Eastern Rite ~ Feasts of 7 September AM 7533

Today is the Forefeast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Feasts of the Holy Martyr Sozon,  of the Zhyrovytsi Icon of the Mother of God (On this day in 1719 Clement XI confirmed its miracles) This icon is presently found in the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus in Rome, at the metochion of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and the Commemoration of the  Passing into Eternal Life of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj.

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The first lesson at Great Vespers (Genesis 28:10-17) describes Jacob’s dream of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, and the angels ascending and descending upon it. The second lesson (Ezekiel 43:27-44:4) speaks of the gate of the sanctuary which faces east. God enters through this gate, which is shut so that no one else can enter by it. The third reading (Proverbs 9:1-11) talks about the house that Wisdom has built.

These readings are interpreted as prefiguring the Mother of God.

Troparion — Tone 4

Today from the stem of Jesse and from the loins of David, / the handmaid of God Mary is being born for us. / Therefore all creation is renewed and rejoices! / Heaven and earth rejoice together. / Praise her, you families of nations, / for Joachim rejoices and Anna celebrates crying out: / “The barren one gives birth to the Theotokos, the Nourisher of our life!”

Kontakion — Tone 3

Today the Virgin Theotokos Mary / the bridal chamber of the Heavenly Bridegroom / by the will of God is born of a barren woman, / being prepared as the chariot of God the Word. / She was fore-ordained for this since she is the divine gate and the true Mother of Life.

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Saint Sozon lived in the late III century. He was from Lykaonia in Cilicia, and originally his name was Tarasios. When he became a Christian, he was baptized and received the name Sozon. A shepherd by profession, he tried to imitate the meekness of the sheep, at which he marvelled. “I am ashamed,” he said, “that I am inferior to sheep.”

He studied the Holy Scriptures attentively, and he also guided Christ‘s rational sheep to good pastures. One day, while watering his flock at a spring, Sozon fell asleep under an oak tree, where he had a vision that foretold his impending martyrdom for Christ. He was also informed that the spring would become a source of blessing and of healing for many since it would be sanctified by God‘s grace. When he awakened, he entrusted his flock to another shepherd and journeyed to Pompeiopolis in Cilicia. Seeing what impiety there was in that city, his heart was profoundly grieved.

Entering one of the temples of the idolaters, he beheld a golden statue representing a pagan “god.” Then, with great courage, he broke off the statue‘s right hand with his shepherd‘s crook and smashed it into tiny pieces, which he distributed to the poor. This caused a great uproar in the city. Maximian, the governor of Cilicia, became very angry, and a search was made to find the culprit. Many innocent people were arrested and tortured in an attempt to force a confession from them.

When Saint Sozon heard about this, he could not permit others to suffer for something he had done. Therefore, he presented himself before the governor and responded to his threats in a calm manner, saying that the statue was not doing anyone much good inside the temple, and so he used the gold for the benefit of the poor.

Maximian asked the Saint how he dared to dishonour their “god” in such a way. Sozon replied, “I did this so that you might know that your ‘god’ is powerless. When I struck off his hand, he did not protest or make any attempt to stop me, nor did he cry out with pain. How could he? Your idol is deaf and dumb and without breath. It cannot see, hear, speak, or defend itself. If your ‘god’ was real, I would not have been permitted to break it.”

When Maximian heard these words, he ordered that Saint Sozon be tortured without mercy. He was suspended and his body was raked with iron claws. Then iron boots were nailed to the soles of his feet, and he was paraded through the city. Throughout his torments, he never ceased to glorify the Savior Christ. Once again he was suspended from a tree and beaten with iron rods so that his body was mangled and his bones were broken. Amid such torture, the Saint surrendered his soul to God in the year 304.

Seeing that he was dead, the soldiers took him down from the tree and built a large fire to burn his body so that the Christians would not be able to claim it and venerate it. Suddenly, there was thunder and lightning, rain and hail, which put out the fire. The pagans fled in fear, and the holy relics were not damaged. The faithful came at midnight when it was very dark. They were troubled because they could not find the relics, but a light from Heaven shone upon Christ‘s holy martyr to guide them. Gathering the Saint‘s relics, the Christians gave them an honourable burial.

Many miracles took place at the tomb, and also at the spring where the Saint had his vision under the oak tree. Later, a church was built by the spring and was dedicated to Saint Sozon. In that holy place praise was offered to the one true God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to Whom be glory throughout all the ages. Amen.

Troparion — Tone 4

O Martyr Sozon, you pledged your life to God, / Enduring the contest and becoming a sharer in Christ’s passion. / Save from temptation those who cry to you: / “Glory to him who strengthened you! / Glory to him who crowned you! / Glory to him who through you works healing for all!”

Kontakion — Tone 2

As we come together on this day, / let us, with loud voices, remember the true and God-bearing martyr, and athlete of piety, Sozon, / the divine initiate of grace, / the most bountiful giver of healings, / for he intercedes with God for us all.

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The Zhyrovytsi Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1470 in the vicinity of Zhyrovyts on the Bielorussian frontier. In the forest, belonging to the schismatic Orthodox Lithuanian dignitary Alexander Solton, shepherds beheld an extraordinarily bright light while peering through the branches of a pear tree that stood over a brook at the foot of a hill. The shepherds came closer and saw a radiant icon of the Mother of God on the tree. With reverence, the shepherds took the icon to Alexander Solton. Alexander Solton did not pay any attention to the report of the shepherds, but he took the icon and placed it in a chest.

On the following day, Solton had guests, and he wanted to show them what had been found. To his amazement, he did not find the icon in the chest, although he had seen it shortly before this. After a certain time, the shepherds again found the icon in the same place, and again they brought it to Alexander Solton. This time, however, he received the icon with great reverence and vowed to build a church in honour of the Most Holy Theotokos at the place of the icon’s discovery. Around the wooden church, a settlement soon gathered and a parish was formed.

Around the year 1520, the church was completely burned, despite the efforts of the inhabitants to extinguish the blaze and save the icon. Everyone thought that the icon had been destroyed. However, some peasant children returning from school beheld a miraculous vision. The Virgin, extraordinarily beautiful and radiant, sat upon a stone at the burned church, and in Her hands was the icon which everyone believed had been destroyed. The children did not dare approach Her, but they hastened to tell their relatives and acquaintances about the vision.

Everyone accepted the story about the vision as a divine revelation and they went to the hill with the priest. The Zhyrovytsi Icon of the Mother of God, totally unharmed by the fire, stood on a stone with a burning candle before it. For a while, they placed the icon in the priest’s house, and the stone was fenced in. When they built a stone church, they placed the wonderworking icon there. A men’s monastery later grew up around the church. Its monks headed the struggle for the Orthodox schism against the Catholic Church.

In 1609, the monastery was taken by the Ukrainian Catholics.

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His Eminent Beatitude 

Josyf Slipyi (Ukrainian: Йосиф Сліпий, born as Ukrainian: Йосиф Коберницький-Дичковський; 17 February 1892 – 7 September 1984) was Patriarch (Major Archbishop) of Lviv.  

Troparion of the Departed

Thou only Creator Who with wisdom profound mercifully orderest all things, and givest unto all that which is useful, give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy servant who has fallen asleep, for he has placed his trust in Thee, our Maker and Fashioner and our God.

Kontakion of the Departed

With the saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul of Thy servant where sickness and sorrow are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.