Saints Cyril & Methodius
Equals to the Apostles and Teachers of the Slavs
Bulgarian Orthodox Mission
St. John of Damascus
December 4, 2011
25th
SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Tone 8 (11th of Luke). Greatmartyr Barbara and Martyr Juliana,
at Heliopolis in Syria (ca. 306). Glorification of Hieromartyr
Protopresbyter Alexander (Hotovitzky)
(1994). Ven. John of Damascus (776). St. John, Bishop of Polybotum (8th
c.)
The Missions services are being hosted through the
gracious support of:
Fr. John Vitko and the parishioners of St. Luke
Orthodox Church
6801 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101
We are a Parish
of the
Orthodox Church
in America
Archdiocese of
Washington
Our website is ฎ www.bocdc.org
Annual Parish Meeting
According to our bylaws, our Annual Parish Meeting is to be held on the
last Sunday in January. So, the meeting
will take place after the Divine Liturgy on January 29.
May Their Memory Be Eternal
The Bishops
Nestor, Gregory, and Job;
the
Priests Peter, Ishmael, Michael, Leo, Homer, Thomas, Victor, and Milorad;
the
Matushki Mary, Platonida,
Sophronia,Artemis, and Barbara;
the
Readers Philemon, John, and Robert Michael; and
the
Servants of God, Bojanka, Magdalena, Julia, Rada, Radka, Anna, Olivera Krustio, George, and
Maria.
Those Who Are In
Need of Prayer
The Priests
Photius, Anthony, Vadim,
Thomas, Paul, and Joseph;
the
Presbyteras, Marie, Miriam, Mica, Helen, Rose,
Juliana, & Anne;
the Servants
of God, Zell, Flora, Karen, Victor, Erin, Kyriaki,
Helen, Paulina, Jane, Denny, Oliver, Marion, Ellen, Marios
& Sophia, Alexandra & Joseph, Catherine & Wayne, John & Carmeta, John & Carol, Dimitri
& Rachael, Charlie & Karen, Chariessa &
Nicholas, and David & Patricia.
Schedule of Services
Dec. 4 SS Cyril & Methodius, 1:30;
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Dec. 11 at St. Mark Church, 9:30; Sunday of the Forefathers of Christ
Dec. 18 SS Cyril & Methodius,
1:30; Sunday before the birth of Christ
Dec. 25 at St. Mark Church, 9:30; Christmas
Jan. 1 SS Cyril & Methodius, 1:30;
St. Basil the Great, New Year
Jan. 8 at St. Mark Church, 9:30
Jan. 15 SS Cyril & Methodius, 1:30
Jan. 22 at St. Mark Church, 9:30
Jan. 29 SS Cyril & Methodius,
1:30: ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
Feb. 5 at St. Mark Church, 9:30
Feb. 12 SS Cyril & Methodius,
1:30: Blessing of new Parish Council
Feb. 19 at St. Mark Church, 9:30
Feb. 26 SS Cyril & Methodius, 1:30
St. John of Damascus (current day Syria)
Saint John of Damascus was born
about the year 680 at Damascus, Syria into a Christian family. His father, Sergius Mansur, was a treasurer at the court of the caliph.
John had also a foster brother, the orphaned child Cosmas
(October 14), whom Sergius had taken into his own
home. When the children were growing up, Sergius saw
that they received a good education. At the Damascus slave market he ransomed
the learned monk Cosmas of Calabria from captivity
and entrusted to him the teaching of his children. The boys displayed uncommon
ability and readily mastered their courses of the secular and spiritual
sciences. After the death of his father, John occupied ministerial posts at
court and became the city prefect.
In Constantinople at that time, the heresy of Iconoclasm had arisen and
quickly spread, supported by the emperor Leo III the Isaurian
(717-741). Rising up in defense of the Orthodox veneration of icons [Iconodoulia], St John wrote three treatises entitled,
"Against Those who Revile the Holy Icons."
The wise and God-inspired writings of St John enraged the emperor. But since
the author was not a Byzantine subject, the emperor was unable to lock him up
in prison, or to execute him. The emperor then resorted to slander. A forged
letter to the emperor was produced, supposedly from John, in which the Damascus
official was supposed to have offered his help to Leo in conquering the Syrian
capital.
