#Nazianz

[lord-here-i-am]

Hl. Gregor von Nazianz

Bischof, Kirchenlehrer  * um 330 in Arianzus bei Nazianz in Kappadokien (heute Türkei) † 25. Januar 390 in Arianzus  

  Die Mutter Gregors war Nonna, eine Christin, durch deren Einfluss auch sein Vater Gregor der Ältere, der später Bischof von Nazianz wurde, sich zum Christentum bekehrte.

Gregors Geschwister waren Caesarius und Gorgonia. Gregor erhielt wie sein Bruder eine ausgezeichnete Ausbildung, studierte in Caesarea in Kappadokien, wo er mit Basilius (Basilius der Große, hl., Gedenktag ebenfalls 2.1., zusammen mit Gregor) bekannt wurde, weiter studierte er in Caesarea in Palästina, in Alexandria und schließlich in Athen, wo er Basilius wiedertraf und ihre Freundschaft gefestigt wurde. Zurück in Nazianz - wahrscheinlich wurde er jetzt erst getauft - entschloss er sich, sein Leben fortan Gott zu weihen, obwohl ihm nun jede weltliche Karriere offengestanden hätte. Am liebsten hätte er sich als Asket in eine ferne Einsamkeit zurückgezogen, konnte dies jedoch aus Familienrücksichten nicht verwirklichen.

Zusammen mit seinem Freund Basilius lebte er schließlich in der Einsamkeit nicht weit von Nazianz ein Leben als Mönch, geistig und mit den Händen arbeitend. Nach seiner Rückkehr nach Nazianz wurde er gegen seine Überzeugung, wahrscheinlich 361, von seinem Vater zum Priester geweiht, floh aber gleich darauf zunächst wieder in die Einsamkeit, bevor er sich seinen neuen Aufgaben stellte; noch heute berühmt ist seine Predigt über das Priesteramt, die er damals hielt.

Basilius, inzwischen Metropolit von Kappadokien, brauchte Gregor in seinem Kampf gegen die arianischen Bischöfe (Arianismus ist die Glaubensrichtung, die die Gottheit Jesu Christi leugnet, sie war damals, durch verschiedene Kaiser begünstigt, sehr stark) und machte ihn zum Bischof des neuerrichteten Sitzes Sasima. Gregor entzog sich dem aber, trat dieses Amt nie an, dieser politische Zug passte ihm nicht. Da sein alter Vater ihn als Koadjutor in Nazianz sehr nötig hatte, widmete er sich dieser Pflicht sehr gewissenhaft; auch nachdem sein Vater gestorben war, blieb er noch zwei Jahre als Administrator tätig, weigerte sich aber strikt, selbst Bischof zu werden.

Sein großes Vermögen hatte er nach dem Tod seiner Eltern an die Armen verteilt und behielt nur ein kleines Landgut an seinem Geburtsort Arianzus. Konstantinopel war zu jener Zeit fast völlig in den Händen der Arianer. Der Rest der von der Verfolgung noch übrigen Katholiken appellierte an Gregor, sich doch ihrer anzunehmen. Gregor kam, zögernd zunächst, und begann seine Mission in einem Privathaus, das er "Anastasia", einen Ort der Auferstehung des Glaubens, nannte. 

Von Gregors heiligmäßigem Leben, seiner tiefen theologischen Bildung und seiner Beredsamkeit angezogen, versammelten sich nicht nur gläubige Katholiken um ihn, sondern auch Häretiker, und er konnte dem rechten Glauben viele zurückgewinnen. Auch der hl. Hieronymus (30.9.) war in dieser Zeit sein Schüler und berichtet begeistert darüber. Gregors Erfolge brachte die Arianer auf, Gregor wurde persönlich und handgreiflich attackiert. Um diese Zeit - im Jahr 380 - ließ sich Kaiser Theodosius katholisch taufen und wollte, dass Gregor Metropolit von Konstantinopel werde; im Beisein des Kaisers und unter Freudenbekundungen einer großen Menschenmenge wurde er in der Hagia Sophia als neuer Bischof präsentiert. Konstantinopel war dem rechten Glauben wiedergewonnen. Es war der Ort, wo Gregor seine Trinitätslehre entfaltete und seine bis heute gerühmten fünf sogenannten theologischen Reden hielt. Doch lange hielt es den sensiblen und eher zu geistigen und geistlichen Höhenflügen als zum tätigen öffentlichen Leben Begabten nicht auf seinem Bischofssitz. Zermürbt von Kirchenpolitik, Streitigkeiten und Intrigen, nach vergeblichen Versuchen, Frieden herzustellen, bat er um Entpflichtung und zog sich auf sein Landgut zurück, wo er seine Zeit dem Gebet, der Korrespondenz (fast alle seine 245 Briefe stammen aus dieser Zeit) sowie dem Verfassen meist geistlicher Gedichte widmete.

Gregor ist Kirchenlehrer, neben Basilius und Gregor von Nyssa einer der drei großen Kappadokier, und mit Basilius, Athanasius und Johannes Chrysostomus einer der vier griechischen Kirchenväter. „Wären nur alle darin mit mir einig, dass die unruhige Geschäftigkeit den Gemeinden nur schadet. Der Glaube geht in die Brüche, wenn er als Deckmantel für die ehrgeizige Rechthaberei der Einzelnen dienen muss.“ (Gregor von Nazianz, Brief an Basilius)

[unteriors]

S 7th Avenue, St. Nazianz, Wisconsin.

[briefblueseason]

St. Nazianz, WI has beautiful ones

Betendes Mädchen mit einem Kranz aus Rosen, 1882, Hubert Salentin

[jloisse]

« Les Anges, sont comme un écoulement et un petit ruisseau de la première Lumière ; ce sont les secondes splendeurs au service de la première Splendeur. »

Saint Grégoire de Nazianze

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Tuesday, February 7, 2023

february 7_january 8

SAINT GREGORY (of NAZIANZE) THE THEOLOGIAN, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE (389)

Saint Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople, a great Father and teacher of the Church, was born into a Christian family of eminent lineage in the year 329, at Arianzos (not far from the city of Cappadocian Nazianzos). His father, also named Gregory (January 1), was Bishop of Nazianzus. The son is the Saint Gregory Nazianzus encountered in Patristic theology. His pious mother, Saint Nonna (August 5), prayed to God for a son, vowing to dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayer was answered, and she named her child Gregory.

When the child learned to read, his mother presented him with the Holy Scripture. Saint Gregory received a complete and extensive education: after working at home with his uncle Saint Amphilochius (November 23), an experienced teacher of rhetoric, he then studied in the schools of Nazianzos, Caesarea in Cappadocia, and Alexandria. Then the saint decided to go to Athens to complete his education.

