27-го числа

Transfer of the relics of St. John Chrysostom Transfer of the relics of St. John Chrysostom o For the glorification of St. John Chrysostom and the older shepherds began to extol him with worthy praises. In 438 St. Proclus, disciple and subsequently successor of Chrysostom at the See of Constantinople (437–445), as usual, on the day of memory of St. Chrysostom, in a word of praise to him, said: “Oh, John! your life is difficult, but your death is glorious, your tomb is blessed and your reward is abundant according to the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, grace that overcomes boundaries, place and time! Love conquered the place, the limit was destroyed by unforgettable memory, and the miracles of the saint were not limited to the place. He lies in Pontus, and is boasted throughout the world.” The people of Constantinople, who extremely loved and respected Saint Chrysostom, heard about his lofty virtues in the word of St. Proclus interrupted him with exclamations and asked to transfer the relics of the innocently injured Saint John to Constantinople. Proclus convinced King Theodosius II to fulfill the pious and just desire of the people. The honorable remains of Chrysostom were found incorrupt and placed in a silver shrine, and solemnly transferred from Comana, where he died and was buried, to Constantinople. “The Orthodox people, when transferring the relics with many ships, made the sea as if it were dry land, and covered the mouth of the Bosphorus with lamps. The king with the sacred cathedral and synclite, with a gathering of numerous people, met St. relics in Chalcedon and performed reverent worship of them. Bowing his eyes and forehead to the saint’s tomb, Theodosius offered a prayer for his parents, Arkady and Eudoxia, and begged them to forgive them for the offense they had inflicted on him out of ignorance.” From Chalcedon the relics of St. Chrysostom was transported on the royal ship to Constantinople and laid in the church of St. Apostles. The transfer of the relics was accompanied by the glory of miracles and took place in 438 on January 27. The consoling consequence of the transfer of the relics of St. Chrysostom from the place of imprisonment in Constantinople was that John’s followers were touched by their general reverence for him and joined the Church. In the 9th century, Joseph, Cosmas Vestitor and others wrote hymns for the transfer of the relics of Chrysostom, now sung by the Church on the day of commemoration of this event. On this day, according to the hymns of the Church, “like a royal decoration, the royal city receives the power of Chrysostom and is decorated with them. Having been imprisoned from the herd enviously, by the wave of God Chrysostom returned to him after burial, emanating streams of miracles and shedding rivers of healing. The Church of Christ rejoices, looking at the sacred candlestick - at St. Hieromartyr, who was deposed by his enemies, is hidden under a shroud of silence. To the glory of the king, this day the reigning woman comes from Koman to the city.” St. New Martyr Demetrius In the fierce, centuries-long struggle on the part of Muslim fanaticism against the hostile Orthodox population subject to the Turkish yoke, from time to time such feats of patience and selflessness are manifested in the person of the confessors of Christian teaching, which are not inferior to the exploits of the ancient martyrs during the persecution of Christians in the first centuries. And with full justification the Greek Church canonizes these new martyrs, these faithful sons of the enslaved Christian Church. Their suffering feat most of all holds on to the Orthodoxy of the unfortunate, deeply shaken by hostile forces, who, by the will of fate, fell under the power of the Turkish Sultan. Their example revives the love for Orthodoxy that is fading among the people under the yoke of all kinds of persecutions and temptations, and no matter how the number of its confessors decreases, there are still many examples that prove that the attachment to their native faith in the person of the Catholics who survived from the oppression of the Turks and from moral violence is irresistible and unchanged, although in quality. This is confirmed, by the way, by the example of the New Martyr Demetrius, remembered today by the Greek Church. It would seem that nothing special prepared him for the great feat of confession: he did not receive any education; by his circumstances, he belonged to those who, perhaps, are most susceptible to all kinds of corruption among examples of the lower stratum of society, not protected by pure moral preparation. Meanwhile, the Orthodox faith, ineradicable among the people, survived in him. Demetrius serves as a bearer in a tavern (in Galata of Constantinople - in Karakia); His handsome appearance and good spiritual qualities made him stand out among other employees; by this - he aroused envy in others, and other Turks were annoyed that he was a non-believer, and with all sorts of tricks they tried to lure him into Islamism; however, they did not succeed and irritated them even more against the young servant. One day, a quarrel and a fight broke out between drunken tavern visitors. Dimitri, as part of his duty, intervened in this quarrel in order to separate and escort the rowdy drunkards out of the tavern. They did not like this, and the next day they filed a complaint against Demetrius, accusing him of arbitrariness and inflicting wounds on one Turk while forcibly interfering in his quarrel with others. The vizier called Demetrius, but after listening to his truthful justification, he nevertheless did not want to provide satisfaction to the Christian. He offered Demetrius one of two things: either to convert to the Mohammedan Faith, or to be executed for an imaginary crime. “I have not caused the slightest harm to the Turk,” answered Demetrius, “and I cannot be a Turk.” God save me from this! I am a Christian and will remain a Christian... The vizier tried to influence Demetrius with a gentle admonition, promising him honors and wealth if he turned Turkic. But all this only aroused in the Christian objections to the Mohammedan faith. The irritated dignitary then betrayed him to the mercy of those who complained about him. They brought Dimitri to the coffee shop and again began to convince him to hang out, but Dimitri was adamant. After that, a new interrogation was made to him, on the basis of which, adding to the previous accusation that he had dared to blaspheme the Mohammedan religion, the vizier ordered him to be beheaded in front of the tavern. With unshakable firmness, the humble commoner accepted martyrdom, having discovered with such majestic simplicity the depth of the native faith that ineradicably lurks in the Orthodox people... Demetrius was put to death in 1784, being 25 years old.