By Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra
Instinctive in 1745 in the bosom of a deficient firm from Dimitsana in the Peloponnese, Saint Gregory customary his primeval intellect from his uncle who was a hieromonk, and then went to only remaining with him in Smyrna. Decent a monk in the monastery on the coral island of Strophades, he completed his theological studies on Patmos. On his return to Smyrna, City Procopios, who showed him a loving esteem, prepared him archdeacon and then preordained him priest. After Procopios was splendid to the Patriarchate in 1788, he sanctified Gregory to turn up him.
For twelve energy, the holy hierarch governed the overpowering and luxurious civil of Smyrna, the town of Hellenism in Asia Assistant, with wisdom and apostolic zeal. He had certain churches rebuilt contemporary, founded schools and customary a set of connections of gifts for the mediocre. In 1797, he was autonomous Ecumenical Patriarch and hastily undertook to fix up the patriarchal splendor by having the Phanar palace rebuilt. He as a consequence founded a publishing lower house in which he reduced books in the speech, which contributed remote to the cultural and spiritual stimulation of the Greek nation. The holy hierarch was gentle about the serious faithfulness of the ecclesiastical canons and the non-discriminatory honesty of the clergy. In persons in a state epoch, in the same way as the Greeks, who had been alleged under the Ottoman strap up for harshly four centuries, were brewing up for a state uprising, the Patriarch, awake of his ceremonial errands, exerted himself to huff the argumentative spirits while secretly encouragement majestic mood.
Previously honorable a year and a partly, he was denounced to the Sultan by some bishops whom he had reprimanded for their grasp, and was exiled to Chalcedon and then to the Monastery of Iveron on the Fantastic Hit the highest point. The whole time this annoyed story on Athos, the Saint visited all the monasteries, preached the word of God and was a representative of monastic life to all. He then gave the blessing to Saint Euthymios (Avow 22) to go and put on himself for martyrdom, and expressed his joy and arrogance at the news of the martyrdom of Saint Agathangelos (19 April), hence vetting that he designed death for love of Christ to be the critical grounds and upper of the Christian life.
Recalled to the Patriarchate in 1806, he was customary with zeal by the Christian nation of Constantinople, and daringly resumed his ceremonial work and the raising of non-discriminatory ethics among the clergy. But in 1808, a car d'etat brought Sultan Mehmed II to power. He confined Gregory to pull out and entice to the coral island of Prinkipos, and then another time to Intensification Athos, everyplace he resumed his patristic studies and his ascetic life, upholding himself sentient, meanwhile, of the conditions in the Church and among the nation.
In 1818, he was contacted by members of the neatness of Relatives (Filiki Eteria), a secret neatness that was preparing for chaos by taxing to bring together and sort out the several disseminate armed forces. Gregory showed his supply for the effect of deep space with enthusiasm; but, judging that the time was not yet sensational, he advised moderation. A very immediate time when, he was recalled for the third time to the Ecumenical throne and resumed his situation, unusually jovial the cosmos of schools in which the pupils possibly will perceive a Hellenic formation. He as a consequence customary a mercy Provide backing,' which customary possessions from fertile Greeks for the aid of unfortunate Christians.
As briskly as a greatly-disorganized rebellion of the Greeks from the Danube principalities began on 1 February 1821, contemporary hastily followed frightful and pink reprisals in Constantinople and in the overpowering centres of the Ottoman Refinement. The Turks massacred all the huge men who had relatives with the principalities and arrested four bishops. After the council had precise the order for all the huge Greek families of Constantinople to come together at the Phanar, the Patriarch, in the daydream of avoiding a slay, prepared himself conscientious for their enthusiasm at the Sublime Porte. Not joyful with this resolve, the Sultan annoyed Saint Gregory to sign the excommunication of the leader of the rebellion, Alexander Ypsilantes, and his companions.
On 31 Avow, a state rebellion in the Peloponesse was proclaimed, and three days when, on the Monday in Fantastic Week, the Amazing Interpreter, instead of the Greek community at the Sultan's court, was executed downward with other huge colonize. Foreseeing what his delivery would be and refusing suggestions that he shake off, the Patriarch said: "How possibly will I row my flock? If I am Patriarch, it is to sanctuary my nation, not to pass them over to the swords of the Janissaries. My death order be of better-quality use than my life, equally depressed it the Greeks order wrestle with the energy of emptiness, which normally produces sensation. No; I order not become a laughing-stock for the world by booty avoid, so that they can uninterrupted their sensation at me and say: occur at the hired gun Patriarch!'"
On Easter Day, 10 April, Saint Gregory celebrated the Liturgy of the New start calmly and with overpowering moderation, sporadic plainly by his bawl. At the end of the put on show, the news of the chaos in the Peloponnese was chronic to him. He then replied: "May the Lord's order, now as forever, be done!" One hours when, they came to visit him of his declaration, and the Janissaries took him off to put in jail with no design for his reputation. Submitted to interrogation and hurting, he set aside a profound silence, that was plainly fractured in the same way as, on their advice him to avoid his hope, he said: "The Patriarch of the Christians destitution die a Christian!" Soon afterwards, as briskly as a child was autonomous by the Fantastic Synod, he was hanged at the threshold of the Patriarchate, that has ever the same as remained congested in memory of this bad act. At the survive minute, Saint Gregory lifted his hands up to heaven, blessed the Christians who were generate, and said: "Lord Jesus Christ, perceive my spirit!" Stretch the Turks and the Jews were casting stones on the Patriarch's bulk, the vizier who had been charged with the remark sat smoking in assumption of it.
They gone the believe cool for three days, with the document containing the fee occupied its neck. In the long run, the Jews bought the believe for 800 piastres, dragged it depressed the streets to gibes and cries of execution, and threw it in the sea. In grudge of the creamy rock that was allied to it, the believe floated and was enhanced by a Greek ship above ground Russian colors, which took it to Odessa. Highly thought of by the multitude for certain days, the holy leftovers showed no sign of sarcoma.
In 1871, on the case in point of the fiftieth celebration of the Greek Excursion, the believe of the holy Patriarch was translated to Athens and positioned in the City Place of worship with the facts moderation.
He was properly canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on April 10, 1921.
From "The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Sheep Church, Weight 4: Avow, April", translated from the French by Close relative Maria (Dash) and Close relative Joanna (Burton), Fantastic Convent of The Annunciation of Our Lady Ormylia (Chalkidike), 2003.
The Closed Entry of St. Gregory in 1920
Reference: about-world-religions.blogspot.com
