Pascha

ἈπολυτίκιονἮχος πλ. αʹ.

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν,

θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας,

καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς µνήµασι,

ζωὴν χαρισάµενος.

Apolytikion, Tone Plagal 1st

Christós anésti ek nekrón,

thanáto thánaton patísas,

ke tis en tis mnímasi,

zoín harisámenos.

Apolytikion Apolytikion, Tone Plagal 1st

Christ is risen from the dead,

trampling down death by death

and to those in the tombs

He has granted life.

1

2

3

4

5

Saint Mary of Egypt 5th Sunday of Lent

Our holy mother Mary was born in Egypt. She had left her parents at the age of twelve to go to Alexandria, where she spent the next seventeen years in debauchery and the greatest profligacy. Living on charity and linen-weaving, she nevertheless offered her body to any man, not being forced to it by dire necessity as were so many poor women, but as though she were consumed by the fire of a desire that nothing was able to appease. One day, seeing a crowd of Lybians and Egyptians moving towards the port, she followed them and set sail with them for Jerusalem, offering her body to pay her fare. When they arrived in the Holy City, she followed the crowd that was thronging towards the Church of the Resurrection, it being the day of the Exaltation of the Cross. But, when she reached the threshold of the church, an invisible force prevented her entering in spite of repeated efforts on her part, although the other pilgrims were able to go in without hindrance. Left alone in a corner of the narthex, she began to realize that it was the impurity of her life that was preventing her approaching the holy Wood. She burst into tears and smote her breast and, seeing an icon of the Mother of God, made this prayer to her: "O Sovereign Lady, who didst bear God in the flesh, I know that I should not dare to look upon thine icon, thou who are pure in soul and body, because, debauched as I am, I must fill thee with disgust. But, as the God born of thee became man in order to call sinners to repentance, come to my aid! Allow me to go into the church and prostrate before His Cross. And, as soon as I have seen the Cross, I promise that I will renounce the world and all pleasures, and follow the path of salvation that thou willest to show me." She felt herself suddenly freed from the power that had held her and was able to enter the church. There she fervently venerated the Holy Cross and then, returning to the icon of the Mother of God, declared herself ready to follow the path that the Virgin would show her. A voice replied to her from on high: "If you cross the Jordan, you will find rest." Leaving the church, she bought three loaves with the alms a pilgrim had given her, discovered which road led to the Jordan and arrived one evening at the Church of Saint John the Baptist. After having washed in the river, she received Communion in the Holy Mysteries, ate half of one of the loaves and went to sleep on the

6

riverbank. The next morning, she crossed the river and lived from that time on in the desert, remaining there for forty-seven years without ever encountering either another human being or any animal. During the first seventeen years, her clothes soon having fallen into rags, burning with heat by day and shivering with cold by night, she fed on herbs and wild roots. But more than the physical trials, she had to face violent assaults from the passions and the memory of her sins and, throwing herself on the ground, she implored the Mother of God to come to her aid. Protected by God, who desires nothing but that the sinner should turn to Him and live, she uprooted all the passions from her heart by means of this extraordinary ascesis, and was able to turn the fire of carnal desire into a flame of divine love that made it possible for her to endure the implacable desert with joy, as though she were not in the flesh. After all these years, a holy elder called Zosimas (April 4), who, following the tradition instituted by Saint Euthymios, had gone into the desert across the Jordan for the period of the Great Fast, saw one day a human form with a body blackened by the sun and with hair white as bleached linen to its shoulders. He ran after this apparition that fled before him, begging it to give him its blessing and some saving words. When he came within ear-shot, Mary, calling by name him whom she had never seen, revealed to him that she was a woman and asked him to throw her his cloak that she might cover her nakedness. At the urging of the monk, who was transported at having at last met a God-bearing being who had attained the perfection of monastic life, the Saint recounted to him with tears the story of her life and conversion. Then, having finished her account, she begged him to come the following year to the bank of the Jordan with Holy Communion. When the day arrived, Zosimas saw Mary appearing on the further bank of the river. She made the sign of the Cross and crossed the Jordan, walking on the water. Having received Holy Communion weeping, she said: "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation" (Luke 2:29). She then took leave of Zosimas, asking him to meet her the following year in the place where they had first met. When the year was past, Zosimas, going to the agreed spot, found the Saint's body stretched on the ground, her arms crossed and her face turned towards the East. His