On the way from Alexandria to Greece, a terrible storm raged for many days. Saint Gregory, who was just a catechumen at that time, feared that he would perish in the sea before being cleansed in the waters of Baptism. Saint Gregory lay in the ship’s stern for twenty days, beseeching the merciful God for salvation. He vowed to dedicate himself to God, and was saved when he invoked the name of the Lord.

Saint Gregory spent six years in Athens studying rhetoric, poetry, geometry, and astronomy. His teachers were the renowned pagan rhetoricians Gymorias and Proeresias. Saint Basil, the future Archbishop of Caesarea (January 1) also studied in Athens with Saint Gregory. They were such close friends that they seemed to be one soul in two bodies. Julian, the future emperor (361-363) and apostate from the Christian Faith, was studying philosophy in Athens at the same time.

Upon completing his education, Saint Gregory remained for a certain while at Athens as a teacher of rhetoric. He was also familiar with pagan philosophy and literature.

In 358 Saint Gregory quietly left Athens and returned to his parents at Nazianzus. At thirty-three years of age, he received Baptism from his father, who had been appointed Bishop of Nazianzus. Against his will, Saint Gregory was ordained to the holy priesthood by his father. However, when the elder Gregory wished to make him a bishop, he fled to join his friend Basil in Pontus. Saint Basil had organized a monastery in Pontus and had written to Gregory inviting him to come.

Saint Gregory remained with Saint Basil for several years. When his brother Saint Caesarius (March 9) died, he returned home to help his father administer his diocese. The local church was also in turmoil because of the Arian heresy. Saint Gregory had the difficult task of reconciling the bishop with his flock, who condemned their pastor for signing an ambiguous interpretation of the dogmas of the faith.

Saint Gregory convinced his father of the pernicious nature of Arianism, and strengthened him in Orthodoxy. At this time, Bishop Anthimus, who pretended to be Orthodox but was really a heretic, became Metropolitan of Tyana. Saint Basil had been consecrated as the Archbishop of Caesarea, Cappadocia. Anthimus wished to separate from Saint Basil and to divide the province of Cappadocia.

Saint Basil the Great made Saint Gregory bishop of the city of Sasima, a small town between Caesarea and Tyana. However, Saint Gregory remained at Nazianzos in order to assist his dying father, and he guided the flock of this city for a while after the death of his father in 374.

Upon the death of Patriarch Valentus of Constantinople in the year 378, a council of bishops invited Saint Gregory to help the Church of Constantinople, which at this time was ravaged by heretics. Obtaining the consent of Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory came to Constantinople to combat heresy. In the year 379 he began to serve and preach in a small church called “Anastasis” (“Resurrection”). Like David fighting the Philistines with a sling, Saint Gregory battled against impossible odds to defeat false doctrine.

Heretics were in the majority in the capital: Arians, Macedonians, and Appolinarians. The more he preached, the more did the number of heretics decrease, and the number of the Orthodox increased. On the night of Pascha (April 21, 379) when Saint Gregory was baptizing catechumens, a mob of armed heretics burst into the church and cast stones at the Orthodox, killing one bishop and wounding Saint Gregory. But the fortitude and mildness of the saint were his armor, and his words converted many to the Orthodox Church.

Saint Gregory’s literary works (orations, letters, poems) show him as a worthy preacher of the truth of Christ. He had a literary gift, and the saint sought to offer his talent to God the Word: “I offer this gift to my God, I dedicate this gift to Him. Only this remains to me as my treasure. I gave up everything else at the command of the Spirit. I gave all that I had to obtain the pearl of great price. Only in words do I master it, as a servant of the Word. I would never intentionally wish to disdain this wealth. I esteem it, I set value by it, I am comforted by it more than others are comforted by all the treasures of the world. It is the companion of all my life, a good counselor and converser; a guide on the way to Heaven and a fervent co-ascetic.” In order to preach the Word of God properly, the saint carefully prepared and revised his works.

In five sermons, or “Theological Orations,” Saint Gregory first of all defines the characteristics of a theologian, and who may theologize. Only those who are experienced can properly reason about God, those who are successful at contemplation and, most importantly, who are pure in soul and body, and utterly selfless. To reason about God properly is possible only for one who enters into it with fervor and reverence.

Explaining that God has concealed His Essence from mankind, Saint Gregory demonstrates that it is impossible for those in the flesh to view mental objects without a mixture of the corporeal. Talking about God in a positive sense is possible only when we become free from the external impressions of things and from their effects, when our guide, the mind, does not adhere to impure transitory images. Answering the Eunomians, who would presume to grasp God’s Essence through logical speculation, the saint declared that man perceives God when the mind and reason become godlike and divine, i.e. when the image ascends to its Archetype. (Or. 28:17). Furthermore, the example of the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets and also the Apostles has demonstrated, that the Essence of God is incomprehensible for mortal man. Saint Gregory cited the futile sophistry of Eunomios: “God begat the Son either through His will, or contrary to will. If He begat contrary to will, then He underwent constraint. If by His will, then the Son is the Son of His intent.”

Confuting such reasoning, Saint Gregory points out the harm it does to man: “You yourself, who speak so thoughtlessly, were you begotten voluntarily or involuntarily by your father? If involuntarily, then your father was under the sway of some tyrant. Who? You can hardly say it was nature, for nature is tolerant of chastity. If it was voluntarily, then by a few syllables you deprive yourself of your father, for thus you are shown to be the son of Will, and not of your father” (Or. 29:6).

Saint Gregory then turns to Holy Scripture, with particular attention examining a place where it points out the Divine Nature of the Son of God. Saint Gregory’s interpretations of Holy Scripture are devoted to revealing that the divine power of the Savior was actualized even when He assumed an impaired human nature for the salvation of mankind.

The first of Saint Gregory’s Five Theological Orations is devoted to arguments against the Eunomians for their blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Closely examining everything that is said in the Gospel about the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the saint refutes the heresy of Eunomios, which rejected the divinity of the Holy Spirit. He comes to two fundamental conclusions. First, in reading Holy Scripture, it is necessary to reject blind literalism and to try and understand its spiritual sense. Second, in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit operated in a hidden way. “Now the Spirit Himself dwells among us and makes the manifestation of Himself more certain. It was not safe, as long as they did not acknowledge the divinity of the Father, to proclaim openly that of the Son; and as long as the divinity of the Son was not accepted, they could not, to express it somewhat boldly, impose on us the burden of the Holy Spirit” (Or. 31:26).

The divinity of the Holy Spirit is a sublime subject. “Look at these facts: Christ is born, the Holy Spirit is His Forerunner. Christ is baptized, the Spirit bears witness to this... Christ works miracles, the Spirit accompanies them. Christ ascends, the Spirit takes His place. What great things are there in the idea of God which are not in His power? What titles appertaining to God do not apply also to Him, except for Unbegotten and Begotten? I tremble when I think of such an abundance of titles, and how many Names they blaspheme, those who revolt against the Spirit!” (Or. 31:29).

