As
Easter mirthmotes (celebrations) for the Western churches (Catholic and
Protestant) draw near, a certain sadness creeps in with them. Sadness in what has been lost in the West by
its falling away from the wholeness of the Orthodox Faith in exchange for
rationalist, philosophical constructs about God and/or emotionalist approaches
to Him (which can never bring a man to true union with God). One of the greatest losses has been the
Saints, those holy, living stones from whom God’s Grace, His Love, overflows
and who are such strong supports in the edifice of the Church, whose work helps
join us poor strugglers to the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets and
to the cornerstone of Christ Himself, that we might know the Father in Him
through the Holy Ghost.
Soþlice
(Truly), if they are not present among a people claiming to be Christian, then
the society they are building has no strong supports and is in danger of
collapsing/falling apart.
So
it is in the South and Western Europe in this age: They are full of material wonders but bereft
of divine-human ones, who can help us escape the Kingdom
of Man (which is hell) and enter the Kingdom of God.
Bearing
this in mind, let us repent and take note of a few particularly important
Saints for the South and Western Europe who reposed
in February and March. Let us learn to
love and honor them as wonderfully wrought men and maidens of the Father’s
Kingdom, our beloved kinsmen, from whom the beauty of the All-Holy Trinity
flows forth.
1
February: St Brigid of Kildare (Ireland)
Come, ye faithful, from the west and from the
north, from the sea and from the east: let us make haste to the radiant feast,
glorifying the wise enlightener of the Irish land and praising her struggles;
and, clapping our hands, let us cry aloud: Glory to Thee, O Christ God, Who art
wondrous in Thy saints!
Having brought to thy homeland the light of
Orthodoxy, which is that of the threefold Sun, and which heralded the day of
salvation, O venerable one, by thy life didst thou instruct the people who,
having been enlightened by faith, cried out: Glory to Thee, O Christ God, Who
art wondrous in Thy saints!
Forsaking princely rank and spurning earthly glory,
thou didst choose slavery to Christ and voluntary poverty, desiring the angelic
rank. Wherefore, having found thee to be a new and fervent intercessor, we cry
out in thanksgiving: Glory to Thee, O Christ God, Who art wondrous in Thy
saints!
. . .
Instructed by the discourse of the holy Patrick,
thou didst arrive at the uttermost west, heralding the Orient Who hath visited
us from on high. Wherefore, we bless thee, O venerable mother Brigid, and cry
out to thee: Pray thou in behalf of our souls
. . .
Rejecting thy noble rank, and loving the godly
monastic life, from oaken wood didst thou build a convent, the first in thy
land; and having there united a multitude of nuns to God, thou didst teach the
surrounding lands to cry to the Lord: Have mercy on us!
. . .
Source: http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/pdf/servs/brigid.pdf
, accessed 25 March 2016
1
March: St David of Wales
O all-glorious wonder! From childhood thou didst
adorn thy life with virtue, and having been made a priest of Christ wast truly
shown to be a luminary for His flock. Wherefore, having vanquished the demons
by thy tireless spiritual warfare, in soul thou hast ascended on high, where
thou beholdest thy Lord and Master face to face in the splendour of His glory.
O all-glorious wonder that human flesh could be so
mortified! For, following the ascetics of the desert thou didst lay waste thy
body, resisting all the temptations of the flesh and putting away from thee all
carnal thoughts, O David blessed of God; wherefore, arrayed in garments of
purity as for a wedding feast, thou hast entered, rejoicing, into the joy of
thy Lord.
O all-glorious wonder, the grace of God which doth
sanctify and deify filled thy humble soul, O David, and thou didst preach with
eloquence against the accursed Pelagius, refuting his vile heresy, watchfully
fending off from the faithful from its pernicious harm, and leading them in
gladness into the splendid courts of Christ, to the mansions of the righteous.
. . .
Come, O ye assembly of the faithful, and with
reverent voices let us praise the holy bishop David, who as a good shepherd
guided his flock to the Faith with the word of Truth, by his virtues teaching
them to tread the straight and narrow path which leadeth to paradise. Truly,
for his obedience the Almighty hath bestowed upon him manifold spiritual gifts,
which he freely imparteth to those who bless his holy memory, entreating Christ
to have pity on us and grant us remission of sins.
. . .
Let the Christians of Wales join in gladsome
chorus, uplifting their voices in joyous jubilation, as we celebrate the feast
of the wondrous David, their holy father and enlightener, who now dwelleth with
the saints on high, and doth ever earnestly intercede for us sinners.
. . .
O
thou who didst willing take up thy cross and follow Christ the Lord, and didst
fill thy land with new communities dedicated to Him, send down from heaven the
grace of God, O great and wondrous David, that we Christians may prevail over
all heresies, having thee as an invincible ally amid our struggle for piety.
