How Spiders Gave Us Tinsel

The month of December has once again arrived and it’s that time of year to put up and decorate the Christmas tree. Do you place silver or gold tinsel on your tree? If so, you may be surprised to know that this tradition likely originated in Eastern Europe.

This old tradition is connected to The Legend of the Christmas Spider, an Eastern European folk tale. It is most popular in Ukraine, where people customarily incorporate small ornaments in the shape of pavuchky (little spiders) to decorate their trees. The spider-web-covered yalynka (Christmas tree) originates from a familiar Ukrainian Christmas story which goes something like this…

A long time ago, there lived a poor widow cramped in a hut with her very young children. One day, a pine cone dropped and started growing outside the hut. The children tended to it lovingly until it grew into an extravagant tree. Each year the children begged their mother to decorate the beautiful evergreen tree in honor of our Lord’s Nativity; and, each year the poor widow would humbly explain to her children that they did not have enough money to afford decorations for the tree. On one Christmas Eve, the tiny spiders who lived in the attic of the tiny hut overheard the children softly crying in their beds. Feeling compassion for the children, the spiders abandoned the warmth of the attic and made their way to the tree, whereupon they spun intricate webs. The Christ Child then appeared and smiled as He looked upon the happy little spiders on the tree. He reached out and touched the webs and, blessing them, turned them into silver and gold. In the light of the morning, the Christmas tree sparkled and shimmered and the family was forever relieved of their poverty from the valuable strands of silver and gold. Thus the custom to have tinsel of silver and gold and a spider ornament amongst the other decorations on the Christmas tree was born.

Like all good folktales, this one also comes in many versions. Another version of the Christmas spider folklore has the Holy Family hiding in a cave during their flight to Egypt. After the Holy Family entered the cave, the benevolent spiders spun webs to cover the entrance. When Herod’s soldiers passed, they didn’t bother to search the cave as it appeared that it had not been disturbed in quite some time – and the Holy Family was saved by the benevolence of the spiders. 

So, as you hang your ornaments on your tree, you might now want to add at least one small pavučok (tiny spider). You know, just in case.

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Giving Tuesday

Slava Isusu Christu! Slava na viki!

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

We’ve all heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday—days when shopping is at a frenzy, but have you heard of Giving Tuesday? The Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been designated as a national day of giving when people support non-profits. It’s a perfect way to show gratitude for the difference non-profits make every day throughout the year.

There is a lot of evidence that people experience altruistic behavior as pleasurable, and that we are “hard-wired for giving.” In the last 20 years neuroscientists have been able to demonstrate this time and again by putting people in MRI machines and watching what happens in their brains when they behave generously. And it really feels good—neurologically; it is similar to ingesting an addictive drug or hearing that you are holding a winning lottery ticket. So why deprive yourself of such a positive experience?

Your contribution on Giving Tuesday helps support the mission, life, and work of Orthodox Catholic Monastery of Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow. We are very appreciative for all donations. As a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all gifts are tax deductible.

Please consider making a donation today!

Donations can be securely transacted via the monastery’s PayPal account by clicking on the “DONATE” button below and designate the amount of your donation. You do not need a PayPal account to donate and you can choose to pay with a debit or credit card.

May our Lord through the intercession of His most Blessed Mother, Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow, grant you and yours many years of peace, love, joy, health, and happiness!

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Venerable Saint Paisius Velichkovsky

Venerable Saint Paisius Velichkovsky is fondly remembered as the Archimandrite of the Neamţ Monastery in Moldova.

The righteous Paisius Velichkovsky (Паїсій Величковській) was born in 1722 in the city of Poltava to the family of a priest. At seventeen years of age he entered the Lyubechsky Monastery, and then transferred to the Sacred Monastery of Saint Nicholas, along the Trăisteni River (also called Medvedovski) in Moldova. From there he relocated to the Carnul Skete, where he met ascetics, hermits, and fathers who lived the hesychastic* tradition and where he was distinguished by his strict observance of the monastic life.

