The origin of the honest trees of the Holy Cross.  Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, granting victories against resistance and Thy preservation By giving life to Your Cross. (Troparion, tone 1)

Having ascended to the Cross by will, grant to your new residence your namesake of your bounty, O Christ God, make us glad with your power, giving us victories as adversaries, aid to those who have your weapon of peace, an invincible victory (Kontakion, tone 4)

Thy cross, O Lord, sanctify, for in it there are healings for the weak in sin, for whose sake we fall down. Ty, have mercy on us (Sedalen, voice 6)

Feast of the Origin (or Destruction) of the Honest Trees Life-giving Cross The Lord's Church was installed in Constantinople. In the Greek Book of Hours, the tradition of bringing out part of the Cross of the Lord is explained as follows: “Due to illnesses that occurred very often in August, the custom of bringing the Venerable Tree of the Cross to roads and streets has long been established in Constantinople to sanctify places and ward off illnesses. The day before, July 31, having worn it out of the royal treasury, they relied on St. meal Great Church(Sofia). From this day onwards, until the Dormition of the Mother of God, litias were celebrated throughout the city and the cross was offered to the people for worship. This is the origin (προοδοσ) of the Honorable Cross.”

The word “origin” itself (and in the exact translation “pre-origin”) means “carrying in front”, “procession with a cross” or “ religious procession" To be healed from illnesses, people venerated the Cross and drank the water consecrated by it.

There is another reason for establishing the holiday. In 1164, the Greek king Manuel spoke out against the Saracens, and on the same day the Russian prince Andrei Bogolyubsky spoke out against the Bulgarians. On the campaign, the prince took the Holy Cross of the Lord and the icon of the Mother of God, which the priests carried in front of the army, performing prayer services and sprinkling blessed water warriors

The Lord granted victory to the Greek king and the Russian prince. Both, armed with the shield of faith, and not just spears and swords, in addition to victory, received another sign of God’s blessing: from the icon of the Mother of God with the Child Christ, light poured out in the form of a radiant radiance that fell on his entire army. King Manuel and his army observed a similar phenomenon from the icon of the Mother of God. The prince and the king learned about the wonderful grace of the Lord, simultaneously poured out on both. After consultation with the bishops, it was decided to establish a celebration of the Lord and His Most Pure Mother on August 1st.

The holiday is dedicated to the Cross, the Savior's feat of the cross. Hence the name - Spas. It is called the First Savior, since it is the first among the holidays dedicated to the Savior close in time. It is followed by the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the feast Image miraculously Savior.

According to custom, in addition to the blessing of water in churches, the blessing of honey takes place. Believers bring honey as a sign that the first harvest is for God. By blessing the honey of the first harvest, people received a blessing for the entire harvest. According to tradition, part of the honey remained in the church, and part was given to the poor. There is even an expression: “On the First Savior, even a beggar will try honey!” Hence the name of the First Savior - “honey”.

This holiday was established in Constantinople due to illnesses that often occurred there in August. The beginning of this holiday dates back to the 9th century, and from the 12th-13th centuries it was established in all local Churches. In Constantinople there was a custom according to which every year a part of the Life-giving Tree of the Holy Cross, kept in the home church of the Byzantine emperors, was worn into the church of St. Sofia, where the blessing of water took place. Then, starting from the first of August, this shrine was carried around the city for two weeks, while lithiums were served “to consecrate places and ward off diseases.” On August 14, the Life-Giving Tree of the Cross was transferred back to the royal chambers.

The Russian name for the holiday “origin” is an incorrect translation of the Greek word, which means a solemn ceremony, a religious procession. Therefore, in the name of the holiday it is replaced or supplemented with the word “wearing out.”

In the Russian Church, this celebration was combined with the memory of the Baptism of Rus' on August 1, 988. In the “Tale of the Effective Rites of the Holy Conciliar and Apostolic Great Church of the Assumption,” compiled in 1627 at the behest of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Philaret, the following explanation of the holiday on August 1 is given: “And on the day of the Holy Cross there is a process of consecration for the sake of water and enlightenment for the sake of human, in all cities and towns."

The news of the day of the Baptism of Rus' was preserved in chronographs of the 16th century: “The prince was baptized great Vladimir Kyiv and all Rus' August 1." On this holiday, churches are supposed to take out the Cross and worship it. According to the rite now accepted in the Russian Church, the minor consecration of water on August 1 is performed before or after the liturgy.

The Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos, celebrated on the same day, was established on the occasion of signs from the icons of the Savior, Holy Mother of God and the Honorable Cross during the battles of the holy noble prince Andrei Bogolyubsky (1157-1174) with the Volga Bulgarians. In 1164, Andrei Bogolyubsky launched a campaign against the Volga Bulgarians, who were pushing out the oppressed inhabitants of the Rostov and Suzdal lands. Trusting in the help of the Queen of Heaven, the prince took Her with him miraculous icon, which was brought by him from Kyiv and subsequently received the name Vladimir. Two priests in vestments carried the holy icon before the army and Honest Cross Christov. Before the battle, the pious prince, having partaken of the Holy Mysteries, turned with a fervent prayer to the Mother of God: “Everyone who trusts in You, Lady, will not perish, and I, a sinner, have in You a wall and a cover.” Following the prince, the generals and soldiers fell to their knees in front of the icon and, venerating the image, went against the enemy.

The Bulgarians were defeated and put to flight. According to legend, on the same day the Greek Emperor Manuel won a victory over the Saracens. An indisputable proof of the miraculousness of both of these victories were the huge fiery rays emanating from the icons of the Savior that were in the army, Mother of God and the Holy Cross. These rays covered the regiments of the noble rulers of Greece and Russia and were visible to all those who fought. In memory of these wonderful victories, with the mutual consent of Prince Andrei and Emperor Manuel and with the blessing of representatives of the highest church authority, and a holiday was established to the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos.

Honey Spas

Sermon by priest John Pavlov

On today's holiday there are always people in the temple - people bring honey from the new harvest to be blessed. This is where the name of the holiday comes from - Honey Savior. On this day, the Church remembers several events at once. Firstly, today is one of three holidays a year when the Holy Cross is brought out for veneration. This is due to the fact that in ancient times in Byzantium the month of August was considered a time when epidemics, diseases and other disasters intensified. This was known from centuries of experience. And so, in order to strengthen ourselves against diseases and disasters, in order to protect ourselves from them, the Church established the custom of bringing the Holy Cross to the streets of Constantinople, where prayer services were served before it. The cross was carried out on the first day of August according to the old style - this is exactly today. The Cross of Christ is a great weapon for Christians, great power and help in disasters and trials. And people by faith received this help from the holy tree of the Cross.

By the way, it must be said that in our time the month of August is often unfavorable - for some reason, it is in this month that we hear more reports of various accidents, catastrophes, and accidents than in others, and this is evidence that in In our time, the removal of the Cross has not lost its significance and we still need it to strengthen and protect us with the power of the cross.

Another event currently celebrated is the Baptism of Rus' by Holy Prince Vladimir, which, according to ancient legend, took place on the first day of the month of August. Of course, for the Russian Church and the Russian people this is a great triumph. We can say that today we celebrate the birthday of the Russian Church, as well as the Russian people, since it was today that they were born to true and eternal life, threw off the dark and nasty rags of paganism and put on the new man, Christ, in bright clothes God's Grace.

What is Grace? Grace is an omnipotent power emanating from God, which connects a person with God and makes us His own children. Without Grace, we are infinitely far from God and from everything heavenly, we are strangers to God. But Grace can only be received by a person reborn in the sacrament of holy Baptism; it is impossible for an unbaptized person to receive it. The sacrament of Baptism is the greatest sacrament, through it great Grace and regenerating power are given from God. And if the baptism of even one person is a great joy and triumph, about which heaven and earth rejoice, then what kind of joy and triumph is the baptism of the entire Russian people? Truly it was an event cosmic scale. For great rivers and streams of God’s Grace then spilled over the Russian people and the Russian land.

At first glance, there is no connection between the celebration of the Baptism of Rus' and the consecration of honey on this day; these are two different church institutions. However, nothing happens by chance in the Church, and in the fact that today we consecrate honey, one can see a deep meaning. spiritual meaning. In fact, honey is a symbol of heavenly sweetness, a symbol of the Grace of God. And therefore, the holiday of the consecration of honey is very consonant with the event of the Baptism of Rus', for the holy Prince Vladimir, having baptized the Russian people, discovered spiritual, heavenly, true honey for them, giving them the opportunity to taste the sweetness of eternal life.

