Память преподобного отца нашего Иосифа, песнописца и творца канонов

Saint Joseph's homeland was Sicily 2377. His parents, Plotinus and Agathia, were pious and virtuous people; For their godly life, the Lord gave them such a son who, as an outstanding creator of canons, adorned the Church for its benefit with sacred chants. The youth was brought up in good book learning and good morals, and already in his childhood customs one could see an indication that, having become a husband, he would achieve perfection in virtues: he was meek, quiet, humble, avoided adolescent games; Having loved fasting and abstinence since childhood, he did not look for tasty dishes, eating only bread and water, and even then in the evening; He studied the Divine Scripture very successfully. This is how Joseph grew in body and spirit when the barbarian invasion of the Sicilian country occurred, and his parents were forced to flee from their fatherland to other countries. At first, Joseph went with them to the Peloponnese, but then, leaving his parents, he retired to Thessalonica, the capital of Macedonia; here he entered a monastery, took monastic vows and learned the labors of fasting, diligently going through all types of ascetic monastic life and virtues; and he became a perfect man and an experienced monk. The earth, covered with leather, served as his bed, old rags as clothing; His fasting was great, his food was a small piece of bread and a little water, his standing was an all-night vigil, his kneeling was constant; There is always singing in the mouth, and work in the hands. He diligently read Divine books, was filled with wisdom and spiritual understanding and, like an Angel of God, shone among the brethren as an example of pure and holy life. It is impossible to tell in detail about his good deeds and many exploits. So he worked pleasingly for God more than others. At the insistence of the abbot and the brethren, he accepted the rank of priesthood, being ordained a presbyter by the Bishop of Thessalonica. Being a presbyter, he further intensified his exploits and labors, and often celebrated the Divine Liturgy, praying with tears for himself and for the whole world. The venerable Gregory Dekapolit 2378 came to the monastery; Having seen the Monk Joseph, he loved him very much as a holy man and acquired a friend and roommate in him. Some time passed, and Gregory, going to Byzantium to strengthen the faithful, troubled by heretics, asked the abbot and the brethren to let Joseph go with him to help him: for he did not want to be separated from him. But the brethren and the abbot did not want to lose such a partner, a true servant of God. However, respecting the request of the great elder and heeding the needs of the Church, agitated by a heretical storm, they released Blessed Joseph with Saint Gregory Decapolite to Byzantium. Arriving there, Joseph and Gregory settled at the church of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus and, competing with each other, led a harsh and exhausting life - especially blessed Joseph, who imitated the oldest ascetic, the great Father Gregory; Having taken him as a model, he decided in his heart to continually improve in virtue. Both worked diligently teaching the pious to guard themselves from harmful heresies, not to be embarrassed or doubt the dogmas of the right faith, and to be firm in confessing the truth. At that time, the wicked king Leo the Armenian resumed the iconoclastic heresy, already condemned in 2379, and instigated a great persecution against the Church; he removed holy icons from the churches of God, dishonestly trampling them underfoot; He placed like-minded heretics on the thrones of Orthodox shepherds, whom he overthrew and at the same time tortured and destroyed some of them in various ways. Then Saint Gregory and Saint Joseph, putting on the armor of faith, began to walk around the city streets, squares and houses of the faithful, with advice, exhortation and prayer - not to be seduced by heretical deceit. And their words were like the dew of the morning, when it revives flowers and grass of the field, withering from the heat of the day: they revived human hearts, faint-hearted, doubting and as if withering from the heat of heretical teachings. Then many monastics turned to the Monk Gregory with a request that he send blessed Joseph, as skilled in words and capable of taking on the labor of a long journey due to his bodily strength, to ancient Rome, to the Orthodox Pope Leon the Third 2380 and to all the Orthodox there, to announce the persecution raised in Constantinople against the holy Church. They hoped that the Orthodox would provide assistance from Rome to the persecuted, refute wrong dogmas and stop the blasphemous lips of heretics. The Monk Gregory, in a conversation with Blessed Joseph, gave him the following advice: “Child, now is the time to show your heartfelt love for God and zeal for piety; go to ancient Rome and