On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America presided over the Great Vespers of Saint Demetrios the Myrrh-Streamer at Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Merrick, New York.
“To be with you for the Great Vespers on the Feast of your Heavenly Patron, the Holy Great-Martyr and Myrrh-Streamer Demetrios, is truly a great spiritual joy. Tonight, we honor the mighty captain of men who became an Angelic General through his bravery in spiritual combat that tested his heart, his mind, his faith, and his very flesh,” Archbishop Elpidophoros remarked.
Read below the speech of Archbishop Elpidophoros of America
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
To be with you for the Great Vespers on the Feast of your Heavenly Patron, the Holy Great-Martyr and Myrrh-Streamer Demetrios, is truly a great spiritual joy. Tonight, we honor the mighty captain of men who became an Angelic General through his bravery in spiritual combat that tested his heart, his mind, his faith, and his very flesh. Let us remember that in Thessaloniki – the city he ruled, and the city in which he was martyred – there was even a Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάδα for the Saint.
Saint Demetrios is one of the Princes of the military saints of the Church, whose very nature is a kind of challenge for the Church. For the Lord did say: “Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.”* Violence – in any form, is never sanctioned by the Church, and should never be seen as a solution. Violence only breeds violence. We are witnessing in our days horrific violence served up by drones and distant missiles. Saint Demetrios lived in day when the violence of war was face to face. There was no escaping the bloodletting.
Most people do not know that there is a Sacred Canon of our Holy Church, authored by Saint Basil the Great, which says that those who have been in war should refrain from receiving Holy Communion for three years, because they have participated in the shedding of blood. But we are not to see this as a punishment; rather, it is a pastoral call to action for the Church to minister to those who have engaged in battle. Today, we know about the psychological effects of PTSD, and so did the Holy Fathers of the Church, even if they called it something else. Allowing soldiers returning from war just to go back to their lives, as if they had experienced nothing at all, was never considered a solution.
The love and compassion we should feel for our brave soldiers and for what they have endured to preserve our freedoms is rooted in the example of Saints like the Great-Martyr Demetrios. He served the Empire and the Emperor with honor. But when that service came into conflict with his faith, he laid down his arms – the swords and spears – to take up the Cross of Christ.
For the love of his Lord, Saint Demetrios exchanged the battles of this world for the arena of martyrdom. He gave up conquest in the fields of war by conquering his own heart with true love. He left behind the glories of combat for the everlasting glory of Heaven. And his only trophy – his precious τρόπαιον, was the Cross of Christ. We see in Saint Demetrios the Champion of the Lord, who wins victory not by conquering others, but by conquering himself.
As a victor over the devil, over the world and, ultimately, over himself, he was able to bring strength and courage to others.
As his Apolytikion, which we all know so well, proclaims:
ἐν τῷ σταδίῳ θαρρύνας τὸν Νέστορα…
in the stadium you emboldened Nestor….†
And he was revealed as a Myrrh-Streamer, so that even in death, he would be the one who continually conveys the grace and gifts of God. He remains an angelic General of the ranks of the Saints, whom he leads in intercessions on our behalf.
Therefore, my beloved Christians, let us put away all violence of emotion, of mental opinion and prejudice, and destructive feelings that only hurt the Church. You may ask: “What emotions are these? What feelings are these?”
When we judge others, when we are envious of others, when jealousy and anger prevail in our hearts – then we persecute the Church, for we are the Body of Christ. When we hold grudges against those who might have wronged us, or bear resentment against our own community, this is the war of the devil against the Church.
We must ask ourselves a serious question: “Whose side are we on?” Are we to be counted in the army of the Lord, where Saint Demetrios is our General?
Our spiritual battles are won in our hearts, where, through the Weapon of Peace – the Invincible Cross – we overcome all enemies of self and others through love.
This is the revelation of the Son of God in us. For when we sacrifice our own will, our own desires, and give up our negative emotions, because “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,” ‡ then we are transformed into the persons that God has always intended us to be.
Through the prayers of the Holy Great-Martyr and Myrrh-Streamer Demetrios, may we receive the grace to stand firm in the heavenly army, embrace the Cross, and live the life of love.
Amen.
* Matthew 26:52.
† Apolytikion of the Saint.
‡ Romans 5:5.
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
