Today, Monday, July 8, according to the holiday calendar, the following are celebrated:

Theofilos, Theofili, Theophilia, Theofilitsa, Filio, Filitsa, Filia *
Procopius, Procopius, Prokopia

Saint Theophilus the Myrovlites

Saint Theophilos was born in Zichni, Macedonia around 1460 AD. from God-loving, benevolent and friendly parents.

In his homeland he learned the first letters and showed that he loved them very much, and he made progress studying and immersing himself in the holy scriptures. In fact, he indulged in calligraphy and became an excellent calligrapher.

“Renouncing country and kinship and wealth and all worldly vanity, he became a monk; after a short time he also received the office of the priesthood; and since then he has been wandering in various places teaching and benefiting Christians through the word and example of his own life.”

Then he met and became spiritually connected with the virtuous and reverent bishop of Rendins, Akakios, who had been ordained a high priest by Saint Nifon (festival of August 11), when he was Metropolitan of Thessaloniki (1482 – 1486 AD). Through Akakios he was connected with Saint Niphon and Saint Theophilos.

It is worth briefly and parenthetically to note that the great figure of Saint Niphonos, apart from the two oath-martyrs disciples of Makarios (+1507) and Ioasaph (+1516) that we mentioned and Saint Theophilos here, was also associated with other figures of Saints of the Saints, such as the oath-martyrs Elder Jacobus, Jacobus the deacon and Dionysus monk (+1519), who were martyred in Adrianople, Theona Metropolitan of Thessaloniki (+1541-2), the brothers Apsarados Theophanos (+1544) and Nektarios (+1550) builders of the holy monastery Barlaam Meteoron and Maximos of Graikos and Vatopedinos (+1556).

Saint Niphon, as patriarch of Constantinople, following letters he received, trusting Theophilos for his wisdom and virtue, sent him in 1486 AD. with his like-minded Elder, bishop Akakios in Egypt, to verify the miracles that took place under the blessed Patriarch Joachim of Alexandria, that he moved Mount Dur Dag through prayer and drank medicine without suffering any harm, after provocation by Jews and Muslims.

The patriarch Joachim “loved Osion a lot and revered him as wise and virtuous”. They established these supernatural miracles as real events and departed for the divine Mount Sinai, Jerusalem and Damascus. In Jerusalem, the bishop Akakios was absent due to illness and was released by Theophilos.

Theophilos went to Constantinople with letters from the patriarchs of Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch. Saint Niphon, however, had dethroned and delivered the letters to his successor Pachomius, who was from his own homeland.

Patriarch Pachomios: “He was very grateful as a compatriot, and having blessed him and wished him, he begged him to stay in the Patriarchate for help, as very useful for his wisdom and virtue. Obeying the prayer of the patriarch at the right time, Osios stayed. From there he was appointed Notary and Exarch of the Great Church, and he remained there for a sufficient time in this deanery, loved and honored by all”.

But his peaceful and peaceful soul did not rest on honors and glories. He despised the greatness and came to Mount Athos, to enjoy the greatness of God.

To the holy and blessed Athos “he first went to the Monastery of Vatopedi, and stayed after the holy Bishop of Methymni, who was there at the time, and submitted to him after all willingness and humiliation; and after he finished, he left”.

From the monastery of Vatopedi, where we do not know the time of his stay, but we do not think that it was short, he moved in 1511 AD. in the monastery of Iberon, where he was particularly involved in the copying of manuscripts and calligraphy.

He turned out to be an experienced bibliographer and several of his works, about thirty, mainly of liturgical content, are preserved in the rich library of the monastery of Iberon. The fame of his virtue had reached far. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Theoklitos, asked him in a way to come near him, with the aim of consecrating him as Metropolitan of Thessalonica.

The fugitive Agioreite, understanding the reason for the invitation, resigned from the priesthood to avoid promotion.

He became a magnificent monk, declared illness and weakness, and retired to a hut, near the virtuous Prior Dionysios the Iberite in the Cell of the Holy Forerunner, in 1522 AD, after a twelve-year stay in the Iberon monastery, according to his autograph note in a codex.

Then he went to Karyes accompanied by the also virtuous Elder Kyrillos. There he acquired a close spiritual link with the philotheist First Seraphim of Mount Athos, the devotee and praiser of the Theotokos of Axion Esti, his later biographer, who once signed:

“The first of the Holy Mount Seraphim, the diocesan and abbot of the abbots and patriarchs and great proto-conciliar patriarch.”

Uncle Theofilos, desiring greater and more precise peace, also left Karyes. He moved to the nearby quiet area of ​​Kapsala, which belonged to the Pantrokratoros monastery, and with the help of his friend First Seraphim, he took over the Cell of Saint Basil, which he renovated.

