Sunday, November 14, 2022: what will happen in the temple?

Sunday, November 14, 2022

Sunday is a day off, which every Christian devotes to God and His works, first of all, to visiting church. On this day we put aside other things to participate in the liturgy.

In the “Getting Ready for Sunday” project, we are trying to help you consciously come to Church, study the traditions and features of the service in advance, get acquainted with a passage from Holy Scripture and its interpretations, as well as the short lives of the saints commemorated by the Church on Sunday - November 14 .

Talking camel

After some time, the second brother also died. People were perplexed: where should they bury the deceased?

But, according to legend, a miracle happened. A camel approached the crowd (the unmercenaries had once healed him of rabies) and in a human voice said that the brothers should be buried together. He even explained to those present why at one time Damian accepted the gift for healing.

The shocked people believed the camel's testimony. Cosmas and Damian were buried in the Mesopotamian city of Feremane, but when the village was destroyed by the Turks, the holy relics were transported to Amid (today it is the Turkish city of Diyarbakir).

Many wonderful stories have come down to our time about help and healing through the prayers of these righteous people.

Saints' Day

Unmercenary and miracle workers Cosmas and Damian of Asia and their mother the Venerable Theodotia (III)

Read the story for children in pictures in our material.

Hieromartyrs John and James the Zealot, suffered in Persia (about 345)

Bishop John and priest Jacob suffered and were executed during the persecution of Christians by the Persian king Shapur (Sapura).

Martyrs Cyrien and Juliana (305–311)

The holy martyrs Kyriena of Tarsus and Juliana of Rosa were captured for professing the Christian faith under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305–311) by the ruler of Cilicia, Marcian. Saint Cyrene, naked, with her head shorn, was led to ridicule around Tarsus, and then, together with Saint Juliana, they were taken to the city of Rosa, where they were burned.

Martyr Erminingeld, Prince of Goth (586)

The holy martyr Erminingeld left the Arian heresy and was converted to Orthodoxy. His father, King Luvingild, could not force his son to return to the Arian faith, either by kindness or by threats, and ordered his execution. The Tsarevich's firmness in faith and his courage before death forced the Tsar to repent of his deeds. Not daring to accept Orthodoxy himself, he instructed the holy Bishop Leander to convert his heir Rehard to the true faith. Having become king, Rehard established Orthodoxy in his country.

Martyrs Caesarea, Dasius and with them five victims: Sava, Savinian, Agrippa, Hadrian and Thomas (VII)

The holy martyrs Caesarius and Dasius were captured for the Christian faith during the capture of Damascus by the Mohammedans in the 7th century. The saints were given over to cruel tortures and beheaded with a sword.

Lives of Cosmas and Damian

Memorial Day: July 14

The unmercenary brothers and sisters Cosmas and Damian lived in the 3rd century AD. They grew up in Rome, in a Christian family. They devoted their entire lives to serving the Lord, leading a righteous and chaste life. For their devotion, the Lord gave them the power of healing, which they used wisely and for good. The brothers unselfishly helped everyone in need, and the fame of their mercy spread far.

Even Emperor Karin found out about the brothers; he did not like the fact that the brothers were converting the people to Christianity. When soldiers were sent for Cosmas and Damian, the people they helped hid them. Then the soldiers gathered to seize other Christians, the brothers could not allow this and surrendered voluntarily. The healers were put in prison, and then taken to trial. Even under the threat of punishment, Cosmas and Damian did not renounce their faith. The Lord showed Karin his strength by sending a sudden illness. This miracle made many witnesses believe, who began to ask the brothers to heal the emperor. Karin himself prayed to them, and the brothers helped him. The Emperor granted freedom to Cosmas and Damian, and they continued their work - helping people.

Success and universal love for the brothers aroused the envy of their mentor, who taught Cosmas and Damian how to heal. He believed that they owed everything to him. Wanting revenge, the elder called his disciples into the forest, supposedly in search of medicinal plants. Taking Cosmas and Damian deeper, he killed them and threw their bodies into the river.

The martyrs Kosma and Damian ended their journey on earth unexpectedly, but the memory of them is still alive. Every year the church celebrates the brothers' memorial day on July 14th.

