August
30th (New Style) • August 17th (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyr Myron, the Presbyter
Myron
was a priest in the town of Achaia of wealthy and prominent origin and
by nature was kind and meek, both a lover of God and of man. During
the reign of Emperor Decius and, on the Feast of the Nativity of
Christ, pagans charged into the church, dragged Myron out from the
service and subjected him to torture. During the time of torture in
the fire, an angel appeared to him and encouraged him. After that,
they began to cut his skin in strips from his head to his feet. The
martyr grabbed one such strip of his skin and, with it, struck the
torturer - the judge - on the face. The judge Antipater, as though
possessed, took a sword and killed himself. Finally, they took Myron
to the city of Cyzicus and there slew him with the sword in the year
250 A.D.
The
Holy Martyr Patroclus
Patroclus
was a citizen of the city of Trychasia, present day Troyes in France (Gaul).
He inherited great wealth from his parents and, from this, as a true
Christian, performed daily acts of mercy for the less fortunate while
he himself lived a life of mortification taking food only once a day,
after the setting of the sun. Because of his sanctity of life, the
Lord granted Patroclus the power of healing and he was known
throughout as a miracle-worker. Emperor Aurelian, arriving in Gaul,
ordered that Patroclus be brought before him. St. Patroclus proclaimed
his faith in Christ before the emperor and did not conceal anything.
"O Emperor, if you desire something of my wealth, I will give it
to you, for I see you as poor" said St. Patroclus to the emperor.
To that, the emperor replied: "How is it that you call me the
emperor, poor who has countless riches? St. Patroclus then said:
"You have only transient earthly treasures but you are poor for
you are not in possession of yourself nor do you possess the Faith of
Christ in your heart." He was condemned to death and handed over
to the soldiers to be taken to a bog near a river to be slain there
and to leave his body in the mud. But the saint of God prayed to God
that his body not remain in the mud and by the power of God he
suddenly became invisible to the soldiers and was translated to the
other side of the river. After a long search, the soldiers found him
and slew him on a dry spot. Two beggars, to whom Patroclus often gave
alms, came along this road, recognized the body of their benefactor
and buried it with honors.
The
Venerable Elijah of Calabria (Italy)
Elijah
was a Greek by descent and the abbot of the monastery Mellicia in
Calabria in southern Italy. During the time of iconoclasm in the east,
many eastern monks fled to Calabria with icons. In time, the monastic
life was spread widely throughout Calabria. The Calabrian monks were
distinguished by their great learning and austerity of life. At one
time, there were so many Orthodox monasteries and monks in Calabria
that Calabria was compared with Egypt of old. Later, through the
centuries, Orthodox Calabria fell under the authority of the
Archbishopric of Ohrid. Venerable Elijah died in Thessalonica in the
year 903 A.D.
The
Venerable Olympius, the Iconographer of the Monastery of the Caves in
Kiev
Portraying
the images (faces) of the saints on wood, Olympius imitated even their
good works in his own soul. He healed a man of leprosy, saw an angel
of God and, in his old age, died peacefully in the Lord in the year
1114 A.D.
Reflection
The Lord
does not allow His faithful servants to be shamed. It often happened
that the martyrs of Christ, ridiculed and mocked before the courts,
unexpectedly performed a miracle, which instilled fear in the
unbelievers. Either the idols fell or thunder destroyed the temples of
the heathen or an unexpected downpour of rain extinguished the fire
prepared for their burning or the torturers beat themselves with
stones and rods and so forth. Thus, Antipater, the torturer of St.
Myron, during the suffering of this man of God suddenly went insane
and killed himself. St. Olympius, the icongrapher, was already at the
end of his life when he received an order from a man to paint (write)
the icon of the Dormition (the Falling Asleep The Assumption) of the
Most-holy Theotokos. As the feast was approaching, this man came
several times to see whether the icon was completed. But the icon was
not even begun, not even on the eve of the Feast of the Dormition
itself when the icon was supposed to have been placed in the church.
When this man returned home completely saddened, at once there
appeared a young man in Olympius' cell who immediately sat down and
began to write the icon. He worked very quickly and very expertly.
When the icon was completed, it shone like the sun. Showing the icon
to the astonished Olympius, the young man took the icon and brought it
to the church for which it had been ordered. The next day, that man
who had ordered the icon went to the church and, to his great
surprise, saw the icon in its place. Then that man came to the
monastery and, with the abbot, entered Olympius' cell. "How and
who wrote the icon of this man?" asked the abbot. The ailing
Olympius replied: "An angel wrote it, and he is now standing here
to take me away." And with that, he gave up the spirit.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the punishment of God upon Saul because of his
disobedience (1 Samuel 15 1 Kings 15):
1. How
God commanded Saul not to spare the Amalekites nor to take any of
their livestock;
2. How
Saul spared Agag, the Amalekite King, and allowed the best of the
enemies livestock to be taken;
3. How
Samuel informed Saul that God rejected him because of his disobedience
and because of his arbitrary offering of the sacrifice to God without
a priest.
Homily
About
the Spirit-bearing divine Child
"And
the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isaiah 11:2).
The Holy
Spirit of God does not separate from the Father nor does it separate
from the Son either, nor does the Father separate from the Son and the
Spirit, nor does the Son separate from the Father and the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit prophesied about the Son through the prophets, the
Holy Spirit overshadowed the All-holy Virgin and prepared her for the
birth of the Son of God, the Holy Spirit inseparably stood over the
Son during the entire time of His visit to the world in the body. The
Spirit of Wisdom the Spirit is the vision of heavenly mysteries; The
Spirit of Understanding the Spirit is the comprehending of the ties of
the visible and invisible world; The Spirit of Counsel the Spirit is
the separation of good from evil; The Spirit of Power (Might) the
Spirit is the authority over created nature; The Spirit of Knowledge
the Spirit is the knowledge of the essence of created beings; The
Spirit of the Fear of the Lord the Spirit is the recognizing of the
divine power over both worlds and submission to the will of God.
Whoever among men had unto himself this fullness of riches of the
gifts of the Holy Spirit? No one, ever. Only the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit distributes His gifts and gives them to
men, some to this one and some to another. But, the whole of the
undivided fullness of His gifts shines in the Son of God.
