St. Elias Diamantidis, the Myrrh,the miraculous
Commemorated on July 21
”I have seen injured souls who have endured injustice with good thoughts, and have been showered with God’s Grace in this life.” St.Paisios of the Holy Mountain
St. Elias Diamantidis was born in the Pontus in the Greek village Houmourkianton of Surmene region, in the year 1880. His mother died and were orphaned. He had suffered many injustices and malice in his life by his father’s wife. When he was young child life had become hell for him. But he was full of kindness and endured it all without grudges and without complaining.He married and had six daughters. St. George the Trophy-bearer played a pivitol role in the life of St.Elias. St. George appeared to Elias many times either to instruct him or to save him from certain dangers in which the evil demons placed him. He built churche St. George in Makhmudiye of Batum.
He received from God a truly abundant gift of wonderworking. He healed all sicknesses and pains and drove out demons.
He entered into rest in the Lord on July, 1946. His body was soon shown to be incorrupt and miracle-working;
May St. George and St. Elias intercede for us all and help us!
***
We must love and feel grateful to the person who has treated us unjustly, because he benefits us eternally…those who accept injustice with joy will be justified eternally…. It’s important that we start with God’s blessing in everything we do. A just man has God on his side. And if he has some boldness before God, then miracles happen. When someone lives according to the Gospel, he is entitled to divine help. He walks with Jesus Christ. What can we say? The man has earned His blessing. This is the foundation of it all. Once that is given, there is nothing to fear. The important thing is that Christ, Panaghia and the Saints should find rest in everything we do, and when that happens, we will have their blessing and the Holy Spirit will overshadow us. St.Paisios of the Holy Mountain
The greatest treasure of any realm is the saintly and good men who live in it. Compared to this wealth, all other wealth is as nothing. Devout Christian emperors considered holy men in their realms as the greatest of God’s blessing. Saint Nikolai Velimirovič
When our soul is sanctified, it shines with goodness. We silently sent out our love without saying words. Christ never wants evil. Instead, He commands: “Bless those who curse you…” Elder Sampson of Russia
“I await a thousand deaths for myself,” wrote St. Athanasius the Great to his flock in Egypt at the time of the terrible Arian heresy. Every religious man can say this about himself who, in the spirit, has glanced and seen the net in which is contained every human soul in this world. The more spiritual a man is, the denser the net becomes. Such is the will of God: that the most spiritual are saved by the most narrow path. The Psalmist David also says: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Psalm 34:19). However, in the end, victory and glory belong to the righteous. They need only to arm themselves with faith and forbearance. Whoever believes also understands their suffering. He who clothes himself with patience, will see victory and glory. To him who loves the Lord, even the narrowest path is sufficiently wide enough, the greatest pain an easy yoke and the most violent death, a joyful wedding feast.
The Prologue from Ohrid: Lives of Saints by Saint Nikolai Velimirovič for Old Calendar date April 3, and New Calendar date April 16.
http://livingorthodoxfaith.blogspot.gr/2009/12/prologue-april-3-april-16.html“In proportion to your humility you are given patience in your woes; and in proportion to your patience the burden of your afflictions is made lighter and you will find consolation; in proportion to your consolation, your love of God increases; and in proportion to your love, your joy in the Holy Spirit is magnified. Once men have truly become His sons, our tenderly compassionate Father does not take away their temptations from them when it is His pleasure to ‘make for them a way to escape’ (1 Cor. 10:13), but instead He gives His sons patience in their trials. All these good things are given into the hand of their patience for the perfecting of their souls.”
+ St. Isaac the Syrian, Ascetical Homilies (42)
let us listen carefully to everything our Lord has to say. As we are forgiven, so must we forgive – not with lip service, but from the heart .
‘Forgiveness is not a little brook on the boundary between slavery and freedom: it has breadth and depth, it is the Red Sea.’ Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh (1914-2003),
Only through forgiveness can we enter into what St Paul terms ‘the freedom of the glory of the children of God’ (Rom. 8:21).
We take up a radical way of living when we follow Christ – one natural to our spirit, yet contrary to our pride. Let us remember the words that Christ, who tells this parable, spoke on the Cross: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do” (Lk 23:34). Surely He had grounds for a grudge; surely He might have warned His enemies that they were under judgment. But no, He shows us how to keep far from eternal danger – we are to forgive from the heart.
O Lord Jesus Christ, cleanse us from all wiles and wickedness and lead us into the kingdom of Thy love, that we may be heirs with all the saints in Thine unfathomable mystery. – Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov
Apolytikion St. Elias Diamantidis, the Myrrh in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
In thee the image was preserved with exactness, O Father; for taking up thy cross, thou didst follow Christ, and by thy deeds thou didst teach us to overlook the flesh, for it passeth away, but to attend to the soul since it is immortal. Wherefore, O righteous Elias, thy spirit rejoiceth with the Angels.
Troparion of St George the Great Martyr Tone 4
As the deliverer of captives and defender of the poor, healer of the infirm and champion of kings, victorious great martyr George intercede with Christ our God for our souls salvation.