Homily II on St. Panteleimon by Metropolitan Avgoustinos Kantiotes

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (source)

  
Homily II on St. Panteleimon by Metropolitan Avgoustinos Kantiotes: "A Lesson of Love"
"This I command you, to love one another." (John 15:17)
"The feast of a martyr is to imitate the martyr." [Quote of St. John Chrysostom]
The stars, my beloved, are not only contained in heaven, but our Church has its own, and the stars of the Church are the Saints (Martyrs, Confessors, Venerable Saints, Teachers and Fathers). The stars illumine heaven, but the noetic firmament of the Church is also illumined by the noetic stars, the Saints. They shine with their life, their virtues, their wonders. And like in heaven "star differs from star according to its radiance" (I Corinthians 15:41), thus among the Saints there are differences. One star of great prominence is today's Saint, the Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon. Let's take courage to utter a few words, weaving a humble encomium to his memory.

St. Panteleimon was born in the era of terrible persecutions against Christianity, during the reign of Maximian (286-305AD), in a land whose name brings forth tears, in a land which gave birth to so many of the Saints and Martyrs: Asia Minor. Specifically, his homeland was Nicomedia of Bithinia. There was his church, but on a dreadful day in August 1922, the children of Hagar reduced it to rubble. Today in Nicomedia, the bells do not ring. I believe, however, that one day they will ring there again!

His parents were nobles, aristocrats. His father was Eustorgios, an idolater in the close court of the king. His mother, Euboule, was a Christian according to tradition, and implanted in the heart of the child the seed of the faith and of virtue. The Saint, however, had the misfortune of losing his mother. Only those who have lost their mothers can sense the loss which is left in a family by her absence.

However, the seed which his mother had sown within him was not lost. The child grew, became a man and was noted for his goodness. His rich father made provisions to send him to the best teachers, and even to the famous professor of medicine, Euphrosynos. He studied near him, excelled in his lessons and later finished as a great physician. He, however, was still an idolater, and did not believe in Christ.

One encounter, however, changed his life. While he was still young, he met a pious priest of Nicomedia, Ermolaos, who led him into the mystery of Christianity . "If you wish to become a physician," he told him, "you must know the first and greatest physician of souls and bodies, and this is our Lord Jesus Christ!" He related His life and miracles, and from then, the young man began to take care to believe.

The young physician wished to test if things said by Ermolaos were true. And one day, as he was traveling through the countryside, he saw a child who had died, and next to him was a serpent fleeing who had poisoned him. He knelt beside the body, and lifted up his eyes on high and said: "In the name of Jesus Christ, O child, arise, and you, O beast, depart." And immediately, the child came to life, and the serpent died. This event, along with others like it, strengthened within him faith in Christ. He told this to Ermolaos, and was baptized.

The healings which he continued to work were many and are written in his Synaxarion. Only one I will say, that he was serving as a physician in Nicomedia, which had at that time, before the founding of Constantinople, served as the first city of the nation. His fame had spread. He healed with medical drugs, but there where science lifted up its hands out of weakness, in those difficult situations, St. Panteleimon prayed and said: "In the name of Jesus Christ...", and the sick were healed wondrously. His successes however brought about the wrath of his fellow doctors. They condemned him to the king, and thus he was brought before him. Maximian tried to coerce him to become an idolater and to sacrifice to the idols, but he stood immovable. And thus began his martyrdom.
  

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (source)

  

I will not relate his martyrdom in detail. The Saint's faith was great, and he was victorious through fire, and the sword, and iron nails, and ravenous beasts, and the wheel, and the sea, through everything. Many believed in Christ, not just through his wondrous healings, but through his manliness at the hour of his martyrdom. And aristocrats of the court and courtiers and patricians of the highest ranks, in addition to simple people came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because through all of the Saint's wonders, I discern that the greatest thing was his daily way of life: his love and his philanthropic offering, the sacrifice of himself in order to help his neighbor, his virtuous and chaste way of life, that which is sought of every Christian by the Lord.

In the end, according to the command of the emperor, the military guard led him two kilometers outside of Nicomedia, and there, before the sun had risen, around dawn, the lightning strike of the executioner's sword cut off the head of the Saint. And then, instead of blood, milk poured forth, according to the Synaxarion. And though his precious Relic was laid in the earth, it became a treasury and spring of wonders, while his holy soul flew to the heavenly mansions, to dwell among the Angels and Archangels, and from there, to intercede for everyone, and especially for his homeland of Nicomedia, that again she might see the glory of the faith and that the bells might ring there joyously through a national and religious resurrection.

As I said in the beginning, my beloved, "The feast of a martyr is to imitate the martyr", as described by the sacred Chrysostom. Are we celebrating a martyr? Then we should imitate him. Today, therefore, from the world of the bodiless spirits beyond, the voice of St. Panteleimon reaches us, and mystically speaks to the ears of our souls: "O Christians who are honoring me, become my imitators!"

The Saints are the most clear sign that Christianity is not a utopia, a theory, a philosophy, it is a reality, a harmonious life. They reveal that Christianity crosses the ages and rules in all stations. The Saints are the heroes of the faith and of virtue, the pinnacles of prototypes worthy of imitation.

Today, St. Panteleimon compels us, as the teacher of all, and especially those who are educated, rational, and who are scientists and physicians. There is a false idea that is cultivated by the children of darkness that science is not compatible with our faith. It is false, a satanic lie. Because we see today's Saint was an educated and wise scientist, and through this also believed in the Lord. And not only St. Panteleimon, but many other Saints of the Church. And not only Saints of the ancient eras, but many contemporary and great scientists of national fame (physicians, chemists, mathematicians, physicists, astronomers, and every specialty) believe in God and confess Christ. I know of scientists in Athens who believe, fast and pray, and--it may seem strange to you--arise at midnight to pray the prayer rope! I know of a surgeon in "Evangelismos" Hospital who never takes up the scalpel without kneeling to say: "Lord Jesus Christ, help me, the sinner." Science, not of dimwits, but of great minds, kneels before the Crucified One. In Germany, a surgeon wrote a book with the title: "Behind us stands God", in other words, behind our science is found Christ, the Physician of souls and bodies.

