From : "orthodoxtruth" (orthodoxtruth@yahoo.com)
Reply-To : ProloguefromOchrid-owner@yahoogroups.com
To : ProloguefromOchrid@yahoogroups.com
Subject : Prologue from Ochrid - Tuesday, December 18 / December 5 (Church Calendar)
Date : Tue, 18 Dec 2001 18:23:33 -0000

The Prologue From Ochrid

Tuesday, December 18 / December 5 (Church Calendar)

Nativity Fast: Fish, Wine and Oil allowed.

St. Sabbas the Santified.

1. Our Holy Father Sava the Sanctified.

The unknown village of Mutalaska, in the province of Cappadocia, became famous through this great light of the Orthodox Church, for St Sava was born there. He left the home of his parents, John and Sophia, at the age of eight and became a monk in a nearby monastery called `Flavian's'. After ten years, he moved to the monasteries of Palestine, staying longest in the monastery of St Euthymius the Great (Jan. 20th) and Theoctistus. Euthymius, who had the gift of discernment, foretold that he would be a famous monk and leader of monks, and that he would found a monastery that would be greater than any other of that day. After St Euthymius's death, Sava went into the desert, where he lived for five years as a hermit in a cave which an angel of God showed him. After that, when he had become a perfected monk, he began by divine providence to gather round him many desirous of the spiritual life. They very quickly grew in number, so that Sava had to build both a church and many cells. Some Armenians also came to him, and he set aside a cave for them, and they celebrated the services there in their own language. When his father died, his aged mother Sophia came to him and he made her a nun and gave her a cell away from the monastery, where she lived in asceticism till her death. This holy father endured many attacks from those close to him, from heretics and from demons. But he overcame them all in these ways: those close to him he won over by his goodness and forbearance, the heretics by an unshakeable confession of the Orthodox faith, and the demons with the sign of the Cross and the invocation of God's aid. He had a particularly severe battle with the demons on the mountain of Castellium, where he founded the second of his seven monasteries. He and his neighbour, Theodosius the Great, are considerd to be the greatest lights and pillars of Orthodoxy in the East. Kings and Patriarchs were brought to the right Faith by them, and these holy and wonderful men, strong in the power of God, served each and every man as an example of humility. St Sava entered into rest in 532 at the age of ninety-four, after a life of great labour and great reward.

Among all his other great and good works, let this be remembered above all: that he compiled the first Order of Services for use in monasteries, now known as the Jerusalem Typikon, which is faithfully followed by the Slavic and Old-Calendar Orthodox churches. All of Orthodoxy followed this typkion, until the late 19th century, when Constantinople decided to change to an edited Typkion, which many theologians considered "unwise."

From The Prologue From Ochrid by Bishop (Saint) Nikolai Velimirovich © 1985 Lazarica Press, Birmingham UK

Troparion of St Sabbas the Sanctified Tone 1

Sanctified from youth, O righteous Sabbas,
thou wast a summit of righteousness equal to the Angels.
Thou didst lead a heavenly life, and guide thy flock to godliness by word and deed.
And they cry to thee with faith:
Glory to Him Who has strengthened thee; glory to Him Who has crowned thee;
glory to Him Who through thee works healings for all.

Kontakion of St Sabbas the Sanctified Tone 8

Thou wast offered to God from childhood as a blameless sacrifice,
as one dedicated to Him before birth, O blessed Sabbas,
thou adornment of the righteous and blessed dweller in the desert.
Wherefore I cry to thee: Rejoice.

The material on this page was provided by the Society for Orthodox Truth.