Dear
People,
One of the great lessons that we learn
in life soon after being born into this world is that evil lurks in the hearts
of all humanity. In spite of the Advent
of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem two thousand years ago and His profound message of
love and understanding, mankind’s fall from the Grace of God often reveals its
ugly face. Jesus Christ established the
One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church with his own blood and sacrifice on
the Cross of Golgotha. He has asked us to
love one another unconditionally. He says to us in John 13:34. “A new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that
you also love one another.” The message of unconditional love of Jesus Christ
is the message that has been proclaimed throughout Christian history and yet
there are great divisions in the Christian community today. Initially there was the One, Holy, Catholic
and Apostolic Church that prevailed for 1054 years when the official schism
took place between the Greek East and the Latin West. Five hundred years later the Protestant
Reformation took place and since the advent of Protestantism, we have had a
constant dissolution of Christian unity.
In the 21st, the common
enemy of Christianity is secularism, atheism, communism and Islamism. All these political ideologies are constantly
attempting to attract the hearts and minds of all the people of the world. There has never been a time when Christianity
needed a common front to combat all these enemies of the Christian Gospel. And yet, Christianity is more divided today
than ever before. These divisions are
being exacerbated by the watering down of the Christian Gospel that was
preached by Jesus Christ. This has
resulted in the West, Europe and America with a form of secularized
Christianity. We need to return to our
traditional roots that prevailed during the first one thousand years of
Christian history. The Holy Orthodox
Church is that Church that has remained faithful to its Founder, Jesus Christ. And those of us who are Orthodox Christians
must follow the example of Saint Isodoros and the 73 Orthodox Martyrs of
Guriev, Estonia in 1472 that you will read about in the story that follows.
In spite of all the enemies of the
original Christian message that prevail in the world today, we must never
forget that God’s plan will be fulfilled.
There is no power in this world that can prevail against the divine plan
of God. Look at the State of Israel and the
fulfillment of God’s prophecies in the 21st century. He never fails to fulfill that which He has
prepared for the salvation of humanity.
We must never lose our faith in Jesus Christ and become victims of the
powers and principalities of this world.
We Orthodox Christians are called upon to remain faithful to the Saving
Message of Jesus Christ found in the Holy Scriptures and in the Holy Tradition
of Holy Orthodoxy. Our faithfulness to
our ancient roots will prevail in the face of our common enemy, the powers of
Satan and darkness that are attempting to hinder the plan of God to save
humanity.
+Fr.
Constantine (Charles) J. Simones, Monday, January 13, 2014
SAINT
ISIDOROS OF ESTONIA AND THE 73 MARTYRS
They were
martyred by Roman Catholics
On the
Feast Day of Epiphany 1472
In areas of the world where the water
is frozen on the Feast of Epiphany, the faithful cut an opening in the ice in
the form of a Cross. Once this is accomplished and following the Blessing of
the Waters service the Cross is immersed in the water by the presiding bishop
or priest. This is what the Orthodox
Christian priest Isidoros of Estonia did on the River Emazogki in Giouriev
Estonia. This particular celebration of
Epiphany took place in 1472. As soon as
Father Isidoros blessed the waters of the river and finished with the Epiphany
Service, he and seventy three of his parishioners were arrested. The reason they were arrested is that they
refused to convert to Roman Catholicism.
Father Isidoros had been in the gun sights of the Roman Catholics for
some time. He encouraged his Orthodox
Christian faithful not to betray their faith and cave in to the demands of
their Roman Catholic overlords even to the point of being tortured.
Once these Orthodox Christians were
put in jail they were given an ultimatum and a time limit to either convert to
Roman Catholicism or face the consequences. In jail Father Isidoros was
encouraging his faithful to stand firm in their Orthodox Christian Faith and he
even strengthened them spiritually by giving them Holy Communion. Meanwhile a
judicial decision was promulgated in the city of Giouriev in the presence of Bishop
Andrew, the Roman Catholic Bishop, and the leaders of the city. Amongst the Orthodox Faithful who were in
jail were many women and children. When
the Roman Catholics saw the firmness of the faith of the Orthodox Christians,
they decided to choke them to death.
They beat them up and dragged them to the river where the blessing of
the water had taken place. They threw their bodies into the Cross opening in the
ice and they all became martyrs for their faith. When the ice melted the following spring, the
bodies of the 73 martyrs and Father Isidoros floated to the surface of the
river. The bodies of the martyrs were lovingly
gathered up by the Orthodox faithful of Estonia and buried them with honors as
defenders of Holy Orthodoxy. The
Orthodox Church of Estonia declared their sainthood in 1897. These martyrs are honored on January 8 every
year.
This is an interesting note on the
profound tragedy that took place on Epiphany in Estonia in 1472. All of this Christian infighting took place in
Gouriev, Estonia and led to the tragic consequences in spite of the fact that
Prince John 111 of Moscow had signed an agreement with the Knights of Livonia
in 1463. This agreement said that the
religious freedom of the Orthodox Christian faithful should be respected and that
they should not be forced to convert to Roman Catholicism. But unfortunately, the German Knights never
honored this agreement. These knights constantly threatened and tortured the
Orthodox faithful in this part of the world.
Because of this German persecution Father Isidoros and his 73
parishioners became Martyr Saints of Holy Orthodoxy.
GLORIFIED
IS THE NAME OF GOD IN HIS HOLY SAINTS
ΔΟΞΑ ΤΩ ΘΕΩ ΕΝ ΤΟΙΣ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΑΥΤΟΥ
ΙC XC
NIKA
Translated
by: Fr. Constantine J. Simones, Waterford, CT, USA, on Friday, January 10,
2014. 860-460-9089, cjsimones300@gmail.com
Click:
The "God" of Western Theology
Basic Points of Difference between the Orthodox Church and Papism (Catholic Church)
Orthodoxy's Worship: The Sanctification of the Entire World
Orthodoxy's Worship: The Sanctification of the Entire World
Faith And Science In Orthodox Gnosiology and Methodology
LOVERS OF TRUTH: THE LIFE OF HIEROMONK SERAPHIM ROSE
Lover of Truth: St John, The Wonderworker of San Francisco
"THEOSIS" IN SAINT SILOUAN THE ATHONITE AND STARETS SOPHRONY OF ESSEX Lover of Truth: St John, The Wonderworker of San Francisco
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