Ultimately the venerable Paisius moved to Holy Mount Athos (Greece). He arrived at Great Lavra and from there went to the Pantocrator Monastery. He settled in a hut and started living in great asceticism, repentance, abstinence, poverty, struggle. Various monks gradually came to join him, requiring them to build an additional hut until they occupied the Cell of Saint Constantine. The brotherhood consisted of Romanian-speaking and Slavic-speaking brethren.

Without seeking it, the venerable Paisius attracted many monastics who sought to live under his spiritual guidance and to share his way of spiritual life. For the sake of the brotherhood, he was pressured to accept ordination to the priesthood in order to offer liturgical services for the growing brotherhood. Eventually the community moved into the Skete of the Prophet Elias, where services were conducted in two languages: Slavonic and Romanian. The venerable Paisius’ reputation spread throughout the Holy Mountain and many came to confess to him. He lived eighteen years on Mount Athos.

When the brotherhood became too numerous to fit at Prophet Elias, over sixty monks followed the righteous one to Moldova and settled in the Dragomirna Monastery. The new community toiled with great labor to reconstruct the monastery facilities, and Saint Paisius established the spiritual rule according to an Athonite order based on the typikon and writings of Saint Basil the Great. He codified that the abbot of the monastery must know three languages: Greek, Slavic, and Romanian.

Neamţ Monastery

Within three years the number of monks in the Dragomirna brotherhood tripled. Over two-hundred monks lived in asceticism at this monastery. The brotherhood remained twelve years (1763-1775) at the Sacred Monastery of Dragomirna, where due to the events of the Ruso-Turkish war they served and ministered to a large crowd of people gathered at the Monastery. When the Austrians occupied the territory where the monastery was located, the community which had grown to 350 members moved with great sadness and pain to another monastery, that is, the Monastery of Sekou. With continued growth of the community, the righteous Paisius relocated with a significant number of monks in 1779 to the Neamţ Monastery, leaving a portion of the brotherhood in Sekou. The venerable Paisius was elevated at this time to the rank of Archimandrite. At its height in 1790, there were approximately 700 monks comprised of ten different nationalities dwelling in the Neamţ Monastery. On 15/28 November 1794 the venerable one reposed in the Lord at the age of 72 and was buried in the cathedral church of the Ascension in the Neamţ Monastery.

*Hesychasm is a mystical tradition of prayer in the Orthodox Church. It is described in great detail in the Philokalia, a compilation of what various saints wrote about prayer and the spiritual life. St Paisius and his monks translated many books including the Philokalia into Slavonic and other languages. As befitting a translator of the Philokalia, St. Paisius revived and taught hesychast spirituality and the Jesus Prayer. St. Paisius’s translation and his practice of the Jesus Prayer led to a revival of this spirituality and influenced many monks and monasteries in the years to come.

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Thanksgiving Blessings

Thanksgiving is a time to gather with loved ones, enjoy good food, and and be grateful for all that we have. On this special day we are reminded to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives. Gratitude humbles us on this holiday as we remember all who so generously support the monastery in so many ways throughout the year. We thank you for your support, and we truly hope that kindness warms your days and brings gratitude to your life. Have a most blessed Thanksgiving!

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Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers

Commemorated on 8/21 November

The Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers was established at the beginning of the Fourth Century at the Council of Laodicea. was established at the beginning of the fourth century at the Council of Laodicea, which met several years before the First Ecumenical Council. The 35th Canon of the Council of Laodicea condemned and denounced as heretical the worship of angels as gods and rulers of the world, but affirmed their proper veneration.

The Feast was established in November, the ninth month after March (with which the year began in ancient times) since there are Nine Ranks of Angels. The eighth day of the month was chosen for the Synaxis of all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven since the Day of the Dread Last Judgment is called the Eighth Day by the holy Fathers. After the end of this age (characterized by its seven days of Creation) will come the Eighth Day, and then “the Son of Man shall come in His Glory and all the holy Angels with Him” (Mt. 25:31).

There are nine ranks of all the archangels according to St. Dionysius the Areopagite: Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Authorities, Principalities, Archangels and Angels; their number is very large.