Why did
the Lord Jesus need to have the fear of God when He Himself is God? As
God, He did not have the fear of God but as a man had the fear of God
for the sake of an example to us. Just as He fasted, watched and
labored as a man for the sake of teaching men, so He feared God as a
man for the sake of teaching men. What is more curable for men
infected with sin than the fear of God? He, as one Who was healthy had
to take unto Himself the medicine for sin so that He could encourage
us who are sick to take those medicines. Does not a parent do the same
thing with sick children who are afraid to take the prescribed
medicine?
O Triune
and Eternal God before Whom all the heavenly hosts bow down singing
the wondrous hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth receive our
worship also and save us.
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August
31st (New Style) • August 18th (Old Style)
The
Venerable John of Rila
This
great ascetic and saint of the Orthodox Church was born near Sophia,
Bulgaria in the town of Skrino during the reign of King Boris. He was
of poor but honorable parents. After the death of his parents, John
was tonsured a monk and withdrew to a mountain wilderness and, began
to live a life of strict asceticism in a cave. There, he endured many
assaults, both from demons and men, from robbers and his relatives.
After this, he moved to the Rila mountain and settled in a hollow
tree. He fed only on herbs and broad beans, which, according to God's
Providence began to grow in the vicinity. For many years, he did not
see a man's face until again, by God's Providence, he was discovered
by sheepherders who were seeking their lost sheep. Thus, the saint was
heard of among the people and they began to come to him seeking help
in sickness and in sufferings. The Bulgarian King Peter himself
visited John and sought counsel from him. Many who were zealots for
the spiritual life settled in the proximity of John. There, a church
and monastery was quickly built. St. John rested peacefully in the
Lord on August 18, 946 A.D. at the age of seventy. After his death, he
appeared to his disciples. At first, his relics were translated to
Sophia, then to Hungary, then to Trnovo and finally to the Rila
monastery where they repose today. Throughout the centuries, the Rila
monastery was a beacon of light, a place of miracle-working power and
a spiritual comfort for the Christian people of Bulgaria especially
during the difficult times of bondage under the Turks.
The
Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus
Florus
and Laurus were brothers in the flesh, and in spirit and in vocation.
Both were zealous Christians and, by occupation, stonecutters. They
lived in Illyria. A pagan prince hired them for the building of a
temple to the idols. It happened that during their work, a piece of
stone flew and struck the eye of the pagan priest's son who was
observing the work of the builders with curiosity. Seeing his son
blind and bloody, the pagan priest began to shout at Florus and Laurus
and wanted to beat them. Then, the holy brothers said to him that if
he would believe in the God in whom they believed, his son would be
healed. The pagan priest promised. Florus and Laurus prayed with tears
to the one, living, Lord God and traced the sign of the Cross over the
child's injured eye. The child was immediately healed and his eye
became whole just as it had been. Then the pagan priest Merentius and
his son were baptized and, shortly after that, both suffered for
Christ by fire. When they completed the temple, Florus and Laurus
placed a cross on it, summoned all Christians and consecrated it in
the name of the Lord Jesus with an all-night vigil of hymn singing.
Hearing of this, the Illyrian deputy burned many of those Christians
and threw Florus and Laurus alive in a well and then filled it with
dirt. Later, their relics were revealed and translated to
Constantinople. These two wonderful brothers suffered and were
martyred for Christ and were glorified by Christ in the second
century.
The
Priestly-Martyr Emilian, Bishop of Trevi
Emilian
was born in Armenia. According to his wishes and seeking martyrdom, he
traveled to Italy to preach Christ during the reign of Diocletian. He
was elected bishop of Trevi. As a result of the many miracles during
the time of his torture, approximately one thousand pagans believed in
Christ. He was slain by the sword together with Hilarion, his
spiritual father and two brothers, Dionysius and Hermippus.
Reflection
It is
not a rare occasion, especially in our time, that parents become the
culprits for the spiritual death of their children. Whenever a child
has an aspiration for the spiritual life, asceticism, monasticism and
the parent curtails this aspiration instead of encouraging it, such a
parent becomes the murderer of his child. And, such children, as a
punishment to their parents, often turn to the opposite side and
become perverted. A boy named Luke, the nephew of St. John of Rila,
hearing about his uncle and drawn by the desire for the spiritual
life, visited his uncle in the mountain. John received Luke with love
and began to instruct and to strengthen him in the mortification of
asceticism. However, one day Luke's father appeared at the cave of
John and furiously began to scold the saint for keeping his son in
that wilderness. John's words and counsels were of no avail. The
father dragged the son home by force. However, on the way home a
serpent bit the boy and Luke died. The cruel father saw in this the
punishment of God and repented but it was all too late. He returned to
John mourning and condemning himself. But the saint only said to him
to bury the child and to return from wherever he came.
Contemplation
To
contemplate God's wondrous choosing of David as king (1 Samuel 16 1
King 16):
1. How
the Lord instructed Samuel to go to the home of Jesse and anoint one
of his sons as king;
2. How
the Lord instructed Samuel to anoint David, a herder of sheep, the
eighth and youngest son of Jesse;
3. How
Samuel anointed David and how the Spirit of God descended upon David.
Homily
About
peace between the wolf and the lamb
"The
wolf also shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down
with the kid" (Isaiah 11:6).
Thus,
the true prophet foretold the truth. And he further added: "The
calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child
shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; …and the lion
shall eat straw like the ox" (Isaiah 11:6-7). And the child will
place his hand in the hole of a poisonous snake (asp) and the snake
will not harm him. Brethren, when will this wonder occur? This has
already occurred when Christ the wonder-worker appeared on earth. This
is a reality of Paradise, which was restored among men with the coming
of the Savior upon earth. The prophet speaks enigmatically but,
nevertheless, clearly; enigmatically, for the prophet does not speak
about wild beasts but of men; for his prophecy was clearly fulfilled
in Christ's Church. Men, who by their habits, were as wolves,
wildcats, lions, bears, oxen, lambs, kids and serpents all stand
before the Child of Bethlehem equalized by faith, tamed by grace,
illumined by hope and softened by love.
The
prophet further fortells why this will take place. "For the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea" (Isaiah 11:9). When viewed physically, every man is earth.
The man who believes in Christ and, in truth follows after Christ,
becomes full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea, which is filled
with water. Such were many individuals. Such were even entire
companies of ascetics in Egypt, on the Holy Mountain (Athos), on
Cyprus, in Russia, in Armenia and in other places. But this is not
all. The knowledge of the Lord has spread today throughout the earth.
