vision of the Son of Man – so St Luke can only look for the nearest earthly things to describe the experience of the apostles on the day of Pentecost.

Nearly two thousand years later, in celebrating the feast, in our services we return to the wonderful prayer “O Heavenly King…” calling upon the same Holy Spirit that descended upon the apostles “as of a rushing mighty wind” and in “cloven tongues like as of fire” to come and abide in us, and if it were not for our baptismal union with Christ, this request would be daring to the point of audacity.

How can we humans – mere creatures – address the Holy Spirit thus: the same Holy Spirit that we encounter in the dramatic events of today’s Gospel?

Of course, in prayer, we ask God for many things – for mercy, for protection, for the healing of the sick, the relief of the suffering, and for the repsose of the departed, for jobs, material necessities, and many other things… but we now go much further than these prayerfull requests.

We have called the Holy Spirit Heavenly King, yet we His servants and creatures ask the “Comforter, the Spirit of Truth” to come and dwell in us – for the Paraclete to actually stay and abide within us fallen and weak human beings – hardly palatial dwellings for the Heavenly King – and to “cleanse us of all impurity and save our souls.”

We can only understand the boldness and even the possibility of this audacious request through the grace, calling and promise of our baptism and chrismation, by which we have already been cleansed, enlightened and sealed by the operation of the Holy Spirit (no matter what we have done since that spiritual rebirth), having been set aside for God as we were anointed with holy chrism in “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit”.

When the Saviour ascended, He promised to send another Comforter, and this came to pass on the day of Pentecost – but this outpouring of the Spirit is not one that only anointed the apostles and the newly founded apostolic Church, but one which is continually  poured forth upon the individual members of the Body of Christ: especially in the Holy Mysteries of the Church, which the Saviour has given us. 

The Holy Spirit not only recreates us in the Holy Mysteries, but initiates us into the Christian mystery and leads us to Christ, through Whom we are brought to the Father

In our Christian lives, we may not see dramatic signs as on the day of Pentecost, but Christ’s promise of the presence of the Holy Spirit neither ceases nor fails, and it is through the quiet working of the Holy Spirit in our community and individual lives that the gift of Pentecost continues.

The same Holy Spirit which descended upon the upper room on the day of Pentecost has descended upon the baptismal waters in which the new members of our community have been immersed over the last half-year, and was equally the sanctifier of the waters of our own baptism: the Holy Spirit who makes each of us a new creation, in Christ.

The same Comforter sanctified the holy chrism with which each of us received in “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” after baptism. Though we may nor experience supernatural signs, this sealing is our own personal Pentecost, in which we receive the same gift and outpouring that the apostles received in the upper room.

During the consecration at the Divine Liturgy, we pray, “O Lord, Who at the third hour didst send down Thy Most Holy Spirit upon Thine apostles: take Him not away from us, O Good One, but renew Him in us who pray to Thee…” that through the same Holy Spirit, the Holy Gifts may become the very Body and Blood of the Saviour, who promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples.

In the Mystery of Holy Unction, the same Holy Spirit, sanctifies the ‘oil of gladness’, with which we are anointed for the “healing of soul and body”, becoming not only a sign or a symbol, but the spiritual means by which we receive Grace and healing.

The same Holy Spirit works in Holy Matrimony to join husband and wife as one flesh, uniting them in prayer and Faith, transforming them in a new relationship with one another, with God, and with the Church. Through the Grace of the Holy Spirit, they are called to grow together in love, leading one another to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Through confession and the mystery of repentance, the same Holy Spirit transforms, cleanses and purifies the human heart, as the gift of God’s forgiveness and Grace restores and renews His image in each of us, who were clothed in Christ in the Mystery of Baptism.

Through the operation of the Holy Spirit, this repentance is not simply a remedial act of spiritual reorientation or correction after we have sinned and fallen, but the entire way of Christian-living, leading to our transformation and transfiguration, in which the human heart and mind are illuminated and raised up to God.

Through the laying-on of hands by the bishops, as successors of the apostles, and by the operation of the same Holy Spirit, the life of the Church is preserved by the ordination of its ministers to Holy Orders – as bishops, priests and deacons.

Thus, through each of these Holy Mysteries, the Holy Spirit that descended on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, continues to work in the Church and in each of us, quietly, in what is for most of us is a hidden but nevertheless real way.

This presence requires neither signs nor wonders as a mark of validity or authenticity, and whilst the gifts of the Spirit spoken of in the New Testament include supernatural and miraculous charisms that we continue to see in the lives of the saints, the fruits of the Holy Spirit of which St Paul the Apostle speaks are the simple characteristics of a Christian life: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

But, for the fruits of the Holy Spirit to grow and strengthen within us, we need to be active in the podvig of Christian living – labouring to make ourselves worthy receptacles of God’s grace, and worthy temples of the Holy Spirit.

When addressing the Church in Ephesus, St Paul wrote, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It is by walking in the manner worthy of our calling that the fruits of the Holy Spirit will multiply in us, with such an overflowing abundance that they benefit all around us, united with one another in the bond of peace of which the apostle speaks.

Let each of us labour as individuals, and together as Christ’s Church, to cultivate spiritual lives in which the quiet indwelling of the Holy Spirit transforms us by Divine Grace.

Embracing the holiness and goodness to which God calls us, we must each be oriented to Him, in lives in accordance with the precepts of the Gospel, saturated with prayer, in simplicity, moderation and sobriety, lived in the Church and as the Church – as the community of faith sanctified and confirmed on the feast of Pentecost. And, in all of this, let us support, sustain and help one another, as fellow strugglers and co-workers for the Holy Spirit.

With love in Christ – Hieromonk Mark

“All of us, my friends, participate in this effect of the life-giving goodness of the Holy Spirit in various experiences of our spiritual rebirth, renewal and sanctification. The means by which the Holy Spirit is communicated to us are fervent prayer and the Church sacraments. Our whole life, my friends, from beginning to end is accompanied by the great gifts of the Holy Spirit; and yet, in all its actions it must consist and be lived under the influence of the blessing, sanctifying and life-giving grace of the Holy Spirit.

Call on the Holy Spirit – always keep your hearts pure so as not to drive away the Holy Spirit from them but to attract Him.”

St. Alexei Mechev