Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!
Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!
ХристосВоскрес! Воистину Воскрес!
ქრისტეაღსდგა! ჭეშმარიტადაღსდგა!
Kristus (ir) augšāmcēlies! Patiesi viņš ir augšāmcēlies!
Isa dirildi! Hakikaten dirildi!
Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.
Synaxarion. From the Menaion.
On May 6 we commemorate the holy, righteous, and much-suffering Prophet Job.
On this day we commemorate the Our righteous Mother Sophia of Kleisoura (Myrtidiotissa in Schema), the ascetic of Kleisoura, the Pontian (1974)
On this day we commemorate the Martyrs Danax, Mesirus (Mesiurs), and Therin
On this day we commemorate the holy Martyrs Demetrius, and Donatus
On this day we commemorate the holy Mamas, Pachomius, and Hilarion
On this day we commemorate the holy Martyrs Heliodorus and Venustus and seventy-five others in Africa (284–305)
On this day we commemorate the holy Saint Lucius of Cyrene (1st century)
On this day we commemorate the Our righteous Mother Benedicta, virgin, mystic and nun, lived in a convent founded by St. Galla in Rome (6th century)
On this day we commemorate our righteous Father Petronax of Monte Cassino (c. 747)
On this day Saint Vladimir II Monomakh (Volodymyr Monomakh), Sovereign of Kievan Rus’ (1125)
On this day we commemorate Our righteous Father Micah (Micheas), the disciple of the Saint Sergius of Radonezh (1385)
On this day we commemorate our righteous and God-bearing Father Seraphim, who lived as an ascetic on Mt. Domvu (1602)
On this day we commemorate our righteous Father Job of Pochaev, abbot and wonderworker (1651)
The Sinaites of Serbia: Romylos of Ravanica (1375), Romanos of Ravanica,Nestor, Sisoes, Zosimas of Tuman, Martirije of Rukumije, Nicodemus, Job, Grigorije of Gornjak, and Gregory of Sinai, whose Synaxis we celebrate (14th century).
On this day we commemorate Our righteous Father Barnabas (Belyaev) Bishop of Nizhni-Novgorod (1963).
On this day Monday of Bright Week, we commemorate the holy and glorious Great-martyr George the Trophybearer and St. Martyr Polychronia mother of St. George the Trophy-bearer (303) .
On this day Monday of Bright Week, the Synaxis of the Panagia “Axion Estin” which took place at Adein
On this day the Synaxis of Panagia Glykophilousa at Philotheou Monastery
On this day the Synaxis of the Bachkovo Icon of the Mother of God at Bachkovo Monastery in the Rhodope Mountains Bulgaria
Verses
George, cutting down all his foes in battles,
Is gladly cut down of his foes by beheading.
On the twenty-third, George’s neck was seized by the brazen blade.
With what encomiums does the Orthodox Church not praise the holy Great-Martyr George, “the greatest of the great martyrs”, “the chief of the martyrs”, “he who is known everywhere by his miracles”, “he who is swift to help”, etc. These sublime names are the evidence of countless miracles that have occurred and still occur throughout Christendom thanks to St. George’s intercessions before God.
Eldress Galaktia of Crete (+2021)
Before eating, she would go and venerate the many icons that were stuck on her fridge. There she usually conversed with Saint George. She saw the Saints and described them in every detail.
Especially in the last years of her life when she was completely like a little girl at heart and she did not understand that we admired her. She especially posed as being on the horse of Saint George.
“I go up on it,” she said, “and it takes me around, but there is no way to transfer images and photos from the mysterious worlds that it takes me to ….”
***
St. Sophia the Ascetic of Kleisoura
With the tragic loss of her son and her husband, Sophia decided to completely dedicate her life to God and live as an ascetic. She fled for the mountains and lived a strict ascetic life in solitude and severe fasting. It was during this time that Saint George appeared to her, warning her of the Turkish soldiers that were coming, and this allowed her to notify her fellow villagers to flee the coming persecution, thus saving her village. She along with her fellow villagers finally arrived in Greece in 1919 as refugees.
“Patience … A lot of patience … Patience a lot.”
“Pride is an ugly thing … Dirt to dirt … Pride casts the soul into hell.”
***
Saint George Karslides and His All Night Conversation With Saint George the Trophy-Bearer
For about two years, a man called Anastasis Spyridopoulos hosted Saint George Karslides in his house, at the Saint’s request. One night, Anastasis heard the hoof beats of a horse outside in the yard.