Holy Scripture is distributed throughout all nations. There are few
corners of the earth where the Gospel of Christ is not read, where the
name of God is not known and where the Bloodless Sacrifice of the Lord
is not offered. Some deny Christ, others embrace Him, some abandon the
true Faith and others embrace the true Faith. And thus continues the
one struggle throughout the entire world in the sign of the Lord
Jesus. The overly filled waters pour out and flow into empty valleys;
the empty valleys become filled and are made equal with the high
waters. Everything is not glowing in the world as we Christians wish
it to be, but the prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah was gloriously
fulfilled most clearly and was accomplished. O how wonderful is the
vision of Isaiah, the son of Amos, the true prophet. O,
miracle-working Lord, tame the beastly nature of those men and people
who are not tamed by the power of Your love. That we all may be
fruitful from Your abundance. That we all may be glorious from Your
Glory and alive Lord, alive from Your Immortal life.
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September
1st (New Style) • August 19th (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyr Andrew, Stratelates (The Tribune and Commander)
Andrew
was an officer, a tribune, in the Roman army during the reign of
Emperor Maximian. He was a Syrian by birth and served in Syria. When
the Persians menaced the Roman Empire with there military, Andrew was
entrusted with the army to battle against the enemy. During this
occasion, Andrew was promoted as a commander - Stratelates. Secretly a
Christian, even though he was not baptized, Andrew trusted in the
living God and, of the many soldiers, he chose only the best and
entered into battle. He said to his soldiers before the battle that if
they would call upon the help of the one, true God, Christ the Lord,
their enemies will scatter as dust before them. Truly, all the
soldiers filled with enthusiasm at Andrew and his faith invoked Christ
for assistance and made an assault. The Persian army was utterly
destroyed. When the victorious Andrew returned to Antioch some, who
were envious, accused Andrew of being a Christian and the imperial
deputy summoned him to court. Andrew openly confessed his unwavering
faith in Christ. After bitter tortures, the deputy threw Andrew into
prison and wrote to the emperor in Rome. Knowing Andrew's respect
among the people and in the army, the emperor ordered the deputy to
free Andrew to freedom and to seek another opportunity and another
reason (not his faith) and then to kill him. Through God's revelation,
Andrew learned of the emperor's command and, taking with him his
faithful soldiers, 2593 in number, departed with them to Tarsus in
Cilicia and there, all were baptized by Bishop Peter. Persecuted even
there by the imperial authorities, Andrew with his detachment withdrew
farther into the Armenian mountain Tavros. Here, in a ravine while
they were at prayer, the Roman army caught up with them and all to the
last one were beheaded. Not one of them even wanted to defend
themselves but all were desirous of a martyr's death for Christ. On
this spot, where a stream of the martyr's blood flowed, a spring of
healing water erupted which cured many from every disease. Bishop
Peter came secretly with his people and, on the same spot, honorably
buried the bodies of the martyrs. Dying honorably, they were all
crowned with the wreath of glory and took up habitation in the Kingdom
of Christ our Lord.
The
Venerable Theophanes
Theophanes
was born in Ioannia and, as a young man, left all and went to Mt.
Athos where he was tonsured a monk in the community of Dochiariu. He
was an example to all the monks in fasting, prayer, all-night vigils
and depriving himself of all that was unnecessary. In time, and
because of this, he was elected as abbot. Later, because of some
misunderstanding with the monks, he left Mt. Athos and, with his
nephew, went to Berea (Beroea) in Macedonia where he established a
monastery in honor of the All-holy Theotokos. When this monastery
blossomed with the spiritual life, Theophanes entrusted his nephew to
govern it and he went to Naousa where he established another monastery
in honor of the Holy Archangels. Theophanes died peacefully in the
fifteenth century. His miracle-working relics, even now, repose in
Naousa and manifest the great power of God.
The
Holy Martyrs Timothy, Agapius and Thecla
All
three were martyred for Christ during the reign of the wicked Emperor
Diocletian. Timothy was burned alive and Agapius and Thecla were
thrown before wild beasts.
Reflection
When an
unexpected misfortune happens to us who are innocent, we should not
immediately grieve but rather we should try to see in this the
Providence of God, Who, through that misfortune, is preparing
something new and beneficial for us. One day, unexpected news came to
Blessed Theophanes, the abbot of Dochiariu, that the Turks had seized
his sister's son, forced him to embrace Islam and took him to
Constantinople. Theophanes immediately traveled to Constantinople and,
with the help of God, succeeded to find his nephew and to secretly
bring him out of Constantinople and brought him to his monastery on
Mt. Athos. There, he again, received his nephew into the Christian
Faith and, after that, also tonsured him a monk. However, the brethren
began to complain against their abbot and his nephew for fear of the
Turks, for they were afraid that the Turks would find out and come and
destroy the monastery. Not knowing what to do, St. Theophanes took his
nephew and, with him, secretly withdrew not only from Dochiariu but
also from the Holy Mountain and came to Berea. The later activities of
Theophanes in Berea and in Naousa proved how much that misfortune was
beneficial to the Church. That which Theophanes could never succeed to
achieve on the Holy Mountain, he achieved in these other places to
which he had fled from that misfortune. Namely: he founded two new
monasteries, where, in time, many monks were saved and where countless
men found comfort for themselves. In addition to this, his holy relics
among the Christian people became a source of healing for the
strengthening of faith among many unbelievers and those of little
faith. Thus, God wisely directs the destiny of men through unexpected
misfortunes, which momentarily seem to men that they are going to
their final destruction.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the wondrous Providence of God in the life of David (1
Samuel 16 1 Kings 16):
1. How
the Spirit of God withdrew from Saul because of Saul's sin;
2. How
an evil spirit assaulted Saul so that he sought a harpist in order to
comfort him;
3. How
the servants of the king precisely found David and brought him to the
king so as to calm him with the harp.
Homily
About
the power of the Lord and the weakness of idols
"Behold,
the Lord rideth upon a light cloud and shall come into Egypt: And the
idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence" (Isaiah 19:1).
Fleeing
from King Herod, the Pharaoh of Jerusalem, the Lord came to Egypt. The
true Israel is not reckoned according to the place but rather
according to the spirit and deeds. At the time of the birth of the
Lord, greater evil (Herod) reigned in Jerusalem than ever reigned in
the Egypt of the Pharaohs as it often happens when believers fall away
from the Faith, they become worse than the unbelievers who never knew
the true Faith. Such is the case in our days with the rulers in Russia
who apostatized from Christ. At that time, Egypt was a kinder and more
hospitable place for the Savior of the world than was Jerusalem.