proclaim to the head of the Christians there and to all Orthodox Christians in the West what misfortune the evil king called the beast brought upon the holy Eastern Church, how he insulted and trampled upon the icon of Christ and His Most Pure Mother, took away its decoration from the Church, expelled the innocent good shepherds, and handed over the flock of Christ to false shepherds, mercenaries and ravenous wolves, and now the sheep are being plundered and scattered. Describe how, day after day, a furious storm raised by the sovereign worries the Church of Christ, and the fierce Lion, who came from Armenia, spews threats and devours many with his heretical cunning. Proclaim, convince and entreat, so that the Orthodox may draw the sword of the word of God and resist those who persecute us. Saint Gregory said something similar to this. Blessed Joseph, fully accustomed to obedience from his youth, did not object in the least; humbly bowing his head, he asked Gregory for fatherly prayers and a blessing for the journey, entered the ship and sailed to Rome. But the incomprehensible destinies of God desired otherwise. God arranges everything for the good, and often, through such circumstances that seem unfavorable and cruel to us, to do wondrous and glorious deeds to glorify His holy name. Thus, according to God’s dispensation, there was an obstacle to Joseph’s journey to Rome. Like-minded people of King Leo the Armenian, servants and assistants of their torment, having learned that many, persecuted by iconoclasm, were leaving the capital for other countries, began secretly setting up robber ambushes along the water and land routes in order to seize the fugitives and return them to the hands of the iconoclasts. It did not remain secret to them that the Monk Joseph was being sent by Orthodox monks to the West, to Rome; They persuaded the sea robbers to attack him, and the monk fell into the hands of his enemies. They crashed the ship, also captured all the companions of the Monk Joseph and took them to Crete, to the iconoclasts, where the saint, burdened with heavy shackles, was thrown into prison. Here, day and night, he consoled his fellow prisoners with divinely inspired speeches, many of whom suffered with him for the right faith; rejoicing in chains in the Lord, he said to others: – What could be sweeter and more joyful than those bonds with which we are burdened for our love for Christ and His holy icon? If short-term imprisonment causes us some sorrow, then we should thank God for this suffering, setting ourselves the bright example of St. Paul, who rejoiced indescribably that he was worthy to suffer in chains for the Name of Jesus Christ, and valued them like expensive stones and gold jewelry. Moreover, we “are called to this, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, so that we would follow in His footsteps. He committed no sin, and no flattery was in His mouth. Being slandered, He did not slander each other; while suffering, he did not threaten, but handed it over to the Righteous Judge” (1 Peter 2:21–23), according to the Supreme Apostle Saint Peter. True, bodily suffering causes some sorrow, but one cannot be called a bearer of Christ’s yoke who does not follow Him and does not endure, at least in part, the suffering that He endured for us. Being an omnipotent God, He could have saved man in some other way, but He deigned that from labor and suffering that power of virtue would be born that would be able to open the long-closed gates of heaven. And He did not show us any other way to salvation except the path of labor and sorrow. Why should we be embarrassed, exhausting our health in suffering for the holy icon of the Savior and His Most Pure Mother? By resisting the evil command of the king, we will receive God's grace and timely help. With such and similar speeches, the Monk Joseph consoled and strengthened his fellow prisoners, imprisoned with him for the veneration of icons. A certain Orthodox bishop also had to share their imprisonment, also taken to suffer for the veneration of holy icons. He, feeling powerless to endure the hardships of prison, was humanly confused by his thoughts: out of a desire to be freed from bonds and suffering, he began to lean towards the iconoclastic heresy and, like a ship in strong excitement, was not far from sinking. What exhortations did the Monk Joseph turn to him with when he realized his confusion! What tears did he shed, pleadingly exhorting him to die without hesitation for the icon of Christ, as for Christ Himself! And his divinely inspired speeches did not remain in vain: the bishop was filled with such firmness that even in the most severe torments he did not renounce his piety and, in the courageous greatness of his soul, endured everything to the end. Brought out for torture, at the sight of the tormentors and the instruments of torment, he did not show any fear, but he took off his clothes and gave himself up