St. John of Damascus (Feast Day – December 4) By St. Dimitri Rostov

Our venerable father John was born in the great city of Damascus in Syria to noble, pious parents whose ardent faith in Christ, tested by temptations, was more precious than gold tried by fire. They lived in perilous [...]]]> The Life of St. John the Damascene

St. John of Damascus (Feast Day – December 4)
By St. Dimitri Rostov

Our venerable father John was born in the great city of Damascus in Syria to noble, pious parents whose ardent faith in Christ, tested by temptations, was more precious than gold tried by fire. They lived in perilous times, for the Saracens (Arab desert warriors) had conquered that land & taken the city, bringing terrible calamity upon the Christians. Some they slew, others they sold into slavery, & they permitted no one to confess Christ publicly. John’s parents, however, guarded by providence, remained unharmed, & their property was left untouched. They held fast to the holy faith, & God granted them to win the favor of the Saracens, as once Joseph (the son of the patriarch Issac) had won the favor of the Egyptians, & the Prophet Daniel of the Babylonians. Thus the impious Hagarenes (a common designation of Moslems referring to the putative descent of the Arabs from Hagar, the handmaid of Sara, the wife of Abraham, whom the latter expelled at Sara’s insistence. She was the mother of Ishmael, her son by Abraham) did not forbid the saint’s parents to believe in Christ or to glorify His name. John’s father was appointed magistrate of the city & commissioner of public buildings (Since the Muslim conquerors were mostly desert warriors with little experience in administration, they often relied upon the prominent officials of the conquered territory to continue to serve as administrators & bureaucrats.). Enjoying as he did the rulers’ trust, he was able to benefit his Christian brethren greatly, ransoming captives, setting free the fettered & imprisoned, commuting the sentences of those condemned to death & extending a helping hand to all the suffering. John’s parents shone amid the Hagarenes of Damascus like beacons in the night, or embers glowing among ashes. They were preserved by God, as was the holy line of David in Israel, because the Lord had chosen them to be the parents of a son who would be manifested as a brilliant light illumining the whole world.

Although the Moslems forbade anyone to be born of water & the Spirit, John’s parents, eager to make him a child of light, did not hesitate to have him baptized. As the child (the namesake of grace) grew, his father was careful to rear him well: not teaching him the customs of the Saracens, nor the military arts, nor how to hunt game, nor worldly learning of any sort, but meekness, humility & the fear of God, acquainting him also with the divine Scriptures. Moreover, he prayed God fervently that He send a wise & devout teacher who would instruct his son more perfectly in the virtues. God heard his prayer & granted his desire in the following manner.

The barbarians living in Damascus made frequent raids by land & sea against other countries, taking Christians captive to their city, some to be sold into slavery in the markets, others to be put to the sword without mercy. Once they happened to capture a monk from Italy named Cosmas, a man of noble appearance & even greater nobility of soul. As Cosmas was being offered for sale in the market with other captives, those who were to be put to death fell at his feet, tearfully beseeching him to pray to God for their souls. Seeing the honor in which he was held by those going to their death, the Saracens asked Cosmas what rank he held among the Christians in his homeland. To this he replied, “I held no rank & was never counted worthy of the priesthood. I am only a sinful monk, although one schooled in philosophy, both Christian & pagan.” Then, he began to weep, shedding bitter tears.
Not far off stood John’s father, who recognized the elder as a monk by his clothing. Wishing to console him, he approached & said, “Why, O man of God, do you weep? Is it because you have lost your earthly freedom? But your garb proclaims that long ago you renounced the world & died to it.”

“I do not weep because I have lost my freedom,” answered the monk. “I died to the world long ago, as you say, & care nothing for it. I know well that there is another life, one better than this, immortal & ever-lasting, prepared for the Lord’s servants, which I hope to inherit by the grace of Christ my God. I lament because I shall depart this life childless, without an heir.”

John’s father said in astonishment, “You are a monk, Father, & have consecrated yourself to God, vowing to preserve your chastity. You are not permitted to beget children. You should not grieve over this.”
“You do not understand my words, sir,” answered the monk. “I do not speak of sons according to the flesh or of a material inheritance, but of things spiritual. It is clear that I own nothing; nevertheless, I possess a great wealth of knowledge, which I have labored hard from my youth to acquire. With God’s help I have mastered every worldly science, including rhetoric & dialectic, the philosophy of Aristotle & Plato, geometry & the theory of music. I have acquainted myself thoroughly with the movements of the heavenly bodies & the courses of the stars, so that through the beauty of creation I might come to a clearer understanding of the wise Creator. Finally, I have learned well the mysteries of Orthodoxy as expounded by the Greek & Roman theologians. Yet while I possess such knowledge myself, I have failed to hand it on to another. Now there is no longer any possibility for me to teach what I have learned. I have no disciple, & little time remains to me, for I am certain that I shall die here by the sword of the Hagarenes. Then I will appear before the Lord & be likened to the tree that brought forth no fruit & the servant that buried his master’s talent in the ground. This is why I weep & lament. Like a married man who has no son, I leave no spiritual heir to inherit the wealth of my knowledge.”

