Lives of all saints commemorated on October 22

The Sunday following Pentecost is dedicated to All Saints, both those who are known to us, and those who are known only to God. There have been saints at all times, and they have come from every corner of the earth. They were Apostles, Martyrs, Prophets, Hierarchs, Monastics, and Righteous, yet all were perfected by the same Holy Spirit.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to rise above our fallen state and to attain sainthood, thereby fulfilling God’s directive to “be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16, etc.). Therefore, it is fitting to commemorate All Saints on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

This feast may have originated at an early date, perhaps as a celebration of all martyrs, then it was broadened to include all men and women who had borne witness to Christ by their virtuous lives, even if they did not shed their blood for Him.

Saint Peter of Damascus, in his “Fourth Stage of Contemplation,” mentions five categories of saints: Apostles, Martyrs, Prophets, Hierarchs, and Monastic Saints (Philokalia [in English] Vol. 3, p.131). He is actually quoting from the Octoechos, Tone 2 for Saturday Matins, kathisma after the first stichology.

Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain (July 14) adds the Righteous to Saint Peter’s five categories. The list of Saint Νikόdēmos is found in his book The Fourteen Epistles of Saint Paul (Venice, 1819, p. 384) in his discussion of I Corinthians 12:28.

The hymnology for the feast of All Saints also lists six categories: “Rejoice, assembly of the Apostles, Prophets of the Lord, loyal choirs of the Martyrs, divine Hierarchs, Monastic Fathers, and the Righteous....”

Some of the saints are described as Confessors, a category which does not appear in the above lists. Since they are similar in spirit to the martyrs, they are regarded as belonging to the category of Martyrs. They were not put to death as the Martyrs were, but they boldly confessed Christ and came close to being executed for their faith. Saint Maximus the Confessor (January 21) is such a saint.

The order of these six types of saints seems to be based on their importance to the Church. The Apostles are listed first, because they were the first to spread the Gospel throughout the world.

The Martyrs come next because of their example of courage in professing their faith before the enemies and persecutors of the Church, which encouraged other Christians to remain faithful to Christ even unto death.

Although they come first chronologically, the Prophets are listed after the Apostles and Martyrs. This is because the Old Testament Prophets saw only the shadows of things to come, whereas the Apostles and Martyrs experienced them firsthand. The New Testament also takes precedence over the Old Testament.

The holy Hierarchs comprise the fourth category. They are the leaders of their flocks, teaching them by their word and their example.

The Monastic Saints are those who withdrew from this world to live in monasteries, or in seclusion. They did not do this out of hatred for the world, but in order to devote themselves to unceasing prayer, and to do battle against the power of the demons. Although some people erroneously believe that monks and nuns are useless and unproductive, Saint John Climacus had a high regard for them: “Angels are a light for monks, and the monastic life is a light for all men” (LADDER, Step 26:31).

The last category, the Righteous, are those who attained holiness of life while living “in the world.” Examples include Abraham and his wife Sarah, Job, Saints Joachim and Anna, Saint Joseph the Betrothed, Saint Juliana of Lazarevo, and others.

The feast of All Saints achieved great prominence in the ninth century, in the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise (886-911). His wife, the Holy Empress Theophano (December 16) lived in the world, but was not attached to worldly things. She was a great benefactor to the poor, and was generous to the monasteries. She was a true mother to her subjects, caring for widows and orphans, and consoling the sorrowful.

Even before the death of Saint Theophano in 893 or 894, her husband started to build a church, intending to dedicate it to Theophano, but she forbade him to do so. It was this emperor who decreed that the Sunday after Pentecost be dedicated to All Saints. Believing that his wife was one of the righteous, he knew that she would also be honored whenever the Feast of All Saints was celebrated.

The “Unbreakable (or “Indestructible”) Wall” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated on the Sunday of All Saints. It is an XI century mosaic icon of the Blachernae type, above the main altar of Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral. The Mother of God is depicted against a golden background, standing with upraised hands on a quadrangular gold platform.

In some Icons of this type [but not in the mosaic Icon], Christ is depicted within a mandorla, an oval or circle, symbolizing the glory of Heaven, or the Divine Light.

