The Catalog of Good Deeds

If the Christmas story has a villain, it would be King Herod. In the passion story, the main villain would be Judas Iscariot, with possibly the High Priest Caiaphas and his Sanhedrin running a close second. But there is no close second in the Christmas story when it comes to villains. Herod has the field all to himself.

Even children seem to recognize this. In the Christmas classic, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, the Herdman family first comes to hear the Christmas story when they force their way into the main roles at the local church Christmas pageant. To describe the Herdmans as “secular” would be an understatement. They were such barbarians that they made Attila the Hun look like a civilized Oxford don. But their sense of justice and fair play remained intact. And when they heard what Herod tried to do to the Baby Jesus and how nothing much ever happened to him by way of divine retribution, they were indignant. So indignant that they wanted to hang him or burn him alive. Even the Herdmans knew that Herod was a villain.

In fairness to Herod, he had more insight into the significance of Jesus than do most moderns. Most secular people today think that Jesus and Christianity are moderately important, and Jesus is often classed with other great religious teachers. Buddha and Gandhi are often named as being in the same class. But Jesus and Christianity cannot be moderately important. If Jesus’ claims are true, then His life is not moderately important but supremely important, and if they are not true then they are of no significance at all. We didn’t need Jesus to learn of the Golden Rule. We knew before Jesus was ever born that we should love our neighbour. Our problem is not ignorance of the Golden Rule but our utter incapacity to begin to fulfil it. We don’t need education so much as we need forgiveness and healing. The one thing therefore Jesus cannot be is moderately important. Either He is our Lord and should be worshipped, or a deceiver and should be rejected.

Or, Herod might have added, killed. Herod saw clearly that Jesus was a threat to the existing social and political order in general, and to his own royal authority in particular. Herod was king in Judea, and his regime and succession depended upon the political deal he had cooked up with the Romans. There was no room for another king in this cozy situation, especially if that king might begin to act as the readers of the Prophets said He would. Prince of Peace indeed.

One imagines that Herod had no precise theology in mind when he sent out his soldiers to kill all the toddlers in Bethlehem two years of age and under. Did he really believe that he was murdering the Messiah? Certainly he thought he was murdering someone who might claim to be Messiah, or whom people might later come to think was Messiah. Theological precision was not one of his gifts. Where he was gifted was in detecting threats to his rule. Maybe too gifted: it is recorded that in his paranoia he had members of his own family murdered, including his beloved wife Mariamne. For Herod, detecting any whiff of threat was enough to have you killed. If his own wife and family were not immune, a few toddlers in a small town like Bethlehem wouldn’t stand a chance. So many were Herod’s atrocities that the slaughter of few dozen children doesn’t even show up in the stats.

But after all, Herod did have a point: if you let Jesus live and if He becomes King, then everything is changed, and the status quo is gone forever. History has proven Herod right. Jesus did live, and did become King, sitting in power at the right hand of God, and the old status quo is indeed gone forever. And good riddance to it — the status quo before Christ involved all mankind sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. Now we can come out into the light, and live forever. It means, of course, surrendering our hearts and autonomy to the King, and becoming His servants, and giving up once and for all the mad Herodian dream to control our own lives. But that’s okay. Our own lives weren’t so great anyway, and were going to end in the dust of death. Now that Christmas has come and Jesus reigns, all will not end in death. It will end where the Christmas story began, with peace on earth and glory to God in the highest.

An article by Fr. Lawrence Farley

Source: https://oca.org/reflections/fr.-lawrence-farley/in-fairness-to-herod

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The Nativity Journey Infographic

Saint Spyridon reposed in the Lord in the year 348 in his native Cyprus. It was observed soon after that his revered relics remained incorrupt and became a source of many miracles, to the glory of God. For three hundred years after his repose, his sacred relics remained in Cyprus, and in the seventh century, according to his biographer Bishop Theodore of Paphos in 655, they were placed in a church in Trimythous of Cyprus.

Due to the Arabic raids on Cyprus, the sacred relics of Saint Spyridon were transferred to Constantinople at the end of the seventh century, probably in the year 691 by order of Emperor Justinian II (685-695, 705–711). In Constantinople the relics were kept in a female monastery, according to testimony from a twelfth century manuscript (Cod. Paris. Gr. 1594), next to the male Monastery of Christ Philanthropos, probably in the Convent of the Panagia Kecharitomene, which were both founded in the eleventh century by Irene Dukas, wife of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118), and were separated by a wall.