John’s father rejoiced when he heard this, because he was certain he had found the treasure for which he had sought so long. He comforted the elder, “Do not sorrow, Father; for God may yet grant you the desire of your heart.” Thereupon he hastened to the Caliph of the Saracens &, falling at his feet, earnestly begged to be given the captive monk. The Caliph did not refuse him, & John’s father happily took the ruler’s precious gift, the blessed Cosmas, to his home, where he offered him hospitality & the opportunity to rest. He sought to console the monk, who had suffered much at the hands of the Moslems, saying, “Father, my house is yours, & I wish you to share in all my joys & sorrows.” He added, “God has not only granted you freedom, but the desire of your heart as well.” Then he presented his 2 sons & said, “I have 2 children, my son John & this boy who, like you, bears the name Cosmas. He was born in Jerusalem & orphaned while still a babe, & I adopted him. I pray you, Father, instruct them in the sciences & in good conduct, teaching them every virtue. They shall be your spiritual children, begotten anew by your teaching. Rear them & make them heirs of your spiritual riches, a wealth that no one can steal.”

The blessed elder Cosmas rejoiced & glorified God & began to instruct both youths with all diligence. Since the boys were intelligent, they progressed rapidly in their studies. Like an eagle soaring through the air, John attained the understanding of lofty mysteries, while Cosmas, his spiritual brother, in a short time plumbed the depths of wisdom, quickly crossing the sea of learning like a boat driven by a favorable wind. Studying assiduously, like Pythagoras & Diophanes, they mastered grammar, dialectic, philosophy & arithmetic. So profound was their understanding of geometry, that they might well have been termed new Euclids. The ecclesiastical hymns & verses they composed testify to their skill in poetry. They were also well acquainted with astronomy & the mysteries of theology. Besides tutoring them in all these subjects, their teacher instructed them in good morals & the life of virtue. In a word, both acquired perfect understanding of spiritual & external wisdom, especially John, who caused his teacher to marvel. John surpassed even his tutor in certain fields of knowledge, becoming a great theologian, a fact to which his divinely inspired & wise books attest. Nevertheless, he did not become proud because of his learning: like a fruitful tree that bends lower to the ground as it becomes more heavily laden with fruit, so the blessed lover of wisdom, John, thought less & less of himself in his heart the more he excelled in his studies. He knew how to extinguish the vain imaginations & passionate thoughts of youth & kindled within his soul, radiant with spiritual wisdom, the fire of divine desire so that it shone like a lamp full of oil.

One day, the teacher Cosmas said to John’s father, “My lord, your desire has been fulfilled. Your children have studied well, surpassing me in knowledge. Thanks to good memories & diligent toil, they have sounded the depths of wisdom. God has granted increase to the gifts bestowed on them, & they can learn nothing more from me. Indeed, they are ready to teach others. Therefore I pray you, my lord, grant me leave to depart for a monastery, where I may become a disciple to monks who have achieved perfection & can instruct me in higher wisdom. The external wisdom I have mastered leads me on to spiritual philosophy, a wisdom purer & more honorable than any worldly science, for it profits the soul & leads it to salvation.”

John’s father was grieved at this, because he was loath to part with such a wise & worthy instructor. He did not, however, dare prevent the elder from doing as he wished, or give him cause for sorrow. Rewarding him handsomely, he permitted him to depart in peace. Cosmas took up his abode in the Lavra of St. Sabbas, where he remained, leading the life of virtue until the day of his departure unto God, the most perfect Wisdom.

Sometime later, John’s father also died in great old age. The Caliph summoned John, wishing to make him his chief counselor, but John declined, having another desire: to labor for the Lord in silence. Nevertheless, he was forced to accept the position & was charged with even greater authority in the city of Damascus than his father had enjoyed.
At that time Leo the Isaurian reigned over the Greek Empire. He rose up against the Church of God like a roaring lion, casting the holy icons out of the Lord’s churches, committing them to flames & mercilessly destroying those who venerated them. Hearing of this, John was aroused with zeal for piety like Elijah the Tishbite & Christ’s Forerunner. He took up the sword of the word of God & hewed down the heretical arguments of the inhuman Emperor, writing many epistles in defense of the holy icons. These he circulated among the Orthodox, wisely demonstrating from the ancient traditions of the God-bearing Fathers that it is fitting to honor the sacred images. He asked his readers to show the letters to other Orthodox brethren & confirm them in the faith. Thus the blessed John traveled the whole world, not on foot, but by means of his divinely inspired letters, which were read everywhere in the Greek Empire, confirming the Orthodox in piety & flailing the heretics as if with a goad. Word of this reached the impious Emperor Leo himself, who, unable to endure this denunciation of his ungodliness, summoned other heretics who shared his opinions & ordered them to inquire among the Orthodox for a copy of a letter written by John in his own hand. If one of the Emperor’s agents should find such a letter, he was to take it on the pretext that he wished to read it. After much effort a letter written by John himself was found & brought directly to the Emperor. He in turn gave it to skilled scribes, commanding them to copy the handwriting & write a letter purporting to be a message to him from John. The forged letter read as follows: “Hail, O Emperor! In the name of our common faith I rejoice in your might, rendering due homage to your Imperial Majesty. I wish to make known to you that our city of Damascus, which is held by the Saracens, is poorly defended by them with a weak & paltry guard; therefore I entreat you for God’s sake to show compassion & send your brave army to our rescue. If it appears to be headed elsewhere, & then suddenly falls upon Damascus, the city can be taken under your rule without difficulty. I will do much to assist you in this, for the city & this entire country are under my administration.”
Next the devious Emperor ordered that a letter from himself to the Saracen Caliph be composed. This letter read: “Nothing, I believe, is more blessed than to live in amity & enjoy friendly relations with one’s neighbors, for to keep a vow of peace is a thing most praiseworthy & pleasing to God. Truly, I desire ever to keep the peace I have concluded with you, honorably & faithfully. However, a notable Christian living in your domain often sends me letters urging me to attack you without warning & promises to deliver the city of Damascus into my hands without a great battle, if only I should come against it with my army. As a token of my friendship & so that you may know the truth of what I write, I am sending you one of the letters penned by that Christian. Thus informed of his audacious treachery, you will know how to reward him.”