The Orations of Saint Gregory are not limited only to this topic. He also wrote Panegyrics on Saints, Festal Orations, two invectives against Julian the Apostate, “two pillars, on which the impiety of Julian is indelibly written for posterity,” and various orations on other topics. In all, forty-five of Saint Gregory’s orations have been preserved.

The letters of the saint compare favorably with his best theological works. All of them are clear, yet concise. In his poems as in all things, Saint Gregory focused on Christ. “If the lengthy tracts of the heretics are new Psalters at variance with David, and the pretty verses they honor are like a third testament, then we also shall sing Psalms, and begin to write much and compose poetic meters,” said the saint. Of his poetic gift the saint wrote: “I am an organ of the Lord, and sweetly... do I glorify the King, all a-tremble before Him.”

The fame of the Orthodox preacher spread through East and West. But the saint lived in the capital as though he still lived in the wilderness: “his food was food of the wilderness; his clothing was whatever necessary. He made visitations without pretense, and though in proximity of the court, he sought nothing from the court.”

The saint received a shock when he was ill. One whom he considered as his friend, the philosopher Maximus, was consecrated at Constantinople in Saint Gregory’s place. Struck by the ingratitude of Maximus, the saint decided to resign the cathedral, but his faithful flock restrained him from it. The people threw the usurper out of the city. On November 24, 380 the holy emperor Theodosius arrived in the capital and, in enforcing his decree against the heretics, the main church was returned to the Orthodox, with Saint Gregory making a solemn entrance. An attempt on the life of Saint Gregory was planned, but instead the assassin appeared before the saint with tears of repentance.

At the Second Ecumenical Council in 381, Saint Gregory was chosen as Patriarch of Constantinople. After the death of Patriarch Meletius of Antioch, Saint Gregory presided at the Council. Hoping to reconcile the West with the East, he offered to recognize Paulinus as Patriarch of Antioch.

Those who had acted against Saint Gregory on behalf of Maximus, particularly Egyptian and Macedonian bishops, arrived late for the Council. They did not want to acknowledge the saint as Patriarch of Constantinople, since he was elected in their absence.

Saint Gregory decided to resign his office for the sake of peace in the Church: “Let me be as the Prophet Jonah! I was responsible for the storm, but I would sacrifice myself for the salvation of the ship. Seize me and throw me... I was not happy when I ascended the throne, and gladly would I descend it.”

After telling the emperor of his desire to quit the capital, Saint Gregory appeared again at the Council to deliver a farewell address (Or. 42) asking to be allowed to depart in peace.

Upon his return to his native region, Saint Gregory turned his attention to the incursion of Appolinarian heretics into the flock of Nazianzus, and he established the pious Eulalius there as bishop, while he himself withdrew into the solitude of Arianzos so dear to his heart. The saint, zealous for the truth of Christ, continued to affirm Orthodoxy through his letters and poems, while remaining in the wilderness. He died on January 25, 389, and is honored with the title “Theologian,” also given to the holy Apostle and Evangelist John.

In his works Saint Gregory, like that other Theologian Saint John, directs everything toward the Pre-eternal Word. Saint John of Damascus (December 4), in the first part of his book An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, followed the lead of Saint Gregory the Theologian.

Saint Gregory was buried at Nazianzos. In the year 950, his holy relics were transferred to Constantinople into the church of the Holy Apostles. Later on, a portion of his relics was transferred to Rome.

In appearance, the saint was of medium height and somewhat pale. He had thick eyebrows, and a short beard. His contemporaries already called the archpastor a saint. The Orthodox Church, honors Saint Gregory as a second Theologian and insightful writer on the Holy Trinity.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

MARK 13:14-23

14 So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. 16 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 And pray that your flight may not be in winter. 19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. 20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:7-11 

7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

[korrektheiten]

Der Herr ist auferstanden, alleluja – Frohe Ostern

katholisches.info: Das „Fest der Feste“ wird Ostern seit uralten Zeiten genannt. Weil es wie der heilige Bischof Gregor von Nazianz sagt, alle anderen Feste überragt, wie der Glanz der Sonne die Sterne überstrahlt. Das „Fest der Feste“ ist Ostern schon deshalb, weil es das älteste Fest ist. Es reicht bis tief hinein in das Alte Testament ... http://dlvr.it/SmCFrQ

[glaubemir]

Das ist unser Fest: das Kommen Gottes zu den Menschen. - Gregor von Nazianz #bibelvers #christlichesprüche #glaube #hoffnung #bibelzitate

[sakrumverum]

Hl. Gregor von Nazianz https://blog.sakrum.de/meditatio/2024/04/10/Hl-Gregor-von-Nazianz/

[yes-bernie-stuff]

5 AVRIL ▶ La Bonne Semence.

Si un frère ou une sœur manque de vêtements et de sa nourriture quotidienne, et que l’un de vous leur dise : « Allez en paix, chauffez-vous et rassasiez-vous » – sans leur donner ce qui est nécessaire pour le corps, à quoi bon ? Jacques 2 : 15, 16

Le roi leur répondra : En vérité, je vous le dis : Dans la mesure où vous l’avez fait à l’un de ces plus petits qui sont mes frères, vous me l’avez fait à moi. Matthieu 25 : 40

Extraits d’un sermon de Grégoire de Naziance

Etant des humains, nous devons apporter aux autres humains une part de nos biens, quelle que soit la cause de leur misère. Tous sont également dignes de pitié et fixent leurs regards sur nos mains, comme nous fixons nos regards sur les mains de Dieu quand nous avons besoin de quelque chose. Qu’allons-nous faire, nous qui avons reçu en partage le grand nom, le nom nouveau, le nom qui nous vient de Christ ? Vont-ils, eux, grelotter dans des haillons usés et déchirés, tandis que nous serons mollement vêtus d’habits délicats ? Pourquoi sommes-nous dans les délices, au milieu de l’infortune de nos frères ? Ah, puissé-je n’être jamais riche tant que ceux-là manquent de tout ! Puissé-je n’être jamais en bonne santé si je ne panse leurs blessures ! Puissé-je n’avoir d’une façon suffisante ni la nourriture, ni le vêtement et ne jamais me reposer sous un toit si je ne leur donne pas du pain, si je ne leur distribue pas des habits autant que je le peux, si je ne les fais pas reposer sous mon toit... Ne dis pas : « Reviens, et demain, je te donnerai »... La seule chose qui n’admette pas de délai, c’est la charité... Si donc vous m’en croyez, serviteurs, frères et cohéritiers du Christ, pendant qu’il en est encore temps, visitons le Christ, soignons le Christ, nourrissons le Christ, habillons le Christ, recueillons le Christ, honorons le Christ !