Venerable Macarius of Egypt says that everything visible in material world there is an image of the invisible, happening in the spiritual world and in our soul. This means that all material things and phenomena are a reflection of spiritual things and phenomena. Saint Macarius, for example, says: “When you see the sun, look for the true Sun... and when you look at the light, look into your soul: have you acquired the true and good light?” And not only light, but also all other phenomena have some deep mysterious meaning, much deeper than their external literal content. If we, for example, look at pure white snow, then you need to think that purity is a mystery and a miracle and that our soul should be just as impeccably pure before God. When we count the money in our wallet, we need to remember that there is not only material wealth, but also spiritual wealth - Christian virtues, and look at ourselves from the outside: do we own this inner, true wealth or are we poor ragamuffins in relation to it? When we admire the beauty of the world - for example, we look at a magnificent landscape or a sky strewn with stars, we will think that if the earthly world is so great and beautiful, then how great and beautiful is the heavenly world, where in due time we must enter, if , of course, let's live like Christians?

So today, consecrating material, material honey, let us ask ourselves the question: is there in our souls the immaterial, true honey of the Spirit - the Grace of God? Do we feel this heavenly nectar, this unearthly sweetness within ourselves? Or is there in our souls the bitterness of passions and sins? After all, if Grace does not live in us, then this means that we are lost, lost our way and live without Christ. The Apostle Paul spoke about this: if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that is, Grace, he is not Christ’s. That's why it is main goal Christian life the acquisition of Grace, for only it can lead us to Christ and make us akin to Him.

Grace must be acquired, acquired, that is, work, make efforts to cleanse your soul from sin and make it a vessel of the Spirit. And here bees again come to our minds, namely the fact that true Christians can be like them. Just as a wise bee flies, works, searches for flowers and collects nectar from them, and flies away from everything that is bitter, harmful and unclean, so Christians collect the nectar of Grace from the flowers of good deeds and pure life, and move away from the bitterness of sins and bad deeds. If we live this way, then in our soul there will be less and less bitterness, that is, sins and passions, and more and more heavenly honey - the Grace of God. And if we do not weaken and become lazy along this path, if we follow it to the end, then, undoubtedly, we will become true and holy children of God, the legal heirs of the Future Age, which is precisely the meaning of Christian life on earth.

While celebrating all today's events, we should also remember and thank those little culprits and participants in today's holiday, without whom it would not have been possible - that is, the bees. For they not only unselfishly collect honey for us through their tireless labors, but also teach us a good saving lesson, teaching us Christian wisdom and instructing us on the path leading to eternal life, to the Kingdom of the saints. Amen.

Hello, dear TV viewers! Congratulations to everyone on the beginning of the Dormition Lent. Today, August 14, Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, as well as the Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos.

The holiday of the carrying of the Honorable Cross was established on August 1, according to the old style, in Greece by Patriarch Luke of Constantinople under Tsar Manuel, and in Russia by Metropolitan Constantine of Kyiv and Nestor, Bishop of Rostov, under Grand Duke Andrei Yuryevich. The reason for its establishment was the following.

Tsar Manuel and Prince Andrew, who were in peace and brotherly love among themselves, happened to go to war on the same day: the first from Constantinople against the Saracens, and the second from Rostov against the Bulgarians. ( Grand Duke lived at that time in Rostov: the pagans who lived on the lower reaches of the Volga were called Bulgarians, which is where they got their name.) The Lord God gave them complete victory over the enemies: the Greek king defeated the Saracens, and Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky defeated the Volga Bulgars and subjugated them to himself.

In the Greek Book of Hours of 1897, the origin of this holiday is explained as follows: “Due to illnesses, which occurred very often in August, from ancient times the custom was established in Constantinople to wear the Honest Tree of the Cross on roads and streets to consecrate places and to ward off illnesses. The day before (July 31), having worn it out of the royal treasury, it was placed at the holy meal of the Great Church (in honor of Hagia Sophia - the Wisdom of God). From this day onwards until the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, performing litias throughout the city, they then offered it to the people for worship. This is the origin of the Holy Cross.”