Compare the words of the prophet with the words of the angel in a
dream to the Righteous Joseph: "Arise, and take the young Child
and His mother and flee into Egypt" (St Matthew 2:13) and
immediately you will be convinced that the words of Isaiah do not
refer to anyone other than Christ the Lord. You will be convinced of
this even more when you hear the words of the other prophet who
speaks: "Out of Egypt I called My son" (Hosea 11: 1).
What
does "a light cloud" upon which He (the Lord) will come to
Egypt signify? This signifies the body of the Lord in which He will
clothe His divinity, for the body of man is as a dense cloud in which
the soul resides. Therefore, that is the prophetic vision of the
Incarnate Lord. Some interpreters also think that "a light
cloud" signifies the Most-pure Mother of God who, by long fasting
and prayer and other mortifications made her body as light as a cloud.
Especially "light was that cloud" the body of the
Birth-giver of God because of the absence of passions, which burden
the human body.
O,
All-merciful Lord, Who desires salvation for all mankind and does not
look to see who is a Jew and who is an Egyptian, save and have mercy
on us for we continuously hope in Your Name.
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September
2nd (New Style) • August 20th (Old Style)
The
Holy Prophet Samuel
Samuel
was the fifteenth and last judge of Israel. He lived eleven hundred
years before Christ. Samuel was born of the tribe of Levi of the
parents Elkanah and Hannah in a place called Ramatha or Arimathea
where the noble Joseph was born (Joseph of Arimathea). The barren
Hannah besought Samuel from God through weeping and dedicated him to
God when he was three years of age. Living in Shiloh near the Ark of
the Covenant, Samuel, in his twelfth year, had a true revelation from
God concerning the punishments which were pending before the house of
the high priest Eli because of the immorality of his sons Hophni and
Phineas. That revelation soon materialized: the Philistines defeated
the Israelites, slew both of Eli's sons and captured the Ark of the
Covenant. When the messenger informed Eli of this tragedy, he fell
dead to the ground and expired in the ninety-eighth year of his life.
The same thing occurred to his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phineas.
From then on and for twenty years the Israelites were the slaves of
the Philistines. After this period of time, God sent Samuel to the
people to preach repentance if they wished to be saved from their
enemies. The people repented and rejected the foreign idols that they
served and recognized Samuel as a prophet, priest and judge. Then
Samuel set out with an army against the Philistines and with God's
help confused and defeated them and liberated the land and the people.
After that, Samuel peacefully judged his people until old age. Seeing
him in old age, the people asked him to install a king for them in his
place. In vain Samuel tried to turn the people away from this, saying
to them that God is their only King but the people stood by their
demands. Even though this demand was not pleasing to God, God
commanded Samuel to anoint Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of
Benjamin, as their king. Saul reigned for a short time only and God
rejected Saul because of his impudence and disobedience and then
commanded Samuel to anoint Jesse's son David as king in Saul's place.
Before his death, Samuel gathered the entire people and bid them
farewell. When Samuel died all of Israel mourned for him and they
buried him honorably in his house at Ramatha.
The
Priestly-Martyr Philip, Bishop of Heraclion, with Severus, the
Presbyter, and Hermes the Deacon
According
to all probability, it appears that they were Slavs. They served God
in Thrace and there were first handed over to tortures for Christ.
When the pagans rushed to set fire to a Christian church, the brave
Philip said to their elder: "Do you think that God is enclosed in
these walls? He lives in our hearts." The church was destroyed,
all the books burned and these priests were taken to Jedrene where,
after imprisonment and tortures, were thrown half burned into the
Maritsa river. Thirty-eight more Christians also died with them as
martyrs. It is thought that they suffered and died during the reign of
Diocletian.
Reflection
Repent
before death closes the door of your life and opens the door of
judgment. Repent before death and since you do not know the hour of
death, repent today, even now, and cease to repeat your sin. Thus, St.
Ephrem the Syrian prays:
Before
the wheel of time stops in my life, have mercy on me;
Before
the wind of death blows and diseases, the heralds of death, appear
on my body, have mercy on me;
Before
the majestic sun in the heights becomes darkened for me, Have
mercy on me; and may Your light shine for me from on high and
disperse the dreadful darkness of my mind; Before
the earth returns to earth and becomes decay and before the
destruction of all the features of its beauty, have mercy;
Before
my sins deceive me at the judgment and shame me before the
Judge, have mercy O Lord, filled with gentleness;
Before
the hosts come forth, preceding the Son of the King to assemble
our miserable race before the throne of the Judge, have mercy,
Before
the voice of the trumpet sounds before Your coming, spare Your
servants and have mercy, O Lord our Jesus;
Before
You lock Your door before me, O Son of God, and before I become
food for the unquenchable fires of Gehenna, have mercy on me."
Contemplation
To
contemplate the wondrous victory of David over Goliath (1 Samuel 17 1
Kings 17):
1. How
Goliath, frightful in body, armor and weapon defied the entire army of
Israel;
2. How
David, with hope in God, came with a slingshot and stones and slew
Goliath;
3. How
David was victorious for he believed "the battle is the
Lord's" (1 Samuel 17:47 1 Kings 17:47), a battle of believers
against unbelievers.
Homily
About
Egypt's conversion to the Lord
"And
the Lord shall be known to Egypt and the Egyptians shall know the Lord
in that day and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yes, they shall vow a
vow unto the Lord and perform it" (Isaiah 19:21).
O how
changeable is the heart of man! But, of all of his changes, one is
more shameful than the most shameful and that is: when a believer
becomes an unbeliever. Of all his changes, one is more glorious than
the most glorious and that is: when the unbeliever converts and
becomes a believer. The first change occurred with the Israelites who
killed Christ and the other occurred with the Egyptians who believed
in Christ. At one time, Egypt was the greatest persecutor of those who
believed in the one, living God, for at one time, the Egyptians had
many lifeless gods, idols and things that they worshipped, fables and
soothsayers by which they were deceived. But behold what the prophet
fortells! What a wonderful vision! The Egyptians will recognize the
one and the living Lord at the time when the Lord appears in the flesh
among mankind. Idols will be destroyed, the temples of the demons and
animals will be overthrown and the altar of oblation of the Living and
one God will be established and raised up. The Bloodless Sacrifice
will be offered in place of the bloody sacrifice and the rational in
place of the irrational. Hundreds and thousands of monks will take
upon themselves the vows of poverty, obedience, fasting, and prayer
out of love for the Lord. The greatest ascetics will appear in this
once darkened Egypt; the bravest martyrs for Christ the Lord; the most
enlightened minds; the most discerning miracle-workers. O, what a
wonderful vision! And how wonderful is the realization of that vision!
