August
7th (New Style) • July 25th (Old Style)
St.
Anna, the Mother of the All-Holy Birth-Giver of God
Today is
the commemoration of the falling asleep of St. Anna but her principal
feast is celebrated on September 9, on which date is written her
service and her hagiography. Anna was from the tribe of Levi and the
daughter of Matthan, the priest. After a long and God-pleasing life
she died in extreme old age.
St.
Olympius, the Deaconess
Olympias
was born in Constantinople of very distinguished parents. Her father,
Anysius Secundus, was a senator and her mother was the daughter of the
famous nobleman Eulavius who is mentioned in the hagiography of St.
Nicholas the Wonder-worker. When Olympias reached maturity, she was
betrothed to a nobleman who died before the marriage took place. The
emperor and the other relatives pressured Olympias to marry another,
but in vain. However, she refused them this and devoted herself to a
god-pleasing life, giving from her inherited estate great offerings to
the churches and alms to the needy. She served as a deaconess in the
Church, at first during the time of Patriarch Nectarius and, after his
death, during the time of St. John Chrysostom. When Chrysostom was
exiled, he counseled Olympias to remain in the church and to serve as
before regardless who the patriarch after him would be. Immediately
after the banishment of this great saint, someone started a fire in
the Great Church (The Church of the Divine Wisdom Hagia Sophia) and
the fire consumed many prominent buildings in the capital. The enemies
of Chrysostom accused this holy woman of initiating this malicious
fire. Olympias was banished from Constantinople to Nicomedia where she
died in the year 410 A.D., requesting in her testament that her body
be placed in a box and cast into the sea and wherever the water tosses
it up, there she is to be buried. The coffin was cast ashore in the
city of Vrochthoi, where there existed a church dedicated to the
Apostle Thomas. From her relics, great healing miracles appeared
throughout the centuries. The exiled Chrysostom wrote beautiful
letters to the exiled Olympias which, even today, serve as a great
comfort to all those who suffer for the sake of God's justice. Among
other things, Chrysostom writes to Olympias: "Now I am very
elated not only because you were relieved from infirmity, but more so,
that you are nobly enduring all difficulties referring to them as
trivialities which is characteristic of a soul full of power and
abounding in the rich fruits of courage. For you not only courageously
are enduring misfortune rather you do not even notice it when it comes
and without exertion, without labor and disturbance not even talking
about it to others but rejoicing and triumphing over it. That serves
as the greatest wisdom" (Letter VI).
The
Venerable Female Eupraxia (Euphrasia), the Virgin
Eupraxia
was the daughter of Antigonus, a nobleman of Constantinople and a
relative of Emperor Theodosius the Great. Her mother, a young widow,
with Eupraxia settled in Egypt and visited the monasteries there
distributing alms and praying to God. By her fervent desire, the
seven-year-old Eupraxia was tonsured a nun. The older she got the more
she imposed upon herself the heavy burden of mortification. At one
time, she fasted for forty days. She reposed in 413 A.D, in her
thirtieth year. She possessed the great grace of God and healed the
most difficult illnesses.
The
Commemoration of the Fifth Ecumenical Council
This
Council was convened in Constantinople during the reign of Emperor
Justinian the Great in the year 553 A.D. All the heresies of the
Monophysites were condemned at this Council as well as the heretical
writings of Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyrus and Origen (his
teaching against the resurrection of the dead).
Reflection
"As
virginity is better than marriage, so the first marriage is better
than the second." Thus, St. John Chrysostom wrote to the young
widow of Tarasius, a deceased nobleman of Constantinople, counseling
her not to enter into marriage for the second time. The Church blesses
first marriages with joy but the second marriage with sorrow. Eupraxia
the elder, the mother of St. Eupraxia and relative of Emperor
Theodosius the Great, remained a young widow following the death of
her husband Antigonus, with whom she lived in physical contact for
only two years and three months, and further lived one more year as
brother and sister by mutual pledge. The emperor and empress counseled
her to enter into marriage with another nobleman. She would not hear
of it, but took her child Eupraxia and together they fled to Egypt.
What can we say about St. Olympias and St. Eupraxia the younger? As
with St. Macrina, not only was she also betrothed as a virgin but when
her betrothed died, she considered herself a widow and would not even
in her thoughts consider entering into marriage. What purity of heart!