The Emperor sent both letters to the Caliph. After reading them, the barbarian Prince summoned John & showed him the forged letter he had supposedly written. John examined it carefully, saying, “The hand-writing is similar to mine, but it was not me who wrote it. It has never entered my mind to write the Greek Emperor or to deal falsely with my master!”

John understood at once that this was a plot of the malicious & cunning heretics, but the Caliph raged with anger & commanded that John’s right hand be cut off. John begged the ruler to allow him to explain the reason for the evil Emperor’s hatred toward him & to give him a little time to establish his innocence, but this was refused. The Caliph would permit no delay, so John’s right hand, which had so greatly strengthened the Orthodox & assisted them in remaining faithful to God, was severed. That hand which had censured most forcefully those who hated the Lord was now stained, not with ink from the pen employed to defend the holy icons, but with its own blood.

After the amputation John’s hand was hung aloft in the city market, & the saint, weak from pain & the loss of much blood, was returned to his home. Just before darkness fell, the blessed one was told that the Caliph’s wrath had abated; whereupon John sent him this request: “My pain continues to increase, giving me indescribable torment. Permit my hand to be returned from the market, my lord, that I may bury it & so assuage my pain.”

The Caliph granted the request, & when the hand was brought, John entered his prayer-room & fell to the floor before his icon of the most pure Theotokos. Pressing the severed hand to his wrist, he sighed & wept, praying from the depths of his heart: “O Lady, most pure Mistress & Mother of God, behold: my right hand has been cut off for the sake of the divine icons by the tyrant Leo! Whatsoever thou willest, thou canst accomplish, for through thy holy prayers, the right hand of the Most High, Who was incarnate of thee, works numerous miracles; wherefore, come quickly to mine aid, that He may heal my hand by thine intercession, O Theotokos. May I again be permitted to defend the Orthodox faith; may my hand write once more in praise of thee & thy Son!”

With this John fell asleep & beheld in a dream the most pure Theotokos looking down upon him from the icon with warm, compassionate eyes. She said, “Your hand has been restored. Do not be troubled any longer, but return to your work & labor diligently, like a swiftly writing scribe, even as you promised me.”

John arose from sleep, felt his right hand & realized that it had indeed been healed. His spirit rejoiced in God his Saviour & in the Lord’s most pure Mother, who had done such a great thing for him. He rejoiced throughout the night with all his household, chanting a new hymn: “Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power. Thy right hand has healed my severed hand & crushed Thine enemies, who do not revere Thy precious image or that of Thy most pure Mother. It shall destroy those who destroy the icons, & multiply Thy glory!”

John’s neighbors heard him & the others chanting songs of gladness & thanksgiving & learning the reason for their joy, marveled greatly. It was not long before the Caliph learned of it as well. He summoned John & ordered him to display his severed hand. Around John’s right wrist was a mark like a red thread, which the Mother of God had allowed to remain as testimony to the fact that his hand truly had been cut off. Seeing this, the Caliph asked John what physician had rejoined the hand to his wrist, & what treatment had been used to heal it. John did not hesitate to proclaim boldly, “It was my Lord, the almighty Physician, Who healed me! He hearkened unto my earnest supplication, offered through His most pure Mother & restored the hand that you cut off.”

“Woe is me!” lamented the Caliph. “I condemned you, a good man, unjustly, without investigating the accusation made against you. I beseech you to forgive me for passing judgment so hastily & foolishly. Agree to accept your former rank of chief counselor. Henceforth nothing shall be done in the realm without your advice or consent!” But John fell at the Caliph’s feet & pleaded to be released from service. He begged the ruler not to forbid him to take the path his soul desired, but to allow him to follow the Lord with those who have renounced themselves & the world, & have taken up Christ’s yoke. The Caliph was loath to agree, since he wished to retain John as overseer of his palace & entire domain. Each continued his attempts to persuade the other, but finally John prevailed.

