Today, Sunday, November 10according to the 2024 calendar his memory is honored St. Arsenios Cappadokouof Apostles of the Seventyof Hieromartyr Milos the miracle workerof Agios Orestos of Tyaneos and his Saint Orion
Todayaccording to the calendar, they are a feast the:
- Arsenios, Arsenis, Arsenia, Arsina, Arsinoe *
- Lover, lover, lover
- Herod, Rhodian, Herod, Herod
- Rhodia, Rodula, Rodita, Rosa, Rosalia, Rosita, Rosina, Rosanna, Rodion, Rhodios, Rodis, Rhodes, Herodion, Herodian
- Sosipatros, Sopatros, Sopatra, Sopatria, Patra, Patrola, Patritsa*
- Milos, Milos, Milos
- Orestis, Orestias, Orestia, Orestiada*
- Orion, Orion, Orion, Orion
* There are other dates that celebrate this name.
Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian
Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian was born around 1840 AD. in Farasa or Varasio, in Kefalochori of the six Christian villages in the Farasa region of Cappadocia.
His parents were rich in talents and modest in goods. They had two boys, Vlasius and Theodore (Saint Arsenius).
Saint Arsenios, they were orphans from a very young age and were protected by their aunt, their mother’s sister. A miraculous event that happened to the children and the miraculous rescue of little Theodoros by St. George who saved him from certain drowning, for Vlasios, he was given in his own way to God, glorifying him as his teacher. of Byzantine Music and later ended up in Constantinople, because Theodoros wanted to be a monk.
Then growing up, he was sent to Nigdis and then to Smyrna where he completed his studies.
At about twenty-six years of age, he went to the Flavian Monastery of the Holy Forerunner (Zinzi-Dere) where he later became a Monk and took the name Arsenios. Unfortunately, he did not like his peace, because at that time there was a great need for teachers and Metropolitan Paisios II ordained him a Deacon and sent him to Farasa to teach letters to the abandoned children. Of course, this was done in secret, with a thousand and two precautions, so that the Turks would not discover anything. In his thirtieth year he was ordained in Caesarea as an elder with the title of Archimandrite and a Spiritual blessing.
His spiritual activity began to grow more and spread out. With the abundance of God’s grace that God bestowed upon him, he healed the souls and bodies of the sick. He had a lot of love for God and his image, a man and not for himself, because when he saw a lot of pain and Turkish oppression, love took himself out of his village and destroyed the surrounding villages. He treated human suffering indiscriminately wherever he encountered Christians or Turks. For the Saint, it did not matter, because he saw in their faces, a loving forged image of God. The miracles performed by the Saint with the Grace of God are numerous. Barren women were born after he read them a wish or he gave them a “talisman” which was a piece of paper written with certain wishes written by himself.
Many Christians and Turks were healed, after they took soil from the threshold of their cell and mixed it with a little water, they drank it, believing that they would be cured and their faith in the Saint, did the miracle. Of course, he never accepted money, and he never held it in his hands.
He lived fully and “suffered the Divine”. He lived with self-denial, because he loved God very much first and then his image, his neighbor. He made bloody struggles and efforts to keep his fellow members at home and his colleagues in the faith, so that they would not be shaken and change their faith in those troubled days and times, from the many different pressures they received from the Turks, but also from. different wolves like sheep, the Protestants, who tried to shepherd the flock of Christ.
His cell was small, unnecessary, in the world. He lived in the world, but at the same time he managed to live outside the world.
In addition, along with his divine pursuit, the two days (Wednesday and Friday) that he remained locked in his cell, praying, were of great help to him. They were the most spiritually fruitful then, because they also sanctified the work of the other days. For hours he remained on his knees praying to God for his family, which had been entrusted to them in the ascetic hands of His servant Arsenios. Great sensitivity of the Holy Father he could not bear to harm the creature. Especially in animals. He never sat on an animal to comfort it, to rest himself. He always preferred to walk on foot and as usual barefoot. Christ was always in front of him who never sat on an animal – except once – and as he typically saide: “I, who am worse than an ass, how can I sit on him?” In order to hide his talents from men’s eyes and avoid praise accordingly, he resorted to certain “quirks”.. He presented himself as a cruel, angry, irritable person, he took away the various women, who out of love for him and out of gratitude tried to help him, in various ways, by cooking for him and sending him food. As he usually said to his faithful friend and minister Prodromos the following: “If I wanted to be in the service of women, I would be a married priest and a priest to serve. A monk who was served by women is not a monk.”
When he raised his hands to plead with God for something, he began to plead with Him praying and crying, “My God!” as if his heart was breaking out at that time, and you see how he was holding Christ at his feet and did not obey his request. “We are”, as the Farasiotes would say, “in our homeland what a doctor would say, we didn’t know we were running to Hadzefendis. In Greece we learned from doctors, but if we tell the locals, they find it strange.”
In addition to his other gifts, he also had the gift of foresight. God had told him that they would leave for Greece and it happened on August 14, 1924 AD. with population exchange. He also knew beforehand about his death and that it would happen on an island.
His face shone with the ascetic luster, which was like the color of the quince made.
He was already raised by the supernatural spiritual conflicts, which he did for the love of Christ, together with the many works he did for the love of his flock, which he did as a shepherd for fifty years as a good Shepherd.
Three days before his banishment, the Virgin Mary came to him, she took him all around Mount Athos, the Monasteries, the Temples that he so longed to see and that he did not deserve and told him to be presented to the Lord in three days. , who loved him so much that he gave him all of his.
He fell asleep on November 10, 1924 AD. in Corfu.
From Corfu, in 1958 AD, the monk Paisios transferred his remains to Konitsa and in 1970 AD. from the same Agiorite monk in the women’s monastery – the Monastery of Agios Ioannou theolog
The Holy Relics of Saint Arsenios are located in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian Sourotis of Thessaloniki, as we read on dogma.gr.
Absolute
Sound c. Of divine faith.
Life in heaven, honest well-begotten vessel of the Paraclete, Arsenius, bearer of God, appeared, receiving the grace of miracles, you always provide quick help, Father, who begged Christ God, the grant us great mercy.
The gift of discernment, which allowed him to see into the hearts of those who came to him for help. This spiritual insight enabled him to provide guidance and comfort, as well as to offer appropriate prayers and remedies for their ailments. His reputation for holiness and miraculous healings spread widely, and people from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds sought his counsel.
Saint Arsenios led a life marked by humility and service. He often went unnoticed, choosing to live away from the worldly accolades and honors that might come with his gifts. Instead, he fostered a community of faith where he nurtured and protected the spiritual well-being of those around him. His teachings and actions were rooted in love and compassion, reflecting the teachings of Christ.
In a region fraught with tensions and division, Saint Arsenios became a unifying figure, emphasizing the importance of love and mutual respect among different communities. His life exemplified the Christian tenets of mercy and forgiveness, advocating for peace in the face of oppression and hardship.
His memory is cherished not only for his miraculous healings but also for his steadfast dedication to the spiritual and moral upliftment of others. Saints like Arsenios inspire many to pursue a life of faith, selflessness, and transcendence, reminding us that true holiness lies in service to others, irrespective of their background or beliefs.
As you commemorate St. Arsenios today, reflect on the virtues he epitomized—compassion, humility, and unwavering faith—and seek to embody these qualities in your own life. May his intercessions guide you in your spiritual journey.