31st SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST — Tone 6. New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church. Ven. Xenophon, his wife, Mary, and their two sons, Arcadius and John, of Constantinople (5th-6th c.).
Tone 6 Troparion (Resurrection)
The Angelic Powers were at Your tomb; the guards became as dead men. Mary stood by Your grave, seeking Your most pure body. You captured hell, not being tempted by it. You came to the Virgin, granting life. O Lord, Who rose from the dead,// glory to You.
Tone 4 Troparion (New Martyrs)
Today the Church of Russia forms a chorus in joy, praising her new martyrs and confessors; hierarchs and priests, royal passion-bearers, right-believing princes and princesses, venerable men and women, and all Orthodox Christians. Having laid down their life for faith in Christ during the days of godless persecution, they preserved the truth by the shedding of blood.// By their protection, O long-suffering Lord, preserve our land in Orthodoxy till the end of the age.
Tone 6 Kontakion (Resurrection)
When Christ God, the Giver of Life, raised all of the dead from the valleys of misery with His mighty hand, He bestowed resurrection on the human race.// He is the Savior of all, the Resurrection, the Life, and the God of all.
Tone 3 Kontakion (New Martyrs) (Today the Virgin)
Today the new martyrs of Rus’ stand in white robes before the Lamb of God, and with the angels they sing to God the hymn of victory: “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and praise, and honor, and power, and strength be to our God// unto the ages of ages. Amen.”
Tone 6 Kontakion (Steadfast Protectress)
Steadfast Protectress of Christians, Constant Advocate before the Creator; despise not the cry of us sinners, but in your goodness come speedily to help us who call on you in faith. Hasten to hear our petition and to intercede for us, O Theotokos, for you always protect those who honor you!
Tone 6 Prokeimenon (Resurrection)
O Lord, save Your people, / and bless Your inheritance! (Ps. 27:9a)
V. To You, O Lord, will I call. O my God, be not silent to me! (Ps. 27:1a)
Tone 7 Prokeimenon (New Martyrs)
God is our refuge and strength, / a help in afflictions that severely befall us. (Ps. 45:1)
1 Timothy 1:15-17 (Epistle)
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Romans 8:28-39 (New Martyrs)
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Tone 6
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
V. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the heavenly God. (Ps. 90:1)
V. He will say to the Lord: “My Protector and my Refuge; my God, in Whom I trust.”(Ps. 90:2)
Tone 4
V. The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them and delivered them out of all their troubles. (Ps. 33:17)
Matthew 15:21-28 (Gospel)
Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Luke 21:8-19 (New Martyrs)
And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.” Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls.
The Liturgical Life and the Holy Mysteries
The liturgical life is crucial in shaping an Orthodox mind, not simply by attendance but by active participation, through chanting, singing, following the divine services closely, and praying the prayers. One should attend not only the Sunday Divine Liturgy, but also liturgies for feast days of the Lord, the Theotokos, and the saints, Matins and Vespers services, as well as other services such as the Salutations (Akathist) or the Paraklesis (Consolation) as much as possible. An active and deeply engaged liturgical life is especially important for anyone who is seeking to truly become Orthodox in mind and heart. Initial acceptance into the Church through Baptism or Holy Chrismation only commences the process to acquire the mind of Christ and the Church. As we pray the prayers and hymns of the Church, our minds are shaped and formed to conform to an Orthodox way of thinking. The hymns and prayers express Orthodox theology and spirituality. As we learn them, sing them, and recite them, they become part of who we are. The prayers heal our souls, reorient our minds, and illuminate the nous. By participating in liturgical prayer, we attract the grace of the Holy Spirit and sanctify ourselves in ways that we do not even realize. Just as we are oblivious to the influence of the culture around us and yet we unconsciously absorb it, the same effect occurs in church. When we participate in liturgical worship, we also join the communion of the saints and the angels in the Kingdom of heaven. How does church attendance create an Orthodox mind? We become what we think, hear, and see. Billions of dollars are spent on advertising and marketing for this reason. A myriad of influences assaults us and shapes us subconsciously from the moment we are born in order to form a particular worldview. However, we can counteract this influence considerably by a conscious effort to acquire an Orthodox phronema. The more frequently we engage in liturgical prayer, the sooner and more deeply we illuminate our minds and conform them to the mind of Christ. The same hymns and prayers have been sung and recited for hundreds of years, and “the fixed character of our liturgical texts means that they are spiritually and theologically dependable. . . . We are not singing anyone’s new opinion or idea. We’re singing words that have been tried and tested as true.” The Holy Mysteries (sacraments) of the Church also shape us, especially those of Communion and Confession. All the sacraments assist our efforts toward sanctification; however, nothing greater exists than to unite ourselves physically to the Body and Blood of Christ. If we wish to acquire the mind of Christ, we should certainly recognize the benefit of being united to Christ physically, spiritually, and sacramentally through the Mystery of Holy Communion.
We must be careful, of course, to prepare ourselves by fasting, by arriving at the Liturgy on time, by active participation in the service, by forgiving others, by avoiding impure and hateful thoughts, and by attending to the many other factors that influence how the sacrament affects us. We must not receive Holy Communion at all times or in every condition since, as the communion prayers teach us, we can receive the sacrament to our judgment or condemnation if we receive unworthily or without preparation. Holy Confession not only benefits us in the obvious way, by granting forgiveness of sins, but it is of the greatest usefulness in shaping an Orthodox phronema. Those who have never confessed or rarely confess their sins to a priest cannot acquire an Orthodox phronema. To reject Holy Confession reveals an attitude of pride, ignorance, and the unwillingness to humble oneself before God. To reject confession is to reject the experience of the saints and the two-thousand-year-old teaching of the Church. How can one acquire the mind of Christ when one rejects this important sacrament? To believe that confession is unnecessary reveals an attitude of arrogance entirely incompatible with an Orthodox phronema. Various excuses are raised by those who reject confession. They may believe that they have done nothing requiring confession; that it is enough to confess to God privately before the icons; that the priest will think less of them when he hears their confession; or that the priest will reveal the content of their confession to others. In every case the excuse reveals a worldly phronema and a nous that fails to recognize those excuses as temptations and tricks of the evil one to keep us away from the grace of Holy Confession and to deprive us of salvation.
Confession is also extremely useful because it prompts us regularly to make an honest self-assessment and to humble ourselves before another human being, even though the priest reminds us that we are not confessing to him but to Christ. Confession leads us to be more careful and conscious of our words, actions, choices, and relationships. It motivates us to remedy our faults and shortcomings. It helps us to avoid sin and harmful situations by acting as a deterrent when we realize, as we contemplate committing a sin, that we will have to confess that sin later. We receive important guidance from the priest, who gives us an unbiased and spiritual perspective on our life. If there is no salvation without humility and repentance, there is certainly no Orthodox phronema without those qualities and without confession.
Constantinou, Eugenia Scarvelis. Thinking Orthodox: Understanding and Acquiring the Orthodox Christian Mind
New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia
On the Sunday closest to January 25, the Church commemorates the Synaxis of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, remembering all those Orthodox Christians who suffered for Christ at the hands of the godless Soviets during the years of persecution. These include the royal Passion Bearers Tsar Nicholas II and his family, and the Grand Duchess Elizabeth. Countless thousands of martyrs, both clergy and laity also suffered, some of whose names are known, as well as millions of simple believers whose names have been lost to history.
It is estimated that the number of the New Martyrs of Russia, who were glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church at the Jubilee Council of 2000, far exceeds that of all the martyrs who died for Christ during the first three centuries of Christianity. The Russian Church lost millions of its sons and daughters, not only at the hands of external enemies, but also those of their own country. Among those who were murdered and tortured in the years of persecution were countless Orthodox: laity, monks, priests, and bishops, whose only “crime” was their unshakable faith in God.
In the long history of the world, never have so many new heavenly intercessors been glorified by the Church in such a way (more than one thousand New Martyrs were numbered among the saints). Among those who suffered for their faith were some who labored in America before the Russian Revolution: St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (April 7); St. Alexander Hotovitzky (Dec. 4); St. John Kochurov (Oct. 31).