Returning home, John immediately distributed his possessions among the poor, freed his slaves & set out for Jerusalem with Cosmas his foster-brother. After venerating the Holy Places, he went to the Lavra of St. Sabbas, where he implored the abbot to accept him as a lost sheep & admit him to his chosen flock. The superior & brethren knew of John, since he was famous even in Palestine due to his writings & the high rank he had held. Rejoicing because such a man had come to him in poverty & humility, the abbot received him with love. He called for a brother experienced in asceticism, to entrust the novice to his care for training in spiritual philosophy & the traditions of monasticism, but the monk refused to accept John, being unwilling to become teacher to a man who surpassed so many in knowledge. Then the abbot summoned another, but he too refused. A 3rd & a 4th monk were brought, but they & all the rest declared that they were unworthy to instruct such a man. All were daunted by John’s wide learning & former exalted rank. Finally, a simple but wise elder was summoned who agreed to be John’s guide. The elder received John into his cell, & wishing to set for him the foundation of a life of virtue, 1st imposed upon him the following rules: never to do anything according to his own will; to offer God his labors & fervent supplications as a sacrifice & to shed tears to wash away the sins of his former life, since God regards tears as an oblation more precious than any incense. These rules the elder regarded as the basis for the higher works that are perfected by labors of the body. Furthermore, he required that John not harbor any worldly thoughts; that he not dwell on unseemly images, but preserve his mind pure, untouched by every vain attachment; & that he not boast of his learning or consider that by his studies he had attained a perfect understanding. He also forbade John to seek revelations or the understanding of hidden mysteries or to imagine that his reason would remain unshaken till the end of his life, & that he would never wander from the path of truth. On the contrary, he warned him that men’s thoughts are feeble & their understanding damaged by sin. For that reason, he said, he ought not to permit his thoughts to wander, but should take care to control them, so that his mind would be enlightened by God, his soul sanctified, & his body cleansed of every impurity. He enjoined the saint to strive to bring into concord body, soul & mind after the image of the Holy Trinity, & to be ruled neither by the body nor the soul, but by the spiritual faculty. In this way it is possible for a man to become altogether spiritual. Such were the rules given to his son & pupil by this father & teacher, who added to them these words: “Write to no one, & speak to no one of the secular sciences. Keep a discreet silence. Remember that it is not our wise men alone who teach the value of a quiet life; Pythagoras also had his disciples keep a lengthy silence. Pay heed to David, who said, “I held my peace, even from good,” & understand that it is not profitable to speak out of season. And what gain did he derive from silence? He says: “My heart grew hot within me; that is, the fire of divine love was kindled in him by reflection on God.”

The elder’s instructions fell like seed upon fertile ground in John’s heart, taking root there. John lived for a long time with the divinely inspired elder, carefully fulfilling his injunctions & submitting to him with-out pretense, gainsaying, or murmuring. Even in his thoughts he never contradicted the elder’s commands, & he inscribed in his heart this saying as on tablets of stone: “Every command given by one’s father is to be obeyed without wrath & doubting, as the Apostle says.” Indeed, how does a novice profit by fulfilling a task with his hands, while grumbling with his lips? What gain is there in doing what is commanded, while contradicting with the tongue & mind? How can such a man attain perfection? Never will he reach his goal. He labors in vain, for by thinking that he has achieved virtue through obedience, he has only hidden a serpent in his breast by complaining. But the blessed John, who was truly obedient, never grumbled, no matter what tasks he was ordered to perform.

One day, the elder, wishing to test John’s humility, ordered him to fetch a large number of baskets, which they made & sold. He said to John, “I have heard, child, that baskets sell for much more in Damascus than in Palestine. As you see, we are lacking in necessities of every sort & are in need of money. Go without delay to Damascus & sell our baskets there.” The elder set a price for the baskets far above their value & insisted that John accept nothing less, but the true son of obedience did not protest in word or thought. He did not object to being sent on such a long journey, nor was he ashamed to sell baskets in a city where he was known to everyone & had been a man of great authority, because he was determined to emulate the Master Christ, Who was obedient unto death. He asked for his spiritual father’s blessing & loaded the baskets on his shoulders. Arriving in Damascus, he began to walk through the markets, offering his goods for sale. Those who wished to purchase them asked what they cost &, learning their high price, would laugh at John, mockingly insulting him. Clad as he was in rags, the blessed one was not recognized by anyone, since the people of Damascus had always seen him wearing gold-embroidered robes. Moreover, his face was worn by fasting, his cheeks were sunken, & his handsome appearance had faded away. But finally one citizen, who had been John’s servant while the saint was in a position of authority, did recognize him after staring for some time. Astonished at seeing John clothed in wretched tatters, he was moved from the bottom of his heart. Pretending not to know him, the man approached John & gave him the full price set by the elder; not because he was in need of baskets, but because he felt compassion for his former master, who, having enjoyed great fame & wealth, had come to such poverty & humility for God’s sake. Accepting the money, John returned to his elder like a victor from battle, having cast to the ground his enemy, the proud & vainglorious devil, by obedience & humility.

Some time passed, & one of the monks of the lavra fell asleep in the Lord. He had a brother according to the flesh who grieved inconsolably for him. Although John spoke at length with the man, trying to comfort him, he was unsuccessful, for the mourner was wounded by measureless sorrow. Then the monk began to entreat John to compose compunctionate burial hymns, to console him in his sadness. At first John refused, not wishing to transgress the command given by his elder, who had forbidden him to do anything without permission, but the mourning brother did not cease his entreaties, saying, “Why will you not have pity on my sorrowful soul? Why do you not wish to give me a little medicine to heal my grieving heart? If you were a physician & some illness had stricken me, & I asked you to cure me, would you disdain me & leave me to die, though you had the ability to treat me? I am suffering greatly from heartache & seek only a little help, but you spurn me! If I die of grief, will you not have to answer for me to God? If you are afraid to violate your elder’s injunction, I will conceal what you have written so that he will not learn of it.” At length John yielded to such persuasion & wrote the following troparia: “What sweetness of life,” “Like a flower that withereth,” “All human vanity” & others, which are used to this day in the funeral service.

One day, while the elder had left the cell, John was chanting the hymns he had composed. Upon his return the elder, drawing near the cell, heard John singing. He rushed in & reproached the disciple angrily, “How is it that you have forgotten your vows so quickly & make merry, singing to yourself instead of weeping?” John told him the reason & explained that he was compelled by the brother’s tears to write the hymns he was singing. Begging forgiveness, he fell to the ground before the elder, who nevertheless remained unyielding & forbade the blessed one to continue living with him.

Driven out of the cell, John recalled Adam’s expulsion from Paradise because of disobedience. He remained for some time before the door weeping, as once did Adam before the gate of the Garden. Afterwards, he went to the other fathers whom he knew to be perfect in the virtues & entreated them to go to his elder & ask him to forgive his offense. They implored the elder to pardon John & permit him to return, but their pleas were unavailing. One of the fathers said to him, “Impose a penance upon the sinner, but do not forbid him to live with you.”

To this the elder replied, “This is the penance I give him: if he wishes to be forgiven his transgression, let him wash out all the chamber-pots in the lavra & clean every one of the latrines.”

When the monks heard this, they departed in consternation, amazed at the elder’s crudity & unyielding disposition. John went out to meet them as they returned &, bowing down before them, as was the custom, asked what was his spiritual father’s reply. They told him of the elder’s harshness, but did not dare relate what he had set as a penance. John, however, fervently besought them to tell him what his father demanded, & when he learned, he rejoiced exceedingly & was eager to undertake the shameful task. Preparing without delay the equipment necessary for the cleaning, he began the work with diligence, touching excrement with fingers once fragrant with perfumes & soiling the right hand healed miraculously by the most pure Theotokos. O the profound self-abasement of that wondrous man & true son of obedience! Seeing how John gladly allowed himself to be humiliated, the elder was moved to compunction & hastened to embrace his spiritual child, kissing him upon the head, shoulders & hands. He exclaimed, “O what a great sufferer for Christ have I begotten! Truly, he is a son of blessed obedience!”

Flustered by the elder’s words, John fell at his feet, weeping. He did not permit feelings of pride to gain access to his heart because of his father’s praises, but humbled himself all the more, begging to be forgiven his offense. The elder took him by the hand & led him back to the cell. So elated was John by this that it seemed to him he was being led into paradise. After this he lived with his spiritual father in their former accord.

Soon thereafter, the Mistress of the world, the most pure & blessed Virgin, appeared to the elder in a dream, saying, “Why have you blocked up a stream which pours forth an abundance of sweet water, a water preferable to that which sprang from the rock in the wilderness or the water that David longed to drink? This is the water Christ promised the Samaritan woman. Do not hinder the flow of this spring that will water the whole world, drowning heresies & their bitterness! Let the thirsty hasten to this water, & let those who do not possess the pure silver of an unsullied life sell their passions & gain it by emulating John, a man radiant with purity & good deeds & most learned in the dogmas of the Church. He will take up the psaltery of the prophets & David’s harp to sing a new song to the Lord God, 1 that shall surpass the canticles of Moses & Mariam. The fabled odes of Orpheus will be counted as naught when compared with his works, for he will sing a spiritual & heavenly hymn like that of cherubim. He will make the churches of Jerusalem like maidens playing the timbrel, chanting unto God & proclaiming Christ’s death & resurrection. He will expound in writing the dogmas of Orthodoxy & denounce the perverse teachings of the heretics; his heart shall pour forth a good word, & he shall speak of the wondrous works of the King.”

The next morning, the elder summoned John & said to him, “O son of obedience to Christ, speak what is stored up in your heart! Let your mouth declare wisdom, announcing the things God has revealed to your mind. Open your mouth & proclaim, not legends & dark fables, but the truths of the Church & her dog-mas. Speak to the heart of the Jerusalem that truly beholds God, that is, the Church, which He has reconciled unto Himself. Do not pour out empty words into the air, but relate what the Holy Spirit has inscribed in your heart. Ascend the lofty Sinai of the vision of God & the revelation of divine mysteries: ascend by means of your great humility, which is a bottomless abyss, to the summit of the Church, & there proclaim the Gospel to Jerusalem. Lift up your voice mightily, for the Mother of God has told me wondrous things of you. And forgive me, I pray, for my crudeness & ignorance have been a hindrance to you.”

From that time the blessed John resumed writing sacred books & composing melodious hymns. He wrote The Octoechos (the liturgical book containing the hymns of Vespers & Orthros, set forth according to an 8-week schedule), which, like a spiritual flute, delights the Church of God even to this day. John began this book with words he had once sung when his hand was restored: “Thy victorious right hand hath in godly manner been glorified in might.” The hymn “In thee all creation rejoices, O thou who art full of grace” (the hymn to the Theotokos sung during the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great) he also first chanted when exulting after the wondrous healing. John always wore upon his head the bandage he had used to wrap his severed hand, in remembrance of the miracle worked by the most pure Theotokos. He also wrote the lives of a number of saints, com-posed festal homilies & various compunctionate prayers. He denounced the heretics, especially the iconoclasts, expounding the dogmas of the true faith & the mysteries of theology, & to this day the faithful are spiritually nourished by his edifying treatises, from which they drink as from a sweet stream.

The venerable John had as a helper in his labors the blessed Cosmas, who was reared with him & studied under the same learned monk. Cosmas, who was later consecrated bishop of Maiuma by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, urged John to write sacred books & compose hymns, & himself assisted in this work.