to torture, wanting to die a thousand times - if it were possible - for Christ God, depicted in the flesh by iconography. Hanged naked at the place of torment, pierced all over by arrows, and finally struck in the head by large stones, the bishop gave up his spirit to the Lord. Having learned about the martyrdom of the bishop, Blessed Joseph greatly rejoiced at his unshakable courage and thanked Christ, who approved His chosen warrior for such a feat, who, although he showed some weakness at the beginning, but then completely corrected himself and defeated the enemy. In a similar way, Saint Joseph delivered others from spiritual destruction and directed them to Christ, constantly teaching everyone the path of salvation; God saved him himself from death, preserving his life for the benefit of very many. The Monk Joseph spent six years in prison; and then the evil king Leo the Armenian suffered a cruel death: on the night before the feast of the Nativity of Christ, he was killed by his soldiers in the church, during matins. At that same hour, the Monk Joseph in the Cretan dungeon was informed of the death of the tormentor and miraculously freed from bonds by Saint Nicholas who appeared to him. Saint Joseph spent that entire night without sleep, continuously singing holiday chants and praying; Before dawn, a bright light illuminated the dungeon, and a holy and honest man, with gray hair and a fair face, appeared before him, dressed in holy robes, and said to him: “I came to you from Myra Lycia, sent by God, to immediately bring you good news: the enemy who confused the Church and scattered the sheep of Christ has lost both his kingdom and his life, and has been called to the judgment of God. Now you must return to Constantinople and confirm many with the grace of the Holy Spirit that dwells in you. Then the saint gave him a scroll and said: “Take this scroll and eat it.” In the scroll it was written: “Hurry up, generous one, and strive, as if you are merciful to help us, as much as you can.” Joseph took this scroll, read it and, having eaten it, joyfully said: “How sweet are Your words to my throat! better than honey to my mouth” (Ps. 119:103). Then the one who appeared to him commanded to sing the same words. Saint Joseph sang joyfully to them, and immediately his chains and shackles weakened and fell from his neck, arms and legs, and he heard the words of the saint who appeared to him: - Get up and follow me. He stood up; The doors of the prison opened by themselves, and he went out, without the knowledge of the prison guard. And he saw himself carried through the air by some invisible force. In a short time he found himself near Constantinople, on the high road leading to the city, and glorified God for such a glorious miracle. Entering the city, Joseph did not find his beloved father Gregory Dekapolite already alive - he had gone to the Lord - but saw only his disciple, blessed John, and with him at the tomb of Gregory he grieved a lot that he was not worthy to find the holy father alive. After a little time, John also departed to the Lord and was buried near Saint Gregory. Then the Monk Joseph moved to another place, secluded and silent, located outside the city, not far from the church of St. John Chrysostom. Having settled here, he created a church in the name of St. Nicholas of Christ, transferred the relics of both fathers, Gregory and John, into it, built a monastery and gathered the brethren. Many spiritual and worldly people constantly flocked here to the Monk Joseph to listen to his divinely inspired teaching, for the grace of the Holy Spirit flowed like a river from his lips in sweet speeches. Once in Thessaly, the Monk Joseph received from a virtuous man known to him a significant part of the relics of the Holy Apostle Bartholomew; he brought it to his monastery and, having created a special church in the name of the Holy Apostle Bartholomew, he honorably placed in it part of his holy relics. Having great love and faith for the holy Apostle, he was often vouchsafed to see him in dreams. He wanted to decorate the feast of the holy Apostle with songs of praise, but he did not dare, doubting whether this matter would be pleasing to the holy Apostle, and he fervently prayed to God and the Apostle of God to reveal this to him and to grant him wisdom from above to create verses of praise worthy of St. Bartholomew. The Monk Joseph prayed with fasting and tears for forty days, and when the day of remembrance of the Apostle approached, on the eve of the celebration he saw that Saint Bartholomew appeared at the altar, dressed in white vestments, and opened the altar curtain, calling him to himself. When the Monk Joseph came closer, the holy Apostle took the Holy Gospel from the throne and placed it on Joseph’s chest with the words: – May the right hand of the omnipotent God bless you, and may the waters of heavenly wisdom pour onto your tongue: may your heart be a temple