7

tearful emotion prevented him from noticing at once an inscription traced on the ground by the Saint, which read: "Abba Zosimas, bury here the body of the humble Mary; give what is of dust to dust, after having prayed for me. I died on the first day of April, the very night of the Passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, after having partaken in the Holy Eucharist." Consoled in his grief by having learned the Saint's name, Zosimas was amazed to discover that she had, in several hours, covered a distance of more than twenty days' march. After having vainly tried to break up the earth with a stick, he suddenly saw a lion approaching Mary's body and licking her feet. On the orders of the Elder, the beast dug a hole with its claws, in which Zosimas devoutly placed the Saint's body. On his return to the monastery, he recounted the marvels that God had wrought for those who turn away from sin and move towards Him with all their hearts. From the hardened sinner that she had been, Mary has, for a great many souls crushed under the burden of sin, become a source of hope and a model of conversion. This is why the Holy Fathers have placed the celebration of her memory at the end of the Great Fast as an encouragement for all who have neglected their salvation, proclaiming that repentance can bring them back to God even at the eleventh hour. The feast day of Saint Mary of Egypt is April 1, the day of her repose, however the Orthodox Church also commemorates the Saint on the Fifth Sunday of Lent. As a Sunday of Great Lent, the commemoration is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, which is preceded by a Matins (Orthros) service. A Great Vespers is conducted on Saturday evening. Scripture readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent are the following: At the Orthros (Matins): The prescribed weekly Gospel reading. At the Divine Liturgy: Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 10:32-45. Saint Mary of Egypt is also commemorated on the Thursday before the Fifth Sunday of Lent, when her life is read during the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete. A canon in her honor is read at the end of each Ode. In parish churches the service and the canon is most often conducted on Wednesday evening. https://www.goarch.org/sunday-stmaryofegypt

8

119196

Prayer in time of Coronavirus

O Lord Jesus Christ, in Your loving care, You traveled through towns and villages "curing every disease and illness." At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love. Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair.

Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from helping one another. Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professional who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process.

Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders. Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks.

O Master and Lord, our Savior, Healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow. Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare.

For You are a Merciful and Loving God, and to you we give glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Άγιος Ιάκωβος ο Απόστολος αδελφός Ιωάννου του Θεολόγου

30 Απριλίου

Ο Απόστολος Ιάκωβος ήταν υιός του Ζεβεδαίου και της Σαλώμης και

πρεσβύτερος αδελφός του Ευαγγελιστού Ιωάννου. Καταγόταν κι αυτός από την Βησθαϊδά της Γαλιλαίας. Ασχολούνταν με την αλιεία

μαζί με τον Ιωάννη, έχοντας και οι δύο μαζί τους και τον πατέρα τους, καθώς και πολλούς εργάτες. Είχαν δικό τους πλοίο και συνεργάτης

τους ήταν και ο Απόστολος Πέτρος. Παρ' όλα αυτά όταν άκουσαν το

κήρυγμα του Ιησού «ἀφέντες τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν Ζεβεδαῖον ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ μετὰ τῶν μισθωτῶν ἀπῆλθον ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ» ( Μαρκ. 1, 20).

Ο Ιάκωβος μαζί με τον Ιωάννη επέδειξαν μεγάλο ζήλο ως Μαθητές του Κυρίου. Γι' αυτό και εκλήθησαν υιοί βροντής και έγιναν μάρτυρες

πολλών μεγάλων γεγονότων, που δεν τα εβίωσαν οι άλλοι Απόστολοι. Έγιναν αποκλειστικοί μάρτυρες της Μεταμορφώσεως του Κυρίου.

Είδαν την θαυμαστή ανάσταση της θυγατέρας του αρχισυνάγωγου Ιάρειου και είχαν την ευλογία να προσκληθούν από τον Ιησού κοντά

Του κατά τις ώρες της προσευχής και της αγωνίας Του στο κήπο της Γεσθημανή. Η οικειότητα αυτή οδήγησε προφανώς τον Ιάκωβο με τον

αδελφό του Ιωάννη να ζητήσουν μέσω της μητέρας τους από τον Κύριο πρωτοκαθεδρία στην εγκόσμια βασιλεία Του, παρανοώντας την

αποστολή του Μεσσία. Οι δύο Μαθητές εζητούσαν από τον Χριστό δόξα με ανθρώπινα κριτήρια, έχοντας κατά νου ότι η Βασιλεία Του

είναι αισθητή. Ο Χριστός όμως, διορθώνοντας την εσφαλμένη δοξασία τους, υποδεικνύει την πραγματική και αιώνια δόξα, η οποία διέρχεται μέσα από το «ποτήριον», που είναι τα Πάθη και ο Σταυρός. Γι' αυτό

τους λέγει: «Οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε. Δύνασθε πιεὶν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι;».

