Synaxarion of Holy Emperor John Vatatzes the Merciful (+ 1254)

 Synaxarion of Holy Emperor John Vatatzes the Merciful (+ 1254)

The Christ-loving Emperor John had as his homeland the great city of Adrianople, whose ancestors were leaders of the royal senate. His grandfather, Constantine, called the Vatatzes, was a military commander under Manuel Komnenos (1143–1180). When the parents of this emperor died, he inherited a great amount of wealth, which he distributed to the poor, and provided offerings to the divine temples and churches. He then went to Nymphaeum in Bithynia, where at that time, the palace and seat of the emperor of Constantinople was located. There, he found his paternal uncle, a clergyman of the priesthood, near Emperor Theodore Laskaris (1204–1221). Through his uncle, he became friends with the emperor. He was not full of pride due to this friendship, however, but he always presented himself before others with humility. Wherefore, he was loved by all, having a revered disposition, being sensible in life, and possessing a gladsome expression in his eyes. He was easily approachable to everyone, mild, guileless, calm, and conversant with everyone, with a gentle face. Having these virtues, he received as his wife the daughter of the emperor, whose name was Irene, after he fought against the Latin Coradus, who boasted in his strength. Having defeated him, he said: "Lord Jesus Christ, help me."

After his father-in-law Emperor Theodore died, the gracious John came to rule as emperor in 1222. He therefore became a fervent protector of all those who were unjustly treated, showing measures in justice. He also came to be known to all as a source of mercy, which is why he came to be called "Merciful." Likewise, he was known for his piety and zeal for the Orthodox faith. Wherefore the renowned one became the cause in his time for the Jewish race to be baptized. He also received zeal in his heart to bring about union between the Eastern Church and the Western, for which ambassadors were sent from Pope Gregory IX of Rome. And there was a dialogue between East and West, with the leader of this dialogue being Patriarch Germanos, the New of Constantinople. And he would have brought about the longed for peace if only the Westerners were willing to retract the addition to the Symbol of Faith.

This merciful emperor heard a divine voice noetically say: "The crucified will rise, the boastful will fall, and the fallen and crushed will arise." This strengthened him, and he set out to slaughter in single combat the boastful Sultan Azeddin, who upon leaving Iconium razed the cities along the valley of Meander. Having governed therefore in a God-loving manner the ship of the universal kingdom, the thrice-blessed one delivered his soul in peace into the hands of God at the age of seventy-two, and his honorable body was buried in the Monastery of the Savior Christ, which the emperor himself had built, and renamed Sosandra. Later, through a revelation of this same emperor, his holy body was transferred to the city of Magnesia.

A great miracle took place when his holy relic was transferred from this tomb and brought to Magnesia. For when his tomb was opened, a foul smell did not issue forth from it, but there came forth a fragrance and grace that was mixed with pleasure and sweetness, as if it was an aromatic and fragrant garden. His corpse appeared as if it was seated on a royal throne, without having lost any limbs, having no bruises, or odor, or any sign of being dead. Despite the fact that he had been buried seven years before, it seemed as if he were alive, while his limbs moved naturally and his cheeks were pink. Even his royal robes were preserved as if they had been sewn that very day. In this way, God glorifies those who glorify Him. Since that time, this honorable relic which lies in Magnesia, has done many miracles, curing illnesses, exorcising demons, healing other sufferings as well, by the grace of God contained within, for all those who flee to him with faith.

"Father Nicholas, during the Ninth Ode, you didn't cense me—but you went and censed the empty stall!"

 

 Once, during the Ninth Ode—just as the chanters were singing "More honorable than the Cherubim..."—Father Nicholas Planas was censing the church. He passed by a lady standing in one of the side *stasidia* (choir stalls) but did not cense her.

He did not cense her at all; he simply walked right past her. Two stalls further along, there was an empty one. He stopped there, censed it five or six times, and moved on. When the Divine Liturgy concluded, the lady approached him and said:

"Father Nicholas, during the Ninth Ode, you didn't cense me—but you went and censed the empty stall!"

"Well, Kyra Georgia," he replied, "you weren't actually there! That empty stall belongs to Kyra Maria, who is ill. She may have been sick at home, but her heart and her mind were here. You, on the other hand, were here in body—but your mind was off with the goats!"

 

A monk was asked:

 — What did you gain by praying to God all this time?

— Nothing. Nothing.

But let me tell you what I lost:

anger,

selfishness,

greed,

love of money,

pettiness and depression,

insecurity, and the fear of death.

Holy Virgin Martyr Helen of Sinope

 Holy Virgin Martyr Helen of Sinope

The Virgin-Martyr of Christ, St. Helen was the daughter of the pious Bekiary family and lived in the eighteenth century in beautiful Sinope, the oldest city of Pontos.

Her parents brought her up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and implanted in her pure heart a fervent love for Jesus Christ.

She was especially influenced in her upbringing by her uncle — her father’s brother — who was then teaching in a secret Greek school in Sinope.

Physically most beautiful, her purity lent a special grace to her face, which shone with the Grace of the Holy Spirit.

She was distinguished for her obedience to her parents and the fervent love of her soul for Christ, our Savior and Bridegroom.

She was fifteen years old when her mother sent her one day to buy an embroidery thread from the shop in Kryonas.

On the way lay the house of Ukuzoglu Pasha, Governor of Sinope, who saw Helen from his window. Her beauty attracted his licentious soul, and he thought to defile her.

The Pasha ordered that she be brought to him. Having learned who she was, he tried two or three times to defile her, but an unseen force pushed him back!

An invisible wall was protecting the girl: it was the wall of prayer. Throughout the entire duration of this ordeal, Helen prayed mentally, continuously reciting the Six Psalms.

The Turk did not lose hope. He ordered his soldiers to keep her at his house, hoping that he would be able to carry out his execrable plan later.

During her imprisonment, the pure girl managed, with God’s help, to escape the attention of the guards and to return to her anxious parents, to whom she recounted all that had come to pass.

Shortly thereafter, upon becoming aware of her escape, the Pasha flew into a rage and threatened everyone and everything!

He summoned the Sinope Council of Elders and demanded that they bring Helen to him. Otherwise, a general massacre of all of the Greeks in the city would follow.

The elders came together to deliberate the matter at the Greek School of Sinope.

They called for Helen’s father and asked him to hand over his daughter to the Pasha for the sake of the others.

Dissolving into tears, her father finally submitted, like the Patriarch Abraham, and agreed that his daughter be sacrificed in order to avoid a general massacre.

He returned home and, having sufficiently fortified Helen, took her — stifling his fatherly pain — and handed her over to the Pasha, in order for her to offer herself not, of course, to the Turk’s lustful desires, but as fragrant incense to her Bridegroom Christ.

The Despicable Ukuzoglu Pasha received the beautiful Helen with unspeakable delight, hoping that he would fully satisfy his lustful desires.

Thus, he attempted again many times to defile her, but again, the same surprise: an invisible wall around the girl was impeding the Pasha, while an unseen force was driving him back.

The holy maiden was praying fervently, secretly reciting the Six Psalms, which she had learned from her uncle.

The next day, the Pasha again attempted to carry out his despicable intention, but yet again, he met with the same strange obstacle. Vexed and wrathful, he ordered that she be locked up in the frightful, damp prison of Sinope.

The ill-intentioned Pasha’s heart growing ever stonier, his eyes did not see the living miracle; his impure soul did not regain consciousness, but rather the opposite: possessed by a satanic force, he wanted without fail to defile the pure virgin.

Thus, the next day, he went to the prison, determined finally to succeed in gratifying his passion.

But again, the invisible wall! And again, Divine Grace drove him back!

Exceedingly wroth, the Pasha ordered that Helen be tortured and put to death, which is indeed what came to pass.

Her holy body was put in a sack and thrown into the sea. But instead of sinking, the Martyr’s Relics floated, while a heavenly light beamed down upon them.

The Turks were terrorized and cried out: “The Greek girl is on fire! The Greek girl is on fire!”

Her holy body continued to float until it reached the locality of Gai, where, on account of the great depth of the sea, the water was black. There, it sank.