The Russian traveler Anthony of Novgorod records in 1200 that he saw the relics of Saint Spyridon below the altar of the church in the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos the Odegetria. It then appears that the venerable relics of the Saint were brought to the grand Church of the Holy Apostles, which was founded by Emperor Justinian I around 550 A.D. and was second in grandeur only to that of Hagia Sophia. Stephen of Novgorod (1350), Ignatius of Smolensk (1389-1405) and the writer Alexander (1393) say that they venerated the relics of Saint Spyridon in the side chapel of the Church of the Holy Apostles, while Deacon Zosimas (1419-1421) confirms that "in this church (of the Holy Apostles) the great Spyridon rests."

A few months prior to the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, on December 12th of 1452, a festive Liturgy was celebrated in the Church of Hagia Sophia to celebrate the union of the Orthodox and the Papists, and the sacred relics of Saint Spyridon were processed amidst much pomp in honor of his feast.

The sacred relic of Saint Spyridon was said to have been brought to Kerkyra in 1456. Initially it was believed that the Priest George Kalohairetis brought the relics of Saint Spyridon and Saint Theodora (Feb. 11) to Kerkyra by enclosing them in two sacks filled with straw, after traveling through Greece on a donkey without incident. This opinion was recorded by Nicholas Voulgaris and first published in Venice in 1669 (Vera relatione del thaumaturgo etc. Venetia MDCLXIX), and he based this on the various writings of his family. But Bishop Methodios of Kerkyra and Paxos discovered in 1808 a manuscript from the fifteenth century that told another story, which was published in Greek in the Service of Praise and the Life of Saint Spyridon and placed as a footnote in The Great Synaxarion. Bishop Methodios says:

"The sacred relics of Saint Spyridon were not transferred to Kerkyra by the Priest George Kalohairetis, but by decree of the duke of the Council of the Ten Democracies of Venice. The transfer out of Constantinople took place on the 14th day of May, in the year 1489. The relics were brought to Paramythian, Epirus where they stayed for a time. The Priest Gregory Polyefktos who was there, in 1496, then brought the relics to Kerkyra. Once on the island, he found them and gave them to the Priest George Kalohairetis. Father George's son, Luke, then was bequeathed the relics, which he passed on to his neice, Asemine, the daughter of Philip, who was also Father George's son. Supposedly it was given to her as part of her dowry when she married Stamatios Voulgaris. In a document dated the 25th day of November, in the year 1571, the sacred relics were deposed of by will to her sons and descendents."

In 1489 Philip Kalohairetis tried to bring the sacred relics of Saint Spyridon to Venice, but this did not take place and it remained in Kerkyra.

It should be noted that separate from the incorrupt body of Saint Spyridon is the incorrupt right hand of Saint Spyridon, also in Kerkyra. It is not known how or when the right hand of Saint Spyridon became separated from the rest of the body. According to a testimony, the arm was brought to Rome straight from Constantinople some time between 1592 and 1605, over a century after the body of the Saint was brought to Kerkyra. In the seventeenth century the relics of Saint Spyridon were seen in Kerkyra without the right hand. This was because it was in Rome in the Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, to which it was given by Pope Clement VIII to Cardinal Cesare Baronio of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri. There it remained until 1986 when the right arm of Saint Spyridon was brought back to Kerkyra, with great celebration.

The Great Synaxarion also footnotes that, at the beginning, the relics of Saint Spyridon were placed in the Church of Saint Athanasios, which was later pulled down by the French in 1808. Then, together with those of Saint Theodora, the relics were removed to the Church of Saint Lazarus, near the San Rocco. Later the relics of Saint Spyridon were transferred to the Church of the Archangel Michael in 1589, while those of Saint Theodora were situated in Saint Nicholas, where her relics remained until 1740, when they were then brought to the parish Church of the Archangel Michael. In 1841, when the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos Speliotissa was rebuilt and designated as a Cathedral, her relics were transferred therein, and they remain there until today.