But the Saint is not just the teacher of learned scientists, but of all Christians. He teaches us a lesson which is most simple, but also the most difficult. It is the two words of the Nazarene, which we heard in today's Gospel: "This I command you, to love one another." (John 15:17) It is the lesson of love. And this is taught by St. Panteleimon, because he applied this himself [in his own life]. Whatever he had, he offered, and he became a servant of the people, and suggests to us that we become benefactors, philanthropists and merciful in our social circles. Because of this, I entreat you to be moved even more deeply to deeds of love and philanthropy. Do not wait for everything from the government, from others.

May God, through the intercessions of St. Panteleimon, protect our whole people, that we might with peace and love worship our Lord Jesus Christ unto the ages of ages. Amen.
(+) Bishop Avgoustinos
From a homily recorded in the old Church of St. Panteleimon in Florina on Saturday July 27th, 1968(source)

  

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (source)

  

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercu on us and save us! Amen!

Paraklesis to St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary

Paraklesis (Supplication Service) to St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (in Greek), for healing of soul and body, served in the Church of St. Panteleimon, Ampelokipi, Thessaloniki (source)

  

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

A Prayer for Cancer Patients

Icon of the Theotokos "Pantanassa" ("Queen of All"), also known as "The Healer of Cancer" (source)

  

An Orthodox Prayer for Cancer Patients,

from the Cell of Elder Gabriel the Athonite,

Approved by the Orthodox Church of Greece
  

Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who rules over the spirits of affliction and health for those who call upon You with fervor of heart, and who with faith in You have emptied themselves, hearken to us sinners, along with those afflicted with the dangerous illness of cancer, and who have been seized from among us, and who persist in longstanding and painful illness, our fathers, brethren and children, full of deep sorrows and pains, and who, unable to flee from their death, entreat everyone [to pray for them]. O Lord, through Your illumining and sanctifying Spirit, guide in medical science those who are seeking to discover and use the good medicine and revealing therapy. Grant strength to those who are suffering, and patience and relief from their pains, bestowing on them every healing of soul and body, through the intercessions of our Most-blessed Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, the Life-giving Spring, whose waters in the queen of cities [Constantinople] healed the passion of cancer, of our Father among the Saints Parthenios, Bishop of Lampsakos, of the holy, glorious and wonderworking Unmercenaries, of the holy, glorious Great Martyr Panteleimon, [of St. Nektarios of Pentapolis, or other Saints desired to be commemorated, etc.] and of all Your Saints. Amen.
(source)
  

St. Parthenios of Lampsakos, among the Saints whose prayers especially help cancer patients (source)

   

Picture documenting "Great Helpers Against Cancer", or wonderworking Saints whose prayers especially help those suffering from this affliction, including: The Most-Holy Theotokos Pantanassa ("The Healer of Cancer"), Sts. Nektarios of Aegina, Ephraim of Nea Makri, Parthenios of Lampsakos, Patapios of Thebes, John Maximovitch, Anastasia of Rome and John the Russian (source)

   

Icon depicting the Holy Hierarchs and Wonderworkers: Sts. Luke of Simferopol, Nektarios of Pentapolis, and John of San Francisco (source)

   

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

Service of the Synaxis of the Holy Unmercenaries

The Synaxis of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenaries (source)

  
Note: This is an in-progress translation of a liturgical service in praise of the Holy Wonderworking and Unmercenary Physicians. This is a translation of a Greek text, which places their feast on October 17th (that of Sts. Cosmas and Damian from Arabia, along with their brothers and fellow unmercenary martyrs Sts. Leontios, Evtropios and Anthimos). The traditional 20-numbered band of Holy Unmercenaries in the Greek tradition of course is by no means exclusive. There are of course female Holy Unmercenaries (Sts. Philonilla, Zenaida, Hermione, and even St. Anastasia Pharmakolytria in some traditions. There are other Saints not necessarily known as physicians in their lifetimes, but are known for many wondrous cures and therefore are sometimes numbered with the Unmercenaries (such as Sts. Vlasios, Spyriodon, Artemios, etc.) Finally, there have been later additions to the holy band of Unmercenaries through the passage of time, most notably St. Luke the Surgeon of Simferopol, who reposed in the 20th century. As a result, let this not serve as a fixed or exclusive service, but one in prayer to our Lord to heal our many physical, psychological and spiritual afflictions with His mighty arm, through the intercessions of His healing Saints, who left behind every earthly repose, "placing all their hope in heaven" (from the Idiomelon to the Holy Unmercenaries), while giving their lives in love for their fellow men.

Also note, a vespers text exists from the Russian tradition which places this feast on the first Sunday of November (likely in proximity to the feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor who celebrate November 1st). As such, I have begun by translating the Matins text and may proceed to the Vespers and the Matins Canon at some point. Finally, note that the translation is not set to the Byzantine meter of the Prosomoia. May the Saints pray for us all and heal our world!

Synaxis of the Holy Unmercenaries (source)

  

Matins

 

After the First Stichologia, the Kathisma in the First Tone. Your tomb, O Savior.

Let us celebrate, O godly-minded ones, the divine and joyous memory of all the sacred Unmercenaries, who are our patrons, and let us praise them out of duty, for they have become the common protectors and saviors of all those in dangers, who speedily deliver all those who hasten to them in faith.

Glory. Both now. Theotokion.

O unwedded and Pure One, Theotokos Maria, the only protection and covering for the faithful in dangers and trials and terrible circumstances, deliver all of those who place their hope in you, having you, O Lady, as a savior for our souls through your divine intercessions.

After the Second Stichologia, the Kathisma in the Third Tone. The beauty.

Unemptying wealth of sympathy and goodness is poured out upon us by the divine Unmercenaries, and no mind of mortals, nor mellifluent tongue can tell of the surpassing ocean and the true streams of their many wonders. Therefore we cry out to them: Rejoice, O eternal springs.

Glory. Both now. Theotokion.

At the beauty of your virginity, and the resplendency of your chastity, Gabriel stood amazed and cried to you, O Theotokos: What are the appropriate words of praise to present to you? What name shall I call you by? At a loss and perplexed am I. And so as I was ordered I cry to you: rejoice, O you Who are full of grace!
  

Panagia Glykophylousa, surrounded by a multitude of the Holy Unmercenaries, Physicians and Healers of Christ (source)

  

After the Polyeleos, the Katisma in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone. The wisdom.

Paradoxically you received from Christ the gifts of heavenly wonders, and you heal all of our passions freely, for within you has shown forth the grace of the Spirit, working the power of divine healings. Therefore, you have inherited incorruptible good things through your unmercenary minds, O God-bearing Unmercenaries. Intercede with Christ God, that forgiveness of offenses be granted to those who celebrate you holy memory with fervor.

Glory. Both now. Theotokion.

Let us all praise the Queen and Mother of the Creator of all, and let us magnify her with our voices and cry out to her in hymns: O Virgin and All-hymned cause of joy, save those who honor you, and protect all those in temptations of all kinds and illnesses and trials through your intercessions, for, as the Mother of God, you have boldness. Entreat that healing of afflictions be granted to those who cry out to you. Intercede to your Son and God that your servants might be granted forgiveness.

Then the Hymns of Ascents in the Fourth Tone, followed by the Prokeimenon:

To His Saints who are in His earth, the Lord has been shown wondrous.
Verse: God is wondrous in His Saints.

 

Matins Gospel of the Feast of the Holy Unmercenaries Sts. Cosmas and Damian (November 1st)

 

Psalm 50.

 

Glory.

Through the intercessions of the Unmercenaries, O Lord of mercy, wash away my many personal offenses.

Both now.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Lord of mercy, wash away my many personal offenses.

Then the Idiomelon in the Second Tone.

Verse: Have mercy on me, O God...
The choir of the Saints rejoices unto the ages, for their have inherited the Kingdom of the heavens, while the earth that has received their Holy Relics breathes forth fragrance, for they became the servants of Christ, and have come to dwell in eternal life.

Then the Priest says the, "O God, save Your people..." Followed by the Canons to the Theotokos and the Holy Unmercenaries (to be translated at a later time).
  

Synaxis of the Holy Unmercenaries (Source)

  

Kontakion in the Second Tone.

You have received the grace of remedies, spread strength over those in need, glorious, wonderworking Physicians; but by your visitation, cast down the insolence of enemies, healing the world by wonders.
 

The Oikos.

The word of the wise Physicians surpasses all understanding and wisdom; for having received grace from the Most High, they invisibly bestow strength on all; therefore on me too they have bestowed the grace of narration, to sing their praise as God-bearing, well-pleasing to God and healers, who grant multitudes of cures; for they rescue all from pains, healing the world by wonders.

  

Synaxarion
On this day (October 17th) we honor the Synaxis of all the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenaries (twenty in number).

Verses
I ever honor together the Unmercenaries,
Being gathered here in their church.
The twenty-numbered band of the Unmercenaries,
O choir, save those you entreat you.
Twenty, therefore, Unmercenaries, I ever hymn.
  
Then, the Katavasies of the Theotokos, followed by the 9th Ode.

  

Exaposteilarion in the Third Tone. In the Temple in Spirit.

Receiving the grace of healing from God, blessed Unmercenaries, you cure diseases and heal all those who faithfully have recourse to your divine shrine, and therefore with one voice, we worthily call your holy memory blessed.

 

Another for the Saints in the Fourth Tone. The Disciples gathered.

Together with Saints Kosmas, let us hymn Sampson, Panteleimon, the Damians, Ermolaos, Cyrus and John, Thalelleos, Aniketos, Tryphon, Diomedes, Leontios, Eutropion, Anthimos, with Mokios, Julian, and let us praises the Twenty and celebrate their joyous memory in a godly manner.

 

Theotokion in the same tone.

Let us hymn with a godly mind the Mountain of God, the Palace, and Lamp-stand, and Container, and Ark, and Altar, the Rod and fiery divine Throne and Gate, the Temple and Bridal Chamber, the Pure Virgin, from whom God became incarnate without change and in a manner surpassing nature, and deified our fallen nature, uniting it with the ineffable.

 

Synaxis of the Holy Unmercenaries (source)

  

Then, the Praises, followed by the Prosomoia in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone.

What shall we call you?

What shall we call you, O Unmercenaries? Heaven, for you related the glory of God. Liturgists, for you ceaselessly glorified Him. Bodiless, for you put off the flesh. Stars, for you shine upon the ends of the earth. For many are your names, and even more are your accomplishments. Intercede that our souls be saved.

 

What shall we call you, O glorious ones? Physicians, for you heal the afflictions of mortals. Rivers, for you fill the earth with wonders. Saviors, for you save everyone from dangers. Lights, for you enlighten many. Many are your graces, and even greater are your awesome deeds. Intercede that our souls be saved.

 

What shall we name you, O wise ones? The uprooters of passions or the sower of virtues, noetic paradises, or fruitful plans, sending forth gifts, and nourishment, and granting incorruption to all. Many are your graces, and unemptying are your healings. Intercede that our souls be saved.

 

Your temple has been shown to be a river as from Eden, which surrounds the world, pouring forth and watering healings for the faithful, granting grace freely to those who cry out to you with fervor and in faith: Many are your wonders, O all-blessed Unmercenaries. Intercede that our souls be saved.

 

Doxastikon of the Praises in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone.

(Modeled after the Doxastikon: "The Choir of the Holy Fathers", from the Sundays of the Holy Fathers)

The multitude of the Holy Unmercenaries, who have been gathered from the ends of the earth to rejoice on this joyous day, and whom we hymn harmoniously today together at their sacred shrine, in which they stand invisibly, together with Christ Who crowned their sacred heads, and grants to them the unending grace of wonders. To them let us cry out melodiously: O divine assembly, hoplites inspired by God, in the Lord's army, ever-shining stars of the noetic firmament, the unassailable towers of mystical Sion, the fragrant flowers of Paradise, the fervent physicians of the sick, the boast of the Martyrs, the pride of the Righteous, ceaselessly intercede on behalf of our souls.

 

Both now. Theotokion.

O Lady, do you receive from your servants their entreates, and deliver us from every danger and trial.

 

Then the Great Doxology, followed by the Apolytikion of the Saints in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone.

O Holy Unmercenaries and Wonderworkers, visit our infirmities. Freely you have received, freely give to us.

 

The Epistle and Gospel from the feast of the Holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian (see November 1st).

 

Megalynarion for the Holy Unmercenaries.

You received the gift from God of healing the afflictions of the faithful, and speedily delivering from the gravest passions those who call upon you, O Unmercenaries.

  

The Synaxis of the Holy Unmercenaries (Source)

  

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

Metropolitan Avgoustinos Kantiotes on St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (source)

  
Metropolitan Avgoustinos Kantiotes on St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr: He was cast out due to jealousy
"For he knew that for envy they had delivered him" (Matthew 27:18)

My beloved, we are honoring the holy memory of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. Our topic will be the question: What was the reason that St. Panteleimon was persecuted? To this we will give a short response.

St. Panteleimon lived and struggled during the era of persecutions, when the Roman Emperor was Diocletian. He was born in Nicomedia of Asia Minor. His father was an idolater, but his mother was from the women who planted deeply into the heart of their children their faith in Christ. Therefore, she taught St. Panteleimon the truths of the faith.

He was well-sown. He had a call towards learning. He studied medicine near noted scientists. He became an exemplary physician. There were many physicians then, like there are today. However, it is rare today to find a Christian physician. The majority are faithless, materialists. And these have no worth; may God protect you from falling into their hands.

St. Panteleimon differed from them. In what way did he differ? He differed in three ways.

First, regarding money. They were lovers of money. They charged their patients a lot and became rich. St. Panteleimon was unique, a man of ideology. He used science as a mission. He was seen at night visiting huts [of the poor and sick] like an angel. While the others went only to the houses of the great ones, he went to the houses of the poor and served the sick.

And a second way in which he differed from the others. As a famous Greek university professor once said, physicians frequently study medicine like veterinary medicine, and many doctors act like veterinarians. They don't see anything else beyond veins, bones, flesh, ribs, hearts and lungs. Man of course is these, but behind this is something invisible. There is a "little motor", which moves the biological body, and there is the existence of man. And the doctor, when he doesn't see this "little motor", is blind, and is not in the position to perform his work. This "little motor" is the spiritual factor, the soul of man. A multitude of experiments and observations have shown that the soul with the passions, feelings, conscience and impulse greatly impacts the body. There is an interconnectedness between body and soul. This is what our Church chants during the 15-days of August, and which is scientifically correct: "From the great multitude of my sins, ill am I in body, ill am I also in soul..." (from the Small Paraklesis to the Theotokos). And both are sick but the root of evil is sin. Therefore, St. Panteleimon made the correct diagnosis. He saw that, when the soul is freed from guilt, the body is given life, and man breathes deeply. Many illnesses (apoplexies, heart attacks, cancer) have as their cause the spiritual world. Some bitterness from remorse or from slander or from divisiveness or from injustice or anxiety waters the body with poison.
  

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (source)

  
So he differed first for not taking money, secondly because he saw man as a psychosomatic whole, and thirdly, for besides the other medicines which the other physicians had, St. Panteleimon had a rare and unique medicine, and this was the faith. He believed deeply. Because of this, together with medicines from herbs from the earth that he gathered, he knelt next to the pillow of the sick, praying, and--let the faithless disbelieve it, we believe it--the sick man was healed. And to this day, we see the sign of the Cross in clinics, hospitals and healing centers. How truly awesome a thing is the power of faith, a medicine of healing for bodily and spiritual illnesses.

This was St. Panteleimon. And because of this, his healing center was marked every day with a line of sick people, while they did not go to the other physicians of Nicomedia anymore. This being passed over, however, enflamed the hearts of his colleagues with the yellow lamp of jealousy. They were jealous of him, they hated him. They saw that, as long as he was a physician in Nicomedia, they would have to change careers because everyone was hastening to St. Panteleimon. And the sick, who themselves were loosing hope, found their healing near him. Behold therefore the cause of jealousy. Because of this they cast him out. They hated him from the beginning. With what slander did they do so? As an unmercenary? As one taking advantage of people? As an adulterer? As a fornicator? As a dangerous person? As a criminal? None of these things. If they condemned him with these during that decadent regime, it wouldn't work. They condemned him with a condemnation that took hold. Isn't that how it is, that the slanders of the faithful change in every age? Sometimes they use slander A, other times B, other times C. I will not dwell on this, I will just mention that, from the time...with various slanders, with foolish things the jealous attack the worthy men to discredit them--though at the heart of the matter, they don't believe the slanders--and people are no longer judged according to proper and steadfast criteria (ethically), but according to other criteria (politics).

They condemned him therefore with the condemnation of that era that was so devastating: that he was a Christian. And this condemnation led man to dash him to pieces. He was seized, led before rulers, confessed his faith with boldness, suffered all kinds of martyrdom, and thus, his holy soul flew to the heavens like a wholly-white dove to dwell in the heavenly mansions, in order to rejoice together with the Holy Angels and Archangels.

Behold, my beloved, the cause of the persecution and the martyrdom of St. Panteleimon: jealousy.

O jealousy, a great and abyss of a passion! It is a worm and viper that consumes the bowels of he who is jealous, but is also the grave of great men. Terrible are its consequences. If we open the holy stories, we will see that, from the beginning, this was the destruction of the human race. "Out of the jealousy of the devil", says Solomon, "death entered into the world" (Wisdom of Solomon 2:24). Satan was jealous of the magnificence of man, and was filled with wrath against him. Because of this was the first blood spilled upon the earth, due to jealousy. Cain was jealous of his brother Abel and he murdered him "in the field" (Genesis 4:8). From jealousy Esau persecuted Jacob (ibid 27:41), the eleven children of Jacob persecuted Joseph the All-comely (ibid 37), King Saul persecuted David (I Kings 19:10), and a long line of holy men were snuffed out.

And we have examples from our own national history. Great men were snuffed out like the righteous Aristides in antiquity, Socrates who drank the poison, and in later years, Harilaos Trikoubes, etc.

But why do we need other examples? Cast your eye on the Praetorium and to Golgotha. "Which of these two do you wish that I release?" asked Pilate, "Barabbas or Jesus?" Everyone cried out together: "Barabbas". And the Evangelist notes psychologically: "This he did", Pilate, in other words, "for they delivered Him up out of envy." (Matthew 27:18) The envy of the Scribes and Pharisees, which were like fireflies quenched before the great sun that is Christ, led our Lord to Golgotha. Therefore, my brethren, it is a general rule. If there ever appears some person, some worthy personality, who would perform their duty, he will elicit envy and rouse up persecution. Meaningless people do not bother, those who offer help and give their lives to those around them, they are the ones persecuted. St. Paul said this: "All those who desire to live piously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (II Timothy 3:12). All those who believe in Christ will be persecuted, along with all those seek to live according to His commandments. It is their fate. All those living, either through his word or through his example, bring about an earthquake. However, this is an earthquake of salvation. Blessed are the communities who have such men, either in science or in the military or in politics or in the holy clergy, for they become the agents of the proper way.

Pray, my brethren, that the sickness of envy might be healed, that it might abandon you. And may our Lord, through the intercessions of St. Panteleimon, transform all our hearts, and may we go forth with virtue and love, to the glory of God. Amen.

+Bishop Avgoustinos

(Homily of Metropolitan of Florina Avgoustinos Kantiotes, delivered in the Holy Church of St. Panteleimon, Florina, 7/27/1976) (source)

  

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (source)

  

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

Canons in the Eight tones to St. Panteleimon, by St. Joseph the Hymnographer: Third Tone

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (source)

   

Note: The following is my amateur translation of the third canon (in the third tone) in a series of eight canons in the eight tones written by St. Joseph the hymnographer to honor the great martyr and healer of Christ, St. Panteleimon. These are very beautiful and compunctionate hymns, and rightly praise such a great wonderworker of Orthodoxy. For the full texts of the canons in Greek, see here. If I am not mistaken, these are used around the feast of the Saint (i.e. either in the days leading up to or following his feast) in his Monastery on Mount Athos to more fully celebrate this great feast, the feast of the Russian Monastery of the Holy Mountain. May St. Panteleimon intercede for us all, and grant us healing of the passions of our souls and bodies! Amen!

  

Canons in the Eight Tones to St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary

Written by St. Joseph the Hymnographer (+883AD)

   

Canon in the Third Tone

Ode I

Truly, you have been shown to be a Martyr of the Savior, O glorious Panteleimon, as all of the faithful piously know you to be, and to your fervent protection we hasten and cry out: deliver us from every evil, through your intercessions.

You deposed the lawless King, and found the Kingdom not of this world, and on behalf of Christ you suffered pains, O unconquerable Martyr. Ever entreat Him, that every pain might be driven out of our hearts, O glorious one.

With rejoicing, you set off for tortures, O glorious Panteleimon, and you destroyed all the soul-corrupting power of the enemy. Deliver us from this danger, and strengthen us all through your intercessions, O blessed of God.

Theotokion

Daniel beheld you once as a mountain, O Lady who gave birth to God, from which a stone was cut, which truly was made to shatter all the idols of delusion, while refashioning us.

Ode III.

Through calling upon God, you raised the dead man, O wise one, and rejoicing, you offered to Christ your unwavering mind, O Martyr worthy of praise.

Deliver us from the stupor of sins and afflictions and dangers, O Martyr of Christ, we who are ever enriched by you, our unshakable intercessor.

You have blunted the evil arrows of the tempter, O Martyr, through your holy pains. Deliver us from him, we who call upon you with faith.

Theotokion.

The Almighty Lord desired to dwell within your womb, O Theotokos, and gave himself to be born, for our divine rebirth.

Ode IV.

Heal, O Christ, our souls and bodies, through the prayers of Panteleimon, your beloved healer, O Word, and grant us Your good things, O only greatly-merciful One.

You have been shown to the world to be the boast of champions, for you rejoiced in the wounding of your members, O Panteleimon, empowered by the grace of the Bestower-of-Crowns, therefore we praise you.

Deliver us from worldly scandals through your intercessions, entreating for the forgiveness of all kinds of sins, O all blessed one, and the correction of life, for we have been enriched by you, our great protector.

Theotokion.

You alone among women remained incorrupt after childbirth, you alone nursed the Nourisher of all with milk, O Virgin-Mother, therefore we glorify you, and out of necessity bless you with faith.

Ode V.

You were reborn as a sanctified Temple of the All-Holy Spirit, and cast down the temples of the idols to the ground, O all-blessed Panteleimon, therefore, we hymn your intercessions with fervor in your divine temple, and we are saved.