What fidelity to one's betrothed! What fear of God! What obvious faith
in the future life in which the betrothed maiden hopes to see her
betrothed.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous standing still of the sun and the moon
(Joshua 10):
1. How
Joshua, in order to complete the victory over the Gibeonites, ordered
the sun and the moon to stand still in their courses;
2. How
God heard the voice of the righteous man and by His power caused the
sun and the moon to stand still;
3. How
God created even nature to serve man and how God acts according to the
will of the righteous.
Homily
About
slaves who preach liberty
"While
they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants (slaves)
of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he
brought in bondage" (2 Peter 2:19).
The
apostle still speaks of "the impure, the impudent, and the
self-willed", reminding the faithful, to beware of their
misleading "proud and false words". He first said about them
that: "they speak evil of dignities of the glory of God" and
second: "that they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through
much wantonness" (1 Peter 2:18). Now he further speaks about how
they promise liberty i.e., they promise something which they
themselves do not possess, for being overcome by impure passions, they
are slaves to their own passions, submissive slaves to the greatest
tyranny of this world. O my brethren, how relevant for us are these
apostolic words written some nineteen hundred years ago! Behold, how
everywhere around us they get carried away declaiming liberty, those
who do not have even a little bit of liberty! Listen to the cry of the
despairing slaves of passions and vices; how deceived, they are
deceiving; how blinded, preaching light. Passions are a woven net,
woven by the devil, to ensnare mankind. Captured in this net, they
refer to other men as slaves and themselves as freemen to the laughter
of the devil, who silently gathers in the net hauling it toward his
shore. O brethren, guard yourselves from those desperate ones who call
themselves the heralds of liberty, while they serve their master and
lord, the devil, day and night. Their poverty they call wealth and the
wealth of others they call poverty, as does the ignorant one calls the
entire world ignorant and himself intelligent. Thus, those who are
least free call others enslaved. Service to God and to fellow men out
of love, they call slavery, while service to the devil, they call
liberty. They are malicious both to God and to men, as is the devil
himself malicious to God and to men. Whenever you hear anyone who
speaks to you of liberty, question him well, as to whether he is not a
slave of some passion or vice. By the impurity of their life, by their
impudence and their self-will, you will recognize all false teachers
of liberty. The apostle reminds you of this.
O Lord,
the only Giver of true liberty, safeguard us from the net of all those
who are malicious toward You and us.
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August
8th (New Style) • July 26th (Old Style)
The
Priestly-Martyr Hermolaus
Hermolaus
was a priest in Nicomedia during the reign of Emperor Maximian. He was
among the two thousand martyrs whom the emperor condemned to be burned
together with the church (December 28). Somehow Hermolaus, on that
occasion, escaped death with two other priests, Hermippas and
Thermocrates. Hermolaus baptized Saint Pantaleon with whom he was
brought to trial, tortured and finally beheaded. Hermippas and
Thermocrates suffered with them and all were crowned with the wreaths
of victory and glory in the Kingdom of Christ. They honorably suffered
about the year 304 A.D.
The
Venerable Female Martyr Parasceva (Parasceve)
Parasceva
was born in Rome of Christian parents and from her youth was
instructed in the Faith of Christ. With great fervence, St. Parasceva
endeavored to fulfill all the commandments of God in her life.
Believing strongly and living according to her faith, Parasceva
directed others on the path (of salvation) with the help of the True
Faith and pious living. When her parents died Parasceva distributed
all of her property to the poor and was tonsured a nun. As a nun she
preached the Faith of Christ with an even greater zeal, not hiding
from anyone, even though at that time the Roman authorities bloodily
persecuted the Faith of Christ. First the pernicious Jews accused St.
Parasceva of preaching the prohibited Faith. She was brought to trial
before Emperor Antoninus. All the flatteries of the emperor did not
help in the least to cause her to waver in the Faith. They then
subjected her to fiery torments and placed a red-hot helmet on her
head. The Lord miraculously saved her and Parasceva was delivered and
left Rome. She again traveled from city to city to convert the pagan
people there to the True Faith. In two more cities she was brought
before princes and judges and was tortured for her Lord, at the same
time working great miracles and by the power of God quickly
recuperated from her pains and wounds. The pagans, as always, ascribed
her miracles to magic and her power of recovery to the mercy of their
gods. St. Parasceva once said to the prince who tortured her: "It
is not your gods, O prince, who healed me but my Christ the True
God." Finally Prince Tarasius beheaded her. Thus this saint
gloriously ended her fruitful life. Her relics were later translated
to Constantinople. She suffered honorably for Christ in the second
century.