Stamatios Voulgaris, two years after his marriage (1527), received permission from Nicholas Vragadino, an official, to build his own church to Saint Spyridon, near the Church of Saint Lazarus. After long judicial wrangling, the relics were transferred to the new church from that dedicated to the Archangel. In 1537, upon the attack of Sultan Suleyman, the relics were temporarily moved to the Chapel of Saint Kosmas and Damian in the old fort, where the Voulgaris family fled. In 1557, Artemios and Nicholas Voulgaris were compelled to bring the relics and the vessels of the Church of Saint Spyridon to the Church of Saint Nicholas in the suburb of Garitse, since the Venetians were leveling that area in order to fortify the city. In connection with this exchange, another church was raised up, consecrated in 1589, and completed in 1594, at which time the relics were deposited therein, and they remain there until today.

The reliquary is opened for general veneration in the church for three days during the feast of Saint Spyridon, that is, from the 11th to the 13th of December; then four days during the paschal season from Great Saturday to Bright Tuesday. All the Christians zealously gather together, hastening day and night while a vigil is conducted. During the Great Fast, every Great Saturday is distinguished to commemorate the arrival of a wheat-laden vessel in days of old, when the population was saved by divine providence from a universal famine.

It should be noted that there is a procession (liti) with the sacred relics of Saint Spyridon in Kerkyra four times a year. They celebrate events in which the Saint saved the people and the island. The most elegant and lengthy of all processions is the one that circles the entire city once. It is conducted on Palm Sunday on the occasion of the epidemic which struck in 1630. Another procession is also scheduled for the first Sunday in November, and was instituted in 1673 by the Venetians, due to a plague that swept the island that year. Another important procession is held on the 11th of August, in memory of the liberation of the island from the Turkish invasion in 1716.

Up until the year 1605, during processions, the relics were completely uncovered, borne in the arms of a single priest. This practice, however, was considered improper. Therefore, a silver reliquary was constructed in Venice, and gilded and partially covered with crystal, at the expense of Thomas Motsanega; in this the relics were placed. The case itself was then placed within a larger silver reliquary. During the processions, which are conducted with great splendor, the reliquary is borne about by the priest. In Venetian times, they were attended by all the civil authorities, often with the Latin bishop carrying candles. In days of old, two of the priests who carried the reliquary belonged to the Voulgaris family (who helped build the church), and two were members of the monastic order of Saint Basil (to which the Saint supposedly belonged). The magnificent order of the processions lasted into the period of the French and English rule and until Kerkyra was united with Greece.

An article by John Sanidopoulos

Source: http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2014/12/the-fascinating-history-of-relics-of.html

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“There is no icon like Nicholas.”

Russian proverb

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (feastday: Dec 6/19) is one of the most beloved Saints of the Church. He is loved by so many because God has revealed St. Nicholas to be an ever-active intercessor, often performing very practical, straightforward, miracles of healing and rescue that anyone can comprehend. Among these miracles, a number have been worked through the icons of Nicholas. Below is a small selection of St Nicholas icons that have performed, or continue to perform, miracles.

1) Icon of St. Nicholas “of Zarazsk”

The icon of St Nicholas “of Zarazsk” is one of the most well-known icons in Russia that plays a significant role in the nation’s early medieval history. Hailing from the ancient Byzantine colony of Korsun, in the Crimea, the icon of St Nicholas was said to be situated in the church in which Vladimir the Great was baptized in 988.

In 1225 the icon was escorted by the priest Eustathius from Korsun to the Russian principality of Ryazan. This meant traversing the dangerous Polovtsian lands of the Tartars. Guided miraculously by St Nicholas, Fr Eustathius safely delivered the icon to Ryazan’s Prince Theodore. The prince built a church in honour of St. Nicholas, and placed the miraculous image within it.

Catastrophe later came upon the land of Ryazan in the form of the Tartar-Ruler Batu’s forces. Prince Theodore was captured and later died. On hearing the news, Theodore’s wife, Eupraxia, threw herself, along with her baby son, from the bell-tower of a church rather than face Tatar captivity herself. It is this manner and/or location of death, associated with a prophecy of St Nicholas’ icon regarding Ryazan, that gave the icon its name “Zaraysk.”

It wasn’t until the 16th century, when the icon was transferred to Kolomna, that St Nickolas of Zarazsk gained a wider devotion. This is also the time the stories of the capture of Ryazan were written in their present form. Consequently, copies of the icon spread widely throughout Russia – distinctive in showing St Nicholas full-length, right arm raised in blessing, and left arm holding aloft a Gospel book. Some of these copies have also been considered wonder-working.