The Icon is called the "Unbreakable Wall" because for ten centuries it has remained intact, in spite of the fact that both Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral and the city have been damaged several times. An ancient description of this Icon has been preserved: "A gigantic full-length portrait of the Theotokos.... She stands upon a gold stone, as an unshakable foundation for all who resort to her protection. Her chiton is blue, and she wears a scarlet belt. Hanging from it is an embroidered cloth with which she wipes away so many tears.

There are several possible sources for this Icon's title:

1. The Prophet-King David wrote "God is in the midst of her (i. e. the city of God); she shall not be moved: God shall help her with his countenance" (Psalm 45/46:5).
2. "Thus the Lord showed me; and behold, he stood upon a wall of adamant..." (Amos 7:7, LXX).
3. The Akathist to the Mother of God, Ikos 12. "Rejoice, indestructible wall of kingdoms" - Ikos XII).

According to Kievan tradition, the wall of the church will not perish while the hands of the Mother of God are extended over it.

On the Seven Arrows Icon, the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted without the Divine Infant. She inclines her head toward her right shoulder, and her heart is pierced with seven arrows or swords, of which four are on the left side and three on the right. A similar image of the Mother of God is also found on the icons "Softener of Evil Hearts," and "Simeon's Prophecy," on which the swords are placed somewhat differently: three on the right and left, and the seventh at the bottom.

The "Seven Arrows" Icon is at least 600 years old. For a long time, the holy image was at the landing in the bell tower of the church of the Apostle John the Theologian (near Vologda). The Icon, facing downward, was mistaken for an ordinary board on which people walked, until a paralyzed man in the city of Kadnikov had a vision in which it was revealed that he would receive healing after praying before this Icon. A Moleben was served before the Icon, and the man recovered.

The Icon became especially famous in 1830 during an outbreak of cholera in Vologda.

The real, authentic image (the "Seven Arrows" Icon) is now in the church of Saint Lazarus, in Vologda. The Icon has been in that temple since 1945, after the Great Patriotic War.

Muscovites can pray before the wonderworking copies located in the Moscow region. There are two images of the "Seven Arrows" Mother of God. Both exude an amazing myrrh - an oily liquid which inexplicably appeared on them.

The first copy of the "Seven Arrows" Icon is now in the church dedicated to the Holy Archangel Michael, located in Moscow. The second copy is in the village of Bachurino in the Moscow region.

The Feast Day of this Icon is celebrated on August 13, and on the Sunday of All Saints (First Sunday after Pentecost).

The same Troparion and Kontakion are used for the "Seven Arrows" Icon (August 13), and the "Softener of Evil Hearts" Icon (Sunday of All Saints).

The Holy Hierarch Averkios of Hieropolis lived in Phrygia during the second century. The city of Hieropolis was inhabited by many pagans and very few Christians. The Saint prayed to the Lord for the salvation of their souls, and that they might be numbered among God’s chosen flock. An Angel appeared and bade Saint Averkios to destroy the idols in the pagan temple. He obeyed this command with zeal. Hearing that the idol-worshippers wanted to kill him, the Saint went to a place where people had gathered and openly denounced the failure of the pagans when they attempted to seize him.

At that moment three demon-possessed youths in the crowd cried out. The people were dumbfounded as the Hierarch expelled demons from them by his prayers. Seeing the youths restored to normal, the people of Hieropolis asked Saint Averkios to instruct them in the Christian Faith, and then they received Holy Baptism.

After this Saint Averkios went to the surrounding cities and villages, healing the sick and preaching the Kingdom of God. With his preaching he made the rounds of Syria, Cilicia, Mesopotamia, he also visited Rome. Everywhere he went he converted multitudes of people to Christ. For many years he guarded the Church against heretics, confirming Christians in the Faith, and setting the prodigal upon the path of righteousness. He also healed the sick and proclaimed the glory of Christ. Because of his great works, Saint Averkios is called an “Equal of the Apostles.”

Saint Averkios returned home to Hieropolis, where he soon rested from his labors. After his repose, many miracles took place at his tomb. He wrote his own epitaph, and it was carved on his tombstone, which is now in the Lateran Museum.

The skull of Saint Averkios is located in the Monastery of Most Pure Theotokos on the island of Andros. Fragments from the Holy Relic of Saint Averkios are also found in the Monasteries of Karakalou on the Holy Mountain, at Proussos in Evritania, and Phaneromeni in Salamis.

The Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, lived in the third century. Saint Maximilian was the son of the Ephesus city administrator, and the other six youths were sons of illustrious citizens of Ephesus. The youths were friends from childhood, and all were in military service together.

When the emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he commanded all the citizens to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Torture and death awaited anyone who disobeyed. The seven youths were denounced by informants, and were summoned to reply to the charges. Appearing before the emperor, the young men confessed their faith in Christ.

Their military belts and insignia were quickly taken from them. Decius permitted them to go free, however, hoping that they would change their minds while he was off on a military campaign. The youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom.

The youngest of them, Saint Iamblicus, dressed as a beggar and went into the city to buy bread. On one of his excursions into the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and was looking for them. Saint Maximilian urged his companions to come out of the cave and present themselves for trial.

Learning where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the saints would perish from hunger and thirst. Two of the dignitaries at the blocked entrance to the cave were secret Christians. Desiring to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed in the cave a sealed container containing two metal plaques. On them were inscribed the names of the seven youths and the details of their suffering and death.

The Lord placed the youths into a miraculous sleep lasting almost two centuries. In the meantime, the persecutions against Christians had ceased. During the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) there were heretics who denied that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are disintegrated?” Others affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration, since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years, when even their dust would not remain.” Therefore, the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through His seven saints.

The owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. The Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed.

Preparing to accept torture, the youths once again asked Saint Iamblicus to buy bread for them in the city. Going toward the city, the youth was astonished to see a cross on the gates. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ freely spoken, he began to doubt that he was approaching his own city.

When he paid for the bread, Iamblicus gave the merchant coins with the image of the emperor Decius on it. He was detained, as someone who might be concealing a horde of old money. They took Saint Iamblicus to the city administrator, who also happened to be the Bishop of Ephesus. Hearing the bewildering answers of the young man, the bishop perceived that God was revealing some sort of mystery through him, and went with other people to the cave.

At the entrance to the cave the bishop found the sealed container and opened it. He read upon the metal plaques the names of the seven youths and the details of the sealing of the cave on the orders of the emperor Decius. Going into the cave and seeing the saints alive, everyone rejoiced and perceived that the Lord, by waking them from their long sleep, was demonstrating to the Church the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead.

Soon the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and spoke with the young men in the cave. Then the holy youths, in sight of everyone, lay their heads upon the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the General Resurrection.

The emperor wanted to place each of the youths into a jeweled coffin, but they appeared to him in a dream and said that their bodies were to be left upon the ground in the cave. In the twelfth century the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the holy relics of the seven youths in the cave.

There is a second commemoration of the seven youths on August 4. According to one tradition, which entered into the Russian PROLOGUE (of Saints’ Lives), the youths fell asleep for the second time on this day. The Greek MENAION of 1870 says that they first fell asleep on August 4, and woke up on October 22.

There is a prayer of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the GREAT BOOK OF NEEDS (Trebnik) for those who are ill and cannot sleep. The Seven Sleepers are also mentioned in the service for the Church New Year, September 1.

The third century century was a time when Christianity experienced significant growth among those who worshipped idols. Many of these were killed simply because they believed in Christ and refused to worship idols.

Saint Alexander was the Bishop of Adrianopolis, who proclaimed the Gospel with great zeal to crowds of idolaters, and his preaching attracted many pagans to Christ. In spite of the persecution of Christians, Bishop Alexander fearlessly converted and baptized many pagans into the divine Faith. This so infuriated the ruler of that place that he ordered the Saint's arrest and subjected him to torture in order to force him to offer sacrifice to the idols. Saint Alexander endured horrible tortures with exemplary patience because he refused to worship the lifeless idols fashioned by men, preferring to offer himself as a sacrifice to Christ, the true God Who said: "Whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25).

A soldier named Herakleios, after witnessing Bishop Alexander's fortitude, came to believe in Christ. He was tortured before being beheaded.

By the grace of God, Saint Alexander was healed of the wounds he sustained from being tortured. When this miracle was made known, four women, Theodótē, Glykerίa, Anna, and Elizabeth also confessed their faith in Christ before the archon, refuting the delusion of idolatry. Therefore, they were led to the place of execution, where they were put to death by the sword.

After the other martyrs were killed, Saint Alexander was beheaded with a sword, obtaining an unfading crown from Christ.

The Commemoration of the Deliverance of Moscow From the Poles by the Kazan Icon was established in gratitude for the deliverance of Moscow and all Russia from the incursion of the Polish in 1612. The end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth centuries is known in Russian history as “the Time of Troubles.” The country suffered the onslaught of Polish armies, which scoffed at the Orthodox Faith, plundering and burning churches, cities and villages. Through deceit they succeeded in taking Moscow. In response to the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes (May 12), the Russian people rose up in defense of its native land. From Kazan, the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God was sent to the army headed by Prince Demetrius Pozharsky.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov (September 21), in his Discourse on the Day of Appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God at Kazan (July 8), said:

“The Mother of God delivered from misfortune and woe not only the righteous, but also sinners, but which sinners? those who turn themselves to the Heavenly Father like the Prodigal Son, they make lamentation beating their bosom, like the Publican, they weep at the feet of Christ, like the Sinful Woman washing His feet with her tears, and they offer forth confession of Him, like the Thief upon the Cross. It is such sinners whom the All-Pure Mother of God heeds and hastens to aid, delivering them from great misfortunes and woe.”

Knowing that they suffered such misfortunes for their sins, the whole nation and the militia imposed upon themselves a three-day fast. With prayer, they turned to the Lord and His All-Pure Mother for help. The prayer was heard. Saint Sergius of Radonezh appeared to Saint Arsenius (afterwards Bishop of Suzdal) and said that if Moscow were to be saved, then people must pray to the Most Holy Virgin. Emboldened by the news, Russian forces on October 22, 1612 liberated Moscow from the Polish usurpers. A celebration in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in 1649. Even in our day this icon is especially revered by the Russian Orthodox nation.

The Kazan Icon is also commemorated on July 8.

The Andronicus Icon of the Mother of God was a family icon of the Byzantine emperor Andronicus III. In 1347 he gave the icon to the Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos. From here the image was sent to Russia in 1839. In 1877 the holy icon was placed in a temple of the Kazan women’s monastery near Vyshnii Volochek. Other Feast days of this icon are May 1 and July 8.

Saints Paul and Theodore of Rostov founded a monastery at the River Ust, not far from Rostov, in honor of the holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb (May 2). Saint Theodore (November 28) first came to the site of the future monastery from the Novgorod region. Saint Paul came three years later for ascetic struggles.

Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5) came to Rostov, his native region, in 1363. Learning of this, Saints Theodore and Paul went to the great ascetic for spiritual counsel. Saint Sergius visited their wilderness monastery and blessed them to build a church there named for the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb. Already during the construction of this first church, monks began gathering around the ascetics. The igumen, Saint Theodore, joyfully accepted all who came. Soon a second temple was built in honor of the Annunciation of the Theotokos.

Setting the Borisoglebsk monastery in order, Saint Theodore entrusted its direction to Saint Paul. Then he himself took several disciples and withdrew into the Vologda forest. Here at White Lake, near to the confluence of the River Kouzha into it, he founded a monastery and lived an ascetic life for several years. He built a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, set the monastery in order, and appointed an igumen for it.

After receiving a revelation about his impending death, he returned to the Boris and Gleb monastery, where he died on October 22, 1409. Saint Paul directed the two monasteries for a certain time, then he also died at the Monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb.

Saint Lot was a wise ascetic of the desert who reposed in peace in the early fifth century. Some of his sayings are to be found in the "Paradise of the Fathers," which describes the life of the anchorites, recluses, monks, coenobites and ascetic Fathers of the deserts of Egypt compiled by Saint Athanasios of Alexandria, Saint Palladius, Bishop of Helenopolis, Saint Jerome and others.

Saint Nikodemos (Νikόdēmos) of the Holy Mountain writes: "In the Paradise of the Fathers, it is said that Saint Lot asked Abba Joseph of Panephysis the following question: 'Abba, as much as I am able, I pray a little, fast a little, study, and keep silent. According to my strength, I keep my mind free of evil thoughts. What else should I do?' "

Then Abba Joseph stood up and lifted his hands to heaven. And - O the miracle - the ten fingers of his hands became like ten lit candles, then he said to Abba Lot. "Strive, if you will, so that in prayer you may become entirely like a flame."

In Greek usage Abba Lot is commemorated on October 22. He is also commemorated with the Holy God-bearing Fathers who shone forth in the ascetic life, on Cheesefare Saturday at Matins (Ode 4 of the Canon).