The
Venerable Moses of Urgin
He was
at the court of the young Russian Prince Boris. When the godless
Svyatopolk murdered Boris, Moses escaped and fled to Kiev. A little
later he was taken to Poland as a slave by the Polish King Boleslav
and there was sold for a thousand gold coins to a young and depraved
widow, the wife of one of Boleslav's commanders who was slain. This
wicked woman tempted Moses to commit adultery but Moses would not be
tempted for he vowed to live chastely before the Lord. She then
suggested marriage to him but he rejected that also. Moses secretly
received the monastic tonsure from an Athonite monk and he appeared
before the lady in the monastic habit. She bound him, ordered that he
be flogged and to have his private organ severed. This unsuccessful
seduction by this shameful woman lasted for five years - five years of
pain and torture! However, King Boleslav was slain unexpectedly in an
uprising during which this woman was also killed. Then Moses was free
to go to Kiev where, at the monastery of St. Anthony, he devoted his
life to prayer and silence. Completely conquering the shameful vice in
himself, Moses assisted many to also be saved from it. His holy relics
helped many (St. John, the much suffering July 8). After ten years of
silence in the Monastery of the Caves, St. Moses found rest on July
26, 1043 A.D. and took up habitation in the eternal virginal Kingdom
of Christ.
Reflection
Not one
passion is conquered without a great struggle. The Holy Fathers have
referred to adulterous passion as death. When the adulterer is saved
from an adulterous passion it is as though he resurrected from the
dead. For those who live in the world the passion of adultery is
inflamed principally by seeing and for those who live a life of
asceticism in the wilderness that passion is inflamed by thoughts and
by imagination. Saint Sarah, a great female ascetic, was tortured by
the insane passion of adultery for thirty years. She always defeated
it by prayer and drove it away from her. At one time, the foul
insanity of adultery came to her in bodily form and said to her:
"Sarah, you have defeated me!" Sarah humbly answered:
"I have not defeated you but the Lord Christ has defeated
you." From that time on, the thought of adultery left her
forever. When Saint Pimen was asked how can a man struggle against the
adulterous insanity, he replied: "If man surpresses his stomach
and tongue then he will be able to rule over himself." St.
Anthony said that there exists three kinds of movements in the body:
"First, the natural movement, second, unrestrained in food, and
third, from the demons." Again, others have said that the vice of
adultery is strengthened by anger and pride. However, all agree that
along with man's sobriety and effort the help of God is necessary in
order that this repulsive passion be uprooted completely. And that it
is possible for man to preserve himself in purity, witness, among many
others, St. Moses of Urgin, who lived fifty years in the world and ten
years in the monastery, altogether a total of sixty years in
completely virginal purity.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous victory over the Amorites (Joshua 24):
1. How
God sent hornets against the Amorites and they all became confused and
were defeated by the Israelites;
2. How
mighty is the Lord God and how, with the help of little things, He
destroys the prideful unjust ones.
Homily
About
the misfortune of those who come to Christ and then apostatize from
Him
"For
if after they have escaped the pollution's of the world through the
knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again
entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them
then the beginning" (2 Peter 2:20).
Brethren,
bright is the sun but brighter still are the words of the apostle.
Brethren, the sun illumines bodies but it cannot illumine souls, while
the apostolic words illumine the souls. The apostle clearly sees the
heights and depths of a soul and he illumines it for us out of fervent
love, in order to lead us on the pure path of salvation. In a few
words, he gives us two great instructions. The first instruction: one
cannot flee from the impurity of this world in any other way except
through the knowledge of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. First of
all, without knowledge of the Lord Jesus one is unable to see or to
know the impurity of this world, and second, man is unable to be
cleansed from this impurity without the knowledge of the Lord Jesus.
The second instruction: when man flees from the impurity of this world
by knowing the Lord Jesus and, again, becomes entangled in it, then
for him "the latter end is worse than the beginning." For
knowing the light, he again returns into the darkness and the darkness
becomes even darker, and, recognizing justice, he again sinks into
injustice and his punishment is more severe; and recognizing holiness
he again falls into beastliness and the animal is still more furious.