Grégoire de Nazianze Saint chrétien Image illustrative de l’article Grégoire de Nazianze Icône de Grégoire de Nazianze. Père cappadocien, Docteur de l'Église Naissance 329 Nazianze, Cappadoce Empire romain Décès 25 janvier 390 (61 ans) Nazianze, Empire byzantin Vénéré à Cathédrale Saint-Georges à Constantinople et République monastique du Mont-Athos. Docteur de l'Église 20 septembre 1568 par le pape Pie V Vénéré par l'Église catholique Église orthodoxe Fête 2 janvier en même temps que saint Basile dans l’Église catholique romaine, 25 janvier dans l’Église orthodoxe et dans les Églises catholiques orientales Attributs Grégoire est habillé de paramentique d'évêque, portant à la main une Bible ou un parchemin. Il est traditionnellement peint chauve et barbu. modifier Consultez la documentation du modèle Grégoire de Nazianze (en grec ancien : Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός), ou « de Naziance », dit « le Jeune », ou encore Grégoire le Théologien, né en 329 en Cappadoce et mort en 390, est un théologien et un Docteur de l'Église. Il fait partie avec Basile de Césarée et Grégoire de Nysse des Pères cappadociens.

Issu d'une famille chrétienne, Grégoire fait ses études à Alexandrie puis à Athènes, où il rencontre Basile de Césarée, qui devient son ami. Il rentre à Nazianze, où il est ordonné prêtre par son père. Ordonné ensuite contre son gré évêque de Sasimes par Basile de Césarée, il ne peut s'établir dans cette cité et reste chez son père, devenant ainsi le premier évêque auxiliaire de l'Église.

À la mort de son père, il décide de se retirer pour mener une vie cénobitique. Il est invité à Constantinople, où il prend part à la lutte contre l'arianisme et contre les divisions de l'Église de Constantinople. Partisan de la doctrine du concile de Nicée, il cherche à défendre la place de l'Esprit Saint dans la théologie orthodoxe.

L'empereur Théodose Ier impose Grégoire de Nazianze comme évêque de Constantinople. Il préside alors le concile de Constantinople mais démissionne alors que les débats sont loin d'être achevés. Il retourne à Nazianze, où il écrit de nombreuses lettres et discours en faveur notamment de la thèse qui considère l'Esprit Saint comme l'une des personnes de la Trinité.

La richesse des écrits théologiques de Grégoire conduit très vite à sa reconnaissance dans toute la chrétienté. Ses œuvres sont traduites en latin, puis dans différentes langues. Il influence significativement la théologie de la Trinité tant des Pères grecs que des Pères latins.

Père de l'Église, il est introduit dans le bréviaire comme Docteur de l'Église par le pape Pie V en 1568. Il est vénéré tant par les catholiques que par les orthodoxes.

Ses reliques, transférées à Rome au viiie siècle pour éviter leur destruction lors de la querelle iconoclaste, ont été restituées en 2004 par le pape Jean-Paul II au patriarche Bartholomée Ier de Constantinople. Ce geste est à interpréter comme un signe de réconciliation entre catholiques et orthodoxes.

- Lire plus ici :

[dininimapentrumine]

VORBE

Pocăinţa are doua feţe: ea priveşte la cele trecute şi la cele viitoare; la cele trecute ca să-ţi plângi păcatele făcute, iar la cele viitoare ca să nu le mai faci.” Grigorie de Nazianz

[dianapopescu]

25 ianuarie: Sfântul Ierarh Grigorie Teologul, Arhiepiscopul Constantinopolului

Sfântul Ierarh Grigorie Teologul, un mare părinte și învățător al bisericii, s-a născut într-o familie creștină cu o descendentă eminentă, în anul 329, la Arianz (nu departe de Nazianz din Capadocia). Tatăl sau, numit de asemeni Grigorie (1 ianuarie), a fost episcop de Nazianz. Pioasa lui mamă, Sfânta Nona (5 august) s-a rugat lui Dumnezeu să aibă un fiu, jurând să-l dedice Domnului. Rugăciunea sa a fost îndeplinită și și-a numit băiatul nou născut Grigorie. https://www.diane.ro/2024/01/25-ianuarie-sfantul-ierarh-grigorie.html

[lord-here-i-am]

Hl. Basilius der Große 

Bischof, Kirchenlehrer ∗ um 330 in Caesarea in Kappadokien, heute Kayseri in der Türkei † 379 in Caesarea

Basilius wurde geboren als Sohn des angesehenen Rhetors Basilius; seine Familie, schon seit Generationen christlich, zeichnete sich durch Glaubenseifer aus. Hervorzuheben sind seine Großmutter Makrina die Ältere, seine Mutter Emmelia, neben ihm selbst sein jüngerer Bruder Gregor von Nyssa und seine Schwester Makrina die Jüngere.

Wie damals üblich, widmete er sich zunächst seiner Ausbildung durch Studien in seiner Heimatstadt sowie in Konstantinopel und Athen, um sich für eine Tätigkeit im öffentlichen Leben vorzubereiten. Bei seinen Studien in Caesarea lernte er Gregor von Nazianz kennen, den er dann in Athen wiedertraf, und schloss mit ihm eine dauerhafte Freundschaft.

Um 356 kehrte Basilius in seine Heimat zurück, um sich als Rhetoriklehrer niederzulassen, doch schon nach kurzer Zeit entschloss er sich, der Welt zu entsagen. Er empfing die Taufe und besuchte, um das Mönchtum kennenzulernen, die berühmtesten Asketen in Syrien, Palästina, Ägypten und Mesopotamien. Darauf zog er sich mit einigen Gleichgesinnten in eine Einöde in der Nähe von Neocaesarea (heute Niksar) am Schwarzen Meer zurück.

Um 358 besuchte ihn dort Gregor von Nazianz, und gemeinsam stellten sie die Philokalia zusammen, eine "Blütenlese" aus Werken des Origenes (um 185-253/54), des bedeutendsten Theologen der griechischen Kirche, und schrieben zusammen zwei Mönchsregeln, die für die Entwicklung und Ausbreitung des Mönchtums im Orient wichtig geworden sind und bis heute Einfluss haben. Um 364 kehrte Basilius nach Caesarea zurück, wurde von Bischof Eusebius zum Priester geweiht und widmete sich neben seiner priesterlichen Tätigkeit auch sozialen Aufgaben; er gründete Pilgerhospize und Häuser für die Armen. 370 wurde Basilius Bischof und damit Metropolit von Kappadokien. Besonders wichtig war Basilius' erfolgreicher Kampf gegen den Arianismus (die Lehre, dass Jesus nicht Gott sei), wobei er unterstützt wurde durch Athanasius, seinen Bruder Gregor von Nyssa und Gregor von Nazianz. Durch Kontakte zu Papst Damasus suchte er Ost- und Westkirche im Kampf gegen den Arianismus, der von Kaiser Valens begünstigt wurde, zusammenzuschließen. Den 381 offenkundig werdenden Zusammenbruch des Arianismus hat Basilius durch seine vermittelnde und ausgleichende Tätigkeit zwischen Ost und West wesentlich vorbereitet.  

Im Unterschied zu anderen griechischen Kirchenvätern, die sich nur in der spekulativen Theologie hervortaten, verfolgte Basilius in seinen Schriften auch praktische ethische Anliegen, und wie schon als Priester, kümmerte er sich auch als Bischof um Arme und Bedrängte, wofür er das Vermögen seiner Familie einsetzen konnte. 

Basilius ist einer der vier griechischen Kirchenväter (neben Basilius Athanasius der Große, Gregor von Nazianz und Johannes Chrysostomus) und mit seinem jüngeren Bruder Gregor von Nyssa und seinem Freund Gregor von Nazianz einer der drei großen Kappadokier. Im Osten wie im Westen gilt er als Kirchenlehrer. Von ihm sind zahlreiche dogmatische Schriften, Predigten und Briefe erhalten. Die Trinitätslehre fasste er präziser; mit Athanasius zusammen ist er der Schöpfer der Theologie des Heiligen Geistes.       

[kisahpedia]

Kalender Liturgi 02 Jan 2024

Selasa Masa Natal

PW S. Basilius Agung dan S. Gregorius dari Nazianze, Uskup dan Pujangga Gereja

Warna Liturgi: Putih

Bacaan I: 1Yoh 2:22-28

Mazmur Tanggapan: Mzm 98:1.2-3ab.3cd-4

Bait Pengantar Injil: Ibr 1:1-2

Bacaan Injil: Yoh 1:19-28

Bacaan I

1Yoh 2:22-28

Apa yang telah kamu dengar harus tetap tinggal di dalam dirimu.

Bacaan dari Surat pertama Rasul Yohanes:

Anak-anakku terkasih,

barangsiapa menyangkal bahwa Yesus adalah Kristus,

dia itu seorang pendusta!

Dan barangsiapa menyangkal baik Bapa maupun Anak,

dia itu adalah antikristus.

Sebab barangsiapa menyangkal Anak,

ia juga tidak memiliki Bapa.

Barangsiapa mengakui Anak, ia juga memiliki Bapa.

Dan kamu, apa yang telah kamu dengar dari semula,

itu harus tetap tinggal di dalam dirimu.

Jika apa yang telah kamu dengar dari semula itu

tetap tinggal di dalam dirimu,

maka kamu akan tetap tinggal

di dalam Anak dan di dalam Bapa.

Dan inilah janji yang telah dijanjikan-Nya sendiri kepada kita,

yaitu hidup yang kekal.

Semua ini kutulis kepadamu,

yaitu mengenai orang-orang yang berusaha menyesatkan kamu.

Sebab di dalam dirimu tetap ada pengurapan

yang telah kamu terima dari Yesus.

Karena itu tidak perlu kamu diajar oleh orang lain.

Tetapi sebagaimana pengurapan Yesus mengajar kamu

tentang segala sesuatu

-- dan pengajaran-Nya itu benar, tidak dusta --

dan sebagaimana Ia dahulu telah mengajar kamu,

demikianlah hendaknya kamu tetap tinggal di dalam Dia.

Demikianlah sabda Tuhan.

Mazmur Tanggapan

Mzm 98:1.2-3ab.3cd-4

R:2a

Segala ujung bumi telah melihat keselamatan

yang datang dari Allah kita.

*Nyanyikanlah lagu baru bagi Tuhan,

sebab Ia telah melakukan karya-karya yang ajaib;

keselamatan telah dikerjakan oleh tangan kanan-Nya,

oleh lengan-Nya yang kudus.

*Tuhan telah memperkenalkan keselamatan

yang datang dari pada-Nya.

Ia telah menyatakan keadilan-Nya di hadapan para bangsa.

Ia ingat akan kasih dan kesetiaan-Nya

terhadap kaum Israel.

*Segala ujung bumi telah melihat keselamatan

yang dari pada Allah kita.

Bersorak-sorailah bagi Tuhan, hai seluruh bumi,

bergembiralah dan bermazmurlah!

Bait Pengantar Injil

Ibr 1:1-2

Dahulu kala

dengan pelbagai cara Allah berbicara kepada leluhur kita

dengan perantaraan para nabi;

pada zaman akhir ini Ia berbicara kepada kita

dengan perantaraan Anak-Nya.

Bacaan Injil

Yoh 1:19-28

Sesudah aku akan datang Dia yang sudah ada sebelum aku.

Inilah Injil Suci menurut Yohanes:

Inilah kesaksian Yohanes

ketika orang Yahudi dari Yerusalem mengutus kepadanya

beberapa imam dan orang-orang Lewi

untuk menanyakan kepadanya, "Siapakah engkau?"

Yohanes mengaku dan tidak berdusta, katanya,

"Aku bukan Mesias!"

Lalu mereka bertanya kepadanya,

"Kalau begitu, siapakah engkau? Elia?"

Yohanes menjawab: "Bukan!"

"Engkaukah nabi yang akan datang?"

Ia pun menjawab, "Bukan!"

Maka kata mereka kepadanya, "Siapakah engkau?

Sebab kami harus memberi jawab kepada mereka

yang mengutus kami.

Apakah katamu tentang dirimu sendiri?"

Jawab Yohanes,

"Akulah suara orang yang berseru-seru di padang gurun:

Luruskanlah jalan Tuhan

seperti yang telah dikatakan nabi Yesaya."

Di antara orang-orang yang diutus itu

ada beberapa orang Farisi.

Mereka bertanya kepadanya,

"Mengapa engkau membaptis

jikalau engkau bukan Mesias, bukan Elia,

dan bukan nabi yang akan datang?"

Yohanes menjawab kepada mereka,

"Aku membaptis dengan air;

tetapi di tengah-tengah kamu berdiri Dia

yang tidak kamu kenal,

yaitu Dia yang datang kemudian dari padaku.

Membuka tali kasut-Nya pun aku tidak layak."

Hal ini terjadi di Betania yang di seberang sungai Yordan,

di mana Yohanes membaptis orang.

Demikianlah sabda Tuhan.

[sadistictremors]

salvatorian seminary—

st. nazianz, wisconsin

2017

[jloisse]

Saint Grégoire de Nazianze, Contre les ariens ; 380 :

« Où sont-ils ceux qui nous insultent pour notre pauvreté et sont fiers de leurs richesses? Ceux qui définissent l’Église par le nombre et le mépris du petit troupeau ? » (The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol. 2, p. 33.)

