From the series: „Patrologia”
Saint Paraskeva the most useful. Her impact and influence in the pious life of the contemporary Christian…
Motto: Rejoice, luminary of Moldova; Rejoice, supporter of Epivata; Rejoice, teacher of your parents; Rejoice, you who have not gathered earthly riches; Rejoice, gatherer of heavenly gifts; Rejoice, what you did not receive the expensive clothes; Rejoice, honorer of the garment of humility; Rejoice, straightener of pride; Rejoice, honorer of virginity; Rejoice, supporter of the elderly; Rejoice, condemner of enemies; Rejoice, merciful to the poor; Rejoice, Saint Paraskeva, very useful!…
Saint Parascheva is the most popular of all the saints whose relics are located on the territory of our country. The great piety towards the Pious is explained precisely by the conviction and finding that she is very useful through her prayers before God, giving everyone the help they need. The akathist dedicated to the saint calls her „fountain of mercy” and „tireless protector”, and the miracles recorded over time abundantly prove the truth of these words.
Every year, on October 14, the Orthodox Church everywhere celebrates the Pious Mother Parascheva. She is especially honored in Moldova, as her relics have been found in Iasi for more than 350 years, being a source of blessing and spiritual and physical healing for all those who call her in prayer to be an intercessor to the Most Merciful God.
If the Holy Martyr Parascheva, celebrated on July 26 in the Orthodox Christian Calendar, is popularly known as „Holy Friday”, the Pious Mother Parascheva was called, especially in Moldova, „Good Friday”. As a symbol of the unity of Orthodoxy everywhere, the life after death of St. Parascheva shows that holiness raises from his race the man who became like God, making him a light of love and closeness among all those who confess and live in the same faith.
Testimony of the honor brought by our ancestors to St. Parascheva are the churches founded with the patron saint of Saint Parascheva not only in Moldova, but also in Transylvania and Wallachia.
Saint Pious Parascheva lived on earth in the first half of the 11th century. The first teaching in the Romanian language about the saint’s life can be found in the „Romanian teaching book” of Metropolitan Varlaam of Moldavia, Iasi, 1643.
In other words, on this day, all believers are celebrating. Today we celebrate the patron saint of the past year, our Blessed Mother Parascheva, the protector of Moldova, the suppliant and quick helper of all believers who ask for her intercession. On this day, thousands of believers gather at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iaşi, since the eve, to pray, worship and reverently kiss the reliquary with the relics of Saint Parascheva.
Here, it’s been over 350 years since this bride of Jesus Christ protected us with her holy relics. What beautiful services and chosen songs are not performed now in our holy monasteries, in honor of Reverend Parascheva? But who can say how many perils God has not saved us, over the centuries, with the intercession of the Pious? That is why we are obliged to honor the saints, because they are „friends of God” and our supplicants in heaven. Let us honor with faith also the Venerable Parascheva, let us reverently kiss her holy relics whenever we have the opportunity. Then, let’s often read her akathist, singing this short prayer to her with one voice: Rejoice, Parascheva, very useful! Amen.
In other words, Saint Parascheva is the most popular of all the saints whose relics are located on the territory of Romania, eloquent proof of this being the multitude of pilgrims who worship her relics at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iasi. Moreover, hundreds of parish churches in Romania are dedicated to her to protect them, and in northern Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia, the Orthodox faithful also honor her with great piety (See in this regard the beautiful book – album, in the Romanian, Greek and English languages, Sfânta Parascheva – Pilgrim’s Lodge, Metropolitan Publishing House, Trinitas, Iasi, 2000).
In Bucharest there are eighteen churches dedicated to Saint Parascheva, and more recently (since 2008) even the old chapel in the Patriarchal Residence has also received the patron saint Saint Parascheva.
Saint Pious Parascheva is called in her Akathist „very useful.” Each icos ends with the words: „Rejoice, Saint Paraskeva, very useful.” A careful reading or listening to her Akathist shows us how she is „much useful.”
Saint Pious Parascheva relieves suffering, comforts the saddened, delivers the hopeless (Icos 1).
Saint Pious Parascheva listens to the prayers of devout priests, prays to the Mother of God for virgins, guides widows, helps strangers, comforts the persecuted, heals bodily diseases (Icos 2).
Saint Pious Parascheva supports the elderly, has mercy on the poor (Icos 3).
Saint Pious Paraskeva intercedes with the Lord for all Christians, dispels storms, brings fruitful and abundant manna (Icos 4).
Saint Pious Parascheva guards the true faith and honor of the Holy Cross in souls (Icos 5).
Saint Pious Parascheva protects and delivers from diseases, fear and damage (Icos 6).
Saint Pious Parascheva is the intercessor of those who have done wrong, the helper of the oppressed, the rectifier of bad judges, the deliverance of the judged and condemned, the restraint of passions, the unsupporter of those who seek only their own benefit, the failure of the intercessions of the crafty, the calming of the strong, the strengthening of of the weak, destroyer of wickedness, fountain of mercy (Icos 7).
Saint Pious Parascheva is invoked through prayers and chants, as the magnifier of monks, the guide of the community, the honorer of the pious, the guardian of hermits, the guide of the right faith and the destroyer of heresies (Icos 8).
Saint Pious Parascheva is honored as the bringer of abundant rains, the abounder of good fruits, the gladdener of the plowmen (Icos 9).
Saint Pious Parascheva is praised as honorer of those who have mercy on us, strengthener of those who serve us, co-worker with those who feed us (Icos 10).
Saint Pious Parascheva is called in prayer as the comforter of the wretched, the guide of the lost, the gentle one who corrects, the swift helper (Icos 11).
