• About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Friday, July 18, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
Orthodox Times (en)
  • Home
  • Orthodoxy
    • Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Mount Athos
      • Archdiocese of America
      • Archdiocese of Australia
      • Church of Crete
    • Patriarchates
      • Patriarchate of Alexandria
      • Patriarchate of Antioch
      • Patriarchate of Moscow
      • Patriarchate of Serbia
      • Patriarchate of Romania
      • Patriarchate of Jerusalem
      • Patriarchate of Bulgaria
      • Patriarchate of Georgia
    • Churches
      • Church of Greece
      • Church of Cyprus
      • Church of Poland
      • Church of Albania
      • Church of Czech and Slovakia
      • Church of Ukraine
  • Politics
    • USA
    • Europe
    • Middle East
  • Society
    • Greek Diaspora
    • Culture
  • Spirituality
  • Christianity
  • Opinions
  • Home
  • Orthodoxy
    • Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Mount Athos
      • Archdiocese of America
      • Archdiocese of Australia
      • Church of Crete
    • Patriarchates
      • Patriarchate of Alexandria
      • Patriarchate of Antioch
      • Patriarchate of Moscow
      • Patriarchate of Serbia
      • Patriarchate of Romania
      • Patriarchate of Jerusalem
      • Patriarchate of Bulgaria
      • Patriarchate of Georgia
    • Churches
      • Church of Greece
      • Church of Cyprus
      • Church of Poland
      • Church of Albania
      • Church of Czech and Slovakia
      • Church of Ukraine
  • Politics
    • USA
    • Europe
    • Middle East
  • Society
    • Greek Diaspora
    • Culture
  • Spirituality
  • Christianity
  • Opinions
No Result
View All Result
Orthodox Times (en)
No Result
View All Result

Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated Feast of Saint Gerasimus of the Jordan

Mar 19, 2021 | 09:50
in Carousel Front Page, Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated Feast of Saint Gerasimus of the Jordan

On Thursday of the 1st Week of Lent, March 18, 2021, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated by transference the commemoration of Saint Gerasimus of the Jordan at his Holy Monastery, in the desert of the river Jordan, at a short distance from the river’s estuaries towards the Dead Sea, on the West Bank.

This Monastery was founded by Saint Gerasimus when he came to the Holy Land from his hometown Lycia of Asia Minor, at the time of the Monophysites’ turbulences in AD 451.

For a short while Saint Gerasimus was influenced by the Monophysites’ groups, but Saint Euthymius the Great returned him to the Orthodox faith and since then they co-operated and Saint Gerasimus became an enlightened spiritual guide in this Monastery.

The Monastery was a Coenobium and a Lavra at the same time with thousands of Monks and laity, and the Saint was granted by God the gifts of healing, wonder-working and clairvoyance, as well as the grace to tame wild animals, a fact that is depicted in his icon with the lion.

In this Monastery the Divine Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts was celebrated by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem with co-celebrants; Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, Elder Dragoman Archimandrite Mattheos, Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Eulogios.

The chanting was delivered by Archbishop Aristovoulos of Madaba and Hierodeacon Simeon. The service was attended by the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Evangelos Vlioras, and only a few faithful due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Before the Holy Communion, the Patriarch delivered the following sermon:

“The righteous man shall flourish like a palm tree, and like a cedar in Lebanon shall he be multiplied” (Psalm 91:11), the Psalmist says.

Beloved Brethren in Christ,

Noble Christians

The Jordan desert is rejoicing because the holy commemoration of the Righteous man of God, our God-bearing Father Gerasimus the anchorite, who came from Lycia, has flourished today. The Monastery bearing his name is also rejoicing, the Lavra of old, where the Grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us all, in order to glorify God in Eucharist, the One who has glorified those who glorify Him.

Paying heed to the Lord’s words: “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35); “And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37); Saint Gerasimus retreated to the deeper desert of Thebes and then to the blessed desert of the Jordan, where “he shone like a luminary and sowed the seeds of reverence” Saint Cyril of Scythopolis says.

Having become an imitator “of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises [of the Kingdom]” (Hebrews 6:12), Saint Gerasimus was established as a famous habitant of the Jordan and co-citizen of the Great ascetics, Euthymius the Great, Savvas the Sanctified, Saints Martyrios and Theoktistos and many other anchorites of the Judea desert, who followed the advice of King-Prophet David: “Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth” (Psalm 105:4-5).

