Saint Stephen, among seven deacons, was chosen to serve poor Christians and widows in providing them with the necessary food. Due to his abilities and wisdom, he was made the first of them and therefore was called archdeacon.
Diligently helping the Apostles in distributing alms to needy Christians and meeting their necessary needs, Stephen, filled with faith and fortitude, performed great signs and wonders among the people. He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, and made the lame able to walk. The grace of the Holy Spirit drew him to the gospel of faith in Christ. He burned with love for affirming faith in the faithful, and denounced his unfaithful compatriots for unbelief and murder of the Savior. The Scripture relates that some of the synagogue of the Libertines, the Cyrenians and the Alexandrians, from Cilicia and Asia entered into a dispute with the holy archdeacon, but could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he spoke. Then, disgraced, they resort to slander: having taught some despicable people to say that Stephen does not cease to utter blasphemous words against Moses and God, they stir up the people and elders and, seizing the saint, drag him to the Sanhedrin. Passions raged, rage boiled all around, but meek Stefan stood calmly in the midst of this murderous assembly, and his face shone like the face of an Angel. And everyone who saw him marveled. When, full of faith and strength, he proved to the Jews that Christ, whom they crucified, was the true Messiah, Whom the Prophets had predicted, they listened to him with indignation and anger. When in conclusion he said: Stiff-necked ones! people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! you always resist the Holy Spirit, just like your fathers and you. Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, Whom you have now become traitors and murderers (Acts 7:51-52), then because of these words they tore their hearts and gnashed their teeth at the saint. And Stephen, being filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said: Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:54-56). They, rushing at him, took him out of the city and there, in the valley between Jerusalem and Olivet, they stoned the glorious warrior of Christ, who was praying, saying: Lord Jesus! receive my spirit (Acts 7:59). Bleeding and exhausted, he knelt down and exclaimed: Lord! Do not hold this sin against them (Acts 7:60)! In life, we do not always have to meet the sympathy, respect, and goodwill of others. Often, on the contrary, we see enmity, sometimes very vicious, ready to cause us all sorts of insults and troubles. How this enmity outrages every person, especially the undeserved one, what indignation it raises in our hearts, what a thirst for revenge often kindles in it!
Troparion to the Apostle and First Martyr Stephen, tone 4:
You fought a good fight, the first martyr of Christ and an apostle, and you denounced the wickedness of your tormentors: for you were stoned with stones at the hands of the wicked, you received a crown from the right hand from above, and you cried out to God, crying: Lord, do not put this sin on them.
Kontakion, voice 3:
Yesterday the Lord came to us in the flesh, and today the slave came from the flesh: yesterday the King of the flesh was born, today the slave is stoned. For this reason, the first martyr and divine Stephen dies.
return09 January 2014
January 9 is the day of remembrance of the Holy Apostle First Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen
Today, dear brothers and sisters, the Holy Church celebrates the blessed memory of the first martyr for Christ - the Holy Archdeacon and Apostle Stephen, who was stoned for his daring preaching to the Jews.
With what hymns of praise will we crown Saint Stephen, with what wreath of praise will we weave him, corresponding to his feat? Human lips are powerless to express all the valor and glory of the winner.
Despite the fact that each of us knows the Divine teaching: do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul (Matthew 10:28), attachment to one’s body, fear and trembling before death have led and are leading many souls - even the righteous - to brokenness and fall. But the holy young man Stephen, who loved Christ, despised death: he completely rejected timidity and fear, faith and hope in the Lord gave him the strength to struggle gloriously as a martyr and defeat the tyrant devil. The courageous ascetic of Christ, with his victory over the leader of evil, was the first to open the doors of martyrdom and gave people joy, and the demons - weeping. His example captivates every age: elders, youths, wives, children, and maidens to follow the path of suffering and not fear death for Christ, but hasten to the feat in order to more conveniently and easily pass from earth to heaven. Therefore, Saint Stephen can rightfully be called the leader of those who strive for Christ, the foundation of those who die for Him, the leader and teacher of the martyr’s army, the host.
They, rushing at him, took him out of the city, and there, in the valley between Jerusalem and Olivet, they stoned the glorious warrior of Christ, who was praying, saying: Lord Jesus! receive my spirit (Acts 7:60). Bleeding and exhausted, he knelt down and exclaimed: Lord! Do not impute this sin to them (Acts 7:60). Here is a marvelous example of love for enemies.
In life, we do not always have to meet the sympathy, respect, and goodwill of others; often, on the contrary, we have to see hostility, sometimes very angry, ready to cause us all sorts of insults and troubles. How this enmity outrages every person, especially the undeserved one, how it raises indignation in our hearts, what a thirst for revenge often kindles in it. But be afraid, dear brothers and sisters, be afraid to give an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This is forbidden by Christ. He not only forbade taking revenge on his enemies, but commanded to love them and pray for them. He Himself prayed for His crucifiers when they pierced sharp nails into His most pure hands and feet. The disciples of Christ fully assimilated this teaching about love for enemies and also died with prayer for their tormentors. The first martyr for Christ, whose memory we now commemorate, left us the first example of such prayer. Here is a wonderful example of love for enemies, here is a mentor instructing us on how to respond to the malice of our enemies - not with revenge, God have mercy on us! - but by prayer for them, so that the Lord does not make them a sin for the evil that they do to us.
And how holy, how instructive are the examples of prayer for enemies! The biography of one of our Russian ascetics says: once one of the great people in this world came to a certain spiritual elder for confession. After the usual confessions, he concluded: “I still have something in my heart that I don’t want to get rid of. There are ill-wishers who want to deprive me of the trust of my superiors and the people around me, they slander me in every possible way. I hate them from the bottom of my heart, and This hatred will remain in me."
For a long time and in vain, the elder tried to persuade him to give up his anger and finally announced that in such a state of mind he could not allow him to receive communion. In the end, he managed to persuade the confessor to calm down with the following: “You cannot yet sincerely forgive these people. But force yourself to such action. Ask for the prayers of the Church for them, giving prosphora for them. At first it will be very difficult for you, but break yourself. Every particle taken from the prosphora at the proskomedia with the pronunciation of a well-known name signifies the soul of this person. When this part at the end of the liturgy is immersed in the Blood of Christ, there is an invisible contact of this soul with the Divine. At first, an evil soul can become hardened by such a mysterious application to the Divine, but repeating this will ultimately have a beneficial effect on her." A year later, this man again stood in front of the elder and thanked him. He then forced himself to serve prosphora for his enemies. At first they seemed to become bitter. But then, gradually they began to treat him better and better, they abandoned their machinations and he could now live in peace with them.
This is what all of us, Christians, should do when some enemy appears to us and begins to revile us, dishonor our good name, slander and spread bad rumors about us. In all these cases, the feeling of indignation, enmity, and especially revenge must be overcome in us by a feeling of love for our enemies, following the example of the Savior and His Holy First Martyr. Let us give thanks to the Lord, who clothed His glorious warrior Stephen with all his armor, with which he overcame the most severe torment, accomplished a feat, kept his faith, received the crown of martyrdom on his head and was honored with eternal peace. May we also imitate this glorious ascetic; Let us strengthen our hearts with courage. Saint Stephen calls out: “Be imitators of me, as you are of Christ (see: 1 Cor. 11:1).” “I followed,” he says, “my Master in word, life, and death. Imitate all this, it is possible and useful for those who wish. Now I joyfully triumph in heaven and everyone who has suffered torment for Christ will see heaven open , and together with me he will enjoy eternal, incorruptible blessings." Amen.
Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)
According to the calendar, on January 9, name day is celebrated by those who received such Orthodox male names as Luke and Stepan at baptism. Women's names for this day are not presented in this ancient book.
From the calendar of church holidays for 2019 it is clear that birthday people on this day and those who were baptized were named in honor of the new martyrs Tikhon and Antonina.
Additionally, women's names can be found in the Catholic calendar, according to which Alice celebrates her name day on this day.
Boys and girls born on this day should be named one of these names so that they are always under the protection of their heavenly patron.
Also on January 9, the name day of the Fedorovs is celebrated, since it is today that the Church honors the memory of their Guardian Angel - St. Fedor the Inscribed, the patron saint of this day.
Therefore, all boys born on this day should be baptized with Fedora. Then the name will become a talisman for the child, and will also introduce into his character such traits as responsibility, thoroughness, the ability to rely only on one’s own strengths, and politeness.
Fedor was born in the 9th century in Jerusalem, but spent most of his life in Egypt, where he was an ardent opponent of heretics and a defender of Orthodox icons, for which he suffered severe torture.
He grew up as a very calm and diligent child. Being at a very young age, together with his younger brother Feofan, he went to monastic obedience, where he stood out for his strength of spirit and desire for the true faith.
Therefore, it was he and his brother who were sent by the Patriarch of Jerusalem to Alexandria, where heretical emperors ascended the throne. There Fyodor openly criticized the iconoclasts and exposed them in their errors with his wise speeches.
The offended Emperor Leo, whose cruelty really bordered on bestiality, imprisoned the brothers in prison. His followers also tried to win Fedor over to their side, but each time they were refused.
The brothers continued to be tortured and kept in prison. One day, “shameful” inscriptions were burned onto their faces with hot needles, incriminating them in the veneration of icons, which is why they were called Inscribed.
Fyodor and Feofan became an example of unshakable faith, adherence to their convictions and courage. Fyodor wrote many works on the veneration of icons, but only one of his messages has survived to this day. The relics of the monk were recognized as miraculous.
From the ancient Greek name Stefanos - “wreath, crown”, “crown”.
Women's name day on January 9 according to the church calendar
- - from the Greek word antao - “entering into battle”, “competing in strength”, “opponent”, “opposing”, “worthy of praise” or anthos - “flower”.
Name of the day January 9 - Efim
This name translated from Greek means “compassionate”, “benevolent”.
In the old days there was also a female form of the name, abbreviated Fima or Fimka. But now you won’t see such a female name anymore, except in films about the times of serfdom.
Efim is that same stranger from distant countries that almost every woman is waiting for. The air element of the name helps him in everything, he can achieve a lot in life, everything he wants, but he is interested in the process. When the cherished goal is almost achieved, as they say, is in hand, Efim can leave it to achieve a new one. This applies to creativity, career, and movement along the path. In personal matters, Efim is reliable.
People can call his name “a song on the tongue,” because he helps and has helped many in life.
To cleanse a room or relieve stress, you need to burn incense - sandalwood.
The smoke rushing upward from an incense stick is an act of divine unity of the elements, the creation of a new reality. Looking at the circles of smoke rising upward, Efim can make a wish or decide what changes should come in life. Wishes must come true.
A malachite keychain brings good luck and helps you become charming and lucky.
Good luck is brought by Malachite, who appears in dreams. She looks like a girl of extraordinary beauty, dressed in a dress made of a rare type of malachite, reminiscent of flowing silk. And the stone that Malachite protects is malachite. Malachite harmonizes a person's emotional state.
Name of the day January 9 - Fedor
Translated from ancient Greek, Fedor means “God’s gift.” He often feels the marks of divine power on his forehead: the gift of God is the rain of lotus flowers falling from the sky, it is the light in the soul, it is the continuous stream of grace poured out on others. Fyodor's society is sought by people who need light. He is ready to help those who are caught in darkness and see no way out.
Fedor, born on January 9, does not waste his time on casual acquaintances; he has few friends. His attention is usually scattered, his gaze wanders in search of beautiful women. When one appears nearby, he, like a charmer, bewitches the lady with a stream of sweet-tongued phrases.
To get rid of negative magical influences, you need to take nine clove buds on your name day, grind them into powder and, burning them on the coals, inhale the aroma and imagine that black, negative energy is leaving your body and head. By the way, in the old days it was believed that the energy emitted by clove buds when lit had a healing effect.
The name's talisman is red and white carnation flowers. The carnation is generally considered the flower of selfless devotion and is often associated with the Bourbon dynasty. When going to the scaffold, victims of terror carried carnations with them... Since then, the belief arose that those who have a carnation as their Talisman will have very loyal friends.
Carnation flowers on name day night foretell good luck, and wilted carnation flowers on January 9 foretell difficulties.
Female and male names (how to name boys and girls in December)
Name days in January:
1 - Boniface, Gregory, Ilya, Timofey.
2 - Anton, Daniil, Ivan, Ignatius.
3 - Leonty, Mikhail, Nikita, Peter, Procopius, Sergei, Feofan.
4 - Anastasia, Dmitry, Fedor, Fedosya.
5 - Vasily, David, Ivan, Makar, Naum, Nifont, Pavel, Theoktist.
6 - Evgenia, Innocent, Claudia, Nikolai, Sergei.
8 - Augusta, Agrippina, Alexander, Anfisa, Vasily, Gregory, Dmitry, Efim, Isaac, Konstantin, Leonid, Maria, Mikhail, Nicodemus, Nikolai.
9 - Antonina, Luka, Stepan, Tikhon, Fedor, Ferapont.
10 - Agafya, Alexander, Arkady, Vavila, David, Efim, Ignatius, Joseph, Leonid, Nikanor, Nicodemus, Nikolai, Peter, Simon, Theoktist, Jacob.
11 - Agrippina, Anna, Varvara, Benjamin, George, Evdokia, Euphrosyne, Ivan, Lavrenty, Mark, Markel, Matrona, Natalia, Theodosius.
12 - Anisya, Anton, Daniil, Irina, Lev, Makar, Maria, Fedora, Fedosya.
14 - Alexander, Vasily, Vyacheslav, Gregory, Ivan, Mikhail, Nikolai, Peter, Platon, Trofim, Fedot, Emilia, Yakov.
15 - Vasily, Gerasim, Kuzma, Mark, Modest, Peter, Seraphim, Sergei, Sylvester.
16 - Gordey, Irina.
17 - Alexander, Andronik, Archippus, Athanasius, Anisim, Aristarchus, Artemy, Athanasius, Denis, Efim, Karp, Clement, Kondraty, Luke, Mark, Nikanor, Nikolai, Pavel, Prokhor, Rodion, Semyon, Silouan, Stepan, Timofey, Trophim, Thaddeus, Theoktist, Philemon, Philip, Jacob.
18 - Apollinaria, Gregory, Eugenia, Joseph, Lukyan, Matvey, Micah, Roman, Semyon, Sergei, Tatyana, Thomas.
19 - Feofan.
20 - Athanasius, Vasily, Ivan, Paphnutius.
21 - Anton, Vasilisa, Victor, Vladimir, Dmitry, Georgy, Gregory, Evgeny, Emelyan, Ilya, Mikhail, Sidor, Feoktist, Julian.
22 - Antonina, Zakhar, Nikander, Pavel, Peter, Philip.
23 - Anatoly, Gregory, Zinovy, Makar, Pavel, Peter, Feofan.
24 - Vladimir, Mikhail, Nikolai, Stepan, Terenty, Fedor, Feodosius.
25 - Eupraxia, Makar, Peter, Savva, Tatyana.
26 - Athanasius, Maxim, Nicephorus, Nicodemus, Pakhom, Peter, Jacob.
27 - Agnia, Adam, Andrew, Aristarchus, Benjamin, David, Eremey, Ivan, Ilya, Joseph, Isaac, Makar, Mark, Moses, Nina, Pavel, Paphnutius, Savva, Sergei, Stepan.
28 – Varlam, Gabriel, Gerasim, Elena, Ivan, Maxim, Mikhail, Pavel, Prokhor.
29 - Ivan, Maxim, Peter.
30 - Anton, Antonina, Victor, Georgy, Ivan, Pavel, Feodosius.
31 - Alexander, Afanasy, Vladimir, Dmitry, Evgeny, Emelyan, Ephraim, Hilarion, Kirill, Ksenia, Maxim, Maria, Mikhail, Nikolay, Sergey, Feodosia.
Church Orthodox holidays in January
Venerable Elijah of Pechersk
On the first day of the year, the church celebrates the memory of St. Elijah of Pechersk, nicknamed Chobotok. Ilya was a native of the city of Murom, and popular legend identified him with the famous hero Ilya Muromets, about whom Russian epics told.
The Savior was born during the reign of Emperor Augustus in the city of Bethlehem. During the census, everyone had to be in the place where his family originated. Arriving in Bethlehem, the Virgin Mary and the Righteous Joseph did not find any vacancies in hotels and stopped outside the city in a cave intended for keeping livestock. At midnight, the news of the birth of the Savior from the jubilant Angels came to the shepherds, who came to worship the God-Man. The holiday in honor of this event was established in apostolic times, but before the 4th century. it was connected with the celebration of Epiphany.
Having learned from the Magi about the birth of a new King, Herod ordered the killing of all babies under two years of age, hoping that among them would be the Infant of God, in whom he saw his rival.
On this day, according to the Old Testament law, the Lord accepted circumcision, established for all male infants as a sign of the Covenant of God with the forefather Abraham and his descendants.
On the same day, the memory of the Archbishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia is celebrated.
Vasily lived in the 4th century and received an excellent education in Constantinople and Athens. Returning to Caesarea, he taught rhetoric, then was baptized and embarked on the path of ascetic life. Together with his friend Gregory the Theologian, he retired to the desert to devote his life to God. Subsequently, the saint was ordained a presbyter; during the reign of Emperor Valens, a supporter of the Arians, he became an archbishop and made great efforts to protect his flock from heresy. He compiled the rite of the Liturgy, wrote Conversations on the Sixth Day, on the psalms, as well as a collection of monastic rules.
January 15 is the day of the repose (1883) and the second discovery of the relics (1991) of one of the most beloved Russian saints among the people -. Having taken monastic vows at the age of 27, the monk labored in the Sarov monastery or in the forest desert until the end of his life. For his feat of prayer, he was honored with repeated visits from the Queen of Heaven. The Monk Seraphim went to the Lord during prayer in front of the icon of the Mother of God. The monk was canonized as a saint in 1903. After the October Revolution, the saint’s relics disappeared and were discovered only in 1991, in the storerooms of the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism, which was located in the building of the Kazan Cathedral in Leningrad.
January 17 – Council of 70 apostles of Christ, chosen by the Lord to preach the Gospel to the whole universe.
These apostles are commemorated separately throughout the year, and this holiday was established in order to show the equality of each of the seventy and thereby prevent disagreements in their veneration.
January 19 is celebrated - the twelfth holiday established in honor of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan River and in honor of the appearance of the Holy Trinity during this event. The Father spoke from heaven about the Son, the Son was baptized by the holy Forerunner of the Lord John, and the Holy Spirit descended on the Son in the form of a dove. The next day, the Council of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John is celebrated - the one who served the cause of the Baptism of Christ, laying his hand on the head of the Savior.
On January 24, we remember St. Theodosius the Great, who became the founder of cenobitic monasteries. He was born at the end of the 5th century. in Cappadocia. The saint lived for about 30 years in the Palestinian desert, remaining in fasting and prayer. Those who wanted to live under his leadership constantly came to him; as a result, a communal monastery, or Lavra, arose, which existed according to the charter of Basil the Great.
The memory of the holy martyr Tatiana is celebrated on January 25. Tatiana, the daughter of the Roman consul, refused marriage, wanting to devote her life to the Lord. She was installed as a deaconess in one of the Roman temples and served God, caring for the sick and helping those in need. During the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus (between 222 and 235), Tatiana accepted martyrdom for Christ, refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods and enduring terrible torture.
On January 27, the church remembers the enlightener of Georgia. She was born around 280 in Cappadocia into a noble, pious family. One day Nina saw in a dream the Most Holy Theotokos, who handed her a cross made of vines and sent her with apostolic service to Iveria (Georgia). Nina came to Georgia in 319 and made a lot of efforts to educate this country - five years later Christianity was established in Georgia.
January 30 is the day of remembrance of the famous ascetic, founder of desert living, called the father of monasticism. Anthony was born in Egypt in 251. After the death of his parents, who instilled in him love for God and piety, he began an ascetic life. He had to fight with the most difficult temptations and attacks of evil spirits, but with God's help he overcame the tricks of the devil and went into the depths of the Thebaid desert to serve the Lord in complete solitude. The saint spent 85 years in desert solitude; his example was followed by many of those who wanted to spend their lives in ascetic deeds for the sake of the Lord.