2) Saint Nicholas Reappears on a Burnt Icon

In more recent times, burnt planks of wood manifested the faces of Christ and St Nicholas when moved to the home of a villager in the Ukraine. The villager’s farm belonged to a priest just before WWII, but the house was bombed by the Germans, and a new one was built. A much older shed remained until it burned down in a fire six years ago. Dismantling the wreckage, the 80 year-old woman was surprised to find two small planks with faint images upon them. Believing they were icons that had survived the fire, the lady removed them to her house, but promptly forgot about the indistinct images.

Not long after the images cleared to reveal the faces of Christ and St. Nicholas. The boards were taken to the local church to be sanctified, and since then have gradually become clearer and clearer, with no cleaning by the owners. The old lady’s house is now regularly visited by locals wishing to venerate the icons.

3) The Miraculous Icon of St Nicholas in Kokkari

In the secluded fishing harbour of Kokkari, is the largest church on Samos, and home to a wonder-working icon of St Nicholas. As a village based on fishing, it is unsurprising that the inhabitants wanted a church dedicated to St Nicholas – the patron of sea-travellers – nearby. Started in 1902, building of the church halted just a few years later due to political squabbles on Samos. At the same time, the icon of St Nicholas arrived from Mt Athos, where it had been specially painted for the church in Kokkari. As building had been halted, many of the church’s patrons were unwilling to pay for this costly icon, and it was set to be returned. However, a local wealthy doctor, received in a dream the message that his greed should not prevent the icon from staying in Kokkari, and settled the balance.

From then on, the numerous miracles have been attributed to the icon. A sailor from Marathokampos, who had run aground in stormy seas, was guided to a safe beach by the light emitted by an image of St Nicholas. Heading to the nearest church, in Kokkari, to give thanks to St Nicholas, the sailor was amazed to see the icon, which had the same composition as the image which had guided him to safety. This miracle helped settle the petty squabbles of the villagers, and construction of the church was resumed, being finally completed in 1938. A little later, in the Summer of 1940, the icon began to weep – a miracle that was seen as a forewarning the terrible events that were to befall Greece during World War II.

4) The Strange and Modern Miracle of St Nicholas’ Icon

Through an icon of St Nicholas, a miraculous incident shocked and brought repentance to hundreds of people in the Russian Soviet city of Kuibyshev (modern day Samara), in the year 1956.

On New Year’s Eve, a young woman called Zoë, caught up in the worldly celebrations, took down one of her pious mother’s icons of St Nicholas and started to irreverently dance with it. Upon taunting God with the words, “If He exists, let Him punish me,” there was a flash of light, and Zoë became frozen to the spot, still clutching St Nicholas’ icon to her chest.

Alive, conscious, but unable to move a limb, Zoë remained frozen like a statue until Easter, 128 days later. During that time physicians, a professor of medicine, priests, and the local bishop all visited her and left unable to explain what had happened, nor move her from where she stood. Meanwhile, Soviet guards were placed on the house’s door to prevent the news spreading too far. Zoë could speak, and related her dreadful visions of the world “burning… lost because of its sins”. On Easter day her muscles relaxed and she could finally move freely again. The young woman, now exhausted, related her experiences and the need for repentance, before reposing peacefully three days later.

5) St. Nicholas “O Streidas” (of the Oyster)

During the Iconoclastic period, the monks of Mt Athos sometimes threw the holy icons into the sea, reasoning that at least in the waves there was a chance of survival, whereas to hold on to them would mean sure destruction at the hand of the icon-smashers. Among these icons, was an rare “mosaic” (rather than painted) icon of St Nicholas.

After the iconoclastic heresy was defeated, many of the monasteries of Athos were rebuilt. The brethren of one of these monasteries, dedicated to St John the Baptist, were fishing one day when they found in their net the mosaic icon of St Nicholas thrown into the sea years before. The icon had been miraculously preserved, except for one thing: an oyster shell was embedded in St Nicholas’ face. When the monks pulled the shell from the icon, they were amazed to see blood run from the “wound”. On hearing of this miracle, Patriarch Jeremiah the Elder rededicated the monastery of St John to Nicholas, giving it the name Stavronikita. The monastery remains today, along with the miraculous icon: crack and dried blood still clearly visible.