Saint Pious Parascheva is asked to deliver people from all evil, from the hour of condemnation and from eternal torment, because she is for all believers together and for each of them a protector from evil, a bringer of goodness, a supporter of me, of the humble sinner (Icos 12).
The great piety of the righteous people towards Saint Pious Parascheva is explained precisely by the conviction and finding that she is very useful, giving help, through her prayers, to the young and the old, virgins and mothers, the sick and the poor. Her power comes from her holiness and goodness, that is, from her love for God and for people.
The helping power of the saints is, in fact, God’s love pouring out through the saints to strengthen the holy bond between people and God, especially when people love the Church of Jesus Christ and honor His saints.
Therefore, the communion of saints with God also strengthens the communion of people in prayer, in search of holiness and God’s help. Thus, the saints from each nation gather together in the love of Jesus Christ the faithful from their own nation and from other nations. Saint Pious Parascheva gathers, through her holiness, kindness and miracle-working prayers, Orthodox believers from different peoples such as: Romanians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbians, etc. The saints do not belong only to their nation, but they belong to God and to all humanity; they help all people, because God loves all people. In this sense, it is said that a Muslim came to an Orthodox Christian monastery in Serbia to pray. Then, an Orthodox asked him: – How did you come to pray to one of our saints? The Muslim answered: – It is neither ours, nor yours, but God’s (Saint Parascheva – Pilgrim’s Guide, Metropolitan Publishing House, Trinitas, Iasi, 2000, page 53).
In other words, holiness is divine love and goodness without borders, which pours out into the world through the bond of prayer.
Therefore, let us all ask Saint Pious Parascheva to help us with her prayers, so that we can pray like her, to call for God’s help, not only for ourselves, but also for others.
Saint Parascheva from Iasi enjoys a special cult in the country, more than all the other local saints who have relics in Romania. Every day, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iaşi, from morning to late evening, there is a continuous small local pilgrimage, with believers of all ages and from all places, coming to pray. Especially on holidays, during fasts and every Friday, considered „Holy Friday”, that is, of the Pious Parascheva, many believers come and worship the reliquary with faith, bringing flowers, gifts and clothes that they touch to the pious relic for to gain help, health and blessing.
But the biggest day of celebration of the whole year is October 14, the day of our Saint Parascheva, when one of the biggest Orthodox pilgrimages in our country takes place, attended by worshipers from villages and towns, from all corners of the country . This day is considered a true national church pilgrimage, which lasts up to three days. Since the eve, the relics of the Pious Saint Parascheva are brought out in front of the cathedral and, for two days and two nights, the faithful stand in line for worship.
In the evening of October 14, the feast of the pious woman ends with a procession around the cathedral, led by the Metropolitan of Moldova, who, together with the clergy and believers, with candles in their hands, carries the reliquary with the relics of the Pious Saint Parascheva, to the sound of bells and of the beautiful church songs.
After that, the relics are placed in their place in the church, the chapel of St. Parascheva is sung , then everyone returns to their own with the joy of the great holiday in their souls and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.
Here, in a few words, is why Saint Paraskeva is called very useful. The piety of our people towards the saints was based not only on the moral duty to honor the saints, as those who were pleasing to God, but was also nourished by the real help that the saints gave to those who honor them.
The piety of the people is therefore of a practical order, they felt the help of the Saint and, therefore, they call it very useful. The miracles she performed during her life and after her transition to eternal life show that the Saint is very useful through the help she gives to those who seek God and truly love the saints and call them to prayer. So, this is the only way to explain such great piety towards Saint Paraskeva. Not because of her theology, not because of her chosen race, not because of any renown, but primarily because of this power to help those in need. This power is, in fact, God’s love, which flows through the saints. In the help of the saints, it is actually the work of the Holy Spirit through her, in the Church, the work of Jesus Christ through the saints who are close to Him, and precisely this mystery of the help we receive from God through the prayers of the saints, is the mystery of the Church as the mystery of healing from sin, healing from troubles, healing from sickness and healing from death.
So this is how Sfânta is very useful. It shows us the mystery of salvation as the mystery of deliverance from what is contrary to life, from what is contrary to our calling.
Therefore, the very useful Parascheva shows us how useful is the grace of God, which pours into the world through the intercession of the saints. It is entirely worth remembering that among the saints in the country, none is more popular than Saint Paraskeva among the youth. It is enough to see one day, from morning to evening, how many young people come to this Saint, who was young when she passed, in the 11th century, to eternal life; students, students from Iasi and from different parts of the country come almost naturally to honor the relics of St. Pious Parascheva and this shows that the young man feels in St. Parascheva a power of eternal youth that the Holy Spirit gives to the saints who from their youth gave themselves the life of God.
I end this essay with the holy wish that anyone, of any age, who honors Saint Paraskeva and reads her Akathist, may be helped by God through her intercessions, to feel the power of soul resurrection and experience the joy of eternal youth that the saints have because they loved God and their fellow men…
Dr. Stelian Gomboş
https://steliangombos.wordpress.com/
by 
Array
A trecut ceva timp, de la atacul informatic direct, de foarte rea-credinţă, prin care revista universală de creaţie şi atitudine culturală ARMONII CULTURALE (www.armoniiculturale.ro, înfiinţată la Adjud în februarie 2011), a fost desfiinţată aproape în totalitate. Dispariţia din spectrul online a acestei reviste, devenită în scurt timp valoroasă, prin numele care şi-au adus contribuţia la construirea acesteia, a constituit un real motiv de regret pentru cei peste 900 de colaboratori, de pe cinci continente. În perioada activităţii sale online, revista Armonii Culturale s-a constituit într-un pol pozitiv de atragere a scriitorilor valoroşi, atât din ţară, cât şi din diaspora..