Angelic Ranks are divided into three hierarchies – the higher, middle, and lower. Each hierarchy is composed of three ranks. The highest hierarchy includes: the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones.

Closest of all to the Blessed Trinity are the six-winged Seraphim (Flaming, Fiery) (Isaiah 6:2). They are aflame with love for God and encourage others toward such love.

After the Seraphim the closest rank to the Lord are the the many-eyed Cherubim (Gen. 3:24). Their name means: outpouring of wisdom, enlightenment, because through them, shining the light of the knowledge of God and the understanding of the mysteries of God, descends wisdom and enlightenment for true knowledge of God.

After the Cherubim, according to God-bearing grace given to them for service, are the are Thrones (Colossians 1:16). Mystically and incomprehensibly bearing God, they serve God’s justice.

The middle angelic hierarchy consists of three Ranks: Dominions, Powers, and Authorities.

Dominions (Col. 1, 16) have authority over the successive ranks of Angels. They instruct wise governance to the earthly rulers established by God. Dominions instruct how to master one’s emotions, to tame sinful lust, to enslave the flesh to the spirit, to master one’s will, and to overcome temptations.

Powers (1 Peter 3:22) fulfill God’s will. They perform miracles and send down the grace of wonderworking and clairvoyance to the saints of God. Powers help people to fulfill obediences, strengthen patience, and bestow spiritual strength and courage.

Authorities (1 Peter 3:22; Colossians 1:16) have the power to tame the power of the devil. They repel demonic temptations from people, strengthen and guard ascetics, and help people in their struggles with evil thoughts.

The lower hierarchy consists of three ranks: Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.

Principalities (Colossians 1:16) rule over the lower angels, directing them to the fulfillment of the divine commandments. They were instructed to control the universe, to protect countries, peoples, and nations. Principalities instruct people to render honor to everyone, befitting one’s rank. They instruct those in authority to perform their official duties, not for personal glory or profit, but for the honor of God and the good of others.

Archangels (1 Thessalonians 4:16) announce the gospel about the great and glorious, reveal the mysteries of faith, prophecy and the understanding of God’s will. The Archangels strengthen in people the holy faith, enlightening their minds with the light of the Holy Gospel.

Angels (1 Peter 3:22) are closest to people. They proclaim God’s intent and instruct people to lead virtuous and holy lives. They preserve faith, restrain people from falling, raise up the fallen, never abandoning us, and always ready to help, if we request.

All ranks of Heavenly Powers bear the common name of Angels – in light of their ministry. God reveals His will to the highest angels, and they, in turn, enlighten the others.

Above all nine ranks the Lord established the Holy Archangel Michael (his name in translation from Hebrew – “who is like God”) – a faithful servant of God, for he is raised to cast Lucifer out of heaven with the other fallen spirits. And he said to the rest of Angelic Powers: “Let us attend! Let us stand aright before our Creator and eradicate any thoughts displeasing to God!”

According to Church tradition, Archangel Michael is attributed to participation in many events of the Old Testament. At the time of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, he went before them in the form of a pillar of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Through him was revealed the strength of the Lord, destroying the Egyptians and Pharaoh, who pursued the Israelites. Archangel Michael defended Israel in all disasters.

He appeared to Joshua and revealed the will of the Lord for the capture of Jericho (Joshua 5:13-16). The strength of the great Archangel was revealed in the destruction of 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian King Sennacherib (4 Kings 19:35.), in the defeat of the wicked leader Antiochus Iliodor and in the protection from the fire of the three holy youths – Ananias, Azarias and Misael, who were thrown into the furnace to be burned for refusing to worship an idol (Daniel 3:92-95).

By the will of God, the Archangel delivered the Prophet Habakkuk from Judah to Babylon, to give food to Daniel entrapped in the lions’ den (Akathist, Kontakion 8). Archangel Michael forbade the devil to reveal to reveal to the Jews the body of the holy Prophet Moses for deification (Jude 1:9).

Holy Archangel Michael also showed his power when he miraculously saved the child, who was cast by looters into the sea with a stone around his neck off the coast of Mount Athos (Athos Paterik).