6) The Myrrh-Streaming Icon of Michigan

This icon is remarkable, but not unique, for being a myrrh-streaming printed image laminated onto a wooden board. The icon was made by the Isaac of Syria Skete in Wisconsin, but was not put on sale because it had failed the skete’s strict quality-control standards. Placed in the “reject bin” of icons available as free gifts to visitors, it was given to the priest (Fr Elias) of St George’s Church, Michigan City, Indiana.

In 1996, on St Nicholas’ feastday, Fr Elias and the Reader, Timothy, entered the church to be greeted by the strong smell of roses engulfing the entire nave. The smell was traced to the icon of St Nicholas, which had been placed on the icon-stand specially for the feast. The icon was found to be exuding myrrh in three streams, originating on Nicholas’ forehead, and coming through the icon’s laminate.

Miracles have been attributed to this holy oil, and the icon itself travels around the United States, still exuding myrrh.

7) Embroidered Icon of St Nicholas in Andros

The ancient St Nicholas Monastery in Andros is blessed with not only relics of the Saint himself, but at least two wonder-working icons of the Mother of God. In the narthex of the main church is also an unusual embroidered icon of St Nicholas that is claimed to work miracles too. The icon dates to the 17th century, when the abbot, Jakavos, went to Smyrna on monastery business. There he met an uneducated woman, Triandaphyla, who had gained a reputation for healing the sick, not only with herbs, but also with magic. Among those she had helped was a wealthy Turkish Pasha who, in gratitude, had given her a bag of gold. Abbot Jakovos spoke to her about the dangers to herself and others of using magic, and repenting, she returned with him to Andros where she lived in the village of Messarion and was tonsured a nun with the name Leonida. She spent eleven years sewing the icon of St. Nicholas, and the threads of the hands and face are her own hair.

8) Icon of Nicholas “the Wet”

In Ukraine, and around Kiev in particular, are numerous churches dedicated to St Nicholas “the Wet”. This recounts a famous miracle of St Nicholas, as well as linking in with the Saint’s well known care for sailors and travelers. A Kievan man was sailing home on the river Dneper with his wife and baby, after celebrating the feast day of Ss Boris and Gleb in Vyshgorod. The wife dozed off and allowed her baby to fall into the waters. Frantically the two parents tried to save their child, calling out to St Nicholas in particular for help, but the baby was pulled under by the strong currents, lost. Distraught, the young couple returned home, begging St Nicholas that their child might at least survive.

The next morning, the sacristan of St Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, heard the crying of a baby coming from within. To his amazement, despite the doors being locked all night, an infant was found dripping wet underneath the icon of St Nicholas. News spread and the parents were reunited with their child, confessing it to be a miracle of St Nicholas. Pilgrims flocked to the icon, which remained an object of veneration right up until it disappeared during the Second World War. The icon shown here is not the original, but an icon of the miracle. Here is what is thought to be a photograph of the original icon.

9) The Wonder-Working Icon of Saint Nicholas in Spata

Within the olive groves and rich farmland east of Athens, lays the small village of Spata, renamed Agios Nikolaos because of the miracles the Saint has performed in this area.

There are two stories relating how the icon of St Nicholas was discovered. Both stories describe the icon being discovered by locals in a secluded, forested, spring, either a cave or an abandoned hermit’s cell, leading to speculation it is an ancient icon hidden during the iconoclastic period. Either way, each time the icon was brought to Spata for veneration, it miraculously returned to its original spot, letting the villagers know that is where the church to St Nicholas should be built near the spring.

Innumerable examples of healing have been attributed to the St Nicholas’ shrine, including visions of the Saint himself. Among these phenomena are the account of wild animals entering the church, and unguided walking up to the holy icon of St Nicholas, and venerating it!

10. The Invincible Icon of Nikolskaya Tower

Gate icons, painted over the entrances to cities or palaces, were often found protecting gatehouses throughout Byzantium and, later, the Russian Empire. The Kremlin in Moscow had numerous, including the icon of St Nicholas over the entrance to St Nicholas (Nikolskaya) Tower.

The icon itself depicts the miracle of Mozhaisk of 1302, when a besieging army of Tartars was routed by a giant apparition of St Nicholas above the city. The saintly-bishop appeared brandishing a sword in his right hand, and the city of Mozhaisk in his left hand, which put the Tartar horde to flight. From the 14th century onwards, icons of this miracle have been among the most popular depictions of St Nicholas in Russia. The vividness of the apparition is preserved in the remarkable number of statues and bas-relief icons of “St Nicholas of Mozhaisk” that exist, where such depictions are otherwise rare in Orthodox iconography. Nicholas of Mozhaisk is especially regarded as an image of protection from attack, which is presumably why it was chosen as the gate-icon for the Nikolskaya Tower, sometime in the 16th century.

In 1812 when Napoleon retreated from Moscow, the tower, with the rest of the Kremlin, was set on fire. The spire was blown up and the roof over the gateway destroyed. However, the icon itself survived unscathed.

The icon’s miraculous surviving ability was really put to test during the October Revolution. In the fighting, both Nikolskaya Tower and Nikolskaya Gate were damaged by explosives, machine-gun fire, hand grenades and rifle shots. Icons decorating the building were destroyed, but again St Nicholas’s image survived. Though pocked with bullet-holes, the stern gaze of St Nicholas continued to stare out at the Muscovites. Not long after, the Bolsheviks covered the icon with a red cloth, aware of how St Nicholas might be able to rally people’s faith in God.

Then, in May of 1918, the red cloth covering St Nicholas was discovered ripped to shreds. Once again, the image of St Nicholas was miraculously revealed, and thousands of faithful thronged the square before Nicholas’ Tower carrying banners and icons. But the Godless Soviet government could not tolerate such devotion to Christ and His Saints, and the icons disappeared. No documentation existed, but it was assumed the icons were removed – perhaps destroyed – and the recesses plastered over.

Now considered lost, the recesses above the gates of the Kremlin remained in this state until well into the 21st century. Wanting to replace the lost gate-icons, the plaster was removed in around 2004, only to reveal a metal mesh over the original icons. St Nicholas had been watching over the gates all the time, and a sympathetic workman had obviously sought to preserve his icon, and others, by applying the plaster over a protective metal mesh.

Source: https://iconreader.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/ten-miracle-working-icons-of-saint-nicholas/

"If I may respectfully ask, in what sense do the Orthodox pray for the souls of the departed? As you know, this is not a practice within Protestantism."

You ask in what sense do we pray for the souls of the departed. Why, in the same sense that we pray for the souls of those with us because Christ is Risen, trampling down death by death. The barrier between living and dead has been eliminated due to the Resurrection of Christ. Those who are departed are just as much with us and just as much a part of the Church as those who we see living on this earth. There is no longer any separation. And so not only do we pray for them, but they also pray for us; in the same way that you might ask your friends to pray for you and in turn pray for them so also do we pray for each other without concern for the separation of death.

When we pray for either the living or the dead we use the same prayer: "Lord have mercy", to express our desires. We do not know what to pray for even for those with whom we live because only God knows what is best for our salvation, and so we say "Lord have mercy". Likewise we do not know the needs and concerns of the departed, but God does and trusting in His knowledge we say, "Lord have mercy"

We do know that, like all of us, those who have departed require forgiveness of sins, and that they look for a "place of rest" in the bosom of Christ and so we make this petition, that God will provide these things, but again as for specifics about how this should happen we simply conclude with "Lord have mercy".

Some of the confusion might occur in that most Protestant confessions teach that the judgment after death determines the eternal state of the soul. Not so, according to the Tradition and teaching of the Orthodox Faith. The particular judgment immediately after death only determines the state and "residence" of the soul in the spiritual world and that judgment is based on who our spiritual "friends" are. Do we have more converse with angels or demons? Do we devote ourselves more to the saints or to sinners? Are we attached to the world or to the Kingdom of God? Do we act like Satan or Christ? Whatever we are like, there we are placed in the spiritual world. And the demons are diligent in attempting to demonstrate that we are tied to them and not to Christ and so any and every unconfessed sin, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant is brought out by them as accusations against us and the angels on the other hand counter this accusation by a description of our righteous deeds which indicate our change of heart and life. But do not confuse this particular judgment and temporary disposition with the eternal disposition of the soul to be determined at the Great Judgment. Then, the soul being reunited with the body thanks to the general resurrection, each person will be judged by God Who sees within either the spark of grace or none and those who have that spark will be brought into the Kingdom of God and those who do not will be cast into outer darkness - finally and eternally. So you see that when we pray for the departed, we do so knowing that the final judgment has not yet occurred and while we don't know what the exact needs of the departed are, we can simply lift them up to God calling out for His mercy.

Christ is Risen!

By: Fr. David Moser - St Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church, Boise, Idaho

Source: http://www.orthodox.net/articles/about-prayer-for-the-dead.html

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St John Climacus:

Demons often transform themselves into angels of light and take the form of martyrs, and make it appear to us during sleep that we are in communication with them. Then, when we wake up, they plunge us into unholy joy and conceit. But you can detect their deceit by this very fact. For angels reveal torments, judgments and separations; and when we wake up we find that we are trembling and sad. As soon as we begin to believe the demons in dreams, then they make sport of us when we are awake too. He who believes in dreams is completely inexperienced. But he who distrusts all dreams is a wise man. Only believe dreams that warn you of torments and judgments. But if despair afflicts you, then such dreams area also from demons.

Elder Paisios Of Mount Athos

-Elder,I'm tormented by some unpleasant dreams...

-When you have a bad dream, never examine what you saw, how you saw it, or whether you're guilty or how much you may be at fault. The evil one, having failed to tempt you during the daytime, comes to you at night. Sometimes God permits the devil to tempt us in our sleep, so that we may see that the old self has not entirely died. Other times, the enemy approaches a person in his sleep and presents various dreams in order to upset him when he awakes. This is why you shouldn't pay any attention to them. Cross yourself and the pillow, place a cross and an icon on your pillow, and say the Jesus Prayer until you fall asleep. The more importance you attach to such dreams, the more the enemy will come to disturb youths is something that happens to children, too, even though they are little angels. The enemy comes and scares them in their sleep, and they wake up frightened, running into their mother's arms. Often times, they are approached by Angels who make them smile in their sleep out of joy, or they may wake up from their great joy. As such, dreams brought about by temptations are an external influence of the enemy upon man while he's asleep.

-Elder, what about feeling a certain burden while you're sleeping?

-Sometimes this comes from a stressful situation that one has experienced during the day, or from various fears, various suspicions and so forth. Naturally, the little devil can take advantage of this, forming confusing combinations in order to make the person feel dizzy. Often we sleep so lightly that we may think that we are awake and praying for this unbearably heavy burden to go away.

Once in a while the devil may take the form of a human or of a saint and appear to someone in his sleep. Once he appeared in the form of Saint Arsenios to a sick man who was sleeping and told him,» I am Saint Arsenios; I have come to tell you that you will die. Do you hear me? You will die! «The man was frightened and horrified. A Saint never speaks to a sick person like that. And even if a sick person is about to die and a Saint appears to inform him about his death, he will do so gently and kindly: «God sees how much you are suffering here and this is why he has decided to take you out of this world. See that you prepare yourself. «He will never say, «Do you hear me? You will die!"

-Elder, what happens when someone cries out in his sleep?

-It's good, he wakes up...Many dreams are due to worry. When someone is worrying over things or when he is very tired, these things are struggling inside him and he sees them in his dreams. It happens often to me, too; when I deal with various people and their problems during the day, such as unfairness and so on. I later find myself scolding the unjust ones in my sleep: "You godless man, have you no feelings?" and I wake up because of my yelling.

-Elder, can someone foresee something that will happen to him from the dreams he has?

-No, don’t pay any attention to dreams. Whether they are pleasant or unpleasant, you are not to pay any attention to them, because there is the danger of being deluded. Ninety five percent of dreams are deceptive. This is why the Holy Fathers say that we should not pay any attention to them. Very few dreams are from God, but in order for someone to interpret even these, he must have purity and other prerequisites, much like Righteous Joseph and the Prophet Daniel in the bible, who both had the gift from God. Daniel said to Nabuchadnezzar, I will tell you what dream you had and what it means. But consider the spiritual maturity he had attained! He was in the den of lions. and they, even though they were hungry, did not hurt him. Habbakuk brought him food and Daniel said, "Has God remembered me? "If God didn't remember the Prophet Daniel in the lions den, whom would He remember?

-Elder, some people don't have any dreams.

-It is better that they don’t! But by dreaming, of course, people spend no money for tickets or fuel! In our dreams we can see in an instant something that in reality would take hours, even days, because the concept of time is abolished. This is where one can understand the verse from he psalm: For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past.

Beware of Visions

-Elder, What should we say when people come and tell us of visions or of saints they have seen?