St. Chrysostom writes: "Neither the sun, with its multitude of
stars, is not as glowing as much as the wilderness of Egypt with all
of its monks." All was realized in truth, that was foreseen and
foretold by Isaiah, the son of Amos, the discerning and true prophet.
O
compassionate Lord who showed mercy on Egypt, the one time persecutor
of Your faithful, and illumined it with the light of truth, illumine
us also and strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit and by the example of
the great Christians of Egypt.
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September
3rd (New Style) • August 21st (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostle Thaddaeus
Thaddaeus
was one of the Seventy Apostles but not the Thaddaeus who was one of
the Twelve Apostles. St. Thaddaeus first saw and heard John the
Baptist and received baptism from him and after that he saw the Lord
Jesus and followed Him. The Lord numbered him among the seventy lesser
apostles whom He sent two by two before His face, "After these
things, the Lord appointed other seventy also and sent them two and
two before His face into every city and place where He Himself would
come" (St. Luke 10:1). After His glorious Resurrection and
Ascension, the Lord sent Thaddaeus to Edessa, Thaddaeus' birthplace,
according to the promise He gave to Prince Abgar at the time when He
sent the towel with His face on it. By kissing the towel, Abgar was
healed of leprosy but not completely. A little leprosy still remained
on his face. When St. Thaddaeus appeared to Abgar, he received him
with great joy. The apostle of Christ instructed him in the true faith
and after that baptized him. When the baptized Abgar came out of the
water, the remaining leprosy fell from him and he was completely
healed. Glorifying God, Prince Abgar also wanted that his people
should know the true God and to glorify Him. The prince assembled all
the citizens of Edessa before the holy Apostle Thaddaeus to hear
teaching about Christ. Hearing the words of the apostle and seeing
their prince miraculously healed, the people rejected the idols,
unclean living, embraced the Faith of Christ and were baptized. Thus,
the city of Edessa was illumined by the Faith of Christ. Prince Abgar
brought much gold and offered it to the apostle but Thaddaeus said to
him: " Since we left our own gold, how can we receive the gold of
others?" St. Thaddaeus preached the Gospel throughout Syria and
Phoenicia. He reposed in the Lord in the Phoenician city of Beirut.
The
Holy Female Martyr Bassa and her children: Theognius, Agapius and
Pistus
Bassa
was the wife of an idolatrous pagan priest but also was secretly a
Christian. She educated her sons in the spirit of Christianity. Her
husband hated her because of her faith and handed her, along with her,
sons, over to the judge for torturing. After harsh tortures, her sons
were beheaded (thought to be Edessa in Macedonia). Bassa was
completely overjoyed when she saw how her sons honorably ended their
martyr's heroic deed for Christ and she herself, with even greater
eagerness, went from torture to torture. When they tossed Bassa into
the sea, angels appeared to her and brought her to an island in the
Sea of Marmara where she was beheaded at the time of Maximian. Thus,
was St. Bassa, in a two-fold manner, was made worthy of the Kingdom of
Christ, as a martyr and as a mother of martyrs.
Venerable
Abraham of Smolensko
Abraham
was born in the town of Smolensk in answer to his parent's prayers. He
entered the monastic life at an early age and gave himself to austere
asceticism, emulating the ancient fathers of the desert. Later, he
established the monastery of the Holy Cross near Smolensk. He endured
many temptations both from demons and men with great patience and
thanksgiving to God. During the time of a great drought, Abraham
brought forth rain by his prayers. Living fifty years in the monastic
order, Abraham peacefully died in the Lord about 1220 A.D.
The
Holy Forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob are also commemorated on the Sunday of the Forefathers
before Christmas as the righteous and chosen ones of God.
Reflection
Magnanimous
forgiveness of slanderers and prayer for them is a characteristic of
Christian saints who do not ascribe all the slanders against
themselves to men but rather to demons, the main instigators of every
slander as well as every sin in general. St. Abraham of Smolensk was
slandered by envious priests to the prince and the bishop as a
deceiver, magician and hypocrite. The slanders sought nothing less
than to have him burned. The prince and the bishop believed the
slanderers and Abraham was banished from Smolensk and was forbidden to
exercise his priestly functions. During the entire time of his
investigation and trial, Abraham repeated the prayer of St. Stephen,
the first martyr: "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge"
(Acts of the Apostles 7:60). Later it was established that all of the
accusers against Abraham lied and slandered. The infuriated prince
wanted to severely punish the slanderers and the bishop wanted to
excommunicate them from the Church but the holy Abraham fell on his
knees before the bishop and, with tears, begged him to forgive them.
Abraham did not want to return to his monastery nor to begin again to
exercise his priestly functions until his slanderers were shown mercy
and released.
Contemplation
To
contemplate David and Saul, a man with the spirit of God and a man
without the spirit of God (1 Samuel 18 1 Kings 18):
1. How
Saul feared David because of his virtues and how David was obedient to
Saul in everything;
2. How
Saul hypocritically rewarded David but sent him among the Philistines
so that he would be killed;
3. How
an apostate from God always fears the most godly man.
Homily
About
the wondrous stone in Zion
"Behold
I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious
corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that believes in it shall not be
ashamed" (Isaiah 28:16).
Brethren,
this wondrous stone is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. For if the
prophet thought of it as an ordinary stone, he would not have
mentioned faith in it (the stone), otherwise he would have prophesied
idolatry. The Prophet Daniel also speaks about a stone which rolled
down the hill and smashed the great idol and grew as a great mountain
and filled the whole earth: "Thou sawest till that a stone was
cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were
made of iron and clay and broke them into pieces…and the stone that
smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole
earth" (Daniel 2:34-35). The prophecy about the stone in Daniel
is for pagans and the prophecy about the stone in Isaiah is for Jews.