The holy apostle does not hesitate to equate this turning back with a
dog who returns to his own vomit and with the sow, who having been
washed returns to wallow in the mire.
Whoever
recognized the Lord Jesus Christ also recognized all that is needed
for his salvation; he received a binocular to see the impurity, lies
and injustice and received the power to flee from all of that.
Therefore let him not turn back so that eternal death does not swallow
him up. Let him not tempt God countless times. For if God was quick to
save him the first time He will be slower the second time, and even
slower the third time. My brethren, illuminating are the apostolic
words.
O Lord
Jesus, Savior, Almighty and All-Good, do not depart from us in the
hours of our weaknesses and deliver us when the impurities of this
world again draw us to themselves.
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August
9th (New Style) • July 27th (Old Style)
The
Holy and Great Martyr Pantaleion (Penteleimon)
Pantaleon
was born in Nicomedia of a Christian mother and a pagan father. His
mother was called Eubula and his father Eustorgius. As a young man he
studied the science of medicine. The priest, Hermolaus, invited
Pantaleon to be with him and taught him the Faith of Christ and
baptized him. Pantaleon miraculously cured a blind man whom the other
doctors treated in vain; he cured him by the power of Christ and
baptized him. Out of envy the doctors accused Pantaleon of being a
Christian and he went before the Emperor Maximian to stand trial.
"He stood before the earthly king in body but in thought he stood
before the heavenly King." Before the emperor, he freely declared
that he was a Christian and, before the eyes of the emperor, he healed
a paralytic of a long-standing illness. This miracle drew many pagans
to the Faith of Christ. The emperor subjected him to torture but the
Lord appeared to him on several occasions and delivered him whole and
unharmed. Saint Hermolaus with Hermippas and Thermocrates were then
martyred. Sentenced to death, Saint Pantaleon knelt for prayer. At
that moment the executioner struck him on the neck with a sword and
the sword broke as though it were made of wax. The executioner was
unable to execute him until the saint completed his prayer and until
Pantaleon told him to behead him. His relics possessed the ability to
heal. Pantaleon was executed under an olive tree which, after that,
became all adorned with fruit. PANTA LEON means, "all
merciful" "all compassionate." The All-merciful God
received his righteous soul and glorified him among His great saints.
This wonderful martyr suffered honorably for Christ in his youth, on
July 27, 304 A.D. Saint Pantaleon is invoked in prayers at the time of
the "Blessing of Waters" and in the blessing of the holy
oils used in the "The Sacrament of Holy Unction," together
with Saint Hermolaus and the other unmercenary saints and
wonder-workers. A most beautiful church dedicated to this saint is
located on Holy Mount Athos.
St.
Clement, the Archbishop of Ohrid
Clement
was a disciple of Saints Methodius and Cyril. After the death of St.
Methodius, Clement, under pressure by the Germans traveled from
Moravia to the south. With Gorazd, Nahum, Sava, and Angelarius -
together, they were called "The Numbers Five" - crossed the
Danube river where they were guests of Emperor Boris Michael and
following that came to the region of Ohrid. They first founded a
monastery in Belica (Velitsa) where Clement's first episcopal see was
located. Afterward, he settled in Ohrid and from there he developed
his great arch-pastoral and illuminating work for the nearby and
distant regions. In Ohrid, St. Clement erected a church to Saint
Pantaleon. He had many disciples who copied books in the Slavonic
script for the Slavic peoples. Saint Naum especially assisted him in
this work. He worked miracles during his life and his relics manifeste
a healing power until today. Following great labors and faithful
service to God, he reposed peacefully in Ohrid in the year 916 A.D.
His wonder-working relics repose in the former church dedicated to the
Holy Birth-giver of God (The Theotokos) and later was renamed St.
Clement.
Blessed
Nicholas, Fool for Christ
Nicholas
was from Novogrod and the son of wealthy parents. He left his wealth
and as a "fool for Christ" ran throughout the streets and
through his foolishness for Christ he instructed men. His companion,
of the same mortification, was Blessed Theodore. Running one time in
the presence of the people they both ran across the river on the
surface of the water. Nicholas reposed in the Lord in the year 1392
A.D.