Μετά την Πεντηκοστή ο Απόστολος Ιάκωβος εκήρυξε το Ευαγγέλιο στην ευρύτερη περιοχή της Παλαιστίνης. Μεγάλο πλήθος ανθρώπων

μεταστρεφόταν στη νέα πίστη και άλλαζε τρόπο ζωής χάρη στο έργο του Ιακώβου. Αυτό εθορύβησε ιδιαίτερα τους άρχοντες των Ιουδαίων,

οι οποίοι, το έτος 44 μ.Χ. τον συνέλαβαν και τον αποκεφάλισαν, ως αμνό, με διαταγή του Ηρώδου του Αγρίππα.

11

James the Apostle and brother of St. John the Theologian

April 30 James was one of the Twelve, like his brother John (celebrated on Sept. 26), whom the Lord called "Sons of Thunder," because they became great preachers and because of their profound theology. It was the Saint's boldness in preaching the Gospel that Herod Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus and grandson of Herod the Great, could not endure, and so he took him into custody during the days of the Passover, and slew him with the sword (Acts 12: 1-2); and thus he drank the cup of which the Savior had spoken to him prophetically (Matt. 20:23). As for Herod, the following year he went down to Caesarea, and, as the Acts of the Apostles records: "Upon a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration" to the elders of Tyre and Sidon; and the flatterers that surrounded him "gave a shout, saying, 'it is the voice of a god, and not of a man.' And immediately an Angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory; and like his grandfather (see Dec. 29) "he was eaten of worms and gave up the spirit" (Acts 12:21-23). https://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints?contentid=36&PCode=2PTh&D=T&DT=04/30/2020

12

Άγιοι Ραφαήλ, Νικόλαος, Ειρήνη και οι συν αυτοίς

21 Aπριλίου

Οι Άγιοι Ραφαήλ, Νικόλαος και Ειρήνη συγκαταλέγονται στη χορεία των

Νεοφανών Αγίων και μάλιστα εκείνων που μαρτύρησαν σχεδόν αμέσως

μετά την άλωση της Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. Σχετικά με τον βίο τους

γνωρίζουμε λίγα πράγματα. Οι πρώτες πληροφορίες για την ύπαρξη των

Αγίων ιστορούνται με θαυματουργικό και αποκαλυπτικό τρόπο από το έτος

1959 μ.Χ. Από μία ανασκαφή που έγινε στη Θερμή της Λέσβου,

ανακαλύφθηκε ο τάφος ενός αγνώστου προσώπου, που όπως

αποκαλύφθηκε σε συνεχή οράματα, ανήκε στον Άγιο Ιερομάρτυρα

Ραφαήλ, ο οποίος μαρτύρησε μαζί με τον Άγιο Οσιομάρτυρα Νικόλαο και

την Αγία Ειρήνη. Ο τάφος και το λείψανο του Αγίου Νικολάου

ανακαλύφθηκε στις 13 Ιουνίου 1960 μ.Χ.

Ο Άγιος Ραφαήλ καταγόταν από τους Μύλους της Ιθάκης και γεννήθηκε το

έτος 1410 μ.Χ. Το κοσμικό του όνομα ήταν Γεώργιος Λάσκαρης ή

Λασκαρίδης και ο πατέρας του ονομαζόταν Διονύσιος. Πριν γίνει κληρικός

είχε σταδιοδρομήσει στο βυζαντινό στρατό και έφθασε μάλιστα σε μεγάλο

βαθμό. Σε ηλικία τριάντα πέντε ετών γνώρισε ένα ασκητικό και σεβάσμιο

γέροντα, τον Ιωάννη, ο οποίος τον προσείλκυσε στην εν Χριστώ ζωή.

Κάποια Χριστούγεννα ο γέροντας κατέβηκε από τον τόπο της ασκήσεώς

του, για να εξομολογήσει και να κοινωνήσει τους στρατιώτες και κήρυξε

τον λόγο του Θεού. Τότε ο αξιωματικός Γεώργιος, όταν ο γέροντας

κατέβηκε πάλι τα Θεοφάνεια, αποχαιρέτισε τους στρατιώτες και τον

ακολούθησε.

13

Μετά την κουρά του σε μοναχό, χειροτονήθηκε πρεσβύτερος, αλλά

τιμήθηκε και με το οφίκιο του αρχιμανδρίτη και του πρωτοσύγκελου. Μαζί

δε με τις άλλες αποκαλύψεις, ο Άγιος Ραφαήλ αποκάλυψε ότι απεστάλη

από τον Οικουμενικό Πατριάρχη στην Εσπερία, στην πόλη της Γαλλίας που

ονομάζεται Μορλαί, για να εκπληρώσει την εντολή που του ανατέθηκε. Το

γεγονός αυτό έλαβε χώρα λίγο πριν από την άλωση της

Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. Ακόμη απεκάλυψε ότι κήρυξε τον λόγο του

Ευαγγελίου στην Αθήνα, στο λόφο που είναι το μνημείο του Φιλοπάππου.