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Wednesday, February 7, 2024

january 25 _february 7

SAINT GREGORY DE NAZIANZE "THE THEOLOGIAN" , ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE (389)

Saint Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople, a great Father and teacher of the Church, was born into a Christian family of eminent lineage in the year 329, at Arianzos (not far from the city of Cappadocian Nazianzos). His father, also named Gregory (January 1), was Bishop of Nazianzus. The son is the Saint Gregory Nazianzus encountered in Patristic theology. His pious mother, Saint Nonna (August 5), prayed to God for a son, vowing to dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayer was answered, and she named her child Gregory.

When the child learned to read, his mother presented him with the Holy Scripture. Saint Gregory received a complete and extensive education: after working at home with his uncle Saint Amphilochius (November 23), an experienced teacher of rhetoric, he then studied in the schools of Nazianzos, Caesarea in Cappadocia, and Alexandria. Then the saint decided to go to Athens to complete his education.

On the way from Alexandria to Greece, a terrible storm raged for many days. Saint Gregory, who was just a catechumen at that time, feared that he would perish in the sea before being cleansed in the waters of Baptism. Saint Gregory lay in the ship’s stern for twenty days, beseeching the merciful God for salvation. He vowed to dedicate himself to God, and was saved when he invoked the name of the Lord.

Saint Gregory spent six years in Athens studying rhetoric, poetry, geometry, and astronomy. His teachers were the renowned pagan rhetoricians Gymorias and Proeresias. Saint Basil, the future Archbishop of Caesarea (January 1) also studied in Athens with Saint Gregory. They were such close friends that they seemed to be one soul in two bodies. Julian, the future emperor (361-363) and apostate from the Christian Faith, was studying philosophy in Athens at the same time.

Upon completing his education, Saint Gregory remained for a certain while at Athens as a teacher of rhetoric. He was also familiar with pagan philosophy and literature.

In 358 Saint Gregory quietly left Athens and returned to his parents at Nazianzus. At thirty-three years of age, he received Baptism from his father, who had been appointed Bishop of Nazianzus. Against his will, Saint Gregory was ordained to the holy priesthood by his father. However, when the elder Gregory wished to make him a bishop, he fled to join his friend Basil in Pontus. Saint Basil had organized a monastery in Pontus and had written to Gregory inviting him to come.

Saint Gregory remained with Saint Basil for several years. When his brother Saint Caesarius (March 9) died, he returned home to help his father administer his diocese. The local church was also in turmoil because of the Arian heresy. Saint Gregory had the difficult task of reconciling the bishop with his flock, who condemned their pastor for signing an ambiguous interpretation of the dogmas of the faith.

Saint Gregory convinced his father of the pernicious nature of Arianism, and strengthened him in Orthodoxy. At this time, Bishop Anthimus, who pretended to be Orthodox but was really a heretic, became Metropolitan of Tyana. Saint Basil had been consecrated as the Archbishop of Caesarea, Cappadocia. Anthimus wished to separate from Saint Basil and to divide the province of Cappadocia.

Saint Basil the Great made Saint Gregory bishop of the city of Sasima, a small town between Caesarea and Tyana. However, Saint Gregory remained at Nazianzos to assist his dying father, and he guided the flock of this city for a while after the death of his father in 374.

Upon the death of Patriarch Valentus of Constantinople in the year 378, a council of bishops invited Saint Gregory to help the Church of Constantinople, which at this time was ravaged by heretics. Obtaining the consent of Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory came to Constantinople to combat heresy. In the year 379 he began to serve and preach in a small church called “Anastasis” (“Resurrection”). Like David fighting the Philistines with a sling, Saint Gregory battled against impossible odds to defeat false doctrine.

Heretics were the majority in the capital: Arians, Macedonians, and Appolinarians. The more he preached, the more did the number of heretics decrease, and the number of Orthodox increased. On the night of Pascha (April 21, 379) when Saint Gregory was baptizing catechumens, a mob of armed heretics burst into the church and cast stones at the Orthodox, killing one bishop and wounding Saint Gregory. But the fortitude and mildness of the saint were his armor, and his words converted many to the Orthodox Church.

Saint Gregory’s literary works (orations, letters, poems) show him as a worthy preacher of the truth of Christ. He had a literary gift, and the saint sought to offer his talent to God the Word: “I offer this gift to my God, I dedicate this gift to Him. Only this remains to me as my treasure. I gave up everything else at the command of the Spirit. I gave all that I had to obtain the pearl of great price. Only in words do I master it, as a servant of the Word. I would never intentionally wish to disdain this wealth. I esteem it, I set value by it, I am comforted by it more than others are comforted by all the treasures of the world. It is the companion of all my life, a good counselor and converser; a guide on the way to Heaven and a fervent co-ascetic.” In order to preach the Word of God properly, the saint carefully prepared and revised his works.

In five sermons, or “Theological Orations,” Saint Gregory first of all defines the characteristics of a theologian, and who may theologize. Only those who are experienced can properly reason about God, those who are successful at contemplation and, most importantly, who are pure in soul and body, and utterly selfless. To reason about God properly is possible only for one who enters into it with fervor and reverence.

Explaining that God has concealed His Essence from mankind, Saint Gregory demonstrates that it is impossible for those in the flesh to view mental objects without a mixture of the corporeal. Talking about God in a positive sense is possible only when we become free from the external impressions of things and from their effects, when our guide, the mind, does not adhere to impure transitory images. Answering the Eunomians, who would presume to grasp God’s Essence through logical speculation, the saint declared that man perceives God when the mind and reason become godlike and divine, i.e. when the image ascends to its Archetype. (Or. 28:17). Furthermore, the example of the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets and also the Apostles has demonstrated, that the Essence of God is incomprehensible for mortal man. Saint Gregory cited the futile sophistry of Eunomios: “God begat the Son either through His will, or contrary to will. If He begat contrary to will, then He underwent constraint. If by His will, then the Son is the Son of His intent.”

Confuting such reasoning, Saint Gregory points out the harm it does to man: “You yourself, who speak so thoughtlessly, were you begotten voluntarily or involuntarily by your father? If involuntarily, then your father was under the sway of some tyrant. Who? You can hardly say it was nature, for nature is tolerant of chastity. If it was voluntarily, then by a few syllables you deprive yourself of your father, for thus you are shown to be the son of Will, and not of your father” (Or. 29:6).

Saint Gregory then turns to Holy Scripture, with particular attention examining a place where it points out the Divine Nature of the Son of God. Saint Gregory’s interpretations of Holy Scripture are devoted to revealing that the divine power of the Savior was actualized even when He assumed an impaired human nature for the salvation of mankind.