Contemporary to him writers, who were also eye-witnesses to his manner of living, present God-bearing Gerasimus not only as “a lover of the things beyond this world”, but also as “a charity treasury” and “a temple of meekness”. In addition to other mortifications of the human passions, the Saint would pass the whole Great Lent without any food but the Holy Communion, for which reason he attained to the height of the vision of the divine glory, as his hymnographer says: “The ladder of divine virtue, thou didst scale with ardour, and thou didst attain to the height of divine noetic vision, receiving reflections pure and clear revealing the divine mysteries of Christ. Hence we honour thee with piety, as we cry, Gerasimus, thou God-bearer: Glory to Christ, Who hath given thee strength. Glory to Him Who hath crowned thee. Glory to Him Who worketh healings for all through thee” (Minaion, March 4, Matins, Sessional Hymn, tone 1).

The noetic vision our Holy Father Gerasimus attained, is no other than the vision of the glory of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who asked His Father not only for those who believed in Him but also for those who would believe in Him through their words [the Disciples’ preaching] “… [24] that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:20-24).

Interpreting these words of the Lord, Saint Cyril of Alexandria says: “the vision of Christ’s glory will neither be granted to the profane and the sinners, nor to those who defile the divine Law, but only to the holy and the benign. And we know this because Prophet Isaiah says: “Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord” (Isaiah 26:10). And in His Gospel preaching, Christ says: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). And who are those who are able to have a pure heart? Without doubt, those who through their union with God, which is made through the Son by the Holy Spirit, have refrained from any kind of love of the flesh, and abhorred worldly desires to the highest level possible. They have refused their lives and submitted them to the will of the Holy Spirit, following Christ’s manner of living in purity and in all other manners. Saint Paul was one of them, who in his utmost purity did not hesitate to say: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2:20).

To our question, in what manner do the Holy and the meek, the pure in heart achieve their union with God, or better say, their deification, the established Church Father Cyril replies: “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one” (John 17:23). For the Son becomes one with us, in flesh, as a man, joined to us with a mystical blessing; and spiritually, as God with the energy and grace of the Holy Spirit, Which regenerates the spirit in us towards a new life and makes us communicants of His divine nature”. The link of our unity with God the Father is always the Son, our Holy Father Cyril remarks. “We complete our unity with God the Father through the intercessor Christ”.

It is precisely this divine completion in Christ, through the intercessor Christ, that Saint Gerasimus achieved, through his ascetic striving of fasting, abstinence, unceasing prayer and defeating hordes of demons, as his hymnographer says: “with the assaults of thy prayers, thou didst valiantly pierce the hordes of demons, through with wounds, O Gerasimus, and didst praise Christ the Son of God” (Matins, Ode 5, Troparion 3).

Today’s festive commemoration of our Holy Father Gerasimus in his Monastery, in this first week of Lent, and amidst the pandemic plague of covid-19, urges us, my dear brethren, through Saint Paul’s advice: “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others [who do not know Christ]; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation” (1 Thess. 5:6-8). And this is so, because as the hymnographer says: “The wealth of the grace of the Holy Spirit is offered unto all who gather it by the labours of abstinence” (Matins, Ode 9, Troparion 2).

Let us entreat our Holy Father Gerasimus and say along with the hymnographer: “He that became flesh of Thine all-holy blood, O immaculate Lady, Himself purgeth us of defilements of the flesh through fasting and labours, giving us strength by Thine unceasing entreaties, O Virgin Theotokos” (Matins, Ode 8, Theotokion). So that in repentance, humility and patience we may reach the luminous Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and be co-resurrected with Him. To Him belongs the glory and the might unto the ages. Amen.”

After the Divine Liturgy, the hardworking and hospitable Hegoumen Archimandrite Chrysostom hosted a fasting meal for the Patriarchal Entourage and the congregation.

Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Tags: Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Follow OrthodoxTimes.com on Google News and learn all the news about Orthodoxy in Greece and worldwide.