New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia

Hieromartyrs Alexander Smirnov (1875 - November 14, 1918) and Feodor Remizov (November 14, 1918)

On November 14, 1918, a patronal holiday was celebrated in the village of Vyshegorod, Vereisky district, Moscow province - the memory of the unmercenaries and miracle workers Cosmas and Damian, which was attended by clergy and laity from all over the area. After the liturgy, prayer service and common meal, the priests dispersed to their parishes.

Father Alexander Smirnov and Father Feodor Remizov were priests of two churches in the village of Vyshegorod, located half a mile from each other. The shepherds lived and served nearby, and they had a chance to suffer martyrdom together.

More details

In the Vereisky district, policeman Muzherov was particularly cruel. The peasants, outraged by his atrocities, did not find justice for him among the local leaders, and killed him. Then a detachment of 50 Latvian punishers was sent from Moscow, who were supposed to frighten the peasants with the cruelty of executions. However, they were going to execute not only the peasants, but also all the priests who could be captured.

Towards the evening of November 14, an armed detachment entered the village of Novaya Borisovka, located near Vyshegorod. On the way they met a church watchman, and they hacked him to death. Peasants suspected of murdering policeman Muzherov were executed without trial.

Having learned that Father Alexander was at home, the punishers sent a paramedic to him so that she would invite him to the village council.

- Why am I going? — the priest answered directly and simply. “I am not guilty of anything before the authorities.”

“As you wish,” she answered and left, but there was a threat in her voice.

Father's wife Alexander and eldest daughter Elena decided to go to the village council themselves to see what was happening there. Only the priest and his four-year-old son Alexander remained in the house. Soon there was a loud knock on the door.

Father Alexander opened the door, and immediately the house was filled with armed Latvians:

- Get ready, you are being called to the boss.

“I cannot leave the house where only a little boy remains,” answered the priest.

- But the boss can’t wait! - they approached with anger and threats. And they themselves took and lit thicker candles.

After praying, Father Alexander put on a new warm cassock and hat and went outside.

It was a quiet autumn evening, the first snow had recently fallen. Holding burning candles, the executioners led Father Alexander towards the village council. On the way, they met Father Theodore walking under escort, and then the priests were told that they would now be executed.

— Then we need to pray,” said Father Alexander.

— Pray,” the squad leader allowed.

The priests, kneeling, began to pray to God, and then Father Alexander said:

— I'm ready. Now do with me what you want, but know that you will all soon die.

As soon as he said this, the executioner swung his sword and cut his head from the right temple to the crown. The priest fell to his knees and raised his hand to make the sign of the cross. A second blow with the saber followed. But the priest was alive. The executioners shot in the head and neck and pierced the stomach with a bayonet twice to the back and once across from side to side.

But the priest was still alive. Fear attacked the tormentors. And then one of them, coming close to Father Alexander, dealt the final blow - to the heart.

After this, the executioners proceeded to Father Theodore, who began to accuse them of cruelty and murder. In response, they began to hit him in the face, and when he fell, the executioner shot him twice. One bullet hit the ear, the other hit the shoulder. Father Theodore was still alive, but they did not finish him off, but hurried to leave the place of execution.

The words of Father Alexander were fulfilled exactly - a few days later the entire detachment of punitive forces was destroyed near the village of Balabanov.

The martyrdom of the priests was witnessed by the townspeople who stocked up on food in the village and were preparing to go home. Seeing a squad of punitive forces, they hid and watched what was happening from cover, and when the punitive forces left, they immediately ran away. Only after some time they told how it happened.

The next day, early in the morning, a local resident heard groans at the entrance to Novaya Borisovka. He got off his horse and saw Father Theodore lying in the snow. Nearby I found the body of Father Alexander. He announced this to the peasants, but when they arrived, Father Theodore had already died.

On the third day, the funeral service and burial of the holy martyrs took place. Many people gathered for the funeral. Immediately after the murder, the authorities, out of fear of the people, hastened to recognize the priests as innocent and sent their representatives to the burial, who walked among the parishioners with a white banner as a sign of the innocence of the martyrs.

