Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
The Feast Day of St. John of Rila
This is a Christian religious celebration of Saint John of Rila, also sometimes known as Saint Ivan of Rila, and as Ivan Rilski, a 9th and 10th century Bulgarian hermit, revered as a saint even while he was still alive. He was famous for performing miracles and was known as a “wonderworker” in his lifetime. Those miracles include healing the sick, casting out demons, and providing food miraculously to those in need. Many of the legends of him involve wild animals and birds approaching him.
Saint Ivan of Rila, also known as Ivan Rilski (Bulgarian: Свети преподобни Иван Рилски Чудотворец, romanized: Sveti prepodobni Ivan Rilski Chudotvorets, lit. ‘Saint John of Rila the Wondermaker’; c. 876 – 18 August 946), was the first Bulgarian hermit. He was revered as a saint while he was still alive. The legend surrounding him tells of wild animals that freely came up to him and birds that landed in his hands. His followers founded many churches in his honor, including the famous Rila Monastery. One of these churches, Saint John of Rila was only discovered in 2008 in the town of Veliko Tarnovo. Today, he is honored as the patron saint of the Bulgarians and as one of the most important saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Saint John of Rila was born app. 876 a.c. in Skrino, at the foot of the Osogovo mountain. He was a contemporary of the reign of emperor and saint Boris I, his sons Vladimir (Rassate) and tsar Simeon I The Great, and the son of the latter – Saint tsar Peter I.
Originally a herder, at the age of 25, Saint John of Rila became a priest in the “St. Dimitrii” monastery located under peak Ruen. After accepting the life of a monk, he left the monastery in order to continue his life in solitude and prayer. Saint John of Rila lived in isolation in various locations before going to the Rila Mountains. There he spent the rest of his life in prayer and deprived himself of an everyday life by settling in the uncomfortable conditions of the caves in the Rila mountains.
According to legend, Saint John of Rila was known to have performed a multitude of miracles in order to help the people. These miracles brought him undesired fame as he tried to live the life of a hermit and avoid contact with others. With his growing number of followers, many young believers and supporters set up camps around his cave, seeking a blessing from him. This led the way to the creation of the Rila Monastery, which is considered to be the foremost monastery in Bulgaria.
Word of the miracles he performed reached the capital of the Bulgarian Empire – Great Preslav. Tsar Peter I (son of tsar Simeon I) took a 450 km trip to the Rila Mountains in order to meet St. John and seek spiritual advice. Their meeting is described in detail in one of the hagiologies of St. John of Rila as well as in the Testament of St. John of Rila itself. After a long and exhausting trip, tsar Peter I reached the place where St. John of Rila lived, however, upon arrival, the tsar then realized that the dwelling of the saint was inaccessible, probably due to the rough local terrain. As the medieval hagiologies point out, St. John of Rila refused to meet the tsar in person to avoid the temptation of vanity and pride due to the extraordinary visit. As such, the two men only bowed to each other from a distance. The emperor sent a soldier to deliver the gifts that were brought for the saint. St. John of Rila kept only a small portion of food and returned all of the gold and precious gifts, advising the tsar that monarchs need gold in order to protect the country and help the poor.
Shortly before his death (August 18, 946) St. John of Rila wrote his Testament (Zavet). A literary work and a moral message to his successors and to Bulgarian people.
As the patron saint of the Bulgarian people, his dormition is commemorated each year on August 18 and October 19.
Remains
Saint John of Rila – fresco from the church in Rila monastery, Bulgaria.
Shortly after the saint’s death, his remains, which were thought to have wonder-working powers, were transferred to Sofia during the reign of Peter I.
After Hungarian King Béla IIIconquered Sofia in 1183, the remains were sent to the Hungarian capital Esztergom and remained there for four years before being returned to Sofia in 1187.
In 1194, Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen I ordered the remains to be moved to his capital, Veliko Tarnovo. Surviving the Turkish conquest of the city in 1393, they were returned to the Rila Monastery in 1469 at the behest of Sultana Mara Branković, the widow of the late Murad II.
St. John of Rila is considered the patron saint of Bulgaria and Bulgarian people, and he is venerated widely both in his native country as well as among the Bulgarian diaspora abroad. He is traditionally regarded as the founder of the Rila Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site regarded as one of Bulgaria’s most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments. One of Chicago‘s two Bulgarian Orthodox churches St. John of Rila Church is dedicated to him, located in the Portage Park community area.
As the patron saint of the Bulgarian people, his dormition is commemorated each year on August 18 and October 19.
What is something you can eat to celebrate the Feast Day of St. John of Rila?
Among the stories surrounding this saint, there is a famous one involving food. (via monasticrepublic.com)
One night, demons transformed into robbers and beat the saint, who moved to a more deserted part of Mount Rila. He lived in a hollow of a tree, and by divine Providence, the place produced chickpeas which he ate. He once gave some chickpeas to some shepherds who visited him, but they stole some and found the pods empty. They returned to the saint seeking forgiveness.
In honor of this story, and as a means or providing one’s feast to tell it, I suggest the following feast day recipe:
Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpea Pitas
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1-1/4 pounds), peeled and cubed
2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups arugula or baby spinach
12 whole wheat pita pocket halves, warmed
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Directions
1Preheat oven to 400°. Place potatoes in a large microwave-safe bowl; microwave, covered, on high 5 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and onion; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, garam masala and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Spread into a 15x10x1-in. pan. Roast until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
Place garlic and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high until garlic is lightly browned, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Stir in yogurt, lemon juice, cumin and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt.
Toss potato mixture with arugula. Spoon into pitas; top with sauce and cilantro.
What is a prayer that you can say on the Feast Day of Saint John of Rila?
O great and most faithful wonderworker, Venerable John, accept our supplication and do not turn away from us who have recourse to your intercession: never did you turn away from those who came to you with their sorrows during the days of your earthly life; in the same way, you showed signs of mercy even after your repose to Orthodox people! Hear us also now, by the great sorrows of those who are supported, who have come upon us in these evil days, when the devil, through his pernicious machinations, seeks to trample upon the Holy Church, and to deprive us of eternal salvation and the blessings of temporal life! Ask the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness of our sins, and especially for the sin of disobedience to our Mother Church! Grant us contrition of heart, so that we may steadily approach the holy Sacrament of Penance with emotion, so that we may not receive communion in the Body and Blood of Christ for condemnation and destruction, but for health and salvation. Release from us the spirit of brotherly hatred, grant us the spirit of love and peace for the fraternal unity of all your people! Unite us all with love for Christ and His Orthodox Church, for let us be true children of God who keep His saving will. May you keep us happy all our days, for we may always keep our faith pure in the grace of the Holy Spirit and do the will of the Lord until we die! At the hour of our demise, it will appear to us to present our souls to the throne of the Divine Judge and say to Him: “Behold, I am also my children,” so that through your intercession we may be delivered of eternal torments, and we may inherit the ineffable bliss of the Heavenly Kingdom of Christ together with you and all the saints for ever and ever. Amen.
When if the Feast Day of St. John of Rila celebrated?
This feast occurs annually on 19 October.
I hope that everyone who celebrates has a wonderful day!