The Lord Jesus Christ is that stone which is laid first, in the
foundation of God's entire creation, for He is the Word of God and the
Wisdom of God; second, as the foundation of the Old Testament as the
preparation and third, as the foundation of the New Testament as the
fulfillment. The "corner-stone", that is the firmest and the
strongest stone which connects and joins other stones and holds the
walls of various directions (angels) in oneness and in wholeness. If
we observe the Lord Christ within us, He is the
"corner-stone" which binds and ties our various spiritual
capabilities in unity and wholeness so that all work toward one goal,
in the direction of God and the Kingdom of God. If we observe Christ
the Lord in the history of mankind, He is the "corner-stone"
which ties and binds Judaism and paganism in one House of God, in the
Church of God. "For other foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 3:11) says the
apostle of the New Testament in agreement with the prophet of the Old
Testament. Whoever has, until now, believed in that Stone of Salvation
was not ashamed. Neither will anyone ever be ashamed who would believe
in it. For this stone is a "sure foundation" and truly a
"chosen stone", a "precious and honorable stone."
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September
4th (New Style) • August 22nd (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyrs Agathonicus, Zoticus and others with them
St.
Agathonicus was a citizen of Nicomedia and a Christian by faith. With
great zeal he converted the Hellenes from idolatry and instructed them
in the true Faith. By order of Emperor Maximian, the emperor's deputy
cruelly persecuted the Christians. During the persecution, the deputy
captured St. Zoticus in a place called Carpe, crucified his disciples
and brought Zoticus to Nicomedia where he also captured and bound St.
Agathonicus, Princeps, Theoprepius, (Bogoljepa), Acindynus, Severianus,
Zeno and many others. Securely bound, they were all taken to
Byzantium. However, along the way, Saints Zoticus, Theoprepius and
Acindynus died of their many wounds and exhaustion. They killed
Severianus near Chalcedon and, Agathonicus with the others were taken
to Thrace to the town of Silybria where, after torture before the
emperor himself, they were beheaded and entered into eternal life and
into the joy of their Lord.
The
Holy Female Martyr Eulalia
During
the time of a terrible persecution against Christians in Spain, there
lived a virgin Eulalia, born of Christian parents in the town of
Barcelona. Completely dedicated to Christ as her Bridegroom,
completely immersed in Holy Scripture, Eulalia ceaselessly disciplined
herself in voluntary mortification of the body and spirit. When the
torturer Dacian who mercilessly killed the Christians throughout Spain
and then came to Barcelona, Eulalia slipped away from her parents at
night, came before the torturer and in the presence of many people
rebuked him for slaughtering innocent people, along with this
ridiculing the lifeless idols and openly confessing her faith in
Christ the living Lord. The enraged Dacian ordered that Eulalia be
disrobed and beaten with rods. But the holy virgin expressed that she
did not feel the pains of the tortures for her Christ. The torturer
then bound her to a piece of wood in the form of a cross and ordered
that her body be burned with torches. Then the torturer asked her:
"Where is your Christ now to save you?" Eulalia answered:
"He is here with me but you are unable to see Him because of your
impurity." In great pain did Eulalia give up her soul to God.
When she died, the people saw a white dove emerge from her mouth. At
that moment, snow unexpectedly fell and covered the naked body of the
martyr as a white garment. The third day, St. Felix came and sadly
wept before Eulalia's hanging body and on the lifeless face of the
saint there appeared a smile. Her parents came and, together with
other Christians, honorably buried the body of this holy virgin.
Eulalia suffered and died for her Lord and entered into eternal joy at
the beginning of the fourth century.
The
Holy Female Martyr Anthus and others with her
Anthusa
was the daughter of wealthy but pagan parents from Seleucia in Syria.
Learning about Christ, Anthusa believed in Him with all her heart and
secretly went to Bishop Athanasius who baptized her. At the time of
her baptism, angels of God appeared to her. After that, Anthusa set
out for the wilderness to live a life of asceticism for she was afraid
to return to her parents. Anthusa lived a life of asceticism in the
wilderness for twenty-three years. While praying to God, she gave up
her soul kneeling on a stone under which, according to her last
testament, she wished to be buried. Bishop Athanasius and two of
Anthusa's servants, Charismus and Neophytus, were slain after that
because of their faith in Christ at the time of Emperor Valerian about
the year 257 A.D. They all died honorably and were crowned with
wreaths.
Reflection
When a
man once truly repents, he need not think any more about the sins he
committed so that he will not sin again. St. Anthony counsels:
"Be careful that your mind not be defiled with the remembrance of
former sins and that the remembrance of those sins not be renewed in
you." Again, in another place, St. Anthony says: "Do not
establish your previously committed sins in your soul by thinking
about them so that they not be repeated in you. Be assured that they
are forgiven you from the time that you gave yourself to God and
repentance. In that, do not doubt." It is said of St. Ammon that
he attained such perfection that from much goodness he was not aware
that evil exists anymore. When they asked him what is that
"narrow and difficult (sorrowful) path" (St. Matthew 7:14),
he replied: "That it is the restraining of one's thoughts and
severing of one's desires in order to fulfill the will of God."
Whoever restrains sinful thoughts, does not think of his own sins or
the sins of others neither of anything corruptible nor of anything
earthly. The mind of such a man is continually in heaven where there
is no evil. Thus, in him, sin gradually ceases to be, even in his
thoughts.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the wondrous help of God to David (1 Samuel 19 1 Kings
19):
1. How
David played the harp before Saul;
2. How
an evil spirit attacked Saul and Saul hurled a spear at David in order
to kill him;
3. How
Saul, even from the closest distance, did not hit David.
Homily
About
the prophecy of the miracles of Christ
"Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall
be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart and the tongue of
the dumb sing" (Isaiah 35: 5-6).
Come,
brethren, let us be amazed at the power of our living God Who opened
the eyes of mortal men to see in the greatest distance of time that
which will come to pass. And still to see in the minutest details as
though this prophet (Isaiah) himself was an apostle of Christ, walked
with the Lord, witnessed the miracles of miracles, how he gives sight
to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the lame to walk and to the dumb,
voice and speech. When John the Baptist in prison sent his disciples
to ask Christ: "Are You He who is to come or do we look for
another?" (St. Matthew 11:3), the Lord Christ answered them in
the words of His prophet Isaiah: "Go and show John again those
things which you do hear and see: The blind receive their sight and
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are
raised up "
(St.