. . .
http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/servdavi.htm,
accessed 25 March 2016
17
March: St Patrick, Apostle of Ireland
Troparion — Tone 3
Holy Bishop Patrick, / Faithful shepherd of
Christ’s royal flock, / You filled Ireland with the radiance of the
Gospel: / The mighty strength of the Trinity! / Now that you stand before the
Savior, / Pray that He may preserve us in faith and love!
Kontakion — Tone 4
From slavery you escaped to freedom in Christ’s
service: / He sent you to deliver Ireland from the devil’s bondage. /
You planted the Word of the Gospel in pagan hearts. / In your journeys and
hardships you rivaled the Apostle Paul! / Having received the reward for your
labors in heaven, / Never cease to pray for the flock you have gathered on
earth, / Holy bishop Patrick!
Source: http://oca.org/saints/troparia/2016/03/17/100821-st-patrick-the-bishop-of-armagh-and-enlightener-of-ireland,
17 March 2016
Here
is his wonderful Breastplate prayer:
I bind unto myself today
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.
I bind this day to me forever, by power of faith, Christ's Incarnation; His baptism in the Jordan river; His death on cross for my salvation;
I bind this day to me forever, by power of faith, Christ's Incarnation; His baptism in the Jordan river; His death on cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the
spicéd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom:
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power of the great love of cherubim; the sweet "Well done" in judgement hour; the service of the seraphim;
I bind unto myself the power of the great love of cherubim; the sweet "Well done" in judgement hour; the service of the seraphim;
confessors' faith,
apostles' word,
the patriarchs' prayers, the prophets'
scrolls;
all good deeds done unto the Lord,
and purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today the virtues of the starlit heaven, the glorious sun's life-giving ray, the whiteness of the moon at even,
I bind unto myself today the virtues of the starlit heaven, the glorious sun's life-giving ray, the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the
lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous
shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead, His eye to watch, His might to stay, His ear to hearken to my need;
I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead, His eye to watch, His might to stay, His ear to hearken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to
teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard...
...against the demon snares of sin, the vice that gives temptation force, the natural lusts that war within, the hostile men that mar my course;
...against the demon snares of sin, the vice that gives temptation force, the natural lusts that war within, the hostile men that mar my course;
of few or many, far or
nigh,
in every place, and in all hours
against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles, against false words of heresy, against the knowledge that defiles against the heart's idolatry,
Against all Satan's spells and wiles, against false words of heresy, against the knowledge that defiles against the heart's idolatry,
against the wizard's evil
craft,
against the death-wound and the
burning
the choking wave and poisoned shaft,
protect me, Christ, till thy
returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me;
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me;
Christ beneath me, Christ
above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and
stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name, the strong Name of the Trinity, by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three.
I bind unto myself the Name, the strong Name of the Trinity, by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three.
Of whom all nature hath creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.
Source: http://oodegr.co/english/brit_celt_orthodoxy/st_patrick_prayer.htm,
accessed 25 March 2016
20
March: St Cuthbert the Wonderworker of Lindisfarne
Loving chastity and meekness from thy youth, O
Cuthbert, with steadfast intent thou didst acquire pure love for Christ, and
thereby hast drawn nigh unto God. Wherefore, entreat Him now most earnestly,
that He deliver from all afflictions those who celebrate thy yearly memorial.
Assembling today, O ye Orthodox, with psalms and
hymns let us praise the holy Cuthbert, crying out to him with reverence: O
blessed and most glorious one, boast of hierarchs and monastics, beseech the
Lord in our behalf, that He take pity and save our souls.
O venerable hierarch Cuthbert, the multitudes of
pilgrims who piously have recourse to thee in prayer are filled with joy and
gladness; for the shrine of thy precious relics is shown to be a fount of
healing for all the afflicted who approach with faith and love unfeigned.
. . .
O successor of the godly apostles of Christ,
steadfast pillar of the Orthodox Faith, teacher and defender of true piety,
holy hierarch Cuthbert! Like a good shepherd thou didst watch over thy flock
with vigilance, for which cause thou hast won great favor with Christ, the
Chief Shepherd, and standest now with the sheep at His right hand in glory. Wherefore,
intercede thou for all of us who honor thy holy memory as is meet.
. . .
O Cuthbert, boast of monastics and true model for
the servants of God, by thy struggles and pure manner of life thou hast come to
shine forth like the brilliant sun upon the faithful; for Christ hath enriched
thee with the gift of miracles. Wherefore, O venerable hierarch, we cry out to
thee most fervently: In thy supplications be thou ever mindful of those who
honor thy most splendid memory with faith and love!
. . .
Source: http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/pdf/servs/cuthbert.pdf,
accessed 25 March 2016
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