Λίγα χρόνια πριν από την άλωση της Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, περί το έτος

1450 μ.Χ., ο Άγιος βρέθηκε μετά από περιπλανήσεις στην περιοχή της

Μακεδονίας και μόναζε εκεί.

Κοντά στον Άγιο Ραφαήλ βρισκόταν εκείνο το διάστημα ο Άγιος Νικόλαος

ως υποτακτικός. Ο Νικόλαος εκάρη μοναχός και στη συνέχεια

χειροτονήθηκε διάκονος. Θεωρείται Θεσσαλονικεύς στην καταγωγή, αν και

αναφέρεται ότι γεννήθηκε στους Ράγους της Μηδίας της Μικράς Ασίας.

Ωστόσο μεγάλωσε και ανδρώθηκε στη Θεσσαλονίκη.

Μόλις έπεσε η Κωνσταντινούπολη στα χέρια των Τούρκων, οι οποίοι

εισέβαλαν ορμητικά στη Θράκη και καταλύθηκε οριστικά η βυζαντινή

αυτοκρατορία, ο φόβος για γενικούς διωγμούς κατά των Χριστιανών

στάθηκε ως αφορμή να καταφύγει ο Άγιος Ραφαήλ με την συνοδεία του

από το λιμάνι της Αλεξανδρουπόλεως, στη Μυτιλήνη. Εκεί εγκαταστάθηκε

μαζί με άλλους μοναχούς στην παλαιά μονή του Γενεσίου της Θεοτόκου, η

οποία στο παρελθόν ήταν γυναικεία και ήταν χτισμένη στο λόφο Καρυές,

κοντά στο χωριό Θέρμη. Ηγούμενος της μονής εξελέγη στην συνέχεια ο

Άγιος Ραφαήλ.

14

Έπειτα από μερικά χρόνια, το έτος 1463 μ.Χ., η Λέσβος έπεσε στα χέρια των

Τούρκων, οι οποίοι σε μια επιδρομή τους στο μοναστήρι, συνέλαβαν τον

Άγιο Ραφαήλ και τον Άγιο Νικόλαο, τη Μεγάλη Πέμπτη του ιδίου έτους.

Ακολούθησαν σκληρά και ανηλεή βασανιστήρια και ο Άγιος Ραφαήλ

μαρτύρησε διά σφαγής με πολύ σκληρό τρόπο. Τον έσυραν βιαίως

τραβώντας τον από τα μαλλιά και την γενειάδα, τον κρέμασαν από ένα

δένδρο, τον χτύπησαν βάναυσα, τον τρύπησαν με τα πολεμικά τους

όργανα, αφού προηγουμένως τα πυράκτωσαν σε δυνατή φωτιά και τελικά

τον έσφαξαν πριονίζοντάς τον από το στόμα.

Σε μερικές εμφανίσεις του ο Άγιος Ραφαήλ φαίνεται να συνοδεύεται από

πολλούς, δορυφορούμενους τρόπον τινά, οι οποίοι διάνυσαν πριν από

αυτόν τον ασκητικό βίο στη μονή των Καρυών, όπως είπε σε εκείνους που

τα έβλεπαν αυτά. Αποκάλυψε επίσης, ότι η μονή αυτή, η οποία είναι

γυναικεία, υπέστη επιδρομή από τους αιμοχαρείς πειρατές κατά το έτος

1235 μ.Χ. Κατά την επιδρομή εκείνη αγωνίσθηκε μαζί με τις άλλες μοναχές

τον υπέρ του Χριστού καλό αγώνα η καταγόμενη από την Πελοπόννησο

ηγουμένη Ολυμπία και η αδελφή της Ευφροσύνη. Η Ολυμπία τελειώθηκε

αθλητικώς στις 11 Μαΐου του έτους 1235 μ.Χ., εμφανίσθηκε δε μαζί με τον

μεγάλο και θαυματουργό Άγιο Ραφαήλ.

Ο Άγιος Νικόλαος πέθανε μετά από βασανισμούς, από ανακοπή καρδιάς,

δεμένος σε ένα δένδρο.