He had with him a monk named Isaac. He was often visited by the First Seraphim, exchanging spiritual experiences and admonitions.

Theophilos the philotheist always, and especially now, systematically practiced mental prayer.

Saint Nicodemus the Saint, who would later sit in the region, writes:

“After the Blessed One calmed down, then even then he resorted to noeran prayer, which is superior to the theory of external philosophy… Saint Theophilus having a perpetual task, being in silence, to pray without interruption and to study with all his mind and willing speech the one spoken in the heart and with all the will and love of his soul, the one-word prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me”, as the ancient Fathers teach.

And with this mental work and holy prayer and with the mourning and the purgative tears, where they are born from this mental prayer, he cleansed his heart from passions and was freed from the insults of wicked thoughts and freed from evil attitudes, he obtained humility, meekness, peace and the other virtues and be kindled by the divine fire of divine and neighborly love…

Burning with divine love, he was no longer with himself, but with his beloved God, and he imagined nothing but Jesus… he ascended to the divine theory and was enriched by the supernatural gifts, deserving of divine illumination; and wherever he gained distinction and clairvoyance, but also a foresight of the future; and shortly they said that as incorporeal he became an angel and was perfect in everything”.

He foresaw his end, wrote a confession of faith, a testament by his own hand, made anointing oil, asked and gave forgiveness from everyone and to everyone, partook of the Immaculate Mysteries, thanked God wholeheartedly and wholeheartedly and asked his dear and obedient disciple Isaac:

“When I die, do not confess this to anything, but not the customs of the execution burial, only tie a rope to my feet and drag me and throw me in the forest to a hidden place, so that the beasts will eat me; except for the liturgy and memorial service, sing as much as possible”.

The saint, because of his great humiliation, did not want to be honored even after death.

His last words were:

“Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.”

His good subordinate did as his faithful Elder commanded him and deposited the honest relic in a hidden part of the forest. But many were asking for it. When it was once found, the Pantokratoros monastery wanted to keep it.

Finally, it was decided to keep his hand, which exists to this day in a position of blessing, and to give the body to his subordinate Isaac, who placed it in the Church of Saint Basil. From that time the saint began to smell incense and the saint was called Myrovlytis.

St. Nicodemus the Saint also writes characteristically about this:

“This miracle which God showed to the Holy Relic of our Holy Father Theophilos, is not a little or the slightest, but it is great and exquisite, because this miracle of myroblosion rarely happens to a few Saints.

For many Holy Relics of Martyrs and Saints are found, although they do not exude myrrh because the smelling of it is a proof and a sure sign of an extreme purity and virginity and chastity, not only from the passion of pollution, but also from the affliction of impure thoughts of the mind; and if the grace of the Holy Spirit does not dwell in the whole mind and soul and heart and in all the parts of the body when a person is alive, to cleanse and sanctify them down to the bones and marrow, it is impossible to perfume the body after death”.

The biography of Saint Theophilos was expanded by Saint Nicodemus the Saint, who is also the composer of his Order.

St. Theophilos is considered one of the most famous copyists of Mount Athos manuscripts of the 16th AD. century. This work continued until the end of his life.

Saint Procopius the Great Martyr

Saint Procopius lived and grew up in Jerusalem during the years when Diocletian was emperor of the Romans (290 AD). His father, Christopher, was a pious man, unlike his mother, Theodosia (see same day), who believed in idols.

After his father’s death, his mother took him to the emperor, who made him ruler of the city of Alexandria and ordered him to persecute and torture the Christians. So Procopius set out for Alexandria.

During his journey, however, lightning and thunder suddenly began to fall and at the same time he heard a voice calling him by name, threatening him with death because he would persecute the Christians and at the same time the True God.

After this event Procopius begged the One who was speaking to him to reveal himself more to him so that he could see who he was. Then a crystal Cross appeared in front of him and a voice was heard saying to him: “I am the Crucified Son of God”. After this miracle he believed and became a Christian.

Shortly after returning from a victorious expedition, his mother tried to persuade him to sacrifice to idols. But he realized that he had become a Christian and betrayed him to the emperor. He ordered the ruler of Caesarea, Ulcius, to interrogate him. He beat him so hard that he passed out and then put him in prison. But with the grace of the Lord, the wounds were healed and he was freed from the shackles.

He was then taken to the temple of the idols where by his prayer he succeeded and crushed the idols. This miracle resulted in many believing in him, including his mother. Immediately orders were given to behead all who had believed. After this, horrible tortures were ordered to be inflicted on Procopius. The Saint endured all this with great determination and even managed to overcome it with the help of God. Finally he was ordered to be beheaded and thus received the crown of eternal life.