This letter and another hypocritically flattering note were sent to the
Saracen caliph by Leo the Isaurian. The caliph
immediately ordered that St John be removed from his post, that his right hand
be cut off, and that he be led through the city in chains.
That same evening, they returned the severed hand to St John. The saint
pressed it to his wrist and prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos to heal him so
that he could defend the Orthodox Faith and write once again in praise of the
Most Pure Virgin and Her Son. After a time, he fell asleep before the icon of
the Mother of God. He heard Her voice telling him that
he had been healed, and commanding him to toil unceasingly with his restored
hand. Upon awakening, he found that his hand had been attached to his arm once
more. Only a small red mark around his wrist remained as a sign of the miracle.
Later, in thanksgiving for being healed, St John had a silver model of
his hand attached to the icon, which became known as "Of the Three
Hands." Some unlearned painters have given the Mother of God three hands
instead of depicting the silver model of St John's hand. The Icon "Of the
Three Hands" is commemorated on June 28 and July 12.
When he learned of the miracle, which demonstrated John's innocence, the
caliph asked his forgiveness and wanted to restore him to his former office,
but the saint refused. He gave away his riches to the poor, and went to
Jerusalem with his stepbrother and fellow-student, Cosmas.
There he entered the monastery of St Sava the Sanctified as a simple novice.
It was not easy for him to find a spiritual guide, because all the monks
were daunted by his great learning and by his former rank. Only one very
experienced Elder, who had the skill to foster the spirit of obedience and humility in a
student, would consent to do this. The Elder forbade John to do anything at all
according to his own will. He also instructed him to offer to God all his
labors and supplications as a perfect sacrifice, and to shed tears which would
wash away the sins of his former life.
Once, he sent the novice to Damascus to sell baskets made at the
monastery, and commanded him to sell them at a certain inflated price, far
above their actual value. He undertook the long journey under the searing sun,
dressed in rags. No one in the city recognized the former official of Damascus,
for his appearance had been changed by prolonged fasting and ascetic labors.
However, St John was recognized by his former house steward, who bought all the
baskets at the asking price, showing compassion on him for his apparent
poverty.
One of the monks happened to die, and his brother begged St John to
compose something consoling for the burial service. St John refused for a long
time, but out of pity he yielded to the petition of the grief-stricken monk,
and wrote his renowned funeral troparia ("What
earthly delight," "All human vanity," and others). For this
disobedience the Elder banished him from his cell. John fell at his feet and
asked to be forgiven, but the Elder remained unyielding. All the monks began to
plead for him to allow John to return, but he refused. Then one of the monks
asked the Elder to impose a penance on John, and to forgive him if he fulfilled
it. The Elder said, "If John wishes to be forgiven, let him wash out all
the chamber pots in the lavra, and clean the
monastery latrines with his bare hands."
John rejoiced and eagerly ran to accomplish his shameful task. After a
certain while, the Elder was commanded in a vision by the All-Pure and Most
Holy Theotokos to allow St John to write again. When the Patriarch of Jerusalem
heard of St John, he ordained him priest and made him a preacher at his cathedral.
But St. John soon returned to the Lavra of St Sava,
where he spent the rest of his life writing spiritual books and church hymns.
He left the monastery only to denounce the iconoclasts at the Constantinople
Council of 754. They subjected him to imprisonment and torture, but he endured
everything, and through the mercy of God he remained alive. He died in about
the year 780, more than 100 years old.
St John of Damascus was a theologian and a zealous defender of
Orthodoxy. His most important book is the Fount of Knowledge. The third section
of this work, "On the Orthodox Faith," is a summary of Orthodox
doctrine and a refutation of heresy. Since he was known as a hymnographer, we pray to St John for help in the study of
church singing.
Metropolitan JONAH Visit
The Primate of the Orthodox Church in America
will visit our parish early in 2012.
That date is not yet scheduled but will be announced as soon as he
confirms his availability. We look
forward to visiting with him after the service, hearing the status of the OCA
and discussing the status of the Bulgarian parishes in this area.