The
Venerable Female Anthusa
After a
long ascetical life of solitude, Anthusa founded a convent of ninety
sisters. At the time of the Iconoclastic controversy, under
Constantine Copronymos, all ninety nuns were slain and after that, the
Venerable Anthusa herself died in the year 759 A.D.
Reflection
If you
give alms to the poor, know that as much as you do good works for your
fellow man so much you do for yourself and even more for yourself. St.
Anthony says: "Both life and death comes to us from our fellow
man." St. Peter Damaskin writes: "As the poor should give
thanks to God and love the rich who do them good, so even more should
the rich should give thanks to God and to love the poor because they
are saved by the Providence of God both now and in the future ages (life
to come) because of their alms (Charity). For without the poor, they
not only cannot gain salvation of their souls but they cannot avoid
the temptations of wealth." Alms which are given out of vanity or
with disdain do not benefit anything. In earlier times, the wealthy
ones brought gold to the hermits and begged them to accept it. It is a
rare occurrence that the hermits gladly accepted alms and, when they
did accept it, they accepted it out of compassion toward the wealthy
ones giving it. The most destitute of men received alms out of
compassion!
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Sisera
and his might (Judges 4):
1. How
the Lord showed mercy on the cries of the enslaved Israelites and gave
them victory over Sisera;
2. How
the prophetess Deborah sent a small force to Mt. Tabor against Sisera,
who had nine-hundred chariots of iron and an enormous army;
3. How
the forces of Sisera were scattered and he was slain.
Homily
About
the prophesied scoffers of holy things
"Knowing
this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking
after their own lusts" (2 Peter 3:3).
Does the
mirror change and bend when the scoffer stands before it laughing and
scoffing at it? No, the mirror does not change and bend but remains
the same as it was. Brethren, neither does God change or bend when
scoffers laugh and scoff at Him. The unchanging and All-pure God knows
that the scoffer scoffs at himself. By his scoffing at the holy things
of God, the scoffer bends himself and makes himself hideous and the
holy things of God remain intact.
O, how
already in our times, in our days, many scoffers are already here!
Many, too many but their multitudes are weaker than the One and Only
One. What is a lot of dust before a strong wind? You have only to
wait, to wait armed with patience until a strong wind blows.
Many and
too many scoffers are already here, who scoff at God's word. They
offer their own words in place of God's word; they offer the unholy in
place of the holy, the putrid in place of the healthy, death dealing
in place of life creating. The word of God is like a strong wind and
their words are as dust.
The
scoffers are already here, many and too many that scoff at God's works
and still many more will arrive. They praise their works above God's
works and say that the works of their hands are better and more
comprehensible that the works of God. Their works are thievery; for
all the good that they built, they built from God's materials and
according to the likeness of God's buildings; and all the evil that
they have built, they built from the devil's materials, and according
to the likeness of the devil's buildings. Therefore, of what will the
dust boast? With what will the scoffers praise today or tomorrow, when
wild asses trample over their graves with their hooves?
All-pure
Lord, Holy and Powerful are Your words, as a strong wind and holy are
Your works, and there is no number or measure of them. All-pure Lord,
save our tongues from scoffing and save our lives from the scoffers.
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August
10th (New Style) • July 28th (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostles Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon and Paramenas
All four
were numbered among the Seven Deacons and the Seventy Apostles. The
remaining deacons were Stephen, Philip and Nicholas. Stephen, the
first martyr, is commemorated separately on December 27 and Philip on
October 11. Because of his heresy, Nicholas did not enter into the
ranks of the saints. The first four do not have a separate day of
celebration but are commemorated on this one day, July 28. Saint
Prochorus was ordained by the Apostle Peter to be the bishop of
Nicomedia. For a time he was in the service of St. John the Evangelist
and, on the Island of Patmos, copied the Book of Revelation which he
heard from the mouth of St. John. After that he returned to Nicomedia
where he exerted much effort and labor to convert the people to the
Faith. He died a martyr's death in Antioch where he was slain by
unbelievers. Saint Nicanor suffered in Jerusalem the same day as St.
Stephen the Arch-deacon and, soon after him, two thousand other
Christians were slain by the wicked Jews. Saint Timon was a bishop in
Arabia and suffered on the cross for Christ. Saint Paramenas died
before the eyes of the apostles and was mourned and buried by them.
The
Holy Martyr Julian
During
the reign of Emperor Antoninus, St. Julian crossed over from Dalmatia
into Campania in Italy. He was a handsome young man and with his soul
was completely devoted to the Lord. Enroute he met the soldiers of the
emperor who were going out to arrest Christians. "Brethren, peace
be to you!" Julian addressed them. By such a greeting and by the
gentleness of the young man's countenance, the soldiers concluded that
he was a Christian. To their question, Julian answered them: "I
am a Christian born in Dalmatia." In addition, Julian openly
admitted before them that he was traveling with the goal of converting
idolaters to the One Living God. The soldiers beat him mercilessly and
finally threw him into a pit where he remained for seven days without
any human sustenance. An angel of God, who appeared to him, gave him
heavenly food. Being brought to trial, Julian remained firm in the
Faith as a diamond. Witnessing his courage and steadfastness in the
Faith, thirty men converted to Christ the Lord. Sentenced to death,
Saint Julian knelt and lifted up prayer to God, giving thanks to God
for his martyr's mortification and begged Him to have mercy on all
those who would honor his memory. He was beheaded and gave up his soul
to God.
Venerable
Paul of the Monastery of Xeropotamou
Paul was
the son of Emperor Michael Cyropalates. With an excellent education,
with rare wisdom and at the same time combined with meekness,
Procopius (as he was earlier called) was in his youthful years a
subject of astonishment to all of Constantinople. In one of his
charters, Emperor Roman the Elder, calls him "the greatest of all
the philosophers." Being afraid that his soul would become proud,
and that it not perish because of human glory, this handsome youth one
day dressed in the rags of a beggar and came to Holy Mount Athos where
he received the monastic tonsure from the illustrious Saint Cosmas.
After enduring mortification of solitude, he restored the Monastery
Xeropotamou and shortly after that build a new monastery of Saint Paul
where he died in old age. When this monastery was consecrated, Emperor
Roman sent a large portion of the Holy and Venerable Cross as a gift,
which is preserved there even today. It is said of this saint, that he
preached the Holy Gospel in Macedonia and in Serbia. He endured much
torment from the wicked Emperor Leo the Armenian, the Iconoclast, and
reposed in the year 820 A.D. Before his death, St. Paul said to the
brethren: "Behold the hour comes which my soul has always desired
and which my body has always feared."
The
Holy Marty Eustathius (Eustace)
This
martyr for Christ was a soldier in Ancyra. Brought to trial, he was
not afraid of any tortures, but freely praised the name of the Lord
Christ. Commander Cornelius ordered his feet to be drilled through and
threaded with a rope and they dragged this man of God to a river and
threw him into the river. Being saved by the power of God and healed
of his wounds, Eustace appeared before the commander completely whole.
When the commander saw him alive, he was so frightened that he took
out his sword and stabbed himself. Eustace still lived for a while
longer and died in the Lord in the year 316 A.D.
Reflection
Concerning
kindness, St. Nilus of Mt. Sinai writes: "My son, always strive
to be simple and kind. Do not have one thing in your heart and another
thing on your tongue for this is a ruse and a lie. Be truthful and not
false for falsehood is of the evil one. Do not return evil for evil
but if someone does you evil, forgive him so that God may also forgive
you. If you are tormented by the remembrance of evil thoughts, pray to
God for that brother (the evil doer) with your entire soul and the
remembrance of evil thoughts will flee from you." It is told how
a young man decided to serve a very eccentric old man so that God
would forgive him of his sins. He endured twelve years in this most
difficult service and presented himself to God. A great spiritual man
saw the soul of the young man in Paradise as he was praying to God for
the evil old man: "Lord, as You had mercy on me because of him,
have mercy on him according to Your great goodness and because of me
Your servant." After forty days this eccentric old man died and,
again, that spiritual man saw the soul of that old man reposing in the
Kingdom of Heaven. What a most beautiful and miraculous kindness of
this patient youth in truth, miraculous!
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous burning of the sacrifice on the stone
(Judges 6):
1. How
an angel appeared to Gideon and Gideon ran to bring bread and meat to
offer hospitality to the angel;
2. How
the angel touched the bread and meat with the top of the staff and a
fire arose and burned the sacrifice.
Homily
About
the irrational questions of the irrational ones
"Where
is the promise of his coming?" (2 Peter 3:4).
Thus ask
the scoffers of the holy things of God. They who scoff at the words
and works of God scoff at the promises of God. We the faithful say
that the Lord will come and they scoff and say when will He come since
He has not yet come? We say that the Lord promised to come and they
scoff and say: "Where is the promise of His coming?" They
say our fathers lived and died waiting for His coming and He did not
come. Will we then still wait for Him, they say? Yes brethren, we wait
for Him and we will wait for Him. He promised to come and He will
come. The Holy apostle confirms the promise of the Lord; behold, he
heard it from the lips of the Lord Himself, from the lips from which
only truth proceeds. "With the Lord, a thousand years is as one
day" (2 Peter 3:8). With these words the apostle seals the mouths
of the scoffers and teaches us patience. Soon it will be two thousand
years since the Son of God gave His promise that He will return again
"in Power and in Glory" to save the faithful and to punish
the unfaithful but He still has not yet come, so speak the scoffers. O
ignorant scoffers, is two thousand years as long for God as it is for
you? For do you not think that for Him two thousand years are as two
days? Does He have to fulfill all of His promises in the course of two
days? He, the Immortal One, is not in a hurry as you mortal ones are
in a hurry. You are in a hurry for you will shortly die but He is
Immortal and is not afraid of death. When He comes, He will find you
in your graves. The trump of the angels will awaken you and you will
rise, only to see that He is truthful and you will then be lowered
into the dark kingdom of the slanderers, for you slander the Lord of
Truth and drove Him into a lie. Brethren, the Lord does not want that
we be inquisitive with regard to the day and the hour when He will
come; He only wants that we believe that He will come. When He comes,
be we dead or alive, we will see His coming. Is this not enough?
O Lord
God, Our Savior, teach us patience and strengthen us in the Faith. You
will come, we know.
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August
11th (New Style) • July 29th (Old Style)
The
holy Martyr Callinicus
Callinicus
was born in Cilicia. From his youth he was educated in Christian
piety. Abandoning all, he went to preach the Holy Gospel. In Ancyra, a
heathen Prince Sarcedos arrested him. When the prince threatened him
with cruel tortures if he did not worship the idols, St. Callinicus
answered him: "To me all pain for my God is most welcome as bread
is to a hungry man." After cruel tortures and beatings, the
prince placed iron shoes with nails protruding inside on his feet and
ordered that he be driven into the city of Gangra for the prince was
afraid to torture him anymore or to kill him in Ancyra for many,
observing the heroic patience of this holy man, converted to the Faith
of Christ. Along the way the soldiers became thirsty but there was no
water. St. Callinicus prayed to God and brought forth water from a
stone. When they arrived in the city of Gangra, the torturers threw
St. Callinicus into a fiery furnace. The saint prayed to God saying:
" I give thanks to you O Heavenly Father for making me worthy of
this hour in which I die for Your Name." After that, he entered
the fire. When the fire died down they found his body, whole and
unharmed by the fire. He honorably suffered and was crowned with the
wreath of eternal glory about the year 250 A.D.
The
Holy Female Martyr Seraphima
Seraphima
was a maiden from Antioch. She lived in the home of Sabina, the wife
of a senator whom she converted to the Faith of Christ. Hearing about
her Virilus, a persecutor of Christians, ordered that Seraphima be
brought before him. Since Seraphima remained unwavering in her faith,
Virilus ordered that she be thrown into prison and sent some young men
to spend the night with her to defile her. Seraphima prayed to God in
the prison when the young men arrived before the prison gates.
Suddenly, an angel of God flashed before them with a fiery sword in
hand and they fell as dead, completely unconscious and were rendered
incapable. The next day, the persecutor begged Seraphima and she,
through her prayer, restored the young men to consciousness. Ascribing
all of this to magic, Virilus ordered that this holy virgin first be
burned with candles and after that to be beaten with rods. While they
were beating her, a piece of the rod fell off, deflected and struck
Virilus in the eyes and he was blinded. Finally they beheaded this
handmaiden of Christ and she gave up her soul to God. The pious Sabina
honorably buried her body from which began to flow healing for many.
St. Seraphima suffered during the reign of Emperor Hadrian between the
years of 117-138 A.D.