Having been pierced in the flesh and lit aflame by torches, O blessed one, you received refreshment from Christ the Lord Who appeared to you, O Panteleimon, and He extinguished the flame of fire, while lighting the eros of your heart.

Those who were darkened by delusion, beholding your wondrous deeds, O Martyr, were led towards the light of godly knowledge, therefore, shine upon me, who am darkened by sins, and through your prayers, lead me towards the paths of repentance.

Theotokion.

You were shown to be an all-radiant palace of the King, O All-Spotless One, and a fiery throne on which He sat, while lifting up mortals from their ancient prostration, who out of contrition glorify you.

Ode VI.

Your blood ran upon the earth, therefore drying up the rivers of impiety, and watering the hearts of the faithful, O all-famed one, who honor your sacred gifts.

You stopped the mouths of beasts by calling upon Christ, O all-honored one, escaped being food for the lions. Deliver me from this evil, through your prayers, O holy one.

The evildoers bound you to a wheel, while your intellect was bound to Christ, and thus you were unshakable, O ever-memorable one, equal-in-honor to the Angels.

Theotokion.

We honor you with hymns in a godly manner, we who are saved through you, and we pray to you, O Lady Theotokos, to intercede on behalf of all, that we might find your consolation.

Ode VII.

Your nous was mystically radiant and aflame, O ever-memorable Champion, as you hastened to dark tortures, chanting: blessed are You, O God.

O Champion, you rejoiced enduring being boiled, receiving therefore divine refreshment. But entreat that we might be delivered from eternal fire through your prayers.

Chanting unto Holy God, you completed the contest. But we entreat you, O holy one, that we who have gathered unto the glory of God and to honor you, might be delivered from every danger.

Theotokion.

As one wider than the heavens, you have birth to God, Who is uncontainable by everything. Entreat Him, that we be delivered from every sadness, O Birth-giver of God.

Ode VIII.

You were thrown into prison, while you rejoiced in the spirit, O Martyr, and you kept the commandments of Christ, while unbinding through your shackles, the evil of the enemy, crying out: Bless the Lord, all you His works.

Having been set aflame by the fire of divine love, you were not afraid of the fire that ever burns, O wise one, but you ceaselessly cried out to Christ in joy: Blessed are You, O God of our Fathers.

O Martyr who once enlightened the eyes of the blind man, open the eyes of my heart, through your prayers, O Panteleimon, that I might see the divine light and live.

Theotokion.

The Lord took on flesh from your, O All-Spotless One, and appeared to men upon the earth, delivering from ignorance and shining upon all with the light of knowledge. Entreat Him, O Virgin, for those who now bless you.

Ode IX.

You finished the contest in holiness, having moved the people who beheld your wonders, O every-memorable one, and you took refuge in God, and received the crowns of the Martyrs in the Spirit. With Him we honor you, O Panteleimon, and magnify you with faith.

As your zeal for the faith was fervent, O adornment of Champions, you quenched the fire of impiety, and appeared to the world as a light, shining forth with the rays of healings, O Panteleimon, for those who ever take refuge in your protection.

In imitation of Christ, you became a spring of compassion, showing mercy on those who hasten to you, O Champion. But I entreat that you might become a helper to me in my infirmity, helping me to lighten the burden of my sins through your prayers.

The day of my death is approaching, O my soul, put off laziness and cry out to Christ in contrition: on that coming day, deliver me, O Word, from condemnation, through the sacred supplications of Your Champion Panteleimon.

Theotokion.

You were made to be a most-awesome dwelling place of the Lord and God, a most-holy home, O All-Spotless One, for Him Who dwelt within you. Entreat Him ceaselessly, that all of us might be delivered from the danger of the enemy, and from the condemnation of the fire of Gehenna.

 

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (source)

  

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

Canons in the Eight tones to St. Panteleimon, by St. Joseph the Hymnographer: Second Tone

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary Healer of Christ (source)

   

Note: The following is my amateur translation of the second canon (in the second tone) in a series of eight canons in the eight tones written by St. Joseph the hymnographer to honor the great martyr and healer of Christ, St. Panteleimon. These are very beautiful and compunctionate hymns, and rightly praise such a great wonderworker of Orthodoxy. For the full texts of the canons in Greek, see here. If I am not mistaken, these are used around the feast of the Saint (i.e. either in the days leading up to or following his feast) in his Monastery on Mount Athos to more fully celebrate this great feast, the feast of the Russian Monastery of the Holy Mountain. May St. Panteleimon intercede for us all, and grant us healing of the passions of our souls and bodies! Amen!

  

Canons in the Eight Tones to St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary

Written by St. Joseph the Hymnographer (+883AD)

Canon II in the Second Tone

The acrostic, from the first to the seventh, according to alphabet, in the eight and ninth: “Song of Joseph”

Ode I. Come, O people.

Entreat for our sanctification and enlightenment from God, O all-joyous one, for those who praise you with holy melodies, and who are enriched by you as a divine protector.

You disdained royal and lawless commandments, and hastened to the eternal, heavenly Kingdom, which you received, having struggled, O Panteleimon.

You clearly denied the generation and the worldly pride, O wise one, and struggled steadfastly. Entreat the Savior, that those who ever hymn you may be saved.

Theotokion.

You are the glory of the faithful, O Birth-giver of God. Make those who faithfully hymn you to partake of the joy to come and eternal glory, through your protection.

Ode III. Strengthen us.

Having believed in God and having called upon Him in holiness, you raised the dead man, O blessed one. But entreat that I be saved, who am dead by all kinds of offenses.

Having desired the true life, you endured the storms of tortures, O all-blessed one, and were tied to a tree, as your flesh was torn apart with iron.

The Judgment is now at the gates, be watchful, my soul, and cry out: “Save me, have mercy on me, O Master, through the intercessions of Your divine Champion.”

