St. Symeon the New Theologian Orthodox Church

A Careful Eye on our Motives

"I have watched farmers sowing the same type of seed, and yet each one had different ideas of what he was doing. One was planning to pay off his debts. Another was hoping to get rich. Another wanted to be able to bring gifts to honor the Lord. Another was hoping to earn praise for his work from the passers-by in life. Someone else wanted to irritate a jealous neighbor, while there was yet another who did not want to be reproached by men for laziness. And as for the seeds thrown into the earth, their names are fasting, keeping vigil, almsgiving, service, and suchlike. So let our brethren in the Lord keep a careful eye on their motives. "

- St. John Climacus

On Prayer and the Spiritual Headquarters

"The soul must be constantly ready and alert and always in contact with the spiritual headquarters, that is, God. Only then it will feel secure, full of hope and joy. When I was in the army, during the war, I was a radio operator. I noticed, that we felt secure only when we communicated with the Army Division on an hourly basis. When our communication was limited to every two hours, we felt a little bit insecure; sometimes, when we could only be in touch with them twice a day, we felt uncomfortable, lonely and lost. The same thing applies to our prayer. The more we pray, the more secure we feel, on a spiritual basis, of course. "

- Elder Paisios

Two Thoughts from St John of Kronstadt

"God's Saints had 'the eyes of their understanding enlightened,' and with these eyes they clearly saw the wants of our sin; we should ask, for what we should give thanks, how we should praise the Lord. and they left us the most perfect examples of prayers of various kinds. 0, how beautiful these prayers are! Sometimes we do not feel and do not know their value, while we well know the value of food and drink, of fashionable attire, of well-furnished rooms, of theaters, of music, of worldly literature, especially of novels — that fluent, empty mass of words — and alas! we trample underfoot the precious pearls of prayer; and while everything worldly finds a welcome, wide shelter in the hearts of most people, prayer, alas, does not find even a narrow comer in them, cannot get into them. And when it begs us to let it in, it is thrust out like a beggar, like the man who had not a wedding garment. "

"My soul is in God, as a fish in water or a bird in the air, surrounded by Him upon all sides at every time; it lives in Him, it moves in Him, it rests in Him and finds freedom in Him. "

26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt. Athos

"In July of 1274, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII accepted a union with the Roman Church at Lyons, France. Faced with dangers from Charles of Anjou, the Ottoman Turks, and other enemies, the emperor found such an alliance with Rome expedient. The Union of Lyons required the Orthodox to recognize the authority of the Pope, the use of the Filioque in the Creed, and the use of azymes (unleavened bread) in the Liturgy. Patriarch Joseph was deposed because he would not agree to these conditions. The monastic clergy and many of the laity, both at home and in other Orthodox countries, vigorously opposed the Union, denouncing the emperor for his political schemes and for his betrayal of Orthodoxy.
On January 9, 1275 a Liturgy was celebrated in Constantinople in which the Pope was commemorated as 'Gregory, the chief pontiff of the Apostolic Church, and Ecumenical Pope.' The emperor's sister remarked, 'It is better that my brother's empire should perish, rather than the purity of the Orthodox Faith.' Recalling the infamous Crusade of 1204 when Latin crusaders sacked Constantinople, many of the people also preferred to submit to the infidels than to abandon the Orthodox Faith.
Twenty-six martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos were among those who were persecuted by Emperor Michael VIII Paleologos (1261 - 1282) and Patriarch John Bekkos (1275 - 1282) because they would not obey the imperial command to recognize the Union of Lyons. They steadfastly kept the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and fearlessly censured those who accepted Catholic doctrines.
When the authorities came to Mt. Athos to enforce the imperial policy, the monks of Zographou shut themselves up in their monastery. From the tower they reproached those in favor of the Union, calling them lawless men and heretics. The attackers set the monastery on fire and burned the twenty-six martyrs alive.
The names of the martyrs are: Igumen Thomas, the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, James, Job, Cyprian, Sava, James, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and four laymen who died with them. "