of the Holy Spirit, and may your songs delight the universe. So said the holy Apostle Bartholomew and became invisible, and the Monk Joseph, feeling the grace of wisdom in himself, was filled with inexpressible joy and thanksgiving. From that time on, he began to write church hymns and canons, with which he adorned the feast of not only St. Bartholomew the Apostle, but also many saints; he mainly honored the Most Pure Mother of God and St. Nicholas with many canons. He richly decorated the Holy Church with chants and received the title of hymn-writer. After the accession of Theophilus in 2381, a storm of iconoclasm again arose against the Church, and again many were persecuted and tortured. Then our reverend father Joseph the hymn-writer, for his fearless and open denunciation of heresy, was expelled to Kherson, where he remained in bonds and suffering until the death of Theophilus. Queen Theodora with her son Michael, who took over the reign after the death of Theophilus and restored Orthodoxy with His Holiness Patriarch Methodius 2382, returned Joseph to Constantinople. Saint Ignatius, who assumed the throne after the repose of Saint Methodius, made Saint Joseph the guardian of the great Church of God in Constantinople. For his virtuous life and for the wise and soul-saving speeches that came from his lips, which turned many to the path of salvation, the Monk Joseph was greatly loved by the most holy patriarch and the entire spiritual and worldly rank. Several years passed, and the Monk Joseph, for denouncing lawlessness, again suffered expulsion from Bardas, the queen’s brother, the first ruler after the king. Not fearing God and not being ashamed of people, Varda gravely violated the laws of the Church, removing his lawful wife from himself without guilt on her part and taking his relative as his wife. The Monk Joseph openly denounced him, as Saint John the Baptist had once done to Herod, and for this Vardas persecuted him and caused him harm. His Holiness Patriarch Ignatius suffered the same fate, having suffered exile and many troubles from the lawless Vardas. When Vardas was killed by the king’s servants (and died noisily), and after him, King Michael also lost his life from his entourage, and Basil the Macedonian 2383 accepted the kingdom, then Saint Ignatius and the Monk Joseph were returned to Constantinople, and Ignatius again accepted his throne, and Joseph - his former position as guardian of the vessel. Not only His Holiness Ignatius, but also his successor, Patriarch Photius 2384, loved and revered Saint Joseph the hymn writer. Photius entrusted the monk with all church administration, called him a man of God, an angel in the flesh and the father of fathers, and commanded his entire clergy to have the monk Joseph as a spiritual father, to open his conscience to him and confess his sins. Possessing foresight, the monk foresaw hidden sins, but did not expose the sinner, but instructed him with exhorting speeches until the confessor, touched, revealed the secret iniquity: for Joseph was strong in God-inspired speeches and could easily turn sinners to repentance. Having lived for many years and reached a ripe old age, Joseph fell into physical infirmities from the many labors in which he had labored since his youth - from fasting, persecution for the truth, from bonds and prison, from worries about the church structure, about decorating holidays and memories of saints with hymns, and from great concerns about the salvation of human souls. Before his departure from the world, at the end of the Holy Pentecost, he fell into illness and in a dream he received notification from God of his imminent death. On the Holy Great Friday of the Free Passion of Christ, he copied all the church things and deeds entrusted to him and sent them to His Holiness Patriarch Photius. Then, preparing for the outcome, he began to pray to God, saying this: “I thank You, Lord my God, that in the shadow of Your wings You have kept me all the days of my life!” And now guard my spirit to the end and grant me to avoid the prince of darkness and fears of the air without harm, so that the sins of my life, committed out of ignorance, will not serve to the joy of my enemy. Word of the Father, preserve Your flock and protect until the end of the age everything created by Your right hand. Be a helper to the beloved sons of Your Church; to the Holy Church, Thy bride, grant eternal peace and undisturbed silence; enlighten the royal sacredness 2385 with Your gifts; Bring the proud Belial 2386 under the feet of the defenders of the Orthodox faith, turn away all heresies harmful to the soul from the Church. Grant my soul a peaceful and gentle separation from the body. Even if I am unworthy to belong to the number of Your holy saints, in whom the Holy Spirit dwelt - for I recognize myself as a sinner before You - then You, infinitely good, do not look at my sins, but make me worthy of the fate of Your sons. Having