On St. Spyridon
O venerable father, all-praised and holy hierarch, filled with the teaching of the apostles, and manifest as the habitation of the divine Spirit by thy virtuous life, with thy teachings thou didst drive off the wolves that beset the Church, and didst make clear the Faith of the Orthodox, and wast a pillar and champion of piety. Wherefore, working wonders in days past, thou didst transform a serpent into gold, and didst raise up a dead woman to question her. O thou that art right-wondrous among the fathers, conversor with teachers, entreat the Savior, that He save our souls!
- Vespers Hymn to St. Spyridon
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On Thursday, December 25 (12 December on the Church calendar), we will celebrate the feast of our patron saint, Spyridon, Bishop of Tremithus, the Wonderworker. Along with his contemporary, St. Nicholas, who like St. Spyridon was present at the First Ecumenical Council, our saint is a great example of a loving and self-sacrificial shepherd who was also a fearless defender of the Faith.
People today tend to divide pastors into two kinds: There are those who are interested in “social questions” and “serving people’s needs,” who are “out there” feeding the poor, counseling, and so forth, but who do not care much about theology, church services, fasting, or prayer. Then there are the “churchy” clergy who spend their time in spiritual pursuits, theological study, and specifically ecclesiastical questions, but who are “out of touch” and “don’t help anyone.”
The problem with the first kind of priest, of course, is that he is not fulfilling his divine vocation. He has reduced his faith to the level of humanism. Christ did not come to “help society” but to save men for eternity. The problem with the second kind is that he often fails to put the simple commandments of the Gospel into practice: “I was hungry and ye gave me to eat, I was thirsty and ye gave me to drink...” He has the divine treasure but somehow does not always share it.
In great and holy men like St. Spyridon there is no division or conflict between these two “types.” His humble service to the poor and those in distress was based entirely on his burning faith and love for God. He did not practice the phony love of humanists who want to“ make the world a better place to live in” but who are full of vanity, contempt for God, and, ironically, contempt for the man in front of them. Rather,the love of St. Spyridon was the vigorous and childlike love for God that is bold, direct, and even violent, in fulfillment of the Lord’s words, that the “violent take the Kingdom of heaven by force. ” He believed with absolute, simple, and childlike purity, and he acted on this belief without hesitation.
On this, our parish feast day, let us re-dedicate ourselves to our saint. Of course, we praise his memory; of course, we ask his help. But, besides this, we must strive to imitate his virtues. This is the offering which will please him the most and bring us closest to him.
Let us imitate his burning love for God by persisting in our efforts to have many Divine Services and by each of us striving to grow in prayer and fasting.
Let us imitate his bold faith by standing firm in our witness to Orthodoxy and not being swayed by the opinions of the “fashionable”.
Let us imitate his love for man by practicing sincere hospitality (philoxenia) and unhypocritcal Christian love (agapi) for those who come to us hurting and confused, in search of their salvation, regardless of their wealth or status.
By the prayers of our great saint, may our parish grow as and be known as a safe haven and a true family in Christ for those who sincerely seek the salvation of their souls.
The Life of St. Spyridon may be found here on our website.