All the latest developments in the Orthodox world, society and humankind, at the moment they happen, at OrthodoxTimes.com


Related Posts

Patriarch of Jerusalem and Cardinal Pizzaballa visit Gaza (PHOTOS & VIDEO)
Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Patriarch of Jerusalem and Cardinal Pizzaballa visit Gaza (PHOTOS & VIDEO)

July 18, 2025
Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Everyone must work together to defuse the current tensions
Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Patriarchate of Jerusalem condems strike on Gaza’s Holy Family Church

July 17, 2025
The Church Leaders of Jerusalem stand with the persecuted Christian Community
Patriarchate of Jerusalem

The Church Leaders of Jerusalem stand with the persecuted Christian Community

July 15, 2025
The feast of the Holy, Glorious, and All-Praised Apostles at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Patriarchate of Jerusalem

The feast of the Holy, Glorious, and All-Praised Apostles at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem

July 14, 2025
Feast of the Holy and Glorious Chief Apostles celebrated by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Feast of the Holy and Glorious Chief Apostles celebrated by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem

July 13, 2025
Potential problems lie ahead for the Phanar and Jerusalem after Sinai?
Opinions

Potential problems lie ahead for the Phanar and Jerusalem after Sinai?

July 5, 2025
Load More
Next Post
New nuns were tonsured in Monastery of Privina Glava

New nuns were tonsured in Monastery of Privina Glava

Latest News

EU approves 18th sanctions package against Russia targeting energy, banking, and trade sectors

EU approves 18th sanctions package against Russia targeting energy, banking, and trade sectors

by NewsRoom
Jul 18, 2025 | 15:41
0

The Council of General Affairs of the European Union today officially approved the 18th package of sanctions against Russia,...

Greek Defense Minister meets Patriarch of Antioch to discuss protection of Christian Communities

Greek Defense Minister meets Patriarch of Antioch to discuss protection of Christian Communities

by NewsRoom
Jul 18, 2025 | 14:56
0

Greek Minister of National Defense, Nikos Dendias, met with Patriarch John X of Antioch at the Patriarchal Seat in...

Patriarch of Jerusalem and Cardinal Pizzaballa visit Gaza (PHOTOS & VIDEO)

Patriarch of Jerusalem and Cardinal Pizzaballa visit Gaza (PHOTOS & VIDEO)

by NewsRoom
Jul 18, 2025 | 14:14
0

In a powerful demonstration of ecclesial unity and humanitarian commitment, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa,...

Greek Defense Minister expresses full support for Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai

Greek Defense Minister expresses full support for Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai

by NewsRoom
Jul 18, 2025 | 12:33
0

Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias reaffirmed Greece’s unwavering support for the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine at...

Metropolitan of Korea visits the Gapyeong Transfiguration Monastery

Metropolitan of Korea visits the Gapyeong Transfiguration Monastery

by NewsRoom
Jul 18, 2025 | 11:53
0

On Thursday, July 10, 2025, Metropolitan Ambrosios of Korea accompanied by Fr. Epiphanios Gregoriatis, Fr. Theodosios Argyropoulos, his Presbytera...

Bulgarian Patriarchate: Efforts to de-Christianize and de-humanize Europe will not succeed

Bulgarian Patriarchate on blockade of Gaza Strip: A cry for Gaza from the heart of the Church

by NewsRoom
Jul 18, 2025 | 11:07
0

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Bulgarian Patriarchate has issued a powerful and deeply compassionate statement...

Newsletter

Sign up for our weekly newsletter



Quick Links

  • Orthodoxy
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Spirituality
  • Christianity
  • Opinions
  • History
  • Press Releases

Get Social

About Us

Advertise

Contact

Terms Of Use

© 2025 OrthodoxTimes.com
digital world media

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Orthodoxy
    • Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Mount Athos
      • Archdiocese of America
      • Archdiocese of Australia
      • Church of Crete
    • Patriarchates
      • Patriarchate of Alexandria
      • Patriarchate of Antioch
      • Patriarchate of Moscow
      • Patriarchate of Serbia
      • Patriarchate of Romania
      • Patriarchate of Jerusalem
      • Patriarchate of Bulgaria
      • Patriarchate of Georgia
    • Churches
      • Church of Greece
      • Church of Cyprus
      • Church of Poland
      • Church of Albania
      • Church of Czech and Slovakia
      • Church of Ukraine
  • Politics
    • USA
    • Europe
    • Middle East
  • Society
    • Greek Diaspora
    • Culture
  • Spirituality
  • Christianity
  • Opinions
  • Greek Version

© 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT