August 30 Saint Hierarch Alexander: Who was and what is the strongest prayer addressed to him
On August 30, the Holy Hierarch Alexander is celebrated. He presided over the work of the First Ecumenical Council in 325, at Nicaea, in place of the old archbishop Mitrophan, defending the Christian faith from the heresy of Arius, who claimed that Jesus Christ was created by God, thus denying the divinity of Christ.
The parents present at the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325) testified through the Symbol of Faith that the Son is “deity with the Father” and that he is not a creature of the Father, condemning the teaching of Arius.
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The name Alexander comes from the Greek Alexandros which means protector of men or people and consists of the words “alexo” which means to defend, to protect and “andros” which means man, man.
Read also: Derived names that are celebrated by St. Alexander, including derived names: Alexandra, Alecu, Lexi, Lixandru, Lixandra, Lisandru, Lisandra, Sandru, Sandra, Alexandrin, Alexandrina, Sandrina, Sandu, Sanda, Sandel, Sanducu, Ducu, Dutu, Saşa , Alessandra
Saint Alexander was born in 239 in Calabria, from Christian parents, Gheorghe and Vriena. As a young man he lived in the hermitage, not having to pray and fast and suffering a lot from the pagans in those times of persecution.
After a while he went to Greece, together with two disciples, Vitalie and Nichifor, and from there to Byzantium, where he pastored Saint Mitrofan (306-325). Unable to fulfill his ministry due to his old age, he ordained Alexander the Archbishop in 314 to assist him in carrying out his hierarchical duties.
When the first Ecumenical Council met in Nicaea, in 325, by order of the Holy Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337), Archbishop Metrophanes, unable to go to that council, due to old age and physical weakness, sent this Alexander , defender of the true faith. He, sitting in the council in place of his archbishop, fought hard for the right faith against the evil believer Arius.
After the conclusion of the Synod, Alexander returning from Nicaea to Constantinople, the angel of the Lord appeared to the blessed Metrophanes, saying to him: your servant ”.
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So, the true emperor, the great Constantine, came with other parents to examine Saint Mitrophan, who was ill and lying on his deathbed. When asked who would bless him to receive the hierarchical throne after his move, St. Metrophanes replied: Saint’. That’s what happened.
When St. Metrophanes went to the Lord, Alexander was appointed the second hierarch of Constantinople.
He well pastored the speaking flock of Christ and brought heretics and pagans to the right faith, because he had a great struggle not only with the Aryans, but also with the pagan philosophers. Some of these philosophers, daring, approached the emperor and scolded him, that he had renounced the old parental faith, rejected the Roman laws, and received a new faith and law, which would be, they said, not for strengthening, but for the scattering of the kingdom.
They asked the emperor to command them to ask Alexander, his bishop, about the faith; therefore the king commanded that a question should be asked before the people. Alexander, the high priest of God, being filled with the Holy Spirit, approved of this.
Taking many philosophers and all wanting to ask the Christian bishop, St. Alexander asked him to choose one of them wiser and a good speaker and to put him before the question, and the others to listen. And they chose one, and set it before the bishop: and they themselves were prepared to hear.
Starting with Saint Alexander, he said to the philosopher: “In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to be silent!” And immediately the philosopher’s tongue was tied to him and he remained silent, unable to say anything. Seeing this, the assembly of philosophers became frightened and ashamed. So some of them ran away from shame, and others believed in Christ.
The dumb philosopher, seeing by threat his wandering, and the Christian faith showing himself to be righteous not by craftsmanship, but by divine power, fell at the feet of the bishop and untied his tongue from silence, and with a loud voice began to glorify Christ and be baptized with his other friends.
Then the king and all the believers rejoiced that God, who gave so much wonderful power to his beloved, was glorified by all.
A few years after the first Ecumenical Synod and the heretic Arius was called to Constantinople, he cunningly deceived the faithful emperor Constantine when he asked him to believe as the Holy Fathers had strengthened in the Synod of Nicaea.
And he, having a paper in his breast, wrote the heretical faith, and struck him on the chest with his right hand, saying, “I believe so,” written with my hand, and as I have in my bosom ”. Swearing before the king that he thought so, and the emperor not knowing his cunning, he believed his crafty words.
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Therefore, he sent him to the Most Holy Alexander, ordering him to receive Arius in the communion of the church. Sunday was scheduled for Arius to enter the church for communion. But St. Alexander doubted to receive him, as a beginner of heresies.
Being Saturday to Sunday, that night the high priest of God, Alexander, persevered in prayer before the holy altar and with tears he prayed to God to immediately take his soul from his body, so that he would not see that day when Arius would be approach and take communion with the Holy Sacraments. But God, having mercy on His Church, decided to lose Arias from the land of the living.
The saint thus praying to God, after daybreak, the hour of the holy service approached. He saw Arius coming with great pride from the royal palace to the church, surrounded by the boyars who belonged to his heresy and a large number of armed men.
Approaching the place called the “Forum of Constantine,” fear fell upon him from the rebuke of conscience, and fear came his bodily need; so he found a public latrine, in which, entering, he was struck with terrible pain inside, and split in two like Judas, the entrails coming out of him. Thus he perished with wickedness, forsaking his soul bitterly. Then at once the whole city of the terrible unexpected death of the heretic Arius was notified.
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So the heretics were ashamed, and the righteous rejoiced that Christ, the true God, was avenging on the blasphemers. The Most Holy Archbishop Alexander, hearing of this, gave thanks to God, the One who had mercy on His Church.
Then, well governing the Church of Christ for many years, he reached deep old age; and when it was near the end, the believers surrounded their pastor’s bed and asked him, “Father, to whom do you leave us, your sons? Who will you put in your place, who, following in your footsteps, could lead the Church well? ”.
And he, pointing to the two clergymen who stood nearby, to the priest Paul and to the deacon of Macedonia, said: and if you want to have it only beautifully on your face and with an honest ornament from outside, then choose Macedonia! ” Having said that, the high bishop Alexander gave his soul into the hands of Christ, in the year 337, being 98 years old from his birth.
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Prayer to the Holy Hierarch Alexander
Oh, I praise you, Hierarch Alexander, the strong staff of the old, the whole wisdom of the rule of the young, the ruler of the infants, the praise of all the people and the crown of the Church, we praise you, for your life on earth has been wonderful.
From the time of your youth you loved the Lord more than anything in the world, from the devilish impressions you saved people, father, with your prayers and the rivers of your welders you extinguished the multitude of pagan gods.
Give us healings to our infirmities, holy hierarchs, show us divine miracle, happy, new, to those who run to you with warmth, deliver us from all trouble and invasion.
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As he who boldly guards the flock of Christ from the seen and unseen enemies and those who escape from your shelter, defend them from their onslaught, Blessed Alexander, and save us, who are invigorated by ungodly thoughts and things.
You are the good pastor, holy hierarch Alexander, who led your flock to spiritual pastures and from the source of heaven you watered the dance, teaching it to sing to God: Alleluia!
Oh, too good pastor, with humility from the bottom of our hearts we pray: hear us who, bringing this little prayer from the burning of our souls, fall to you; be a mediator to the Most Merciful God to quench the cunning thoughts of our enemies and deliver us from all need and trouble that disturbs the rest and peace of our lives. Amen.
Source: crestinortodox.ro
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