Matthew 11: 4-5). Look and see how wonderful the Lord planned our
salvation! That which was prophesied about Him through His Prophet
Isaiah, that is what He fulfilled. At one time, the Prophet Isaiah
spoke His words inspired by the Holy Spirit and now He (Jesus Christ)
speaks the words of His prophet. At one time, the prophet quoted Him
and now He (Jesus Christ) quotes the prophet. To show by this that
when He speaks His words or when He speaks the words of the prophet,
He always speaks only His words. To show that even then it was He who
spoke and not the prophet and that it is now He who speaks and not
anyone else and to justify His prophet as His faithful servant so that
no one would be able to say that the prophet spoke falsely. Thus, the
prophets served to the glory of Christ the Lord and Christ the Lord
glorified His prophets, His true servants.
O Lord
Jesus, glorified by Your servants and the Glorifier of Your servants,
help us also so that by word, deed and thoughts we may be able to
serve the majestic glory of Your Name.
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September
5th (New Style) • August 23rd (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyr Lupus
This
holy man Lupus was a servant of St. Demetrius the commander of
Thessalonica. When Emperor Maximian beheaded St. Demetrius, Lupus
dipped the hem of his garment and his ring in the blood of the martyr.
With this garment and ring, Lupus worked many miracles in
Thessalonica, healing people of every pain and infirmity. Emperor
Maximian, who was then still residing in Thessalonica, discovered this
and ordered that Lupus be tortured and killed. However, the soldiers
who took up weapons against Lupus turned against one another and
severely wounded themselves. As he was not yet baptized, even though
he was a Christian, Lupus prayed to God that He would somehow plan his
baptism before his death. At that moment, rain unexpectedly fell from
the clouds upon this holy martyr and thus he received baptism from on
high. After great sufferings, Lupus was beheaded and took up
habitation in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The
Priestly-Martyr Pothinus, the Bishop of Lyon
Pothinus
was sent by St. Polycarp from Asia Minor to preach in Gaul (France).
He became the first bishop of Lyon and converted many pagans to
Christianity. During the time of the persecution of the Christians in
the year 177A.D., Pothinus was brought to trial: more correctly, he
was carried (in the arms of others) for he was ninety years old. The
Pro-consul asked him: "Who is the Christian God?" The aged
Pothinus replied: "You will know if you become worthy of
that." The pagans attacked him with canes and stones and beat him
without mercy. Thrown into prison, St. Pothinus died from the beatings
two days later and took up habitation in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The
Priestly-Martyr Irenaeus, the Bishop of Lyon
In his
youth, Ireneaus was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of the
apostles, who sent him to preach in Gaul. Following the martyrdom of
St. Pothinus, Ireneaus was installed as bishop. In his countless
writings, Ireneaus at times defined the Orthodox Faith and, again at
times, he defended it from heretics. Ireneaus was martyred and died
for Christ at the time of Emperor Severus in the year 202 A.D. along
with many thousands of Christians (19,000).
St.
Victor
Saint
Victor suffered and died in Marseilles (France) in the third century.
After prolonged and bitter tortures, he was cast into prison where he
converted the guards to the Faith of Christ. He died by crucifixion.
St.
Alban
Alban
was an English nobleman. At the time of persecution, he concealed a
Christian priest in his home and was taught the Faith of Christ by
him. Alban gave his clothing to the priest and then he dressed as a
priest and gave himself up to the torturers. Sentenced to death, he
converted his executioner to the Faith of Christ.
Reflection
Mysterious
is the power of the Cross no matter how unexplainable, it is true and
indisputable. Yet, St. John Chrysostom speaks of the custom of his
time that the sign of the cross is attached "on the emperor's
diadem, on the accouterments of the soldiers and tracing it on parts
of the body: the head, the breast (chest) and the heart and also on
the table of oblations and over beds." "If it is necessary
to expel demons", says he, "we use the cross and it also
helps to heal the sick." 'St. Benedict made the sign of the cross
over a glass which contained poison and the glass burst as though it
were struck by a stone. St. Julian made the sign of the cross over a
glass of poison brought to him and drank the poison, but he did not
feel any pain in his body. The Holy Female Martyr Basilissa of
Nicomedia enveloped herself with the sign of the cross, stood amidst
the flames and remained unharmed. The Holy Martyrs Audon and Senis
crossed themselves when the wild beasts were released on them and the
beasts became docile and meek as lambs. Among the ascetics of old, as
it is today, the sign of the cross was the most powerful weapon
against the temptations of the demons. The most horrible fears of the
devil vanish into nothing, as smoke, when man traces the sign of the
cross over himself. Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself willed to the
one time sign of crime and shame, the Cross, following His crucifixion
on the wood of the cross, all victorious power and might.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the rapid advancing evil in the soul of Saul from the
moment he turned away from God (1 Samuel 22 1 Kings 22):
1. How
he hurled a spear at David;
2. How
he hurled a spear at his son Jonathan;
3. How
he slew eighty-five priests in one day, suspecting that they were
aligned with David;
4. How,
in every time and with every unrepented sin against God, many other
sins are drawn in.
Homily
About
John the Precursor (the Forerunner) and how Isaiah prophesied
concerning him
"The
voice of him that cries in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God"
(Isaiah 40:3).
When a
king wants to visit a certain place, he sends before him in advance
his heralds. To an unusual king an unusual herald is appropriate. The
herald of Christ the King in the wilderness was Moses; in Jerusalem,
the Prophets; in Nazareth, the Archangel; in Bethlehem, the Magi of
the East; on the Jordan, John. Not one king in the history of mankind
has had such heralds. St. John the Baptist was also as unusual and
special as were the other heralds of Christ. He was the voice crying
in the two-fold wilderness: in the wilderness of Jordan and in the
human wilderness. Just as the wilderness of Jordan was fruitless and
dry, so the wilderness of the human spirit, was unfruitful and dry.
John was not able to make the human wilderness green and fruitful, but
he cleared and plowed it and, in that way, was preparing the earth and
leveled it (the earth) for the great Sower Who, by His coming, brings
with Him the seed and the rain to sow the seed of knowledge and the
rain of grace from on high to make it green and be fruitful. By
repentance, John prepared the way and by baptism in water, made the
path straight. The way and the paths these are the souls of men. By
repentance, the souls of men were prepared to receive the seed of
Christ and by baptism in water to bury that seed deep in the earth of
their heart. The proud and the lowly when they are immersed naked in
the water are all as one, equal in their nothingness before the
majesty of the All-glorious Christ the Savior: "Every valley
shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low"
(Isaiah 40:4). The word here is not about earthly valleys and hills
but of lowly and proud men. As corpses in the grave are all the same
before the eyes of a living man, thus all sinners, lowly and proud,
slaves and masters are equal before the living God.