Μαζί με τους Αγίους συνάθλησε και η μόλις δώδεκα χρονών νεάνιδα

Ειρήνη, θυγατέρα του Βασιλείου, προεστού της Θέρμης, η οποία και

εμφανίζεται μαζί τους. Αυτή μαρτύρησε ως εξής: Οι ασεβείς αλλόθρησκοι

15

της απέκοψαν το ένα χέρι και ακολούθως την έβαλαν σε ένα πιθάρι και

κατέκαυσαν την αγνή αυτή παρθένο, υπό τα βλέμματα των δύστυχων

γονέων της, οι οποίοι και θρηνούσαν γοερά για τον φρικτό θάνατο του

παιδιού τους.

http://www.saint.gr/214/saint.aspx#

16

http://www.saint.gr/214/saint.aspx

Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene

April 21

Newly-Appeared Martyrs of Lesbos, Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene were martyred by

the Turks on Bright Tuesday (April 9, 1463) ten years after the Fall of Constantinople. For

nearly 500 years, they were forgotten by the people of Lesbos, but “the righteous Judge...

opened the things that were hid” (2 Macc. 12:41).

For centuries the people of Lesbos would go on Bright Tuesday to the ruins of a monastery

near Thermi, a village northwest of the capital, Mytilene. As time passed, however, no one

could remember the reason for the annual pilgrimage. There was a vague recollection that

once there had been a monastery on that spot, and that the monks had been killed by the

Turks.

In 1959, a pious man named Angelos Rallis decided to build a chapel near the ruins of the

monastery. On July 3 of that year, workmen discovered the relics of Saint Raphael while

clearing the ground. Soon, the saints began appearing to various inhabitants of Lesbos and

revealed the details of their lives and martyrdom. These accounts form the basis of Photios

Kontoglou’s 1962 book A GREAT SIGN (in Greek).

Saint Raphael was born on the island of Ithaka around 1410, and was raised by pious

parents. His baptismal name was George, but he was named Raphael when he became a

monk. He was ordained to the holy priesthood, and later attained the offices of

Archimandrite and Chancellor.

In 1453, Saint Raphael was living in Macedonia with his fellow monastic, the deacon

Nicholas, a native of Thessalonica. In 1454, the Turks invaded Thrace, so the two monks

fled to the island of Lesbos. They settled in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos

near Thermi, where Saint Raphael became the igumen.

In the spring of 1463, the Turks raided the monastery and captured the monks. They were

tortured from Holy Thursday until Bright Tuesday. Saint Raphael was tied to a tree, and

the ferocious Turks sawed through his jaw, killing him. Saint Nicholas was also tortured,

and he died while witnessing his Elder’s martyrdom. He appeared to people and indicated

the spot where his relics were uncovered on June 13, 1960.

Saint Irene was the twelve-year-old daughter of the village mayor, Basil. She and her

family had come to the monastery to warn the monks of the invasion. The cruel Hagarenes

cut off one of her arms and threw it down in front of her parents. Then the pure virgin was

17

placed in a large earthen cask and a fire was lit under it, suffocating her within. These

torments took place before the eyes of her parents, who were also put to death. Her grave

and the earthen cask were found on May 12, 1961 after Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene

had appeared to people and told them where to look.

Others who also received the crown of martyrdom on that day were Saint Irene’s parents

Basil and Maria; Theodore, the village teacher; and Eleni, the fifteen-year-old cousin of

Saint Irene.

The saints appeared separately and together, telling people that they wished to be

remembered. They asked that their icon be painted, that a church service be composed for

them, and they indicated the place where their holy relics could be found. Based on the

descriptions of those who had seen the saints, the master iconographer Photios Kontoglou

painted their icon. The ever-memorable Father Gerasimos of Little Saint Anne Skete on

Mt Athos composed their church service.

Many miracles have taken place on Lesbos, and throughout the world. The saints hasten to

help those who invoke them, healing the sick, consoling the sorrowful, granting relief from

pain, and bringing many unbelievers and impious individuals back to the Church.

Saint Raphael is tall, middle-aged, and has a beard of moderate length. His hair is black

with some grey in it. His face is majestic, expressive, and filled with heavenly grace. Saint

Nicholas is short and thin, with a small blond beard. He stands before Saint Raphael with

great respect. Saint Irene usually appears with a long yellow dress reaching to her feet. Her

blonde hair is divided into two braids which rest on either side of her chest.

Saints Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene (and those with them) are also commemorated on

Bright Tuesday. Dr. Constantine Cavarnos has given a detailed account of their life,

miracles, and spiritual counsels in Volume 10 of his inspirational series Modern Orthodox

Saints (Belmont, MA, 1990).

https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2011/04/09/108897-new-martyrs-raphael-nicholas-and-irine-of-lesbos

18

19

COMMUNITY NEWS:

20

COMMUNITY NEWS, continued:

21

COMMUNITY NEWS, continued: