CYRIL and METHODIUS The brother missionaries Cyril and Methodius are celebrated as the "Apostles to the Slavs.." Born in the Greek community of Thessalonica, they learned the dialect of the Slavs at an early age and could speak it fluently. Cyril, before becoming a monk, was known as Constantine.

The icon shows the two brothers joined together in their missionary effort. Cyril, the monk, wears the monastic habit together with the cross that is characteristic of the monastic life. Methodius, the Bishop, wears the vestments of a hierarch with the characteristic omophorion and holds a bishop's staff. The cross with which he blesses is the three-bar cross, symbolic of their mission to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Slavic peoples. Cyril holds a scroll upon which is written the text of (Mt. 28:19), "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations."

Cyril and Methodius composed the alphabet that is named after Cyril, The Cyrillic Alphabet, and which is used in the Slavic languages. Thus, Cyril is sometimes shown holding a scroll with this alphabet. These brother Apostles translated the Liturgy and Scriptures into the vernacular and defended its usage, thus further stressing their missionary intentions. This action went a long way toward the growth of the faith of the people. The entire lives of Cyril and Methodius can be summarized as a missionary response to the command of the Gospel to go forth and bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to all mankind.

This command of Christ is also given to us. We are called to translate the Gospel into our day to day living. Our lives should be an invitation to others to follow Christ. Saints Cyril and Methodius stand out to us as exemplars of the missionary character of the Church.

Synaxis of St. John the Baptist - On this day we celebrate the Feast of the holy prophet St John the Baptist and Forerunner as well as the coming of his most holy Relic (hand) to Constantinople.

We received from above and from the beginning to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Forerunner and Baptist John one day after Holy Epiphany, i.e. January 7th, because he served at the mystery of the Lord's Baptism.

For this reason this feast is counted with the rest of the Forerunner's feasts so that we should not keep silence over his miraculous and supernatural gifts. It happened that on the evening of Epiphany, the arrival of the holy hand of the Forerunner to Constantinople took place. This happened thus:

St Luke the Evangelist went to the city of Sebaste, in which as they say the holy body of the Forerunner was buried, and, after he had received the right hand of the prophet's body, he brought it to Antioch, his home city, where it performed a lot of miracles. One of these miracles is the following. Just outside the city of Antioch there lurked a dragon who was raised to the level of a god by the Greeks living in Antioch. They honoured him every year with a sacrifice. The worst part of it was that the victim was human. As time passed the lot fell upon a Christian to give his daughter to the dragon. He would come out of his cave dreadful and horrible to look at and would open his mouth to receive the victim offered to him. Then he would tear her apart with his teeth.

The father of a girl chosen to be a sacrifice was praying with deep sighs and tears to God and the holy Forerunner to free his country from such a bitter killer. As he was praying, he came up with an idea as it often happens with people in need. He was going to attempt such an endeavour. He asked to venerate the holy hand of the Forerunner and, as he was kissing it, he secretly cut with his teeth the thumb. When he got what he wanted he came out of the church. When the day on which his daughter was expected to be sacrificed arrived, all the people of the city gathered to watch the sacrifice. In front of them all the father holding his daughter approached the dragon. When he saw the dragon opening his mouth to devour his daughter, the threw into its throat the holy finger of the Forerunner and, what a miracle! The dragon was immediately killed. When this had happened, the father received his daughter alive and went back home rejoicing and relating the miracle. The gathered crowd of the people seeing this miraculous event were amazed. So, they gave thanks to God and the holy Forerunner and built a great church in his name.