Theotokion.

Having given birth to God in the flesh, O Virgin, ceaselessly entreat on behalf of those who hymn you, O unshameable protection of the world.

Ode IV. I have hearkend, O Lord.

You were offered as a pure sacrifice to Him Who was pierced for us, O greatly-suffering Martyr Panteleimon.

Your flesh was utterly and mercilessly burned with torches, O all-blessed one, as you received divine refreshment from on high.

Enlighten me with the light of repentance, through your bright prayers, O Champion, and deliver me from eternal torments.

Theotokion.

Cleanse us all from the pollution of the passions, O Birthgiver of God, for you bore the Source of dispassion.

Ode V. O, the source of light.

Keeping the law of God, and deposing the wiles of the lawless, you were cast into the sea, O Martyr, but were saved by the mighty hand of Christ, our only God.

You struggled in a strange manner, and befriended God, O glorious one. Enlighten the eye of our heart, which was darkened by the passions of life, O wise one.

Theotokion.

O Pure and Virgin Mother, the eternal beauty of the Champions, and the refuge of those repenting, help us, who are terribly endangered on the sea of life.

Ode VI. In the abyss of offenses.

Arrayed with divine grace, O all-blessed one, amidst beasts you remained unmoved, O glorious Panteleimon, amazing all who gazed upon you with faith.

We have been enriched by you as our protector and most-fervent intercessor, O Panteleimon,. Deliver us from fatal trials and dishonorable passions, through your prayers.

Those who beheld the multitudes of wonders worked by you came to believe in Christ, O Champion, and you inherited that [eternal] mansion through your blood of martyrdom.

Theotokion.

Entreat the All-good Word, O you who are graced by God, on behalf of us all, that we be granted remission of offenses, and that we receive eternal life.

Ode VII. The children were shown to be rhetors.

As your members were utterly flogged on behalf of the Lord, O Champion, you were unjustly bound to a wheel, but preserved by the hand of an Angel, and you conquered the bodiless foes through your body, O blessed-one.

Through the grace and strength of Christ, you joyously cast out our illnesses, O godly-minded Panteleimon, therefore I cry out to you: heal the passions of of my heart, entreating the Good and only Benefactor [Christ].

Preserve my soul from every snare of the enemies, O Panteleimon, I entreat you, that as you formerly healed the paralytic, now heal me, that I might walk the good path righteously, through your prayers.

Theotokion.

As the Throne of the King of All, you became fiery, O Chaste One, in which sat He Who raised those bodies long-dead, and refashioned those who had been terribly shattered by sin.

Ode VIII. In the furnace fire.

Rejoicing in mind, you were placed in boiling oil, but were not burned, as you were aflame, O Martyr, with the love of Christ, and you received the refreshment from on high. Therefore, we honor you, O wise Panteleimon.

You stood with your feet immovable on the rock of the knowledge of Christ, and were not shaken by the many forms of tortures which were thrown at you in evil. Therefore, we hymn you, unto all the ages.

Theotokion.

I ceaselessly entreat you, O Birthgiver of God, to deliver me from the evil path and impure thoughts, and every other soul-corrupting danger, that I might hymn you, unto all the ages.

Ode IX. God the Word from God.

That you might gain the riches of heaven, O Martyr, you counted the thoughts and joys of this world as refuse, and endured the greatest pains of your flesh manfully, thus righteously pleasing the Master of all.

Having imitated Christ, the Giver of Mercy, O Panteleimon, you were renamed according to the mercy which you showed towards all men, as you truly pour forth healing for every disease, O godly-minded one, for those who hasten to you.

Through your prayers for us, O Martyr, deliver us from the many forms of temptations, and terrible sicknesses and afflictions, O Panteleimon, and deliver from the eternal fire those who hasten to your protection with faith, O all-joyous one.

The awesome [Second] Coming of the Master approaches; who would not be pained at you, O wretched soul? Hasten, arise, cry out to Jesus, my God: “have mercy on me, save me, through the prayers of the wise Champion, as the only Surpassing-Good One.”

Theotokion.

I am a lover of sin, and I shudder at the Judgment which awaits me there, O Birth-giver of God and All-Spotless One, namely terrible punishment. Therefore, I entreat your motherly prayers, which surpass understanding, to have mercy on me and save me.

(source)

   

For Canon I (in First Tone) to St. Panteleimon, see here.

   

St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (source)

  

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

The Holy Monastery of St. Panteleimon, Kokkinara, and St. Matrona of Moscow

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

 The Holy Monastery of St. Panteleimon, Kokkinara, Penteli (source)

   

The Holy Monastery of St. Panteleimon, Kokkinara, Penteli (amateur translations below)

The Holy Monastery of the glorious Great Martyr and Healer St. Panteleimon is found on the north limit of a property of the founding and historic Holy Monastery of the Bodiless Powers, named "Petraki", which is in the area of Kokkinara of Mount Penteli, a short distance below the peak of St. Panteleimon (870 meters).

This property (6,000 stremata then), as it appears in the Great Codex of the Kyriarchou of the Holy Monastery, on March 29th 1837, was purchased (as also its whole property and not from gifts) from those who were then living there in asceticism for their benefit and relief, because after the armed and glorious revolution of [Greece] in 1821, the Holy Monastery was stripped of many of its properties, which it gave to the then newly-organized State, for the creation of a series of common works.

Within the scope of the Monastery were built the Hospital Artetaion, Evangelismos, N.I.M.T.S., The Children's Hospital, etc. the Academy, the National Library, Alse Sygrou, and Pangratiou, City Schools and Parks, the Workhouse of the Merciful for the Poor, the Marasleios, the Gennadeios, and other important buildings of the capital.