The same Patriarch that consecrated Cosmas ordained John presbyter; but John, not wishing to tarry in the world & be praised by the laity, returned to his cell in the Monastery of St. Sabbas like a bird to its nest. There he devoted himself to the reading & writing of sacred books & the attainment of his salvation. Collecting all the books, homilies & sermons he had previously written, he edited them carefully, so that no errors would remain in them. John passed much time in these labors, which greatly benefitted both his soul & the entire Church of Christ. He attained perfect holiness, & having pleased God in all his works, departed unto Christ & His most pure Mother. Not before their icons does he now pay them homage, but instead he gazes upon their countenances in the glory of heaven. Moreover, he prays that we also be deemed worthy of divine vision by the grace of Christ, to Whom, with His all-hymned & most blessed Mother, be honor, glory & worship forever. Amen.

According to Theophanes, St. John had 2 surnames: Chrysorolus & Mansur. He was called Chrysorolus because the grace of the Holy Spirit shone like gold in him & was evident both in his writings & his life. Mansur was the family name he inherited from his ancestors.

Thanks be to God, our little mission of Three Hierarchs in Garden City, Kansas, will be blessed by a visit from our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Basil of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America. Bishop Basil will be with us Thursday evening, October 20, 2011, at which time he will bless [...]]]> Beloved in the Lord,

Thanks be to God, our little mission of Three Hierarchs in Garden City, Kansas, will be blessed by a visit from our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Basil of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America. Bishop Basil will be with us Thursday evening, October 20, 2011, at which time he will bless our Iconostas. As you know, the Iconostas was presented to us following the Parish Life Conference held in Wichita, June of 2009; members of the host parish of St. Mary/Wichita designed and built the Iconostas, then brought it to Garden City and installed it in our temple after it had first been used at the Parish Life Conference.

This will be Bishop Basil’s first pastoral visit to our mission, and we are eagerly awaiting it. We pray that all our parishioners can be with us for the evening, as well as guests whom we are inviting. Following is the schedule for the evening:

Thursday, October 20, 2011–4:30 PM: Blessing of the Iconostas by Bishop Basil
5:30 PM: Baptism, Chrismation, First Holy Communion of Theodore and Anna Peterson
6:30 PM: Dinner in the parish hall, followed by informal visiting with Bishop Basil

May God bless you all!

Sincerely in His service,
Father Philip Vreeland

Dear Brothers & Sisters!

The Lord, Who abides in the heavens, wishing to appear on earth & abide with men, 1st prepared a dwelling place of His glory: His All-Pure Mother. For it is the custom of kings that in whatever city they desire to live, a place of residence be [...]]]> By St. Dimitri (1651-1709)
Metropolitan of Rostov

Dear Brothers & Sisters!

The Lord, Who abides in the heavens, wishing to appear on earth & abide with men, 1st prepared a dwelling place of His glory: His All-Pure Mother. For it is the custom of kings that in whatever city they desire to live, a place of residence be prepared for them beforehand. And as the palaces of earthly kings are constructed by the most skilled craftsmen, of the most costly materials & on the most elevated sights, which are more beautiful & spacious than all the other dwellings of men, in the same manner the palace of the King of Glory must be erected [3 Kings 6]. In the Old Testament, when God desired to dwell in Jerusalem, Solomon built a temple for Him, employing Hiram, a most wise master, who possessed full knowledge of every art & science & was skilled in every enterprise. He constructed the temple with materials of great value: with costly stone, with aromatic woods of cedar & cypress brought from Lebanon, with pure gold & upon a high place: that is, upon Mount Moriah [2 Chronicles 3]. The temple was of great beauty. On its walls were portrayed the likeness of cherubim & of various trees & flowers. The temple was so spacious that the whole Israelite people could be accommodated with-out crowding, & the glory of the Lord would descend in fire & a cloud [2 Chronicles 7]. Nevertheless, that temple did not suffice to contain within itself the Uncontainable God, for even though Solomon built Him a temple, “The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands. ‘What house will ye build Me’, saith the Lord: ‘or what is the place of My rest?’” [Acts 7]

At the beginning of the new era of grace, the Lord was pleased to create a temple not made by hands: the Most Pure, Most Blessed Virgin Mary. By what builder was this temple erected? In truth, by One most wise; by the very Wisdom [the pre-incarnate Son & Word] of God, as the Scripture says, “Wisdom hath built Herself a temple” [Prov. 9]. All things created by the Wisdom of God are good & perfect, therefore, as it was the Wisdom of God that created the living temple of the Word (as She [the eternal Wisdom of God] says of Herself through the words of the Holy Spirit, “The Lord established Me in the beginning of His way”) it was not possible that in her there could be any sort of imperfection or sin. The Perfect God created a perfect temple; the Most Radiant King, a most radiant palace; for the Most Pure & Undefiled Bridegroom, a bridal chamber most pure & undefiled; for the Spotless Lamb, an unsullied dwelling place. A Faithful Witness abiding in the heavens said to her, “Thou art most fair, My love; there is no spot in Thee” [Song of Songs 4]. And St. John the Damascene (676-749) says, “She is wholly the bridal chamber of the Spirit, wholly the city of God, a sea of Grace, wholly good, close to God.”1