In the Russian Church, this celebration was combined with the commemoration of the Baptism of Rus' on August 1, 988. In the “Tale of the Effective Rites of the Holy Conciliar and Apostolic Great Church of the Assumption,” compiled in 1627 at the behest of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Philaret, the following explanation of the holiday on August 1 is given: “And on the day of the Honest Cross there is a process of consecration for the sake of water and enlightenment for the sake of human, in all cities and towns."

According to the rite now accepted in the Russian Church, the minor consecration of water on August 1 is performed before or after the liturgy. Together with the consecration of water, the consecration of honey is performed.

On today’s holiday, the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is brought out as a reminder that the Lord was crucified for us and in this way will save and has already saved us from eternal condemnation, if only we ourselves would assimilate His redemptive merits with our faith, hope and love for Him, each bearing with patience your cross.

So, let us worship the Life-giving Cross of the Lord for our strengthening and with love and patience let us each bear our cross for our salvation during the upcoming field of fasting, as well as throughout our entire lives!

Dear brothers and sisters, today the memory of the saints is also celebrated:

the seven Maccabean martyrs: Abim, Antoninus, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusevo, Alim, Markel, their mother Solomonia and their teacher Eleazar;

St. Sophia of Suzdal (discovery of relics);

mchch. in Perga Pamphylia;

sschmch. Demetrius of Pavsky presbyter.

I heartily and warmly congratulate everyone who bears these holy names on their namesake day! I wish you well from the Lord peace of mind, health of body and all-powerful help in all good deeds and good endeavors through your prayers heavenly patrons. Be protected by God! Many happy summers to you!

First Spas - Honey Spas

Nourished us abundantly.

Removed for display

Life-giving Cross from the Ancients.

Let's perform the Assumption Fast,

Showing spiritual growth.

Hieromonk Dimitri (Samoilov)

On August 14, the first day of the Dormition Lent, the Origin (destruction) of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is celebrated.

This holiday was established in Constantinople due to illnesses that often occurred there in August. The beginning of this holiday dates back to the 9th century, and from the 12th-13th centuries it was established in all local Churches. In Constantinople there was a custom according to which every year a part of the Life-giving Tree of the Holy Cross, kept in the home church of the Byzantine emperors, was worn into the church of St. Sofia, where the blessing of water took place. Then, starting from the first of August, this shrine was carried around the city for two weeks, while lithiums were served “to consecrate places and ward off diseases.” On August 28, the Life-Giving Tree of the Cross was transferred back to the royal chambers.

The Russian name for the holiday "origin" is an incorrect translation of the Greek word, which means a solemn ceremony, a religious procession. Therefore, the word “wear and tear” was added to the name of the holiday.

In the Russian Church, this celebration was combined with the memory of the Baptism of Rus' on August 14, 988. In the “Tale of the Effective Rites of the Holy Conciliar and Apostolic Great Church of the Assumption,” compiled in 1627 at the behest of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Philaret, the following explanation of the holiday on August 14 is given: “And on the day of the Holy Cross there is a process of consecration for the sake of water and enlightenment for the sake of human, in all cities and villages."

The news of the day of the Baptism of Rus' was preserved in chronographs of the 16th century: “The Great Prince Vladimir of Kiev and all Rus' was baptized on August 14.” On this holiday, churches are supposed to take out the Cross and worship it. According to the rite now accepted in the Russian Church, the minor consecration of water on August 14 is performed before or after the liturgy.

Together with the consecration of water, the consecration of honey is performed (that is why this holiday is popularly called “The First Honey Savior”, “Savior on the Water”, “Wet Savior”).

From this day forward, the eating of its new harvest is blessed.

The Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos, celebrated on the same day, was established on the occasion of signs from the icons of the Savior, the Most Holy Theotokos and the Precious Cross during the battles of the holy noble prince Andrei Bogolyubsky (1157-1174) with the Volga Bulgarians. In 1164, Andrei Bogolyubsky launched a campaign against the Volga Bulgarians, who were pushing out the oppressed inhabitants of the Rostov and Suzdal lands. Trusting in the help of the Queen of Heaven, the prince took with him Her miraculous icon, which he brought from Kyiv and subsequently received the name Vladimir. Two priests in vestments carried the holy icon and the Honorable Cross of Christ before the army. Before the battle, the pious prince, having partaken of the Holy Mysteries, turned with a fervent prayer to the Mother of God: “Everyone who trusts in You, Lady, will not perish, and I, a sinner, have in You a wall and a covering.” Following the prince, the generals and soldiers fell to their knees in front of the icon and, venerating the image, went against the enemy.