 Mosaic of St. Panteleimon outside the Katholikon of the Monastery (source)

 
In the property of Kokkinara, therefore, there was a church in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon, along with some cells, which were used at times by some Fathers visiting the Holy Metochion (Dependency).

It should be noted that the area was inhabited from before then. The Abbot of the Monastery of Penteli, Kyrillos Degleres, in his Apomnemoneumata mentions that "he (the founder of the Monastery of Penteli, St. Timothy, before 1578) went from end to end of the Penteli mountain, finding there various learned clerics inhabiting it, wherever on the mountain there was water and a church, including St. George Kokkinara, St. John, St. Panteleimon, St. Luke, St. Chrysostom, St. Nicholas in the Cave, the Taxiarchs in Kamari, the Frankish church at Boyiate, and St. Peter. All of these places were on Penteli Mountain, and those who dwelt on it were marked with gardens, for in all these areas there was water." (V. D. Kampouroglou, History of Athens) These learned monks, with their meager belongings and their small synodeies, descended from their cells to the Monastery which was founded by St. Timothy for Liturgy, and eventually joined the Monastery of Penteli.

 The Monastery of St. Panteleimon, Kokkinara, Penteli (source)

 
This property was noted in the codex of Petraki Monastery as "a marble-bearing area". Truly, the whole Mount of Penteli was known since antiquity as the most ancient marble mine, of an exceptional amount, the white marble of with which was used to construct many ancient and newer monuments of Athens, such as the Parthenon, the Erectheion, the Propylaia, the Theseion, the Temple of the Olympian Dios, the Academy of Athens, the Palace of Otto (today the Greek Parliment), etc. Three were the most significant mines that functioned on Mount Penteli: "Raikou", "Maltezou", and "Kokkinara".

With the State law (669/77), however, the uses of the southwest mountain for mining marble were  stopped. Because of this, however, Mount Penteli was then proclaimed a "place of special natural beauty". The recent fires and the former mining of marble had destroyed much of its natural beauty, despite the activities to fill the area with material from the construction of the Attica highway.

Elder Simon Arvanitis (+1989) (source)

 
In 1965, the ever-memorable Elder Simon Arvanitis, the then Priest of the parish Church of St. Barbara Lykovrysi of the Metropolis of Attica, requested and received the Dependency of St. Panteleimon with the desire to render it a workshop for souls. And this granting of rest through the Mystery of Repentance on the one hand was through the asceticism of the Fathers that had come to dwell with him, and on the other hand, for the many multitudes of pilgrims and spiritual children of his. He built a new Church, cells, supporting areas and reception spaces for the many pilgrims, who began to flood the Dependency.

In the place of the ailing Elder Simon (+1988) was placed in 1984 Archimandrite Joseph Manettas, and in 2007, at the decision of the Abbot's Council of the Monastery, the Metochiares (Head of the Dependency) was made Archimandrite Onouphrios Kostopoulos.

 Bishop and Abbot of Petraki Monastery Iakovos (right) and Elder Onouphrios (left), with many pilgrims, at a recent feast of St. Panteleimon at the Dependency (source)

   
Today, at the Holy Dependency of St. Panteleimon, there are nine monks and hieromonks living under Elder Onouphrios, taking up the struggle to remodel and beautify it. Besides the former Fathers of the Dependency, since 2007 six new Fathers have been tonsured by [now Bishop] Iakovos Mpizaourte, taking up the "good fight".

Outside of the Katholikon of the Dependency are Chapels dedicated to St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain, the Transfiguration of the Savior, the Holy Apostles (where are preserved many holy relics of various Saints), of St. Nektarios, and of the Akathist hymn.
(source)
 

 Wondrous icon of St. Matrona of Moscow, treasured by the Monastery of St. Panteleimon, Kokkinara, Penteli, with many offerings and flowers given out of love and thanks to the Saint (source)

 
In the Holy Dependency is preserved a portion of the Precious Relic, and also the Holy and Honored Icon of the Wonderworking St. Matrona of Russia, the Blind, through which countless miracles have taken place, and which have become a wonderworking spring of healings for all those who hasten to venerate the Saint with reverence. Witnesses to the incomparable miracles that are worked are the countless offerings placed upon the icon by the faithful, along with the many fragrant flowers which they offer in her honor, as she had great love for them during her earthly life.

Her memory is honored with a festal holy Vigil from May 1st - 2nd every year, during which a multitude of the Faithful approach this place to honor this great and wonderworking Saint of our Church.
(source)
 

 The Holy Relic of St. Matrona of Moscow, treasured by the Monastery of St. Panteleimon, Kokkinara, Penteli (source)

 
The Holy Dependency of St. Panteleimon, Kokkinara, Penteli,
in the Holy Archdiocese of Athens,
under the Holy Monastery of the Bodiless Powers, Petraki

Visiting Hours
The Holy Dependency receives pious pilgrims daily according to the following schedule:
-Tuesday to Friday - 9AM-1PM, and 4PM until the end of the service.
-Saturday - 9AM-1PM, and 4-6:30PM (winter hours) vs. 5-7:30PM (summer hours)
-Sunday - 7AM-1PM, and 4-6:30PM (winter hours) vs. 5-7:30PM (summer hours)
-Every Monday the Dependency is closed to pilgrims.
(source)

 The icon of St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr in the monastery that bears his name, Kokkinara (source)

   
Schedule of Services
Daily services (Vespers, Orthros and Divine Liturgy) are celebrated in the evening (beginning at 8:30PM).

The morning of the following day there is no Divine Liturgy, and the gate of the Monastery opens at 9AM.

Saturday and Sunday Vespers are celebrated at 6PM, and the Sunday Divine Liturgy is at 7AM. And the rest confirms the canonical program of the Holy Dependency.
(source)
 

 The Holy Monastery of St. Panteleimon, Kokkinara, Penteli (source)

 

Christ is risen from the dead, by dead, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs, He has granted life! Truly the Lord is risen!