Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria

John the Merciful
(+ 619/620), Patriarch of Alexandria, saint Commemorated November 12
In the Greek tradition, St. John the Merciful is also called.
John III Ducas Vatatz, Emperor of Nicaea (+ 1254) Born in the city of Amafunta on the island of Cyprus in the family of a noble nobleman - prefect Epiphanius and Eucosmius. From his youth he was raised in piety and fear of God. Having come of age, he, at the will of his parents, got married and had children, but soon his children and his wife died. Freed from the bonds of married life, the saint thanked God and began to live monastically, although he was not a monk. He gave part of his estate to charity and diligently served the Lord, practicing frequent prayer and godly deeds, especially showing himself to be merciful and merciful to all those suffering distress from poverty. His virtues made him famous among the people, and the emperor himself revered him.

In 609, after the death of Patriarch Theodore, the Alexandria Church was left without a primate. Then Emperor Heraclius honored John with the rank of patriarch, which he accepted against his wishes, but at the request of the emperor, the clergy and the people.

Having ascended the patriarchal throne, Saint John first of all took care to cleanse his flock of the Monophysite heresy, which disturbed the flock of Christ.

Having eradicated it, John devoted himself entirely to the zealous fulfillment of God’s commandments and to works of charity.
At the beginning of his patriarchal service, he ordered that the poor and wretched in Alexandria, whom he called his masters, be taken into account, since they, as he said, “can ... lead me into the eternal abodes.” There were seven and a half thousand of them. The saint gave all these unfortunate people daily free food. Twice a week, on Wednesday and Friday, he went to the doors of the patriarchal cathedral and, sitting on the porch, received all those in need: he sorted out feuds, helped the offended, and distributed alms. Two or three times a week he visited hospitals, providing assistance to the suffering, he himself served and admonished the dying with his prayers, helping them at their death. In addition, he often celebrated the funeral Divine Liturgy and said that the liturgy performed for the dead brings them great benefit. The saint never refused those who asked. One day, on the way to the hospital, he met a beggar and ordered him to give him six pieces of silver. The beggar, having changed his clothes, overtook the patriarch and again began to beg. John gave him the other six pieces of silver. When the beggar asked for alms for the third time and the servants began to drive away the annoying petitioner, the patriarch ordered to give him 12 pieces of silver, saying: “Is it not Christ who is tempting me?”

Twice the saint lent money to the merchant, but both times he suffered shipwreck. As the saint pointed out, the first happened because the merchant mixed church gold with unrighteously acquired gold, and the second - because his ship itself was unjust gain. The third time, the saint gave him a ship that belonged to the Patriarchate, filled with wheat, on which the merchant made a successful journey, unexpectedly became rich and repaid the debt.

The difficult war between Emperor Heraclius and the Persians under the leadership of Chosroes II brought many troubles to the empire. The Persians plundered and burned Jerusalem, capturing many prisoners, but the holy Patriarch John allocated most of the church treasury for their ransom. Then, during the Persian invasion in 618, many people gathered in Alexandria, which resulted in severe famine. Saint John, showing mercy for the hungry, spent all the church property and even owed a thousand liters of gold. One second-married cleric promised to generously donate to the needs of the Church if the patriarch made him a deacon, but the saint reproached him, saying that God is able to feed people during famine without unjust gain. Just as he was saying this, a messenger arrived with the message that two ships had arrived from Sicily with a large quantity of wheat.

Saint John the Merciful was known for his meek attitude towards people. Once he was forced to excommunicate a cleric from the Church for some offense. The guilty person became embittered with the patriarch. The saint wanted to call him for a conversation and forgot about it. During the Divine Liturgy, the saint remembered the words of the Gospel: when you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift and first make peace with your brother (Matthew 5:23-24). The saint came out of the altar, called the offending cleric to him and, falling on his knees before him, publicly asked for forgiveness. The shocked cleric repented of his crime and subsequently became a pious priest.

One townsman insulted George, the patriarch's nephew. George asked the saint to take revenge on the offender. The saint promised to repay the offender in such a way that all of Alexandria would be surprised. This calmed George, and Saint John began to teach him, speaking about the need for meekness and humility, and then, calling the offender, announced that he was exempting him from paying church tribute for the land. Alexandria was truly surprised by such “revenge,” and George understood his uncle’s lesson.

Saint John, a strict ascetic and man of prayer, always had mortal memory in his soul.
He ordered a coffin for himself, but did not order the craftsmen to finish it, asking him to come to him every holiday in the presence of everyone and loudly ask if it was time to finish the work. Many other miraculous and significant events accompanied the saint’s earthly life. Shortly before his death, Saint John was forced to leave his see due to the Persian invasion and went to Constantinople. While traveling on the ship, the sick saint had a sign: in a dream vision, a radiant man appeared to him and said: “The King of kings is calling you to Himself.” This vision foreshadowed the imminent death of the patriarch. Arriving in Cyprus, he could not continue his journey, but went to his hometown of Amafunt and there he reposed in peace with the Lord. This happened on November 11, 619 or 620. His memory was moved to November 12 because on the 11th the memory of the Great Martyr Mina was solemnly celebrated in Egypt, and in Constantinople the Venerable Theodore the Studite.

Reception days – Wednesday and Friday

Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria. Image from tsurganov.info

But the servants did not tell the patriarch about every needy person. Then the patriarch appointed reception days: Wednesday and Friday, and commanded that every person who came on these days with any request should be admitted to him.

The reception took place in the church: the patriarch sat with his assistants near the entrance to the church and listened to the people. At the same time he said:

“After all, I myself ask the Lord to hear me, and, talking with Him in prayer, I ask Him for what I want. Why shouldn’t I listen to my neighbor?”

But there were days when no one came. Then the patriarch became upset and went home. The assistants asked: what is he upset about? The Patriarch answered: “Today I have not brought anything to God for my sins.”

Son of a noble man

John was born in Cyprus, into the family of a wealthy nobleman in the 7th century. By the will of his parents, he started a family and had children. However, he quickly became a widower, and his children also died.

These life events greatly influenced John and his future fate. After the tragic death of his family, he became a monk. Even then he accomplished real spiritual feats, was a strict faster, a brotherly lover.

Should you give alms to well-dressed people?

One day the servants told St. John that in the crowd of beggars who came with a request to the patriarch, there are well-dressed girls, but they are asking for alms. The servants asked: should they serve or not serve?

The Patriarch replied: “If you are truly Christians, then serve as Christ commanded - despite the faces, without asking about life. We are not giving what is ours, but what is Christ’s.”

But all St. John did not convince, there were still doubters: why serve this to those who are clothed and not dying of hunger?

In response, the patriarch shared his mystical experience:

“When I was sixteen, one night I dreamed of a beautiful maiden with an olive wreath on her head. The girl touched me and woke me up. Waking up, I saw that she was standing before me no longer in a dream, but in reality, and asked: “Who are you, how dare you come to me?” The girl replied: “I am the eldest daughter of the Great King and the first among His daughters. If you make me your friend, then I will ask you great grace from the King, because no one has such strength and boldness from Him as I do. I brought Him down from heaven to earth and caused Him to put on human flesh for the salvation of people.”

To those who did not understand everything, the patriarch explained: “Mercy came to me in the form of a maiden. After all, it was only out of His mercy that Christ came to save people, and therefore he who wants mercy from God must himself be merciful to others.”

Examination

Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria. Modern icon. Image from agios-icon.ru

One day Saint John went to the hospital to visit the sick (he went to hospitals several times a week). On the road, a beggar asked him for alms. The Patriarch handed him six silver coins. Taking the coins, the wanderer left. But then, wanting to experience the saint’s generosity, he changed clothes and, going along a different path, met the saint again. John and again asked for money. John again ordered that six silver coins be given to him. The observant servant guessed the beggar and warned the patriarch. But the patriarch, pretending not to hear the remark, again gave it to the beggar. Then the beggar changed his clothes again and asked for alms for the third time. The servant again hinted to the patriarch about deception, but the patriarch again gave it to the beggar.

How is the Saint venerated in the Orthodox religious tradition?

The Monk John died on November 11, but on that day the memory of Saint Mina was honored, so his funeral took place on November 12. Since then, the memory of the Most Merciful Saint has been honored on November 12, or 25 in the new style. In Russia there are about 10 churches of the Patriarch the Merciful (in St. Petersburg, in Bolshoi Novgorod), there is not a single one in Moscow.

John is considered the intercessor of all the poor and sick, as well as the destitute and those who have gone astray. In St. Petersburg they pray to John the Merciful at 27 Valor, where the church named after him is located. The saint helps to improve character and inspires determination in doing good and justice. Therefore, John is also revered as the guardian angel of soldiers and travelers.

Apology to the altar boy

Two altar servers for one sin were punished by Patriarch John with temporary excommunication from Communion. One of them repented, and the other was offended. Having learned about this, the patriarch wanted to talk to him again to calm him down, but forgot.

One Sunday, getting ready to serve the liturgy, St. John remembered that altar boy who was angry with him, as well as the words of Christ spoken by Him in the Gospel: “If you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your neighbor has something against you, leave your gift and go, first make peace with to your neighbors." The Patriarch left the altar, found that altar boy and on his knees asked him for forgiveness.

The altar boy was so amazed that he immediately softened and also asked for forgiveness from the patriarch. The Patriarch went to serve the liturgy, and the altar boy soon became a priest.

Signs and sayings on Ivan the Merciful

• Judge December by John.
• If frost appears in the morning, wait for evening frosts.
• If a straw placed in fallen snow does not fall through, the snow will not melt.
• If snow covered the ground on November 25, then spring will come late.
• If it rains on Ivan the Merciful, then within 7 days there will be a thaw, and until February there will be dampness and humidity.
• If on this day, as on Fedora (November 24), it starts to rain, then it will be warm until the Feast of the Introduction (December 4).
• If the cold does not come on this day, wait for spring earlier than usual.
• Clouds float low - for frosty days. If they sail against the wind, snowfall is approaching.
• If ash appears quickly when burning wood, warm weather will soon arrive.
• The fire in the stove crackles noisily and burns brightly - a sign of dry and frosty weather.
• Those born on November 25 are defenders of the weak, incorruptible judges. They should wear turquoise or tourmaline.
• If it rains on Ivan, then it will be the same before the Introduction.
• If there is snow on Ivan, then winter will not move until the Introduction on December 4th.

Why was all of Alexandria amazed?

Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria. Modern icon. Image from the site alchevskpravoslavniy.ru

One hotel owner in Alexandria cursed the nephew of Patriarch John. He complained to his uncle. John said: “He, the wicked one, dared to dishonor my nephew! I bear witness to God that I will take revenge on the offender and deal with him in such a way that all of Alexandria will be amazed!

The nephew immediately calmed down. Seeing this, St. John said: “Beloved son! If you want to be my relative, then be ready to endure not only insults, but even more, and for God’s sake forgive your neighbor everything. Do you want to be noble? Then seek nobility not by blood, but by virtue. True nobility is decorated not so much by the glory of ancestors, but by good deeds!”

And then the patriarch ordered that the annual church tax not be taken from the person who insulted his nephew, allowing him to live freely.

And all Alexandria was amazed.

Who will win?

Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria. Face. Fragment of a 20th century fresco. Image from tsurganov.info

One day, a rich nobleman friend came to the saint and accidentally saw that the patriarch’s bed was covered with a holey blanket. The nobleman sent the patriarch a new blanket, worth thirty-six gold pieces, asking him to cover himself with it.

The Patriarch, thanks to the nobleman, promised, and honestly covered himself with a blanket for one night. And then he said to himself (probably the cell attendant heard and wrote it down for history): “How many people are there in this city who have neither a corner nor food! And they, despite such need, believe in God and thank Him! And who am I? Is it difficult for me to thank God, I have been rich since childhood, I have lived in love and honor all my life. And with all this, there is also this blanket. What will God tell you? So have you served your neighbors? They starved and you lived luxuriously? After all, our Christ did not come to be served, but to serve people Himself. And so he commanded his priests. And you?"

This is what the patriarch said, and in the morning he ordered the blanket to be sold and with this money to buy clothes for the poor. But when the blanket was being sold, the same nobleman happened to pass by, found out that it was for sale, bought it again and again sent it to John.

John took the blanket with gratitude and sent it off to sell again, with the words: “Let’s see who gets tired first: I’m the one to sell, or my donor is the one to give.” They did this up to five times, and each time all the proceeds from the sale of the rich blanket went to the poor. The nobleman was the first to surrender.

Horrible dream

The patriarch had one very stingy bishop. His name was Troil. And here is St. John invited Troilus to go with him to the hospital for a round. And he said: “Father Troilus! Here is an opportunity for you to comfort those in need by giving them alms.”

Troilus, ashamed to appear stingy, began to give alms to everyone against his will and spent a lot of gold. But when he came home, he was so upset by the waste that he fell ill. And Saint John had just invited him to dinner. Troilus said that he was ill.

Guessing the cause of this illness, John, taking with him as much gold as Troilus had spent in the hospital, went to visit him. Coming to him, he said:

“I brought you the gold that I borrowed from you in the hospital, take it, and give me a note that you are giving me the reward from the Lord that was intended for you for the distributed gold.” Seeing the gold, Troilus was so happy that he immediately recovered, and immediately wrote: “Merciful God! Grant a reward to my lord John, Patriarch of Alexandria, for the thirty liters of gold that I distributed to the poor, because he returned my gold to me.”

Having received the note, John began to pray for his bishop. And then at night Troil saw in a vision a beautiful palace with the inscription: “The House of Bishop Troil.” But before he had time to enter there, some majestic and formidable man appeared, looking like a royal servant, and said:

“The Lord ordered that this inscription be erased and that it be written that this is the house of John, Patriarch of Alexandria, who bought it for himself for thirty liters of gold.

Troilus woke up from grief and ran to Patriarch John with a story about a strange dream. The Patriarch consoled him, interpreting the dream as a warning. From that time on, Troilus reformed and became poor-loving.

Why charity funds sometimes end up lost at sea

Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria. Fresco, 18th century. Image from logoslovo.ru

One day, thirty ships belonging to the Church of Alexandria and loaded to the brim with goods were caught in a storm. All goods were lost. Having lost his property intended for charity, Saint John said the words that righteous Job once said: “The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Which roughly means: “God knows best how to dispose of good things, but you can also think about the reasons for what happened.”

When to St. They came to John to console him for his losses, the patriarch replied:

“I myself am to blame for the destruction of church property, because if I had not been exalted in my mind for giving great alms, then the property would not have perished in the sea.” I became proud, giving not my own, but God’s. And God, wanting to humble me, allowed such impoverishment, because poverty humbles a person. Now I myself realize that because of pride I lost my reward from God and caused a great loss to the poor, because those whose food was lost will starve. But not for my sake, but for their own sake, the Lord will not leave the poor and will give them everything they need.

And it’s true: as soon as Patriarch John repented, God sent him twice as much as before.

Saint John is prayed for well-being

According to tradition, the saint is depicted on the icon with a wise look and a beard. The saint certainly holds the Gospel in his hands. One of the most famous icons of John is kept in Moscow, in the Tretyakov Gallery. On it he is depicted together with Saints Nicholas and Simeon.

Church of St. John the Merciful in the city of Otradnoye, Leningrad region

According to Orthodox canons, honestly earned money or wealth is not considered a vice. It is considered a sin to obtain them illegally. Therefore, under the icon of John the Merciful, one should pray for material well-being.

They also pray to St. John about this:

• to get rid of anger and malice;
• about solving problems with shelter and children;
• about guidance on the right path.

The saint is the patron of travelers and military people.

The text of the prayer said under the icon of John the Merciful asking for prosperity and wealth

Saint John of God, merciful protector of the orphans and those in adversity! We resort to you and pray to you, as the quick patron of all who seek consolation from God in troubles and sorrows.

Don’t stop praying to the Lord for everyone who flows to you with faith!

You, filled with Christ’s love and goodness, have appeared as a wonderful palace of the virtue of mercy and have acquired for yourself the name “merciful.”

You were like a river, constantly flowing with generous mercies and abundantly watering all those who thirst.

We believe that after you moved from earth to heaven, the gift of sowing grace increased in you and that you became an inexhaustible vessel of all goodness.

By your intercession and intercession before God, create “all kinds of joy,” so that those who come running to you may find peace and tranquility: grant them consolation in temporary sorrows and help in the needs of everyday life, instill in them the hope of eternal peace in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In your life on earth, you were a refuge for everyone in every trouble and need, for the offended and ailing; not a single one of those who came to you and asked you for mercy was deprived of your grace.

Likewise now, reigning with Christ in heaven, show all those who worship before your honest icon and pray for help and intercession.

Not only did you yourself show mercy to the helpless, but you also raised the hearts of others to the consolation of the weak and to the charity of the needy.

Move even now the hearts of the faithful to intercede for the orphans, comfort the mourners and reassure the needy.

May the gifts of mercy not become scarce in them, and moreover, may peace and joy in the Holy Spirit rejoice in them and in this house, which watches over the suffering, to the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen.

Don't believe your eyes

St. John was a monk, and monks have one ascetic rule: not to believe your eyes. In the sense that if your eyes see something that forces you to condemn, it is better not to believe your eyes than to condemn.

The validity of this rule was once demonstrated by St. John's life itself. One monk walked around Alexandria for several days with a very young and beautiful girl. Seeing this, people decided that the monk was depraved to the point of shamelessness - he was not even embarrassed to show himself with a woman. And they complained to the patriarch. He ordered both to be seized and locked in prison (one by one).

As night fell, the monk appeared to the patriarch in a dream, showed him his body, wounded from beatings, and asked:

- Is this what you wanted, sir? Is this how you learned from the Apostle to shepherd the flock of Christ? Believe me: you are deceived!

In the morning, the patriarch gave the order to bring the monk, wanting to see if he looked like the one who had appeared to him in a dream. The monk came with difficulty, as he could hardly move from his wounds. The Patriarch wanted to look at the wounds, and when the monk began to take off his clothes, St. John saw that the monk was a eunuch. Thus, having become convinced that the monk had been slandered, and that he himself had been deceived, St. John excommunicated the slanderers from the Church for three years, and asked the monk for forgiveness: “I have sinned before God and before you. But why did you so carelessly give rise to seducing people?”

The monk replied:

- Lord, I will tell the truth. A girl approached me on the street, at first I was about to run away from her, but she said that she was Jewish and wanted to be baptized and then enter a monastery. Then I baptized her, and then helped choose a convent for her.

After listening to the monk, the patriarch remarked: “We, the damned, don’t even know how many secret righteous people God has.”

Monk

Saint John forgave offenses with all his heart and himself, with the deepest meekness and humility, asked for an apology from those to whom he had caused grief and grief. One day a monk was accused of an unlawful relationship, and the saint believed this slander. The monk was locked in prison.

That night the patriarch dreamed of this monk. Having exposed his body, covered with wounds and ulcers, he said to John: “Do you see this? Are you feeling good? Is this how the apostles instructed to lead God’s flock? You believed the slander."

The next day, John called a monk from prison, and he told him that he had baptized a girl at the relics of the divine martyrs John and Cyrus in Gaza. Then he wished to place her in one of the women’s monasteries and, in the simplicity of his heart, accompanied her.

John listened to the monk and was very sad: he sincerely asked for forgiveness from the innocent victim. After this incident, the patriarch was extremely cautious in his judgments about his neighbors, and asked others not to judge anyone. “We will not condemn anyone,” said John, “we only see bad deeds, but we are not allowed to see the secret sorrow and repentance of the sinner, hidden from us.”