Such a
wondrous vision was seen by Isaiah, the son of Amos, the prophet of
the living God, the one and true God.
O Lord,
Heavenly King, to Whom the heavenly hosts worship day and night, look
down once again upon our nothingness and because of Your humiliation
and passion for us, save us.
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September
6th (New Style) • August 24th (Old Style)
The
Priestly-Martyr Eutyches
Eutyches
was one of the lesser apostles and was born in Sebastopol. He was a
disciple and imitator of the Apostle John the Theologian and the
Apostle Paul. Even though he is not numbered among the seventy
apostles, nevertheless, he is called an apostle because he was a
disciple of the great apostles and, because in his evangelical
service, he displayed true apostolic zeal. Consecrated a missionary
bishop, St. Eutyches traveled much, having, an angel as his companion.
In prison, he received heavenly bread from an angel. When his body was
scrapped with a serrated iron rod, blood flowed from him with unusual
fragrant myrrh. He was thrown into a fire and before wild beasts and
finally beheaded with a sword in Sebastopol.
The
Holy Martyr Tation
By
descent, Tation was from Mantinaeas near Claudioupolis in Bithnyia. He
suffered at the time of Diocletian. After great tortures he was buried
alive and thus gave up his holy soul to God.
The
Holy Female Martyr Syra
Syra was
a kinswoman of St. Mary Golinduc (July 12). She was a Persian from the
town of Hirhaselevkosa and the daughter of a eminent fire-worshipping
pagan priest. Reared in paganism, the virgin Syra learned of Christ
from poor Christian women and her heart became inflamed with love for
the Lord. During an illness and while she was yet unbaptized, Syra
sought dust from the church of a Christian priest but the priest
refused for she was yet unbaptized. Then, with great faith, she
touched the vestments of the priest and was healed. That miraculous
healing confirmed her even more in the Faith of Christ. But her
soul-less father handed her over to harsh tortures during which she
received courage and comfort from heavenly visions. She was strangled
with a rope by force and then drowned in the year 558 A.D. during the
time of the Persian Emperor Chozroesi I at the age of eighteen. And so
this holy virgin gloriously finished her earthly journey and took up
habitation in the heavenly angelic habitation.
Venerable
Arsenius of Komel
Arsenius
was born in Moscow of noble birth. As a youth he received monasticism
in the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonez. As an exemplary monk,
Arsenius was elected abbot but he yearned for prayerful solitude and
withdrew to the forest of Komel where, he lived a life of asceticism
until his death, struggling bravely with great temptations of the
demons. He rested in the Lord in the year 1550 A.D.
St.
Gregory Limniotes (of the lake)
Gregory
was a confessor and a great ascetic of Olympus. He died at the age of
ninety-five at the time of the Iconoclasts, 716 A.D. *
* In the
great Greek Synaxarion, St. Dionysius, the Archbishop of Aegina who
died in 1624 A.D. is also mentioned and from whose relics numerous
miracles were manifested.
Reflection
If you
were to ask many people why they do not go to Church to pray, they
will generally answer you: I have no time, I have to work! Just look
at those people who only work and do not go to Church, placing their
trust only in their work and compare them with those who divide their
time between work and prayer and you will quickly be convinced that
the latter are more well off and, what is more important, they are
more satisfied. It is said about two neighboring tailors how unequal
they were according to their work and prayer and according to their
wealth and satisfaction. One of them had a large family and the other
was a bachelor. The first had the habit of going to church every
morning for prayer and the bachelor never went to church. Not only did
the first work less but was even less a skillful master than the
other. He had enough of everything and the other lacked everything.
The first one asked the other how is it that he has everything
although he works less? The one who prays to God (Bogomoljac a devout
person) responded that he attends church every day and, along the way,
finds lost gold and he invited his neighbor, the bachelor, to go with
him to prayer and they will share the discovered gold. Both neighbors
began to attend church regularly and soon both became equal in
abundance as well as in satisfaction. Naturally, they found no gold
along the way but the blessing of God multiplies the abundance of true
devout men. Those who: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness" (St. Matthew 6:31), God adds and multiplies all
that is necessary for their physical life.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the providence of God which protected David from falling
into the hands of Saul (1 Samuel 23 1 Kings 23):
1. How
Saul came to besiege the city of Keliah (Celia) where David was but
God revealed this to David and David fled beforehand;
2. How
Saul almost captured David in Maon but word came to Saul that the
Philistines had attacked the land;
3. How
the Lord always watches over the righteous and how He confounds the
plans of the unrighteous.
Homily
About
the character of Christ as foretold Isaiah
"He
shall not cry nor lift up nor cause His voice to be heard in the
street. A bruised reed shall He not break and the smoking flax shall
He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth"
(Isaiah 42:2-3).
Who had
more right than the Lord, the Son of God, to raise His voice at the
lawless ones in His vineyard on earth? Who had a greater right to
reprimand sinners who scorn God and God's law? O sweet meekness,
unseen among men! O pure mountain water which flows down from the
heights and silently washes the impurity of the habitations of men!
Many pagans think that they would believe in Christ if they could hear
from Him, not kind words, but thundering words. But let the pagans say
which is better, thunderous words with shouting and roaring which pass
without effect as smoke is chased by the wind or kind words which have
the effect of thunder? Can a legion of thunders expel a legion of
demons from a man possessed? But a legion of thunders struck above
Gadara but the legion of demons in the man possessed did not even feel
that. Neither did our Lord Jesus shout at the demons but rather
quietly told them to come out and they obediently came forth.
Brethren, it is not a matter of shouting or criticizing but rather of
power.
"A
bruised reed shall He not break and the smoking flax shall He not
quench." This refers to the Old Testament whose spirit the
Pharisees had completely bruised and overloaded with their Sabbatical
formalities and which only smoked but did not give any light to men
because of their blunted understanding and the stony hearts of men.
The Lord will not break the bruised reed neither will He completely
quench the almost extinguished fire of that law which He gave. Still,
this pertains to sinful men. Men subdued by sin He will not put an end
to nor sinners in whom the divine light has turned into smoke will He
quench but He will straighten the reed and rekindle the divine fire in
men. For because of sinners, He came into the world. He will proclaim
judgment softly and gently but with the power which truth itself alone
conveys. He will behave gently and humbly and with compassion and with
mercy similar to a physician - but far more sublimely and cordially
than a physician when He enters a house of a madman.
O gentle
and serene Lord, fill us with Your All-wondrous meekness and serenity.
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