Holy Scripture and Tradition give us the names of the Archangels:

• Michael: tramples the devil underfoot.
• Gabriel: strength (power) of God, herald and servitor of Divine omnipotence (Dan 8:16, Luke 1:26). He announces the mysteries of God.
• Raphael: the healing of God, the curer of human infirmities (Tobit 3:16, 12:15)
• Uriel: the fire or light of God, enlightener (3 Ezdras 5:20). We pray for him to enlighten those with darkened minds.
• Selaphiel: the prayer of God, impelling to prayer (3 Ezdras 5:16). He prays to God for mankind.
• Jehudiel: the glorifying of God, encouraging exertion for the glory of the Lord and interceding for the reward of efforts.
• Barachiel: distributor of the blessings of God for good deeds, entreats the mercy of God for people.
• Jeremiel: the raising up to God (3 Ezdras 4:36).

– Translated from Russian

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Social Media Cleanse

If you’re anything like me, irregardless of your personal politics, you’re probably physically drained, emotionally exhausted, and simply worn out from the political campaigns of the past year. After the election, I felt compelled to temporarily unplug from social media for a bit of rest and relief from the ubiquitous political vitriol. I learned there is even a fancy term for taking a break from social media: social media cleanse.

My brief respite seemed helpful in refreshing and strengthening my spirit. But does taking a break from social media actually do anything for one’s mental health? According to research, the answer is “yes.” Research has also shown connections between social media usage and depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

Jacqueline Nesi, a clinical psychology Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Carolina, writes:

“Social media can be a great tool for keeping in touch with friends and family, but excessively using social media—at the expense of in-person interactions with friends or family—can negatively impact relationships and well-being.”

Jacob Barkley, Ph.D. and psychology professor at Kent State University, agrees that taking a break from technology could mitigate anxiety by lessening the stressful obligations some people associate with constant communication.

Biblically speaking, solitude is a valuable practice. The best example is Jesus, who “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). Jesus, God Incarnate, sought out solitude after performing miracles (Mark 1:35), in times of grief (Matthew 14:13), before choosing the twelve apostles (Luke 6:12–13), in His distress in Gethsemane (Luke 22:39–44), and at other times. Solitude was a consistent practice in Jesus’ life. Jesus also invited His disciples to share times of solitude (group solitude) with Him…

“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place” (Mark 6:31–32).

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed-out, it’s appropriate and beneficial to unplug, take a break, get some rest, and allow yourself to be renewed by whatever nurtures your spirit. Shalom!

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Saint Jona, Archbishop of Novgorod

Commemorated on November 5/18

Sainted Jona, Archbishop of Novgorod, in the world named John (Ioann), was early on left orphaned and then adopted by a certain pious widow living in Novgorod. She raised the child and sent him off to school. Blessed Michael Klopsky, one time chancing to meet John on the street, foretold that he would become archbishop of Novgorod. John received tonsure at the Otensk wilderness-monastery, 50 versts distant from the city, and he became hegumen of this monastery. It was from here that the Novgorod people chose him as their archbishop in 1458, after the death of Sainted Evphymii.

Saint Jona enjoyed great influence at Moscow, and during his time as hierarch the Moscow princes did not infringe upon the independence of Novgorod. The Moscow Metropolitan Saint Jona (1449-1461) was a friend of the Novgorod Archbishop Saint Jona, and desired to see him become his successor. Archbishop Jona built for the first time in the Novgorod lands – a church in honour of the Monk Sergei of Radonezh (in 1463). Concerning himself over reviving traditions of the old days in the Novgorod Church, he summoned to Novgorod the reknown compiler of Saints’ Lives – Pakhomii the Logothete, who wrote on the basis of local sources both services and vitae of the best known Novgorod Saints.

And to this time period belongs also the beginnings of the founding of the Solovetsky monastery. Saint Jona rendered much help and assistance in the organising of the monastery. To the Monk Zosima he gave a special land-grant letter of blessing (in conjunction with the secular authorities of Novgorod), by which was bestown over the whole of Solovetsk Island under the land-holdings of the new monastery.

The saint, after his many toils, and sensing the approach of his end, wrote a spiritual last-instruction to bury his body at the Otensk monastery. On 5 November 1470, having communed the Holy Mysteries, the saint expired to the Lord.

There has survived to the present day a Letter of Saint Jona to metropolitan Theodosii, written in the year 1464. The life of the saint was written in the form of a short account in the year 1472 (included in the work, “Memorials of Old Russian Literature”, and likewise in the “Veliki Chet’i-Minei” (“Great Reading Menaion”) of Metropolitan Makarii, under 5 November). In 1553, after the uncovering of the relics of Archbishop Jona, an account was compiled about this event, from the pen of the monk Zinovii of Otensk. A special work about the miracles of the saint is to be met with in manuscripts of the XVII Century.

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

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Are We Reading The Wrong Bible?*

I recently presented a lecture to a group of students and others in Canada about the Orthodox understanding of Scripture. In this lecture,  I spoke about the fact that the New Testament and the early Church used a version of the Old Testament Scriptures which was a translation into the Greek language made by the Jews in the centuries before Christ. We know this translation as the Septuagint, or the Seventy, because of the tradition that the Pentateuch at least (the first five books of the Old Testament) was translated by Seventy Jewish scholars.

By about 135 BC the other sacred writings had also been translated into Greek, or in some cases were written in Greek. This is often very different in meaning to the version of the Old Testament Scriptures which the Jews of Palestine started to adopt as authoritative in the centuries after Christ, and which was finally formalised in about 1000 AD. It was this alternative edition which Protestant translators, teachers and preachers, have depended on, and which has come to be even the usual text in Orthodox Churches, but it is not the text that Orthodox ever used until recent centuries, though it found its way into the Western Church through the translation of the Jewish text made by Jerome in the very late 4th century slowly eroded the use of the Septuagint in the Roman Church.

In the New Testament the Septuagint edition of the Old Testament was quoted 340 times. It was the translation and version of the Old Testament Scriptures that our Lord Jesus and the Apostles used when they referred to the Scriptures. And it was the version of the Old Testament that was translated into Coptic, Armenian, and even into Latin. The Fathers of the Church used this edition, and it was, above all others, the Orthodox Old Testament.

In Matthew 12:31, for instance, our Lord Jesus quotes from Isaiah 42:4. He says…

…in His name Gentiles will trust.

This is a clear prophecy of the universal character of the ministry of the one who will come and of whom Isaiah speaks. The problem is that in the Jewish/Protestant Old Testament the reference is not presented in this way. Isaiah 42:4 in the New King James version says…

…the coastlands shall wait for His law.

This is not really the same at all. Of course there is a connection between the two texts, but one is clearly speaking of the Gentiles finding faith in the one whom God will send, while the other speaks only of the coastlands and the Law. If we consider what the Septuagint says, that edition of the Old Testament that the New Testament and the Church have always used, we find that it is exactly as the Lord Jesus quoted and says..

He shall shine out, and shall not be discouraged, until he have set judgment on the earth: and in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

But there are other differences which are even more theologically significant. In Isaiah 53, for instance, v10 says in the New King James version, a Protestant translation based on the Jewish text…

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.

What is this saying? It is that God has chosen to bring pain upon this suffering one whom Isaiah describes. This is certainly what most Protestants teach. Other modern Protestant translations of this verse, based on the later Jewish text, say…

The Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief. (NASB)
But the Lord wanted to crush him and to make him suffer. (CEB)
Still, it’s what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. (MSG)
But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. (NLT)

These slightly different translations of the same text from the later Jewish edition of the Old Testament certainly support the Protestant doctrine of the Atonement, in which God pours out his anger and wrath and hatred upon Jesus Christ, and that it was for the purpose of bearing this wrath that Christ came into the world. When Orthodox Christians, especially those who are not experienced in understanding Protestantism, are pointed to these texts by their Protestant friends they can easily be confused and find their faith disturbed, because it seems that the Protestants are simply saying what the Bible says.

But in fact the Bible that our Lord Jesus used, and which the Apostles constantly refer, to and which our Fathers preached from. Indeed the Bible that was universally used in the Orthodox Church until the Protestants began to produce their own translations into Arabic in the Middle East, and into English in the West, does not say the same thing at all. In the Septuagint, the Bible of Jesus and the Apostles, this verse says…

And the Lord desires to cleanse him from his blow. (NETS LXX)
The Lord also is pleased to purge him from his stroke. (Brenton LXX)

Much of the rest of this chapter is couched in the same language. Far from God punishing the Christ who would come, or cause him pain, we find in the Orthodox and Apostolic Old Testament, the Septuagint, that God is the one who is sustaining Christ. In v11 we read, in the Septuagint…

And the Lord wishes to take away from the pain of his soul, to show him light and fill him with understanding, to justify a righteous one who is well subject to many, and he himself shall bear their sins. (NETS LXX)

This is again an entirely positive passage. God is the one who will take away the pain of the suffering Christ. But in the Protestant versions of the Bible, using the later Jewish text, it says…

And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied. (NASB)

This Protestant translation says that God will see the suffering of Christ and will be satisfied. Of course such a translation both supports and produces the Protestant teaching about the Atonement, the idea that God punishes his Son and pours out his wrath and anger upon him. But this is not what the passage teaches in the authentically Christian edition of the Old Testament.
In one other passage, the Septuagint in v6 tells us that….

The Lord gave him over to our sins. (NETS LXX)

This is not the same as the translation in Protestant editions which say…

The Lord gave him the punishment we deserved. (CEV)
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him. (MSG)
The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (NASB)
God laid on him the guilt and sins of every one of us! (TLB)

This entirely different translation based on a different text produces an entirely different understanding of salvation. In the Septuagint we see that God speaks as giving his Son for a dangerous mission, but in the Protestant translations based on the later Jewish text, we see that is is said that God himself is punishing and is the cause of the suffering of Christ. This is not the Christian teaching at all. These ideas are not found in the text that our Lord Jesus quotes. They are not found in the text that the Apostles used hundreds of times in the New Testament. They are not found in the Scriptures used by the Fathers or in the services of the Orthodox Churches.

This matters a very great deal. It is not too simplistic to say that a Protestant edition of the Old Testament, based on later Jewish texts, will quite naturally teach a Protestant understanding of Christianity. It is the Septuagint, the translation of the Old Testament made by the Jews into Greek some centuries before Christ, which preserves the authentic text which was received by the Orthodox and Apostolic Church, and which is the basis for the Orthodox and Apostolic understanding of the Faith.

What should we do? Ideally we will use, in the English language and in other languages, a translation which is based on the Septuagint. These are available. The Orthodox Study Bible uses a translation of the Septuagint and is probably the easiest edition to obtain and use in English. Our choice of Bible does matter. It is not simply a matter of preferring one form of language over another. What is at stake is the authority of the text and the doctrine it presents. The Septuagint is the Orthodox and Apostolic text of the Old Testament. Nothing else will really do. And everything else cannot help but undermine the Apostolic message of salvation, not least by presenting a false teaching of what happened on the cross. We haven’t taken this issue seriously enough at all, and countless confused Orthodox bear testimony to the cost.

*Father Peter Farrington

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Saints Cosmas and Damien

According to the older (Julian) calendar, the Church commemorates today Saints Cosmas and Damian, with their brothers Anthimus, Leontius, and Euprepius and their mother, the widow, Theodota. All were martyred in the year 303.

Saints Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers born in modern day Syria around 270 A.D. After the death of their father, Theodota was left alone to raise her five sons by herself. Cosmas and Damian were educated in science and medicine and became physicians. Cosmas and Damian considered every patient a brother or sister in Christ and showed great charity to all their patients. Neither Cosmas nor Damian ever accepted any money for their services. For this reason, they were called “the silverless ones” or “unmercenaries”. The brothers faithfully followed the instruction Jesus gave to the apostles: “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

Diocletian’s edict in 303 demanded religious uniformity and the destruction of all Christian literature. Christians who refused to cooperate were often sentenced to death. When Diocletian’s persecution began in their city, Saints Cosmas and Damian were arrested at once. Because of their fidelity to the Christian faith, they were tortured and then beheaded.

As early as the 4th century, churches dedicated to the twin saints were established at Jerusalem, in Egypt and in Mesopotamia. Devotion to the two saints spread rapidly in both East and West. Saints Cosmas and Damian are regarded as the patrons of physicians and surgeons and are sometimes represented with medical emblems.

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The Early Church

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Altar Feast of the Monastery

All Orthodox churches are dedicated to the worship of God, of course, and when Christians first became able to build churches they built them on holy sites associated with events in scripture, the life of Christ, or over the tombs of the martyrs. And if there was no holy site at hand, nonetheless a church would be dedicated in the name of a person or an event marked on the church calendar. We continue this tradition.

Monastery Icon of Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow

Today, Sunday, November 6th (October 24), we celebrate the monastery’s altar feast in honor of the icon of Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow. The Church commemorates the icon of the Mother of God based on the event of a woman named Euphymia (sister of Patriarch Joachim of Moscow and All Rus) who received healing from sickness after obeying a voice telling her to find this icon and have the priest celebrate a Molieben with blessing of water. This miracle occurred on November 6 (October 24), 1688.

Our churches and monasteries always have their own special feast day. This is sometimes called the altar feast (престольный праздник) or the patronal feast. The monastery is dedicated to the Mother of God, specially in honor of her icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” The celebration of an altar feast is very special, full of prayer and good fellowship, giving thanks for one’s place of worship, for God’s innumerable mercies to us, and for the intercession and protection of the Mother of God on our walk through life.

This year the monastery is marking its third anniversary. In special celebration, the newly-elected Metropolitan Archbishop +Paul, the newly-retired Metropolitan Archbishop +Peter, and Reverend Father Gregory+ Tumey (pastor of St. Mychal the Martyr, Fort Wayne, Indiana) join the monastics for the festal celebration of the Divine Liturgy and fellowship.  We welcome our beloved hierarchs and clergy to the monastery family and beg their continued prayers for us and for our beloved lay apostolate, benefactors, family, and friends.

A Prayer to Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow

Holy Mother of God, the Handmaiden who served the Heavenly Father and who art blessed forever, hear our helpless cries. We place our hope in thee that thou wilt pray to thy Son and our God for the remission of sins and for the healing of suffering and sorrow. Teach us to rejoice under thy merciful protection. In thy compassion for sinners, transform our unrighteousness into zeal for the Cross and for the Kingdom of Heaven. Teach us to sin no more, our Lady, and if we sin, teach us to fall down before thy maternal love and to obtain release from our present infirmity and from eternal torment. We thank thee, O thou who art full of grace and the Joy of All Who Sorrow, for thy most powerful intercession. Amen.

 

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Our Lady of Kazan

Our Lady of Kazan, also called Theotokos of Kazan (Russian: Казáнская Богомáтерь), was a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church, representing the Virgin Mary as the patroness of the city of Kazan and a protector of all Russia.

According to legend, the icon was originally acquired from Constantinople, lost in 1438 and miraculously recovered in pristine state in 1579. Two major cathedrals, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, are consecrated to Our Lady of Kazan, and display copies of the icon, as do numerous churches throughout the land. The original icon in Kazan was stolen, and likely destroyed, in 1904.

The “Fátima image” is a 16th-century copy of the icon, or possibly the 16th-century original, stolen from St. Petersburg in 1917 and purchased by F. A. Mitchell-Hedges in 1953. It was housed in Fátima, Portugal from 1970 to 1993, in the study of Pope St. John Paul II in the Vatican from 1993 to 2004, when it was returned to Kazan, where it is now kept in the Monastery of the Theotokos.

The Feast day of Our Lady of Kazan celebrated on November 4th is also the Russian Day of National Unity. It commemorates the popular uprising which expelled Polish occupation forces from Moscow in November 1612, and more generally the end of the Time of Troubles and turning point of the Polish-Muscovite War (1605–1618).

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