With what materials was this palace built? In truth, with the most costly, for she, being like precious stone, was of royal lineage, descended from David, who placed a stone in his sling & with it killed Goliath. The stone foreshadowed the Stone that is Christ, fashioned, as it were, from aromatic woods, of cedar & cypress. The Virgin Theotokos was born of priestly ancestors as well, who offered God sweet smelling sacrifices. Her father, the Holy Righteous Joachim, was the son of Barpather, who traced his ancestry to Nathan, the son of David. Her mother, the Holy Righteous Anna, was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the line of Aaron. Thus, the Most Pure Virgin was by her father of royal descent, & by her mother, of high priestly lineage. Of what precious materials, from what an ancestry was the most illustrious, animate palace of the King of Glory fashioned! As structures built of stone & wood in Solomon’s palace were esteemed all the more for the pure gold with which they were covered, so in the case of the Nativity of the Most Pure Theotokos, the nobility of her royal & high-priestly lineage is rendered yet more honorable by the chastity of her holy parents, which is more to be valued “than thousands of gold & silver. She is more precious than costly stones, & nothing that is dear is to be compared to her” [Proverbs 3], for the Most Pure Virgin was born of parents possessed of chastity, which is loftier than all nobility, as the Holy Damascene testifies, writing of the Righteous Ancestors of God thus, “O blessed couple Joachim & Anna! Truly, by the fruit of thy loins are you known to be blameless, according to the words of the Lord, “You shall know them by their fruits” [Matthew 7]. You ordered your lives in a manner pleasing to God, & worthy of her who was born of you. Having lived in chastity & righteousness, you brought forth the treasury of virginity, the Virgin, who was a virgin before she gave birth, as she gave birth & even after she gave birth. She alone, being in mind & soul & body ever a virgin, abides always in virginity. It was fitting that this virginity, be born of chastity. Like a pair of doves, Joachim & Anna! Thou, having chastely observed the laws of nature, have been granted by God that which is above nature & have brought into the world the Virgin Mother of God. While in the flesh, you have piously & virtuously borne a daughter who is higher than the angels & reigns over them. Most fair & sweet Daughter! Lily, sprung up in the midst of tares from a root most noble & august! By you the royal priesthood has been enriched!” With words such as these does the Holy Damascene clearly indicate the manner of parents who bore the Mother of God & of what costly materials the palace of the Heavenly King was erected.

Where was this living palace built? In a most exalted place, as the Church testifies, saying, “Truly thou art higher than all things, O Pure Virgin.”2 Nevertheless, it was not so in respect to locality, but rather her virtues & God’s benefactions. The place where the Most Blessed Virgin was born was a little town in the land of Galilee called Nazareth, which was subject to the city of Capernaum. It was inglorious & obscure, & its inhabitants were held in disdain, even as it was once said of Christ, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth” [Jn. 1]? But the Lord, “Who dwells on high & looks down on things that are lowly” [Psalm 112], was well pleased that His Most Pure Mother be born not in Capernaum, which in its pride was lifted up to heaven, but rather in humble Nazareth, indicating that that “which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God” [Luke 16], while that which is despised & disdained by them is regarded by Him as lofty & honorable. Moreover, by its very name Nazareth hints the height of the virtues of the Most Pure Virgin. For as by His nativity in Bethlehem, which name means “House of Bread”, the Lord mystically signified that He is the Bread come down from heaven for the life & strength of men. So by the birth of His Most Pure Mother in Nazareth He denotes sublime things. For the name “Nazareth” means a blossoming place, sacred, removed from the things of this world, adorned as it were, with a crown & guarded. All these epithets are clearly applicable to the Most Pure Virgin, for she is the flower sprung up from the withered tree of a barren & aged womb, which has renewed our nature which has shriveled with age. She is the flower which does not wilt, but ever blossoms with virginity. She is the most fragrant flower, giving birth to the fragrance of the only King. She is the flower which bears the Fruit which is Christ the Lord, the flower which alone has borne the fragrant Apple. She is sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit which has descended upon her & has overshadowed her. She is the holiest of all the saints, as she has borne the Word, Who Himself is more holy than all the Saints. She is excluded from the ranks of the sinners of this world, for throughout her life not even once did she know sin. All of us must say with David, “I know mine iniquity & my sin is ever before me” [Psalm 50], but she alone can say, “Without iniquity I ran, & directed my steps” [Psalm 58]. She is the guide of all men, who has not only committed no sin herself, but also turns sinners from wicked deeds, even as the Church cries out to her, “Rejoice, thou who dost rescue us from the works of mire.”3 She is crowned with glory & honor; crowned with glory, because she has blossomed from a royal root; crowned with honor, because she has sprung from a high-priestly line. She is crowned with glory, having come forth from glorious, chaste & righteous parents. She is crowned with honor, for she was esteemed worthy of the Angel’s glad tidings & his attendance. She is crowned with glory, as the Mother of God, for what could be more glorious than to bear God? She is crowned with honor as the Ever-Virgin, for what could be more honorable than to remain a virgin even after giving birth? She is crowned with glory, more glorious than the Seraphim, possessed of love for God like that of the Seraphim. She is crowned with honor, more honorable than the Cherubim, having surpassed the Seraphim in wisdom & knowledge of the Divinity. “Glory, honor & peace to every man who works good” [Romans 2], says the Apostle, & who among the earthborn surpasses the Most Pure Virgin in deeds of virtue? Having fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord, having done all His will, observed all His injunctions, kept all His sayings in her heart & performed every sort of good deed to her neighbors, she is worthy to be crowned, as one who works all manner of good. She is likewise a repository, in which the treasure of her virginal chastity is guarded so carefully, that not even unto the Angel did she wish to entrust it. Upon seeing the Angel, she was troubled at his words & considered in her mind what manner of salutation this might be. All these things concerning the Most Pure Virgin are signified by the Name “Nazareth.”