said a prayer and received communion of the Divine Mysteries, the Monk Joseph blessed everyone who was with him, raised his hands to heaven and, with a bright and joyful face, gave up his holy soul to God. Immediately a multitude of monks and laymen flocked from everywhere; many of them cried, calling the deceased, some - father, others - educator, others - benefactor, others - comforter, others - teacher, mentor and leader to salvation. With glorification they led him to the tomb and buried him with honors: but even more honestly and gloriously his holy soul was escorted by immortal spirits to the heavenly abodes. One beloved friend, a righteous and godly man, who was located at a considerable distance from the place of the saint’s death, was privileged to see this with his own eyes. At that hour, when the soul of Joseph, beloved by God, having been separated from his body, was ascending to heaven, the mentioned husband heard a voice from above, saying to him: “He came out,” and, looking up, he saw the opening of the heavenly vault and the faces of the saints emerging from there: first the apostolic face, then the martyr, prophetic and saintly. The man marveled and was horrified at the miraculous vision and was perplexed about its meaning. And again he heard a voice: “Look and listen, and you will find out the meaning of everything you see.” And immediately he saw four young men, the brightest of all, and in the midst of them a Virgin of indescribable purity and glory: it was the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ our God. Walking, She commanded the hosts of holy men to receive that holy soul who glorified their deeds and memory in songs and imitated their lives. And everyone greeted with indescribable joy and with zeal and love accepted a certain face worthy of veneration, raised to heaven. The contemplator of this, the mentioned husband, mentally asked himself: – Whom do the hosts of the celestials honor with such great honor? And I heard the loud voices of Angels raising up the holy soul: “This is Joseph the hymn-writer, the adornment of the entire Church, who was granted the grace of the Holy Spirit, who imitated the lives of the Apostles and martyrs and described their deeds, for which he now receives honor and praise from the same saints.” Thus the soul of the Monk Joseph the hymn-writer was led in triumph into the heavenly abodes. This glorious vision filled the eyewitness husband with great joy, and also with great regret that he was not then worthy to see the glory with which the blessed soul entered the heavenly abodes, appeared and worshiped the most luminous light of the Triune God. There is also other news about the escort of the Monk Joseph to heaven. In Constantinople there was a church of the holy martyr Theodore Fanerot, which means announcer (opener), since he revealed to those who came with prayer about stolen, hidden or lost things. A slave who was very useful to him fled from one man, and that man in sorrow came to the church of St. Theodore Phanerot, served a prayer service and begged the martyr of Christ to show him his servant. He spent three days and three nights in the church and, having not received the revelation, wanted to leave in grief. During Matins, when a spiritual word was read in church, he dozed off a little during the reading and saw Saint Theodore appear to him, who said: - Why are you grieving, man? Joseph, the creator of sacred hymns, was separated from his body, and we were with him. He reposed that night, and we all, honored by him with canons and chants, escorted his soul to heaven and placed him before the Face of God. That is why I hesitated to appear to you. Now I am here and I am fulfilling your request: go to such and such a place,” and he named the name of the place, “there you will find your servant whom you are looking for.” Both of these notices convince us what great glory the Monk Joseph received for his labors from God and what honor and praise from the saints of God. Standing now in the heavenly villages before the throne of God, he sings angelic songs, glorifying and praising the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Triune God, forever, amen. You are the inexhaustible source of repentance, the giver of endless consolation and the abyss of tenderness, Joseph: give us tears of Divine repentance, in which we who weep here will find consolation from God, asking for your help, holy one. Sicily is one of the large islands of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Apennine Peninsula, separated from it by the Strait of Messina Icon veneration was restored in 840. St. Methodius 846, his memory is June 14. Basil the Macedonian reigned from 867 to 886. Photius first occupied the throne from 857 to 867; for the second time – from 877 to 886. This is what Christians are called in 1 Peter 2:9. From euros – obscene, – the name of the devil (2 Cor. 6:15). You might be interested in: