This is the recording of the class: Orthodoxy 101 – Orthodoxy Alive of October 12, 2022. It is an unedited video of the ZOOM recording of the class. It is a class of the Adult Religious Education Classes of Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Austin, Texas. For the best view, please start at 10:00 minutes into the recording. God Bless ….FrG
Our Age of Ego and Self Centeredness
Abba Sisoes the Great at the Tomb of Alexander the Great
I read a beautiful reflection on the icon of Abba Sisoes the Great at the tomb of Alexander the Great and wanted to share it. In our present day climate of “likes” and “internet influencers,” I thought this to be very relevant and something for us all to think about as we consider the ego driven pursuit of fame and the values of our age.
Abba Sisoes was born in 367 and died in AD 429. He became an ascetic in the desert of Thebes in Egypt. His memory is celebrated on July 6 and belongs to the first generation of great ascetics who followed St. Anthony the Great.
The monastery of Abba Sisoes, located in the valley of Nitria in the region of Wadi el Natroun in Egypt, is one of the ancient monasteries of the Skete, the cradle of Christian monasticism, which has been operating since the 4th century AD. The monastery contains the relic of Saint Sisoes which is said to be perfectly preserved on a red cloth.
The monks claim that it is common for Saint Sisoes to perform miracles for the true believers and is also considered one of the most important monastic saints of Orthodox and Coptic Christians.
The disciples of Saint Sisoes, who are considered to be the first to depict the relevant scene, describe it as follows: ‘Sisoes the Great, at the tomb of the glorious King of the Greeks, Alexander, is terrified and expresses his sorrow over the ephemeral glories of this life.
Saint Sisoes stands at the open tomb of Alexander the Great, so he weeps and exclaims:
‘Seeing you in a grave, I am timid and frightened at your sight and I shed tears from my heart, bringing to my mind the debt that all people have to pay (that is, death), so I will suffer such an end. Ah, ah death, who is the one who can avoid you?’
We hear in the Funeral Service of our Holy Church this prayer:
“Where is the pleasure in life which is unmixed with sorrow? Where the glory which on earth stood firm and unchanged? All things are weaker than shadow, all more elusive than dreams; comes in one fell stroke, and Death in turn, prevails over all these vanities. Wherefore in the Light, O Christ, of Your countenance, and in the sweetness of Your beauty, to him (her) whom You have chosen grant repose, for you are the Friend of Mankind.”
The reality of death viewed through the saving grace of the Lord is the only comfort and solace we as Orthodox Christians have in our lives. This is the lesson of this beautiful story of Abba Sisoes. God Bless….FrG
ABCs of Orthodoxy Class 4 – The Theotokos, Church Fathers and the Saints of the Church
Below find the link to Class 4 in the ABCs of Orthodoxy series. This class was presented October 21, 2021. Please start the playback at 5.00 Min. to avoid early class conversation, not part of the presentation. Thank you and God Bless… FrG
Pantokrator Monastery at Ntaou Pendeli
Entrance to Transfiguration Chapel at Pantokrator
Monastery
Today we visited and venerated the relics of the Holy Fathers of the Pantokrator Monastery at Ntaou Penteli. Our Transfiguration Parish in Austin TX is blessed to have relics of these martyred Fathers in our Holy Altar. This link will relate the history of the Monastery for your understanding: http://www.pantokratoros-tao.gr/index.php/en/ The convent is growing and building a new Church Temple to the Glory of God. The Commemoration of these Martyrs is the Tuesday of Bright Week
God Bless ….Fr. G.
Why build an Orthodox Church Temple
St Savas Cathedral – Belgrade
This quote explains why we build churches to God’s glory. It is a quote from St. Philaret of Moscow on the occasion of a church consecration.
“God is everywhere and doesn’t need churches, which are small for him and cannot contain Him. But man is limited, and thus needs limited revelation of God’s presence. God condescended to the need of man and granted that this church exist, granting it the grace of His particular presence. We know of only one state of man in which he has no need of churches: the eternal life in the New Jerusalem, under a “new heaven and a new earth…” the seer of heaven (St. John the Evangelist) notes a special distinguishing feature of the New Jerusalem, namely that there is no church there: “and I saw no church there: (Rev. 21, 22). But we are not yet in the New Jerusalem, which will descend from the heavens, therefore we need a church temple. Belonging to the creation, after the fall, our own flesh, rough and unpurified, blocks our entrance into the grace-filled presence of God. This is why it is necessary for His charismatic presence to reveal itself to us in holy churches. The heavens – where Christ, our light, ascended – have not yet opened up and revealed to us the radiance of His glory. because of this we need for the time being at least a small heaven on earth, as well as light – even though it may be hidden in mystery. We can find all this in the church, through prayer, the word of God and the sacraments
God Bless…….Fr G.
Wisdom from the Desert
Abba Bessarion the Wonderworker
From Trisagion Films
St Cuthbert the Wonderworker, Bishop of Lindisfarne
As many of you know, I read for my Ph.D. in England at the University of Durham. During this time I gained a great appreciation for the early Orthodox saints of Great Britain. One of these saints is St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, whose holy relics are buried in the Great Cathedral of Durham on the university campus. Last Saturday, our Holy Church commemorated St. Cuthbert.. This short film from Trisagion Films tells his story. I pray you find it inspirational and begin to appreciate the rich heritage of the Celtic saints of the Church. God Bless….Fr. G.