-It is better to tell them to be cautious. This is safer, because not everyone can discern if a vision is from God or from the devil. Even if a vision is from God, one should not really accept it. after all, God is moved, in a sense, when He sees His creature not accepting the vision immediately, because this indicates humility. If indeed a Saint appeared in a vision, God would surely find another way to inform the soul and guide it to the desirable purpose. We must be careful and aware that it is possible for the devil to come, press the button and turn on the "television"...

There was a soul who had not received help from people, and for this reason she was entitled to divine help. God revealed something to her in order to help her. But then the devil put some thoughts in her head: "It seems that God has something more sublime in store for you, who knows? Otherwise, why would He have endowed you with that vision? "From the moment she believed this, the devil started his work and controlled her! But in the end, God had pity on her and helped her again. She had a vision and heard a voice telling her, «Write to Father Paisios and tell him all the visions you have seen. "So she wrote me a letter relating all the visions she had had. The tempter, the devil, had really confused her. They were real visions; but they were all from the tempter. Of all the visions she had related, only the first and the last were from God. The last one was permitted by God to help her come to her senses and to be rid of the deception. In the end, the poor woman took heart what I told her, and she was freed.

Elder Ieronymos of Aegina:

“It is better for us not to believe in dreams at all, because many have gone astray on their account. There are three kinds of dreams: those from God, those from our thoughts, and those from the enemy. If they are from God and we don’t believe them, God does not take offense, because we don’t believe them out of fear, lest we be led into deception. If I should come in the night and knock on your door, and you don’t open to me because you do not recognize my voice, I am not offended. So it is with God, He is not angry when out of fear of God we don’t believe dreams. Wine and vinegar have the same appearance. From the taste you understand the difference. If the dreams are from God, they bring calm; if they are from the enemy, they bring turmoil. Beware of deceptions. Better to protect ourselves and not believe anything outside of what our Church teaches”.

Every Christian, therefore, needs to be careful of dreams. Interpretation is crucial and a further understanding of its origin is imperative, if we wish to live a Christian life.

St. Nicolai Velimirovich, The Prologue

The spiritists of our time accept every appearance from the spiritual world as sent by God and immediately boast that it has been 'revealed' to them. I was myself acquainted with an eighty-year-old monk who was respected by everyone as a great spiritual guide. When I asked him if he had ever seen any being from the spiritual world in his lifetime, he answered me: 'No, never; and praise be to God for his mercy!' Seeing my astonishment at this, he said: 'I have constantly prayed to God that nothing should ever appear to me, lest I fall into illusion and accept a devil disguised as an angel. And, until now, God has heard my prayer."

Saints Barsanuphius and John: Guidance Toward Spiritual Life," trans. by Fr. Seraphim Rose

Q: I have heard that if one and the same dream appears to someone three times, one should recognize it as true; is this so, my Father?

A: No, this is wrong; such a dream also one need not believe. He who has appeared once to anyone falsely can do this three times and more. Watch, lest you be put to shame (by the demons), but pay heed to yourself, brother.

Q: Tell me, Master, how can the devil dare in a vision or a fantasy during sleep to show the Master Christ or Holy Communion?

A: He cannot show the Master Christ Himself, nor Holy Communion, but he lies and presents the image of some man and simple bread; but the holy Cross he cannot show, for he does not find means of depicting it in another form.

"Saints Barsanuphius and John: Guidance Toward Spiritual Life," trans. by Fr. Seraphim Rose:

Inasmuch as we know the true sign and image of the Cross, the devil does not dare to use it (for our deception); for on the Cross his power was destroyed, and by the Cross a fatal wound was given him. The Master Christ we cannot recognize by the flesh, which is why the devil tries to convince us by lying that it is He, so that having believed the deception as if it were truth, we might perish. And thus, when you see in a dream the image of the Cross, know that this dream is true and from God; but strive to receive an interpretation of its significance from the Saints, and do not believe your own idea. May the lord enlighten the thoughts of your mind, O brother, so that you might escape every deception of the enemy.

Sources:

http://www.orthodox.net/gleanings/dreams.html

http://londinoupolis.blogspot.com.by/2014/08/dreams-according-to-orthodox-church.html

http://tokandylaki.blogspot.com.by/2012/10/elder-paisios-dreams-can-be-deceptive.html

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