The Bulgarians were defeated and put to flight. According to legend, on the same day the Greek Emperor Manuel won a victory over the Saracens. An indisputable proof of the miraculousness of both of these victories were the huge fiery rays emanating from the icons of the Savior, the Mother of God and the Holy Cross that were in the army. These rays covered the regiments of the noble rulers of Greece and Russia and were visible to all those who fought. In memory of these wonderful victories, with the mutual consent of Prince Andrew and Emperor Manuel and with the blessing of representatives of the highest church authorities, a holiday was established to the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos.

Sermon on the removal of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

“The cross is the guardian of the entire universe, the cross is the beauty of the Church, the cross is the affirmation of the faithful, the cross is the glory of angels and the plague of demons.”

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church glorifies the power of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, and at the same time remembers the honest suffering that our Lord Jesus Christ endured on the Cross. The closest reason for the event now being celebrated was the miraculous signs revealed from the Tree of the Life-Giving Cross to the inhabitants of Constantinople.

In ancient times, a severe pestilence broke out in the capital of the Greek state, Constantinople, killing many human lives. After, at the request of the residents of the city, the Tree of the Holy Cross was carried through the streets of the capital for fifteen days with prayers and sprinkling of buildings and houses with holy water, the destructive disease stopped, and all Christians brought their deepest gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Subsequently, this miracle was also joined by another significant event, namely: the Orthodox Greek Emperor Manuel, with the presentation of icons of the Savior and the Mother of God before the troops, won a victory over the Saracens, and the Orthodox Russian prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, at the same time, with the presentation of icons of the Savior and the Mother of God, won a victory over the Volga Bulgarians. Evidence that these victories were won by supernatural power was the heavenly radiance emanating from the icons and illuminating the people who were there. In memory of this wonderful event, the Orthodox Greek and Russian Churches established that the celebration of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos should be added to the holiday of the carrying of the Cross - in remembrance of the heavenly mercies bestowed on both Orthodox countries.

But, while now glorifying the power of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, the Church at the same time remembers the suffering of Christ suffered by Him on the Cross. The Gospel set for today sets out the story of the last hours and minutes of the earthly life of the Son of God. He, the sinless One, the Holiest of Holies, having assumed the form of a slave, humiliated and insulted by the crowd of furious enemies rustling around Him, marches to judgment before Pilate, a pagan, a sinner. The scribes, elders and all the people with incomprehensible hatred demand from the ruler death for the Immortal, a shameful death: Crucify, crucify Him (John 19:6)! - they shout.

Pilate, a pagan who did not know the revealed teaching of God, moved by a sense of justice, hesitates and wants to save Him, saying to the Jews: Capture Him and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him (John 19:6). But their threat to accuse him before Caesar forces Pilate to betray the Lord into the hands of His enemies. And after many new humiliations and insults, the innocent Sufferer, acquitted at Pilate’s trial, ascends to Golgotha, here he is nailed to the Cross and gives up His spirit, hanging in the middle of two robbers on a tree. What a humiliation, what terrible death The Lord endured at this time! And the question arises: why was such a terrible sacrifice required?

The same ulcer was for our sins and tormented for our iniquities, by His ulcer we were healed (Is. 53:5), answers the holy prophet Isaiah. The entire human race was in sin. By the time of the Savior's coming, people had forgotten God; Even those Jews who were entrusted with the custody of the revealed teachings forgot His Divine Law and the Prophets. Everyone sinned, everyone transgressed the commandments of God, and therefore everyone angered God and deserved eternal damnation and death. God is all-good and all-merciful, but He is also infinitely righteous. Divine truth was outraged by human untruth, human sins. It was necessary to satisfy this holy Truth. Of the people infected with sin, no one could undertake the feat of redemption of the human race, because the sins were extremely great, and according to the gravity of the sins, the sacrifice had to be the greatest. And it was this highest and holiest sacrifice that the Son of God became. For God loved the world, for He gave His only begotten Son to eat, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but may have eternal life (John 3:16). Death on the cross The Savior has redeemed us from sin, curse and death. The blood of the Innocent One was shed on the Cross so that the guilty could escape the wrath of God they deserved: by His wound we were healed. So, Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3). What goodness and what inexpressible mercy of God towards us sinners!

Nailed on the Cross and shedding His most pure Blood, He became the eternal Intercessor for us before God the Father. His ulcerated hands lovingly embrace the entire human race and lead everyone to the Father. That which separated the Creator from creation, God from people, the Heavenly Father from the rebellious sons of men was destroyed by the Sacrifice of Calvary. The sting of death has been dulled, the gates of hell have been crushed, the power of the devil has been destroyed, freedom has been granted to faithful people and the gates of heaven have been opened, so that the Cross, the instrument of shameful death, has now become for all believers a precious and highest shrine, an indestructible weapon in the fight against the enemies of our salvation.

Erected on Golgotha, it shines brightly over the entire universe, warming with its rays our immortal souls, cold from sins and sorrows. Come all of you to this Cross, look at it and find true peace. Just as Moses of old raised a copper serpent in the desert and everyone who looked at him received healing from the bite of the snake and life, so the Cross of Christ, erected on Calvary, gives healing and peace to all our souls wounded by sins: Just as Moses lifted up the serpent to desert, so it is fitting for the Son of Man to be exalted, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but may have eternal life (John 3:14-15). Such is the ineffable mercy of God towards us sinners that at the mere thought of everything that Divine love has done for us, the unspoiled human heart must involuntarily be filled with the greatest gratitude to the Creator.

While we now honor the Holy Cross, let us, however, remember that our admiration before the Cross of the Lord should not consist only in external actions and words, but must also take place in the depths of our soul, our spirit. First of all, we need to realize that the One Crucified on the Cross is the God-Man, the Creator of the entire universe, and therefore a feeling of fear and trembling should cover our soul when we kiss the Holy Cross.

Crucified on the Cross for our sins, the Lord wanted us, cleansed from sins by His Blood, to live for righteousness and be holy in all our lives, and for this we would be worthy of eternal bliss in the Kingdom of His Father. And therefore, if we sin, we will undergo terrible punishment not only for our sins, but also for the Blood of the Son of God, which we trample, and for the grace with which we were sanctified in the Sacrament of Baptism and which we neglected. With our sins, are we not crucifying the Lord a second time? Let us guard ourselves in every possible way from sins and vices and remain faithful to the Lord, remembering that firm faith attracts to us the favor and mercy of God.

An example of a steadfast profession of faith Church of God represents for us today the bright memory of the holy Maccabee martyrs, who lived a century and a half before the birth of Christ. This was a difficult time for the Jewish people, when the wicked Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes, having plundered Jerusalem and beaten many thousands of Jews, launched an evil persecution against their faith, wanting to eradicate it completely. To this end, he commanded the Jews, under threat of the death penalty, to stop burnt offerings and sacrifices and libations in the sanctuary, to abolish Sabbaths and holidays, to build pagan altars and offer pagan sacrifices there, to abolish circumcision and generally change all previous religious beliefs, laws, morals and customs of the fathers.

At this time, for the comfort of the Jewish people, the Lord raised up many strong confessors of the faith in true God who, not wanting to renounce the laws of their fathers, chose to die rather than become defiled, and courageously endured martyrdom. Among them were the ninety-year-old elder Eleazar, the seven Maccabean brothers and their mother Solomonia.

The tormentors seduced Elder Eleazar with the opportunity to make a sacrifice, at least feignedly, and thereby save his life, but he, gray-haired and filled with piety, answered: “It is unworthy of my age to be a hypocrite in order to preserve the little life of my days...” - and then he was mercilessly tortured.

Likewise, the holy brothers of the Maccabees, confessing their faith and hope for a future resurrection, courageously, one after another, accepted martyrdom, strengthened by the hope that the Lord would revive them in future life. After all of them, their blessed mother Solomonia gave up her spirit into the hands of God.

Dear brothers and sisters, with full consciousness of all the goodness and mercy of God to us, let us fall today to the Honorable Cross, this sign of our salvation, with true filial love we kiss the most pure feet of the Savior, calling upon Him: We bow to Your Cross, O Master, and we glorify Your holy resurrection ! Amen.

Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)