He went to the balcony and saw a young horseman, all aglow, dismounting and going up the steps. He entered the house and was heard opening the door to the Elder’s room.
Anastasis heard them talking all night long. The next morning, after the sun was up, he asked the Elder:
‘Did you have a visitor last night, Elder?’
‘Yes’, he replied. ‘It was Saint George. Since you saw him, why didn’t you get up and light the censer, ask him for something, call upon him, and you would have received what you asked for.’
‘Unfortunately’, Anastasis now says, ‘I knew nothing of spiritual matters at that time.’
Symela Spyridopoulou, who took great care of the Elder [Saint George Karslides (+ 1959)] from the beginning, narrated the following:
“One day when I was at the monastery I had to go home for a bit to get something.
When I returned I entered the church. There was no one.
As I turned my head, I saw the icon of Saint George the Trophy-Bearer soaring in the air and bathed in light.
Frightened by this, I started screaming.
The Elder heard me and came and said to me:
‘Why are you screaming, my good woman? What are you looking at? It would be better for you to do three prostrations and greet the Saint.’
He then proceeded ahead of me, kissed the icon, then I kissed it and and the light disappeared, with the icon returning to its place.
After that, the Elder’s skin color became amber.”
From the book Όσιος Γεώργιος της Δράμας, Ο Άγιος των πτωχών και των πονεμένων, έκδοση Ιεράς Μονής Αναλήψεως του Σωτήρος, Ταξιάρχες (Σίψα), Δράμα. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
***
Deliverance from the death sentence
One of the disciples and companions of St. Joseph the Hesychast (1897–1959) was Fr. Charalambos (Galanopoulos; 1910–2001), Abbot of the Athonite Dionysiou Monastery. A Pontic Greek by origin, he was born in 1910 in Russia and as a ten-year-old boy moved with his family to Greece, where they settled down in northern Greece, in the village of Arkadiko near Drama. The young man had great success in his studies; however, he quit his studies to provide for his family.
In 1941, during the German occupation of Hellas, the Bulgarian commissars arrested Charalambos along with his fellow villagers and threw him into a concentration camp. A week later, something that no one had expected happened: the prisoners were sentenced to death. Charalambos knelt down and prayed tearfully:
“Holy Great-Martyr George, valiant warrior of Christ, save us! and I promise to devote my entire life to God!”
“Once I finished the prayer,” the elder related later, “I heard a noise above us—the clatter of a horse’s hooves. I lifted my eyes: a horse was galloping in the air over us, but I did not see any rider. But everything was clear! It must have been Saint George, but I was unworthy of seeing him. Although I saw only a horse, it meant that he had heard us!”
Early in the morning the executioners entered the cell, ready to carry out the sentence. Seconds later, the doors of the cell opened wide and a young man of athletic build entered and shouted furiously:
“Stop right now, villains! Release the innocent people and let them return to their homes! Otherwise I will shoot you all!”
Terrified, the executioners immediately left the cell. The young man vanished too. Of course, no one doubted that it had been Great-Martyr George. After a short time, the prisoners were granted amnesty in connection with the birth of the heir to the Bulgarian throne.
Nine years after this miracle, Charalambos Galanopoulos abandoned the world and became a monk on Mt. Athos in fulfillment of his vow to God and St. George.
Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life
***
Opening of the church
In the Khrushchev era (1953–1964) the exiled Archimandrite Seraphim (Sutorikhin; 1901–1979) served at the Samarkand (in Uzbekistan) Church of St. George the Victorious. Repressed and after serving ten years in the camps, Fr. Seraphim, already old and weak, became a beacon of light for many believers, especially the young. The authorities could not forgive him for such activities. With the help of provocateurs from the KGB, they ensured that St. George’s Church was closed, so the faithful had to worship secretly under cover of night. Two years later it was decided to convert the church into a kindergarten.
One day, two riders in unusual old officers’ uniforms rode into the church area. The chief of them, getting off his horse, went to the cell of Fr. Seraphim, who was reading prayers, and ordered:
“Father Seraphim, get ready for the service—the church will be open today!”
Then both soldiers went to the executive committee. The formidable officer, passing by the police and the secretary, and without asking anyone about anything, opened the door to the chairman of the executive committee.