Who would not affirm that lofty palace of Christ has been greatly exalted through her virtues & God’s blessings? She is exalted, for she has been bestowed on us from heaven, albeit she was born on earth of earthly parents. She was bestowed from heaven, for as certain theologians say, the Archangel Gabriel, who brought glad tidings to Zacharias concerning John & who likewise announced to Joachim & Anna the conception of the Theotokos, conveyed from heaven her most blessed name, saying unto her barren mother, “Anna, Anna, thou shalt bear a most blessed daughter, & her name shall be Mary.” Undoubtedly, she can be called the holy city; the new Jerusalem, descended from God out of heaven & the tabernacle of God in men’s midst [Revelation 21]. Lofty is this divine tabernacle, for having borne Christ the King, it is exalted above the Seraphim. O “height hard to climb for the thoughts of men!”4

With what sort of beauty is this spiritual palace of Christ adorned? Listen to the sweet words John of Damascus, who speaks of her thus, “She was offered to God, the King of All, clad in the splendor of virtues, as it were, in a vesture of gold & adorned in the grace of the Holy Spirit. All her glory is within, for while every wife derives glory from without, from her husband, the glory of the Theotokos is from within, that is to say, the Fruit of her womb. And again he says, “O Virgin, full of God’s grace, O holy temple of God, which the New-Solomon [the Builder of the true Temple] Who created the world has erected & in which He has dwelt! Not with gold, nor with inanimate stones are you adorned. Instead of gold, the Spirit shines in you; in place of precious stones, you have Christ within you, the Pearl of great price. Such is the adornment of this palace, the beauty of which far exceeds that of Solomon’s temple, in which were depicted the Cherubim, trees & flowers. Likewise, in this animate Temple, in the Most Pure Virgin, a semblance to the Cherubim may be seen; for by her manner of life, which was like that of the Cherubim, she was not only the equal of the Cherubim, but surpassed them. If the Church frequently refers to other Saints as Cheru-bim, singing, “What shall we call you, O Saints? Cherubim, for Christ has rested upon you,”5 how much more is the Virgin Theotokos like a Cherub? For within her Christ abode in the flesh, & in her most immaculate hands God sat as though upon a throne: Therefore is she called a Cherubic throne. Moreover, in her person the likeness of fertile trees is depicted, for spiritually she is like a fruitful olive tree or a bloom-ing date-palm in the house of the Lord [Psalm 51]. Therefore, she is now called the life-giving garden, as the Church sings, “From a barren root the God of wonders has made a life-bearing garden to spring up for us: His Mother.”6 All this is said in respect to her spiritual beauty, but she was not lacking in physical beauty. Many of the teachers of the Church testify that there has never been, nor shall ever be a virgin as fair as the Virgin Theotokos. When St. Dionysius the Areopagite saw her, he would have called her God, had he not known that God was born of her. Divine grace, with which she was filled, shone forth brilli-antly from her face. Such was the palace which the Heavenly King prepared beforehand on earth! She was beautiful in both soul & body, “as a bride adorned for her husband” [Revelation 21], &, what is more, ex-ceeding spacious: “Thy womb He made more spacious than the heavens”, & therein Christ, God uncon-tainable, has been contained.

Palaces are usually constructed in such a manner that not only the King, but a multitude of his attendant servants & those who come to him from throughout the world may by amply accommodated. The spacious abode of the Word, the Most Pure Virgin, accommodates not only God the Word as King, but also us His servants, who draw close to God, Who dwells in her. She contains both God & us in her womb, in her compassionate bosom. The chosen & holy vessel, the Apostle Paul, moved by compassion, said to his be-loved, spiritual children, “Our heart is enlarged; ye are not straitened in us” [2 Corinthians 6]. In which of the Saints may be found such all-embracing, Divine compassion as in the Virgin Mary? Here the chaste are accommodated, & the sinner is not excluded. Here the penitent has his place, while he who is despairing & unrepentant has a refuge like a new ark which shelters not only clean, but unclean animals as well; its entrance is not barred. Her compassion easily accommodates all those who sorrow, who are offended, who hunger, who are strangers, who are troubled & who are sick. For it is not possible for her to be lacking in mercy, whose womb bore for us the Gracious God.

The palaces of earthly kings are guarded by armed guards, who do not allow everyone desirous to enter therein to do so, but rather stop & carefully question everyone as to why they have come. But as for the living palace of Christ, although she is surrounded by Cherubim & Seraphim, by the innumerable choirs of Angels, & by all the Saints, at the doors of her compassionate mercy no one hinders anyone who is desirous of entering, neither do the guards expel anyone, nor do soldiers drive anyone away after having questioned him as to why he has come; but having prayerfully entered, he receives a gift which profits him according to his petition. Thus, let us hasten to the compassionate bosom of her who was born of a barren womb, hailing her thus, “Rejoice, O immaculate palace of the King of All! Rejoice, dwelling place of God & of the Word! To Him, together with the Father & the Holy Spirit, & to thee, O Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, & Bride of the Holy Spirit, be honor & glory from us mortals unto the ages, Amen.

1 All quotes by St. John the Damascene are taken from his Homily on the Nativity of the Most Pure Theotokos

2 Canon for the Feast of the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos, Ode 9.

3 Akathist to the Theotokos, Oikos 5.

4 Ibid, Oikos 1.