On the ninth day after his death, Father Alexander appeared in a dream to his daughter Elena and ordered her to collect the bones of the head remaining at the site of the murder, showing her the place itself. About a year after his death, he appeared to his son Alexander, dressed in dazzling white robes.

In the twenties, the priest's house was burned down. Of all the property, only a photograph of Father Alexander, burnt around the edges, survived among the ashes.

The relics of the holy martyrs Alexander and Theodore were found on October 8, 1986, and since then everyone who resorted to the prayerful help of the holy martyrs received it.

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and His Eminence Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, on September 20, 2003, the relics of the holy martyrs Alexander and Theodore were placed in the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the city of Reutov.

Little information has been preserved about the life of priests before November 14, 1918.

For his simplicity of address and mercy, Father Alexander Smirnov was loved by his parishioners. When any of them needed help, he provided it simply and without hesitation. strictly fulfilled the church charter, not allowing reductions or deviations in services, for which he enjoyed great respect from the Old Believers, of whom there were many living in this district at that time. He was endowed by God with a beautiful and strong voice, so that the church authorities more than once wanted to transfer him to Moscow to one of the cathedral churches.

He was born into the family of honorary citizen Vasily Smirnov. In 1898 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary and entered a parish school as a teacher of the law; in 1903 he was ordained a priest in the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in the village of Vyshegorod, Vereisky district, fourteen versts from the city of Verei. In February 1911 he was elected a member of the dean's council.

In 1918, the Soviet government issued a decree on the separation of Church and state, which prohibited any form of preaching - even the wearing of a cassock by a priest outside the church. Local authorities also demanded that Father Alexander stop walking around the village in a cassock and cut his hair. After consulting with his elder priest , Father Alexander said that he would never obey an unlawful order and would not give up the appearance of an Orthodox shepherd.

Hieromartyr Theodore was born into the family of priest Nicholas, and was ordained a priest in the Church of the Deposition of the Robe in the village of Vyshegorod, Vereisky district, Moscow province. The wooden church was built in 1791 by Countess Ekaterina Alexandrovna Golovina, née Shuvalova. There were two altars in the temple: one in the name of the Order of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, the other in the name of the unmercenaries and wonderworkers Cosmas and Damian. There were no houses for the priest and psalm-reader, and they lived in hired, damp and cold peasant huts. These premises, as the clergy reports report, were beyond any criticism, but “due to the lack of other free people, families often had to huddle in such rooms.” Until 1917, Father Theodore’s brother, priest Alexander Remizov, served in the Deposition of the Robe Church. He and his wife Alexandra Emelyanovna had six children; when Father Alexander transferred to another parish, and his brother Fedor, who had no children, came to serve in his place.

Prayer to the Hieromartyrs Alexander Smirnov and Feodor Remizov

Oh, holy martyr Alexandra and Theodora! To you, as to the unfailing source of God’s grace, we, unworthy, resort to you. You have been worthy of this, you are the adamants of faith. Having also endured terrible wounds and vicious blasphemies from wicked tormentors, you received assurance of a crown of martyrdom from the Lord and with your patience, imitating the ancient martyr, surprised the tormentors. As you are the shepherds of God, who zealously served in earthly churches and strengthened the people of God through your prayer, be also prayer books for us, now standing before the Throne of the Almighty. You, having borne the burden and heat of the day, are a quick witness of the Truth of God not only in word, but also in deed, confirm us in the truth of Christ, who have not endured either the burden of reproach or the heat of persecution, but let us be like mercenaries of the eleventh hour, looking forward to receiving wages from Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven. Ask God through your prayers, holy sufferers of Christ, for strengthening of the Orthodox faith, sanctification by our thoughts, advancement in virtues; may He grant the gift that is beneficial to anyone who asks for your intercession, may He grant us the privilege at the hour of our death to show this firmness of faith, which is also given to you, and may we, together with all the saints in the Kingdom of Heaven, be worthy to unashamedly chant His Most Holy Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

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Hieromartyr Alexander Shalay (November 20, 1879 - November 14, 1937)

Listen to the life of the saint, who served in churches in Belarus even after the revolution and who advocated the opening of a church in the village of Blon during the population census, on radio “Vera”.

Hieromartyr Dimitry Ovechkin (May 25, 1877 - November 14, 1937)

Listen to the story about the saint, mathematics teacher and father of 7 children, who was not afraid to defend his faith in public debates with atheists on Radio Vera.

Martyr Elisaveta Samovskaya (October 14, 1860 - November 14, 1937)

Noblewoman, daughter of a bank employee, wife of a doctor. Elisaveta graduated from the Mariinsky Institute in Moscow and gave private lessons in French and German. What made her protest against the closure of churches after the revolution? Read the description of the era and circumstances of the life of the martyr Elizabeth in our material.

Martyr Peter Ignatov (1904 - November 14, 1941)

PMI Foundation

Listen to the short life of the saint who came to faith thanks to his wife on radio “Vera”.

The Amazing Rescue of Malchus' Wife

Many people consider Cosmas and Damian of Asia also patrons of marriage. The basis for such veneration was the story of the family of a certain Malchus, who lived near Fereman.

Probably due to his work he had to leave his home and wife for a long time. He prayed to the local saints Cosmas and Damian and asked them to protect his wife.

Everything was fine until one of Malchus’s friends was tempted to attack his friend’s wife. He came to her with the words: “At the request of your husband, I must bring you to him.” But along the way, the liar wanted to abuse the woman, and then, so that she would not tell anything, kill her.

Sensing danger, the woman began to pray. At this time, two husbands appeared in the deserted desert. These were Saints Cosmas and Damian. Seeing them, the offender tried so hard to escape that in his haste he even fell off the cliff.

The husbands took the woman home, and when she asked: “So what is your name? Who should I thank?”, then she received a short answer: “We are brothers Cosmas and Damian, your husband instructed us to protect you.”

Arriving at the temple, the wife prayed for a long time in front of the icon of the saints, and then told everyone present what had happened to her.

Features of Orthodox worship

Last time we looked at what happens at the liturgy during the “Small Entrance”. Today we will talk about the Trisagion:

“Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy on us.”

At what point in the liturgy does this chant sound?

At the end of the “Little Entrance” the choir sings the troparion and kontakion of the holiday or holy Sunday. Then the deacon prays in front of the icon of the Savior located at the royal gates: “Lord, save the pious and hear us!”

And he turns to the people and says loudly:

"And forever and ever."

Who are the “godly”? These are all Orthodox Christians. Those of them who are currently in the temple, together with the choir, pray with the words of the Trisagion Song:

“Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy on us.”

Where did the Trisagion come from? In the fifth century, a strong earthquake occurred in Constantinople. Believers prayed outside the temple - on the street. Suddenly a boy from the people was lifted into the sky by a storm. He heard angels singing:

“Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal!”

(In parentheses, we note that the word “Strong” in relation to the Holy Trinity means “strong, omnipotent”)

The boy came down unharmed and told about his vision. When the people began to repeat the angelic song and add “have mercy on us,” the earthquake stopped. All this happened under Patriarch Proclus, and from that time on, the Trisagion Hymn (“Trisagion”) was introduced into all the services of our Church.

To be continued in the next issue.

Read the sequence of the Liturgy

What do Cosmas and Damian pray for?

Having been doctors during their lifetime, Cosmas and Damian are still revered as healers. The prayer to Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome is read for various ailments and diseases. A cold, a chronic disease, a tumor, an ulcer - the saints will help fight all these problems. Drug addiction and alcoholism are also considered diseases. The prayer to Cosma and Damian for healing is very powerful; its reading should be taken seriously and with pure thoughts.

Parents and grandparents read a prayer to the saints for the health of their children and loved ones. They help everyone who asks, protect and support.

The saints lived righteous lives as taught by Jesus Christ. They are known for their chastity and virtue. When there is discord in the family, they often read a prayer to the unmercenary Cosmas and Damian against betrayal.

Reading the Gospel:

Gospel of Luke, chapter 8, verses 26 - 39

Read excerpt

26 And they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which lies opposite Galilee. 27 When He came ashore, a man from the city met Him, possessed by demons for a long time, and not wearing clothes, and living not in a house, but in tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” I beg You, do not torment me. 29 For Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, because it had tormented him for a long time, so that they bound him with chains and bonds, keeping him safe; but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert. 30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” because many demons entered into him. 31 And they asked Jesus not to command them to go into the abyss. 32 And there was a large herd of pigs grazing on the mountain; and the demons asked Him to allow them to enter into them. He let them. 33 The demons came out of the man and entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down a steep slope into the lake and drowned. 34 When the shepherds saw what had happened, they ran and told it in the city and in the villages. 35 And they went out to see what had happened; and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and were horrified. 36 And those who saw them told them how the demoniac was healed. 37 And all the people of the Gadarene region asked Him to withdraw from them, because they were seized with great fear. He entered the boat and returned. 38 But the man from whom the demons had gone out asked Him to be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying: 39 Return to your house and tell what God has done for you. He went and preached throughout the whole city what Jesus had done for him.

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Priest Anthony (Borisov) comments

Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10, verses 1 - 5, 8

Read excerpt

1 And calling His twelve disciples, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2 And the names of the twelve apostles are these: first Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James Zebedee and John his brother, 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, James Alphaeus and Levbeus, called Thaddeus, 4 Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, neither enter into the city of the Samaritans;

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons; freely you have received, freely give.

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Gift in the name of the Holy Trinity

Few reliable facts from the life of the holy doctors have reached our time. But pious tales and legends have been preserved.

According to one, the brothers made a vow that they would not take rewards of any kind for healing - neither money, nor food, nor any other offerings. But Damian broke his word. And it happened like this.

One day the saints were invited to the dying woman Palladia. All the other doctors called her hopeless, but Cosma and Damian, by the power of prayer, by faith, seriously ill, healed her.

Palladia really wanted to thank the healers in some way. Apparently, she was far from rich, so when she met Damian, she gave him three eggs. What did this mean? The woman said: Accept this small gift in the name of the Holy Trinity.

The saint could not refuse this and accepted the gift. But Cosma knew nothing about Palladia’s words! He suspected his brother of breaking his vow. Therefore, when dying, he asked that Damian not be buried next to him.

The humble Damian did not say a word about why he took the gift for healing at one time.

Apostolic reading:

The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians, chapter 2, verses 16 - 20

Read excerpt

16 However, knowing that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but only by faith in Jesus Christ, we also have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law; For by the works of the law no flesh will be justified. 17 If, seeking justification in Christ, we ourselves turned out to be sinners, then is Christ really the minister of sin? No way. 18 For if I build again what I have destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 By the law I died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, 20 and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

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Priest Pavel (Velikanov) comments

Free doctors

Prayer 2

Audio:

Wonders of Glory, Doctor of Madness, Cosmo and Damian! From the youth of Christ you have loved God and kept the commandments with all your heart, if you give yourself the teaching of healing, but good for life and purity of soul. From this love and mercy towards evil, we struggle not only with people, but also with diseases of livestock. Serve innumerable healings the numerous miracles of your world, complete and only heal bodily ailments, but through faith in Christ they enlighten the soul, patience strengthens illnesses, severe illnesses to correct illnesses with your life you admonish him and through repentance attract him to Christ. In the same way, we, who fall into you before your blessed one, will soon, children, hear your help in teaching this book, we insist with your prayers so that he can receive the message of life without being jealous of the earth so that they will be fine. About the drowsiness of those lying down, human help to the desperate, to you, running with faith and sincere prayer, healing illnesses with your merciful and miraculous visit. Many times you fall into sickness and cruel illnesses to the point of despondency, cowardice and murmuring of the future, that God has given you the grace of patience, confirm and insist that I know God in my knowledge of Christ and God in those who are unfortunate, for the correction of the lives of those who do not rejoice in sins, who do not repent, who crush those hardened in heart for salvation and call to repentance, so that they are powerless in the body, they are blessed with blessings, and they are blessed. To the brothers of this holy temple, entrusted to your holy intercession of God, and to all those who attentively rush to you unharmed, saved from long suffering, from the most cruel and unhealthy, from weakening of the mind, from irritation of the mind, from exhaustion Watch God in the righteous faith of the strong , in persistent piety, in good deeds, in prayers to God that are worthy of admiration, so that together with you they can at the coming of the Lord God, come into the age of God and give birth to all... Amen.