Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Yesterday we celebrated the feast day of the holy, glorious, and all-praised leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul. Today we celebrate the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles: Peter, Andrew, James and John the sons of Zebedee, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Jude the brother of James, Simon the Zealot, and Matthias.

How well do we know the Apostles? These twelve souls who were filled with the Holy Spirit and who with zeal and courage preached the Good News of Jesus Christ. We owe so much to them… let’s take a moment this morning to acquaint ourselves with these heroes of the faith.

The Apostle Peter is familiar to us… he was the brother of Apostle Andrew and was a simple fisherman. His guilelessness and zeal are demonstrated throughout the Gospels – where he steps out upon the waters to come to his Lord, he leaps from the boat when he recognizes Christ on the shore, and in his proclamation that Jesus is ‘the Christ, the Son of Living God’. It was the proclamation of faith that Christ called the rock upon which His Church would be built. Holy Apostle Peter, pray to God for us!

Holy Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, was a son of Joseph the Betrothed. James was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem where he presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive. In his thirty years as bishop, St James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. Annoyed by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill him. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. As the holy Apostle began to bear witness that Christ is the Messiah, they threw him off the roof. The saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. It should interest you to know that holy Apostle James composed a Divine Liturgy, which formed the basis of the Liturgies we celebrate today. The Liturgy of St James is still celebrated today on certain days and in certain places. Holy Apostle James, pray to God for us!

The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, and he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ. St Andrew went to the Eastern lands preaching the Word of God. He went through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, he reached the River Danube, went along the coast of the Black Sea, through Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the River Dnieper he climbed to the place where the city of Kiev now stands. He endured many sufferings and torments from pagans and finally suffered martyrdom upon a cross. Holy Apostle Andrew, pray to God for us!

The Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian was the son of Zebedee and Salome, a daughter of St Joseph the Betrothed. He was called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be one of His Apostles at the same time as his elder brother James. The Apostle John was especially loved by the Savior for his sacrificial love and his virginal purity. He remained faithful to Christ throughout his trials and crucifixion. At the foot of the Cross our Lord entrusted the care of His Mother to him. From that moment the Apostle John, like a loving son, concerned himself over the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and he served Her until Her Dormition. Apostle John lived until old age and spent many years in exile on the island of Patmos where he received the revelation of the Apocalypse. In this Book were predictions of the tribulations of the Church and of the end of the world. About the year 95, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus. He called for all Christians to love the Lord and one another, and by this to fulfill the commands of Christ. The Church calls St John the Apostle of Love, since he constantly taught that without love man cannot come near to God. Holy Apostle John, pray to God for us!

The Holy Apostle James, the son of Zebedee, was the brother of St John the Theologian. He and his brother, St John, were called to be Apostles by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who called them the “Sons of Thunder”. It was this James, with John and Peter, who witnessed the Raising of the Daughter of Jairus, the Lord’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, and His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. St James preached in Spain and in other lands, and then he returned to Jerusalem. He openly and boldly preached Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, converting many people. He was the first of the Apostles to be martyred – beheaded in Jerusalem. Holy Apostle James, pray to God for us!

Holy Apostle James the son of Alphaeus, was the brother of the holy Evangelist Matthew. He heard the Lord’s words and witnessed His miracles. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle James Alphaeus and the Apostle Andrew the First-Called made missionary journeys preaching in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, and elsewhere, proclaiming the Gospel, healing all sorts of sickness and disease, and converting many to the path of salvation. St James finished his apostolic work in the Egyptian city of Ostrachina, where he was crucified by the pagans. Holy Apostle James, pray to God for us!

Apostle Simon was from Cana in Galilee and was known to the Lord and His Mother. Tradition says that he was the bridegroom at the wedding where the Savior performed His first miracle. After witnessing the miracle of the water which had been turned into wine, he became a zealous follower of Christ. For this reason, he is known as St Simon the Zealot. He traveled to many places from Britain to the Black Sea, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. After winning many pagans to the Lord, St Simon suffered martyrdom by crucifixion. Holy Apostle Simon, pray to God for us!

The Apostle Philip is spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ the Apostle Bartholomew. Apostle Philip was the one the Lord asked where to buy bread for five thousand men. And at the Last Supper Apostle Philip asked Christ to show them the Father. He was a miracle worker and zealous defender of the Faith. He traveled to Greece, Syria, and Asia Minor. He was martyred by crucifixion and during his crucifixion there was a massive earthquake. Holy Apostle Philip, pray to God for us!

The Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee. The holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip preached the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. Accompanying the holy Apostle Philip was his sister, the holy virgin St Mariamne. Traversing the cities of Syria and Myzia, they underwent much hardship and tribulations, they were stoned and they were locked up in prison. Apostles Bartholemew and Philip were crucified, and a mighty earthquake shook out as testament of their righteous sufferings. The people took them down from their crosses in fear… Apostle Philip was already dead, but Apostle Bartholemew lived for some time afterward and preached in Armenia. Finally, he was crucified upside down, his skin was flayed, and he was beheaded. Holy Apostle Bartholemew, pray to God for us!

According to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe’. On the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. ‘My Lord and my God,’ the Apostle cried out. St John Chrysostom speaks of him: ‘Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.’ The holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and even as far as India, where he died a martyric death. Holy Apostle Thomas, pray to God for us!

The Holy Apostle Jude is descended from King David and Solomon, and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed by his first wife. He is thus also called ‘the brother of the Lord’. St Jude propagated the faith at first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Idumaia, and later in the lands of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia. There is a tradition that St Jude went to Persia, where he wrote his Epistle in Greek. In the Epistle much profound truth was expressed in a few words. St Jude’s Epistle speaks about the Holy Trinity, about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the good and bad angels, and about the dread Last Judgment. The Apostle urges believers to guard themselves against fleshly impurity, to be diligent in prayer, faith and love, to convert the lost to the path of salvation, and to guard themselves from the teachings of heretics. He also says that it is not enough just to be converted to Christianity, but faith must be demonstrated by good works. The Holy Apostle Jude died as a martyr around the year 80 near Mt. Ararat in Armenia, where he was crucified and pierced by arrows. Holy Apostle Jude, pray to God for us!

The Holy Apostle Matthias was born at Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah. From his early childhood he studied the Law of God under the guidance of St Simeon the God-Receiver. After the Ascension of the Savior, St Matthias was chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles. St Matthias preached the Gospel at Jerusalem and in Judea together with the other Apostles. His missionary journeys took him to Syrian Antioch, Cappadocia, Edessa and Georgia and Macedonia. He ended his days back in Jerusalem, where he was brought before the same ones who had thrown Apostle James off the tower. Using the prophecies of the Old Testament, the Apostle Matthias demonstrated that Jesus Christ is the True God, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Consubstantial and Coeternal with God the Father. After these words the Apostle Matthias was sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin. Holy Apostle Matthias, pray to God for us!

Brothers and sisters in Christ… it is a great shame that the names and lives of the Holy Apostles are not as familiar to us as they should be. I pray that this brief survey of their lives will lead you to learn more about them and to cherish them. These beloved disciples of the Lord gave their lives to the preaching of the Gospel so that the Church may be established in the hearts and minds of all those to whom they were able to travel. We owe them our gratitude and our prayers. O Holy Apostles pray to God for us!

Our weekly Bible Study is this Wednesday evening at 7pm. We are continuing our study of the Psalms. All are invited to attend. The Zoom link is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89738164102. 

Fr Andrew’s Catechism class will be held on Thursday at 6pm. The Zoom link is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81421729353. All are welcome to attend.

Our in-person class in the Church Hall will be on Saturday at 2pm. We are continuing our discussions based on the book ‘Passions and Virtues’ by St Paisios of Mt Athos. All are welcome to join us.

            Sorry for the lengthy message today, but how can you speak of one of the holy Apostles without speaking about the others? They are all so marvelous and such an adornment of sanctity for our Holy Church!

God bless you all,

Fr Martin