The first of Saint Gregory’s Five Theological Orations is devoted to arguments against the Eunomians for their blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Closely examining everything that is said in the Gospel about the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the saint refutes the heresy of Eunomios, which rejected the divinity of the Holy Spirit. He comes to two fundamental conclusions. First, in reading Holy Scripture, it is necessary to reject blind literalism and to try and understand its spiritual sense. Second, in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit operated in a hidden way. “Now the Spirit Himself dwells among us and makes the manifestation of Himself more certain. It was not safe, as long as they did not acknowledge the divinity of the Father, to proclaim openly that of the Son; and as long as the divinity of the Son was not accepted, they could not, to express it somewhat boldly, impose on us the burden of the Holy Spirit” (Or. 31:26).

The divinity of the Holy Spirit is a sublime subject. “Look at these facts: Christ is born, the Holy Spirit is His Forerunner. Christ is baptized, the Spirit bears witness to this... Christ works miracles, the Spirit accompanies them. Christ ascends, the Spirit takes His place. What great things are there in the idea of God which are not in His power? What titles appertaining to God do not apply also to Him, except for Unbegotten and Begotten? I tremble when I think of such an abundance of titles, and how many Names they blaspheme, those who revolt against the Spirit!” (Or. 31:29).

The Orations of Saint Gregory are not limited only to this topic. He also wrote Panegyrics on Saints, Festal Orations, two invectives against Julian the Apostate, “two pillars, on which the impiety of Julian is indelibly written for posterity,” and various orations on other topics. In all, forty-five of Saint Gregory’s orations have been preserved.

The letters of the saint compare favorably with his best theological works. All of them are clear, yet concise. In his poems as in all things, Saint Gregory focused on Christ. “If the lengthy tracts of the heretics are new Psalters at variance with David, and the pretty verses they honor are like a third testament, then we also shall sing Psalms, and begin to write much and compose poetic meters,” said the saint. Of his poetic gift the saint wrote: “I am an organ of the Lord, and sweetly... do I glorify the King, all a-tremble before Him.”

The fame of the Orthodox preacher spread through East and West. But the saint lived in the capital as though he still lived in the wilderness: “his food was food of the wilderness; his clothing was whatever necessary. He made visitations without pretense, and though in proximity of the court, he sought nothing from the court.”

The saint received a shock when he was ill. One whom he considered as his friend, the philosopher Maximus, was consecrated at Constantinople in Saint Gregory’s place. Struck by the ingratitude of Maximus, the saint decided to resign the cathedral, but his faithful flock restrained him from it. The people threw the usurper out of the city. On November 24, 380 the holy emperor Theodosius arrived in the capital and, in enforcing his decree against the heretics, the main church was returned to the Orthodox, with Saint Gregory making a solemn entrance. An attempt on the life of Saint Gregory was planned, but instead the assassin appeared before the saint with tears of repentance.

At the Second Ecumenical Council in 381, Saint Gregory was chosen as Patriarch of Constantinople. After the death of Patriarch Meletius of Antioch, Saint Gregory presided at the Council. Hoping to reconcile the West with the East, he offered to recognize Paulinus as Patriarch of Antioch.

Those who had acted against Saint Gregory on behalf of Maximus, particularly Egyptian and Macedonian bishops, arrived late for the Council. They did not want to acknowledge the saint as Patriarch of Constantinople, since he was elected in their absence.

Saint Gregory decided to resign his office for the sake of peace in the Church: “Let me be as the Prophet Jonah! I was responsible for the storm, but I would sacrifice myself for the salvation of the ship. Seize me and throw me... I was not happy when I ascended the throne, and gladly would I descend it.”

After telling the emperor of his desire to quit the capital, Saint Gregory appeared again at the Council to deliver a farewell address (Or. 42) asking to be allowed to depart in peace.

Upon his return to his native region, Saint Gregory turned his attention to the incursion of Appolinarian heretics into the flock of Nazianzus, and he established the pious Eulalius there as bishop, while he himself withdrew into the solitude of Arianzos so dear to his heart. The saint, zealous for the truth of Christ, continued to affirm Orthodoxy through his letters and poems, while remaining in the wilderness. He died on January 25, 389, and is honored with the title “Theologian,” also given to the holy Apostle and Evangelist John.

In his works Saint Gregory, like Saint John the Teologien directs everything toward the Pre-eternal Word. Saint John of Damascus (December 4), in the first part of his book An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, followed the lead of Saint Gregory the Theologian.

Saint Gregory was buried at Nazianzos. In the year 950, his holy relics were transferred to Constantinople into the church of the Holy Apostles. Later on, a portion of his relics was transferred to Rome.

In appearance, the saint was of medium height and somewhat pale. He had thick eyebrows, and a short beard. His contemporaries already called the archpastor a saint. The Orthodox Church, honors Saint Gregory as a second Theologian and insightful writer on the Holy Trinity.

SAINT VLADIMIR (Bogoyavlensky) METROPOLITAN OF KIEV AND GALLICH(01. 01. 1848  – 25. 01 (07.02) 1918)

The holy Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev was the first bishop to be tortured and slain by the Communists at the time of the Russian Revolution.

Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev was the first hierarch- martyr of the Russian Orthodox Church during the Bolshevik terror. At first glance, his life seems so simple that nothing in it foreshadows his martyrdom. Yet this is a superficial impression. Martyrdom for Christ is a kind of selectness, one must be worthy. Due to the extreme modesty of Vladyka, many of his feats are hidden and only fragments of his pastoral teachings reveal his spiritual state, the prelude to his Christian end.

“Not to me, oh Lord, but unto Thy name be the glory!”

In the notes of Metropolitan Vladimir addressed to his congregation, especially to the younger generation, humility is one of the main themes: “To be humble means to know nothing about our talents or any other benefits we have above others, but rather consider them to be the grace and gifts of God, and not place ourselves above others, meekly endure insults and abuse, subordinate our will to the will of those standing above us, <…> not strive to show off and distinguish ourselves, but rather worry about the benevolence of God. This is true Christian humility. This is loyalty to Christ”. [1]

His Grace himself knew this way of belittling oneself before others in order to acquire the discreet but precious properties of Christian character – love, humility, compassion – that begin the path of humble suffering for the sake of Christ.

The future hieromartyr was born in 1848, the son of a village priest in the Tambov province, in which priesthood was as a matter of inheritance. However, he was in no hurry to become ordained. After seminary, he studied at the Kiev Theological Academy and for seven years after graduation he remained Vasily Nikiforovich Bogoyavlensky, preparing himself for ordination while teaching homiletics, liturgics, and pastoral theology in the Tambov seminary. At 34, he feels ready for ordination. At this time of his life there is no rush to highly establish himself, as well as no striking demonstration of abilities given to him. There is only labor in his assigned place and the bearing of responsibility before God and respect for others – his family and students. What he writes in his teachings about humility completely reflects his inner spiritual state: “The humble man always has a correct relationship with God. <…> Not to me, oh Lord, but unto thy name be glory! <…>By the grace of God I am what I am” [2]. And perhaps father Vasily would have served until his very death as a priest in a quiet corner of provincial Russia like Kozlov, pleased and very happy with life, if not circumstances beyond his control revealed God’s different plans for him. In 1886 he suffered two trials: as soon as he lost his wife, he parts with their joy – their only beloved child. At age 38, his worldly ties dissolve, and becoming a monk is the natural “refuge” for his humble, God-fearing soul.

When tonsured he was given the name of Vladimir, as if in sign of his future glorification of the Kiev cathedra. His character, knowledge and training drew the attention of church hierarchy. He took on his ministry as a bishop as calmly and willingly as he took priest ordination, not seeking benefits for himself, but relying on Divine will and the established time for each spiritual stage. In 1888 he became bishop of Staraya Russa, vicar of the Novgorod diocese, three years later he was appointed to Samara, then to the Caucasus, and finally in six years to Moscow. From 1898 to 1912 Vladyka Vladimir served the Church as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. These were difficult years. A great ordeal were the revolutions of 1905 – 1907 and the Moscow “rebellion”.

The personal qualities of Metropolitan Vladimir fitted in Moscow, which was more open and people-friendly compared to the capital. He was remembered as humble, not aspiring to stand out, be praised, and for the fact that without publicizing himself, he helped the poor, fearlessly visited workers in the factories, simply conversing with them about their lives and the then- fashionable socialism, about the possibilities of reform and how to remain a Christian in a foreign urban environment. His Grace did not hide his belief that the popular social theories embody serious moral substitutions. His authority in those years was very great.

In 1912, after the death of Metropolitan Anthony, he was transferred to St. Petersburg. His three-year ministry in the main cathedra of Russia coincided with the beginning of World War I and was complicated by political factors and heated passions around the figure of G. Rasputin.

At that time, even people loyal to the royal family took opposite behavioral positions under the prevailing circumstances. Some believed that any attention to Rasputin, whatever its motives may be, is “on hand” for the opposition and promotes political destabilization [3]. Others, among them – Metropolitan Vladimir, the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna – were convinced of the need to remove Rasputin. Metropolitan Vladimir frankly expressed his point of view. Unfortunately, two people, two honest and noble natures could not reach an agreement. Alexandra, partly for fear of slander, partly out of conviction that the family can have “personal friends”, did not take notice of warnings in the form of “indisputable facts” or “general opinion” [3]. In 1915, Metropolitan Vladimir was transferred to Kiev.

“Slaves of false honor”

If humility exalts, then pride humiliates. “Look at the proud” – advises the holy hierarch in his writings – “filled with such pride; often not based on anything actual, how arrogant and conceited he is in his words and deeds, in his movements and mannerisms, his gait, and in his dress! <…> Oh, pitiful vanity! And this is called greatness? No, this is all unknown to the humble man, and he looks with regret at these slaves of false honor” [5]. In his final years, Metropolitan Vladimir will experience much grief and eventually be killed by people caught in the whirlpool of evil: self-affirmed “hierarchs” and self-empowered “authorities”.

In the fall of 1917, Vladyka Vladimir receives threats and insults from the spontaneously organized “church government” – “Supreme Council of Ukraine”, whose members took advantage of political events (proclamation of the Ukrainian State) for the destruction of canonical unity with the Russian Orthodox Church. Commissars of the council were sent out to all corners of the country to forbid church commemoration of Patriarch Tikhon, who was chosen at the All-Russian Local Council. Nationalists demanded the language of the services to be Ukrainian, and they sought to seize churches, including the St. Sophia Cathedral. In Kiev, a rumor was spread that all parish funds are in the hands of Metropolitan Vladimir. The hierarch was put in conditions of isolation in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and his brethren were provoked against him.

The tension continued to rise during autumn, and in the new year of 1918, Kiev began to be torn apart by civil war. Fire in the city did not cease night and day: shells cracked, the deafening shots caused walls and roofs of houses to cave-in. The greatest destruction occurred in the areas of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and its rampart. By this time, under the influence of the self-authorized council, the discipline of monks fell so much that when on January 23 Bolsheviks entered the Lavra, nobody even tried to resist: the monastery gates were open and a group of10-15 people freely roamed within.

The situation became extremely dangerous for Metropolitan Vladimir. In this uncontrolled situation he expected any provocation, and even wrote a will in case of sudden death. He celebrated his last liturgy on Sunday, January 21st, and all following days he prayed at home. Then it was Friday, January 25. In the evening a group of armed men headed by a sailor-commissar entered the monastery. Supporters of the nationalists showed them the location of Vladyka’s apartments. Lavra “soundly slept” and no stood up for the 70-year old elder.

According to the hierarch’s cell attendant, the outlaws walked through the rooms, demanding “church capital”, and finally attacked the Metropolitan – ripped of his panagia, choked him with his cross chain and twenty minutes later threw out into the cold and led towards the Lavra rampart. Vladyka went to his death humbly, meekly, crossing himself again and again … Friday night, “sleeping disciples”, and Christ-like loneliness in his grief – this was the hierarch’s measure.

They stopped between Lavra and the military Cathedral of St. Nicholas. Then a shot rang out in the night … Not the monastery brothers, but rather women hurrying to the morning service became the first witnesses of the hierarch’s martyrdom. Metropolitan Vladimir was lying in the snow only in his underclothes. On his body were multiple bayonet and bullet wounds.

The Cross mounted on the place of execution of Hieromartyr Vladimir of Kiev

There was so much suffering ahead that the martyrdom of the Kiev Metropolitan, which shocked not only believers, but also the secular people of Russia, will only be the first chord nationwide drama [6]. In Kiev alone, during such sixteen “extreme situations” at least 12,000 people will be murdered. [7]

Head of the Kharkov KGB, S. A. Saenko.

Official statistics of the Bolshevik terror – in this case, all best-known researchers agree[8] – do not reflect the actual number of victims, nor the horror of torture the victims of the secret police were subject to [9].

Vera Grebennyukova (“Dora Evlinskaya”) – female executioner of the Odessa Cheka.

After the terror and terrible famine that killed millions of people all over Russia, no one will raise the voice against the terror. In the silence of the people, where the Tsar, priests, bishops are murdered, where the covenant with God is dissolved, there evil comes into force. By God’s permission, “the Gethsemane night” will not pass the people of all social classes, ages and professions…

Relics of the hieromartyr Vladimir of Kiev in the near Caves of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

Translated from the Russian. Source: Pravmir.com read the interesting footnotes here

1 CORINTHIANS 12:7-11

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

MARK 11:23-26

23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. 25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.