The Whole Package
St. Katherine the Great Martyr
Today when we admire someone who is beautiful, witty and bright we might say, she’s the whole package. This is a perfect description of St. Katherine the Great Martyr. Katherine lived in the early 4th century in the city of Alexandria. Highly educated, beautiful, articulate and of royal blood, Katherine confronted the Emperor Maxentius and professed her faith in Christ. The emperor summoned fifty pagan philosophers to debate Katherine on matters of faith. Catherine(another spelling) refuted their arguments so convincingly that many of her learned opponents accepted Christ. Maxentius was infuriated and ordered Katherine tortured and many of the new converts put to death.
Tortured and imprisoned her courage and deep faith influenced over 200 additional souls to embrace faith in Christ including the emperor’s wife Valeria Maximilla. They too were also martyred. Maxentius tried to entice Katherine by an offer of marriage, but the princes would have none of it. She face even more terrible tortures. The Emperor sentenced Katherine to be tortured on a spoked wheel, which broke in pieces when Katherine touched it. Many icons of the great saint depict her standing next to a wheel. Katherine was finally beheaded at the young age of 18. With her faith and dedication to Christ she earned the grace of the Holy Spirit and the crown of a Great Martyr of the Church. Throughout the centuries many miracles have been accomplished through the intercessions of St. Katherine. She has appeared to many faithful to comfort them in times of distress. The Emperor Justinian named the Monastery on Mt. Sinai in her honour and it is one of the primary pilgrim destinations in the Orthodox world. Holy Martyr of God, Katherine, pray for us.
St. Raphael of Brooklyn
Our Father among the Saints
St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn
“Good Shepherd of the Lost Sheep in America”
(November 8, 1860 – February 27, 1915)
On the Saturday prior to the commemoration of the Feast of the Holy Archangels (November 8) our Church commemorates the Feast of Our Father Among the Saints, St. Raphael (Hawaweeny), Bishop of Brooklyn. St. Raphael was born to a Syrian Orthodox family in Beirut (now Lebanon). Educated in Syria, at Halki, the Ecumenical Patriarchal School near Constantinople, and at the Theological Academy of Kiev. Fluent in several languages, he came to America attached to the Church of Russia and was assigned to lead the Syrian Orthodox Spiritual Mission in North America. He was elected bishop and was the first Orthodox hierarch consecrated in North America (1904). He served as bishop guiding the Orthodox, at a time that all ethnic groups were ministered under the Russian mission on this continent. He traveled extensively visiting the scattered Orthodox immigrants all over North America. He founded many churches across the country, including Archangel Michael’s Orthodox Church in Beaumont, TX. He also helped established St. Tikhon’s Monastery in Pennsylvania. He reposed in the Lord, February 27, 1915. He is buried at the Antiochian Village in Ligonier, PA. St. Raphael was glorified by the OCA in 2000
For an excellent article on his life by Bishop Basil (Essey) please see:
http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/straphaelcanonized/lives/TheWordMay2000.pdf
Hymns of Bishop Raphael of Brooklyn:
Troparion (Tone 3)
Rejoice, O Father Raphael, Adornment of the Holy Church!
Thou art Champion of the true Faith,
Seeker of the lost, Consolation of the oppressed,
Father to orphans, and Friend of the poor,
Peacemaker and Good Shepherd, Joy of all the Orthodox,
Son of Antioch, Boast of America:
Intercede with Christ God for us and for all who honor thee.
Kontakion (Tone 3)
Today the memory of blessed Raphael hath shone on us;
For having received Christ’s call, he faithfully took up his cross
and followed Him becoming a fisher of men.
Let us cry aloud to him saying: Rejoice O Father Raphael!
St. Ioannikios the Great
Today our Holy Church celebrates the great monastic father of the 8th-9th century. St Ioannikios the Great , a fervent iconodule (supporter of icons). He lived in seclusion as a hermit on Mt. Olympus of Asia Minor. In his Canon in tribute to Saint Ioannikios, Patriarch Methodios I related that as a young military office serving in the war against the Bulgars, Ioannikios was so appalled by the slaughter; he left the battlefield to become a “soldier for Christ” as a monastic. He lived the remained of his life as a hermit on Mt. Olympus. He wrote the following prayer which the Church declares today.
The Prayer of St Ioannikios the Great
This prayer is attributed to St. Ioannikios the Great. It is said that he would repeat a version of this prayer between verses of the Psalms, the entirety of which he had memorized:
My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my shelter is the Holy Spirit. O Holy Trinity, glory to You.
This prayer is read at the end of the each of services of the Akathistos Hymn during Great Lent
The hymns in honour of St. Ioannikios
Apolytikion in Plagal of the Fourth Tone
By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe. O our holy father Ioannikios, pray to Christ our God to save our souls.
Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
Today we celebrate together your honored memory, and we faithfully beseech you, O holy Ioannikios that we may find mercy with the Lord.
Apolytikion in Plagal of the First Tone
Thou didst abandon earthly glory and wast illumined by the light of God’s inspiration. Wherefore thou didst shine on earth like a fadeless star. For thou wast found worthy to hear the divine voice like Moses and wast also like the Angels and a treasury of grace, O holy Father Ioannikios.
Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
We have come together today to honour thy memory, and implore thee to obtain mercy for us from the Lord, O holy Father Ioannikios.