August 31st, 2025 – Tone 3

Commemoration:

Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Hierarch Varlaam

Feast Day: Today is a Feast Day – Meat and Dairy are allowed

Troparion Holy Hierarch Varlaam August 30th – Tone 1

A worthy servant of Christ and a wise defender of the True Faith, great venerator of the
Holy Pious Paraskeva and faithful enlightener of the Romanian nation, O Holy Hierarch
Varlaam, pray to Christ our God that He may protect and save our souls.

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,  by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,  and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.  After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.  Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Gospel: Matthew 19:16-26

 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good[a] Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, ]“Why do you call Me good?]No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?”Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’  ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept ]from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Saint Hierarch Varlaam (August 30th)

Saint Hierarch Varlaam is regarded as the father of the Romanian literary language. He shepherded the Metropolis of Moldavia between the years 1632–1653, during the reigns of Princes Alexandru Iliaș, Miron Barnovschi, Moise Movilă, and Vasile Lupu.

He was born around the year 1590 into a family of free peasants (răzeși), bearing the name Moțoc, in the village of Borcești near Târgu-Neamț. At Holy Baptism he was given the name Vasile. From his youth he turned his steps toward Zosim Hermitage on the valley of the Secu stream, where he studied letters and learned the Slavonic and Greek tongues. On that same site, in 1602, the nobleman Nestor Ureche and his wife Mitrofana founded the Monastery of Secu, where a school also began to function.

The young Vasile Moțoc entered the brotherhood of this new monastery, where he was tonsured a monk with the name Varlaam. Being a wise guide, he was made abbot, and for his zeal and virtues he was honored with the rank of archimandrite.

As a trusted counselor of Prince Miron Barnovschi, in 1628 Archimandrite Varlaam was sent to Kiev and Moscow to purchase holy icons for the monasteries of Dragomirna and Bârnova and for the princely church in Iași. Returning to the country, he received the news of the repose of Metropolitan Anastasie Crimca (1629) and of the removal of Prince Miron Barnovschi. Hearing this, he withdrew again to Secu Monastery.

In 1632, during the reign of Prince Alexandru Iliaș, Archimandrite Varlaam was called to shepherd the Metropolis of Moldavia in place of Metropolitan Atanasie (1629–1632). The new hierarch united learning with prayer, wise words with good deeds. During his archpastorate, the pious Prince Vasile Lupu offered great support to the Metropolis.

With the help also of Saint Metropolitan Petro Mohyla of Kiev, Metropolitan Varlaam established the first Romanian printing press in Moldavia in 1640, at the Monastery of the Holy Three Hierarchs in Iași.

As a wise defender of the Orthodox Faith and of the unity of the Church in troubled times, he oversaw the organization of the Synod of Iași in 1642, which corrected and approved the Confession of Faith composed by Metropolitan Petro Mohyla in 1638, providing both clergy and faithful with a guide against errors and deviations from the Holy Tradition of the Church.

The worthy Metropolitan Varlaam of Moldavia was esteemed both in the land and abroad. For his piety and wisdom, in 1639 he was numbered among the three candidates proposed for the Patriarchal Throne of Constantinople.

As a good and diligent shepherd, he printed in Iași many service books and works defending the Orthodox Faith, such as: the Homiliary (Cazania), The Seven Mysteries, The Response against the Calvinist Catechism, the Rule, the Paraklesis to the Mother of God, and others. His most famous work, The Homiliary or Romanian Book of Teachings for the Sundays of the Year, for the Feasts of the Lord, and for the Great Saints (1643), was the first Romanian book printed in Moldavia and remains to this day among the most important writings of the old Romanian culture.

Together with his disciples he translated from Slavonic the Ladder (Scala Paradisi) of Saint John Climacus. Thus Abbot Varlaam took the first steps in Moldavia toward replacing the foreign tongues—Slavonic and Greek—with the spoken tongue of the people. His translation of The Ladder is counted among the first patristic and philokalic works rendered into Romanian. Unlike earlier translators who rendered the Slavonic text word-for-word, Varlaam enriched the Romanian language, even though Slavonicisms abounded, as the vocabulary of Romanian was not yet fully developed for theological expression.

During his pastorate, the beautiful church of the Monastery of the Holy Three Hierarchs in Iași, the most important foundation of Prince Vasile Lupu, was built. This church was consecrated in 1639, and Metropolitan Varlaam frequently served there, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ with zeal and wisdom. In 1641, in this same church, he solemnly placed the holy relics of Saint Paraskeva, which had been gifted to Prince Vasile Lupu by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in gratitude for his support during the time of Patriarch Parthenius. Through the Metropolitan’s piety, the veneration of Saint Paraskeva grew greatly among the faithful.

To strengthen the Orthodox faith and enlighten the youth, Metropolitan Varlaam encouraged Prince Vasile Lupu to establish in Iași, in 1640, the first higher school of learning in Moldavia, modeled on the Spiritual Academy of Kiev founded by Saint Petro Mohyla. This new institution, located at the Monastery of the Holy Three Hierarchs, taught in Greek, Slavonic, and Romanian, with its first teachers sent by Metropolitan Petro Mohyla of Kiev, as a sign that he had not forgotten his Moldavian homeland.

After Prince Vasile Lupu lost his throne in 1653, Metropolitan Varlaam, longing for peace and prayer, retired to his monastery of repentance at Secu. The venerable hierarch lived there another four years, in humility, prayer, and holy life, reposing toward the end of 1657. All that he had acquired he gave to Secu Monastery.

The great Metropolitan Varlaam of Moldavia was buried in the southern wall of the church of Secu Monastery. For his zeal in defending the true Faith and for his holy life, at the proposal of the Metropolitan Synod of the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina, on February 12th, 2007, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church enrolled him in the ranks of the saints, with his feast day appointed for August 30th.

Saint Gennadius , Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople, ascended the throne of the Church of Constantinople in the year 458, during the reign of the holy emperor Leo the Great (457-474). His life is known from the book The Spiritual Meadow in which tales of Saints Sophronius and John, monks of Salamis monastery near Alexandria, were recorded. These monks were clergy of the Church of Constantinople under Patriarch Gennadius. Saint Gennadius was distinguished for his mildness, tolerance, purity and abstinence. One may get some idea of the power of his prayer from the following instance: in the church of the holy Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople was a disreputable reader Charisius, spending his life in idleness, impurity and even occupying himself with murder and sorcery. For a long time, Saint Gennadius admonished him with gentleness and patience, but Charisius did not change his conduct. The Patriarch resorted to strictness and gave orders to chastize and discipline the disreputable cleric. But even after the punishment, he did not correct himself. Patriarch Gennadius then sent his emissary in his name to the holy Martyr Eleutherius (August 4) in whose church Charisius served as a reader. Entering the temple, the emissary of the Patriarch came before the altar, stretched out his hand to the grave of the martyr and said: “Holy Martyr Eleutherius! Patriarch Gennadius declares to you, through me a sinner, that the cleric Charisius, serving in your temple, does much iniquity and creates great scandal; therefore, either improve him or cut him off from the Church.” On the following morning, Charisius was found dead. Another instance, displaying the great strength of prayer of Saint Gennadius, occurred with one of the portrait painters who dared to paint an image of Christ, giving the Savior the features of the pagan god Zeus. The hand of the painter, having done such blasphemy, immediately withered. The repentant painter was brought in the church and confessed all his sins to the Patriarch. Saint Gennadius prayed over the sinner, and the hand of the painter was healed. To settle iniquitous actions and false teachings arising in the Church, Saint Gennadius summoned a local Council which condemned the Eutychian heresy and prohibited simony (ordination for a payment of money). The saint would not ordain a man to the priesthood unless he was quite knowledgeable in Holy Scripture, and knew the Psalter by heart. During the patriarchate of Saint Gennadius, a temple was built in honor of Saint John the Forerunner. Then a certain senator Studius of Rome founded a monastery which later became known as the Studion. The church steward under the holy Patriarch Gennadius was Saint Marcian (January 10). The Patriarch also ordained Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) to the priesthood. Saint Gennadius was the author of dialogues and commentaries on the Prophet Daniel (the works have not survived). There is also his Encyclical Against Simony, affirmed by a Council of the year 459. Saint Gennadius governed the Church of Constantinople for thirteen years. He died peacefully in the year 471. One night while he was praying, it was revealed to the saint that a powerful enemy would fall upon his flock. He incessantly offered up prayer for the peace of the Church, that the Lord would preserve it invincible against the gates of Hades.