“Open the Church of Great-Martyr George today! Otherwise you will be punished mercilessly!” he ordered.
The military man left the same way as he had appeared, and in horror and confusion the official called the Commissioner for Religious Affairs.
“Send a special messenger to open the Church of Great-Martyr George now!”
The church was indeed opened on the same day—on the eve of May 6, the patronal feast. At the same time, the chairman of the executive committee came by car to Fr. Seraphim, asking him to tell him the name of his church leader. Fr. Seraphim showed the chairman a photograph of his Tashkent bishop.
“No, not this one,” the official said. “Do you have anyone higher? Yesterday your boss came to me, such a formidable officer… With such authority he ordered that the church be opened urgently. He said, ‘Otherwise you will be punished mercilessly!’ Clearly, a real leader…”
Then, with tears, Fr. Seraphim brought him St. George’s icon. The chairman was horrified, like the thieves on Mt. Athos:
“It’s him!!! He came to me yesterday!”
Prepared by Gevorg Kazaryan
Translation by Dmitry Lapa
https://orthochristian.com/153484.html
St. George the Trophy-bearer: The Prince of Martyrs
https://iconandlight.wordpress.com/2018/11/02/st-george-the-trophy-bearer-the-prince-of-martyrs/
Do we really always remember Christ’s words: I am the way, the truth, and the life [John 14:6]? For the holy martyr and Trophy-Bearer George, He was truly the Path and the Life; he neither followed any other path, nor did he wish to know of any other. He was not frightened by threats or fears, boldly following the way of Christ. Therefore, we bow down before all the martyrs, and especially such great ones as George the Trophy-Bearer, commending them by our ardent love. St. Luke of Simferopol
https://iconandlight.wordpress.com/2022/11/02/do-we-really-always-remember-christs-words-i-am-the-way-the-truth-and-the-life-john-146-for-the-holy-martyr-and-trophy-bearer-george-he-was-truly-the-path-and-the-life-he-n/
Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life
Troparion of St George the Trophy-bearer Tone 4
As the deliverer of captives/ and the protector of the poor,/ as the physician of the feeble and combatant of kings,/ holy champion and great martyr George,/ intercede with Christ our God to save our souls.
Apolytikion of the Saint George the Trophy-bearer:
Fourth Tone
Liberator of captives, defender of the poor, physician of the sick, and champion of kings, O trophy-bearer, Great Martyr George, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
Apolytikion of Righteous JOB ―Tone 1
On beholding the riches of Job’s virtues, the enemy of the righteous contrived to despoil them; and though he cast down the tower of the Saint’s body, he could not plunder the wealth of his spirit, for he found the soul of that blameless one to be fully armed; but as for me, he hath stripped me and led me captive away. Hasten, then, before the end, rescue me from the wily one, O Saviour, and save me.
Troparion of Righteous JOB ―Tone 1
As an indestructible pillar of courage, / you repulsed the attacks of Belial and remained unmoved in temptation. / Therefore, O wise Job, / the Church praises you as a model of endurance and an example of virtue; / and she is made radiant by your great deeds.
Apolytikion of ST SOPHIA of Kleisoura ― Tone 3
O blessed mother Sophia, you became wise, and the adornment of the Mother of God, and you lived your life in the Monastery ascetically, from which have spread the praise of your struggles, striking the ranks of the demons. And as you stand as an intercessor before Christ, do not neglect those who honor you with fervor.
Glory…, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone V
Spring hath arrived! Come, let us delight therein! The resurrection of Christ hath shone forth! Come, let us be glad! The memorial of the passion-bearer hath been revealed, illumining the faithful! Wherefore, come, O ye who love the feasts of the Church, and let us mystically celebrate it! For, lo! having shown courage against the tyrants as a valiant warrior, he put them to shame, as an emulator of the suffering of Christ the Savior; and he did not spare his vessel of clay, but stripped it naked, altering it by tortures. To him let us cry out: O passion-bearer, pray thou, that our souls be saved.
St. George the Trophy-bearer, intercede for us all and help us! Pray to God for us! Pray that we labor in the fast with joy, and let God’s light illumine our hearts. Pray that we can learn to live out our Christian vocation in all times and places, and in all circumstances. Through the intercessions of St. George the Great-martyr, the Trophy-bearer and St. Martyr Polychronia mother of St. George the Trophy-bearer and our mother, O Lord, have mercy on us and save us! Amen.
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