Several days later, a Greek ship dropped anchor at Gai. On the third night, the ship’s guard noticed that a light was coming up from the bottom of the sea, and he thought that there must be a great treasure of gold in that spot.

He immediately informed the Captain that they should send divers to hoist up the treasure; but instead of gold, they brought up the sack containing the holy Relics of the Holy Virgin-Martyr Helen.

In the precious sack was the venerable head of the Saint, cut off from the rest of the body. In the crown of the head was a nail. There was also another hole made by a nail. It was evident that, having tortured the Saint, the Turks drove two nails into her head and decapitated her.

Two of the Turkish divers knew about the martyrdom and that the Saint had been cast into the sea, but they had been afraid to tell of it earlier.

The Captain then secretly took the precious head of St. Helen to the Church of the Panagia in Sinope and placed the venerable Relics on another ship that was leaving with Greeks on board for Russia.

At the spot in the sea where her Relics sank, a fountain of fresh water sprang up, and from that time on, the area has been called “Agiasmata” or “Holy Waters.”

Many miracles were worked in Sinope by means of the precious head of the Holy Virgin-Martyr Helen.

In particular, whoever was suffering from headaches would call the priest, who would bring the holy head, chant a canon of supplication, sprinkle Holy Water, and the pain would go away.

During the exchange of populations before 1924, the President, Christos Kapharopoulos, took the holy head of St. Helen and placed it in the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Marina in Ano Touba, Thessaloniki, where it is kept to this day, giving off a fragrance and working miracles, to the glory of our Lord and God Who is glorified in His Saints.

Through the holy intercessions of the Holy Virgin-Martyr Helen of Sinope, Pontos, O Christ God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen!

Abba, why don’t you set aside the loaves that belong to me?

 

A holy Elder lived with his disciple in a hut, not far from a large village. At one point, a great calamity befell the region, and the poor people were nearly dying of hunger. In their desperation, many would come and knock at the hermit’s hut. Being a man of great mercy, he would wholeheartedly give away whatever he happened to have. The disciple, however, noticing that their supply of bread was dwindling, said to the Elder one day, with some distress:

“Abba, why don’t you set aside the loaves that belong to me? From now on, you can give alms only from your own share. At this rate, we shall both soon go hungry.”

The kind-hearted Elder set aside the disciple’s loaves without a word, and continued to give from his own portion to the poor. But God, seeing his good intention, blessed the bread; the more he gave away, the more it multiplied. Meanwhile, the disciple consumed his own share. When he was left with nothing but a few crumbs, he went to his Elder and begged that they might eat together once again. The Elder accepted him back without the slightest objection. By now, however, the number of beggars had increased, and the novice began to grow resentful once again. He scowled.

"Give him a loaf of bread," the Elder commanded, pretending not to notice the novice’s grimace.

"It seems to me that we don’t even have enough for ourselves to eat," the novice said aloud, ensuring the beggar would hear him.

"Go and look carefully," the Elder instructed.

Reluctantly, the novice went to the storeroom. But when he opened the door, he was struck with astonishment: it was filled to the very top with fresh, well-baked loaves of bread! From that day on, he placed great trust in his holy Elder and became eager to bring relief to the poor.

Every Sunday, after the Divine Liturgy, a kind priest would gather the poor of his parish and distribute the money collected in the "poor box." One Sunday, a woman appeared, wearing old, tattered clothes and looking utterly destitute. The priest felt pity for her. He reached into the box, intending to give her as much money as his palm could hold; but when he withdrew his hand, he saw that he had grasped only a few coins. He hastened to give her something, for another woman was waiting behind her, also hoping for a handout. The woman was wearing well-kept clothes. The priest surmised that she was one of those who beg without any real need. Deciding not to let her leave empty-handed—which might have caused her shame—he reached into the chest once more, and his cupped hand filled with gold coins.

Being a devout man, he recognized this as divine intervention. He inquired about both women and learned that the one who appeared well-dressed came from a respectable family; however, due to a series of unfortunate events, they had fallen into poverty and were suffering greatly. Out of a sense of dignity, she continued to wear neat, well-maintained clothing. The other woman, by contrast, would put on rags whenever she went out to beg, so that people would be more inclined to give to her.