The
Holy Female Martyr Theodotia
Theodotia
was a young widow with three children. In Thessalonica, together with
St. Anastasia (December 22), Theodotia labored in the work of God
completely dedicated to a pious life. During the time of Diocletian's
persecution, she was sentenced to death and, together with her
children, was thrown into a fiery furnace. Their holy souls soared
into the Heavenly Fatherland.
The
Holy Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta
Eustathius
was a Persian born in the village of Arbuket. At age thirty he came to
the city of Mtskheta and seeing how Christians live and believe in
Mtskheta, he received baptism. He was tortured for Christ and was
beheaded in Tiflis in the year 589 A.D. His relics repose in the
cathedral church in Mtskheta and give healing to those who believe.
Reflection
By true
repentance with tears, prayer and good works the most defiled soul can
be completely cleansed and changed. Therefore be careful that you do
not maliciously mention the sins of a repentant sinner but offer
thanksgiving to God and be astonished how from darkness, light is made
and from slime, pure water. The Egyptian Pharaoh Amases was of lowly
birth and when he became king, men respected him very little,
remembering his origin. In order to outwit the people and to gain
their respect, he took a metal basin in which, according to custom,
the feet of the visitors to the palace were washed. He ordered the
basin to be melted down and from it to make a likeness of a certain
idol. The pharaoh then placed this idol on the street. Seeing this
idol, the people began to worship it and to render it divine honor.
Then the pharaoh revealed what this idol was made of. The people then
understood that, by this, the pharaoh wanted to show that they need
not think anymore about what he once was but what he is now. Then the
people began to render the pharaoh the respect due to royalty.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous sign that God showed Gideon (Judges 6):
1. How
the first night only the fleece was under the dew and the remaining
ground was dry; and how the second night, all the ground was under the
dew, and the fleece was dry;
2. How
that first signified, the Israelites in the midst of the pagan world
(until the coming of Christ) and after that the pagan world under
grace and graceless Israel (Israel without grace) (after the coming of
Christ).
Homily
About
the delaying of the Dreadful Day according to the mercy of God
"The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness:
but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
Brethren,
the mercy of God delays "that day which burns like a furnace,
according to the words of the Prophet Malachi" (Malachi 4:1).
Therefore, let the scoffers be ashamed, who scoff at the promise of
God and say: "Where is the promise of His coming?" (2 Peter
3:4). God has not forgotten His promise but the sinners themselves
have forgotten it. God, according to His immeasurable mercy, waits for
the sinners to come to their senses, repent and to prepare themselves
for that day which is not repeated. Behold that day is not like the
many days which are given to men for the sake of repentance and to
prepare for the encounter with God. That day is the only day and it
differs from all other days, for it does not come for the sake of
repentance but rather for judgment. Just as the Dreadful Judgment is
only one and unrepeatable, thus is that day only one and unrepeatable.
God does
not desire that any man be lost. He did not create man for death but
for salvation. Is there a gardener who sows vegetables and desire that
his vegetables dry out and perish? God is wiser and more compassionate
than all men. God has only one desire, i.e., that all men repent and
turn away from evil. How does the husbandman rejoice when his withered
vineyard comes to life and again becomes green and brings forth fruit!
How much more then is the joy of God and the angels of God when the
souls of men, withered from sin, return and become young again from
the tears of repentance and bring forth fruit of repentance.
O Lord,
Merciful and Lover of Mankind, help sinners to sense Your mercy and
Your pity toward them to sense and to repent to repent and to turn
away from their wicked ways.
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August
12th (New Style) • July 30th (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostles Silas, Silvanus, Crescens, Epaenetus and Andronicus
All were
numbered among the Seventy Apostles. St. Silas was sent from Jerusalem
to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to settle the dispute between the
faithful there regarding circumcision: namely, that it was not
necessary to circumcise pagans when they convert to Christianity.
"Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole Church,
to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and
Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among
the brethren" (Acts of the Apostles 15:22). After that, Silas
traveled with Paul throughout Asia and Macedonia and was appointed as
the bishop in Corinth, where he peacefully died.
St.
Silvanus assisted both of the Chief Apostles. "By Silvanus, a
faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly,
exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein
ye stand" (1 Peter 5:12).
"For
the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who was preached among you by us, even
by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was
yea" (2 Corinthians 1:19). As the bishop of Thessalonica,
Silvanus labored much and suffered much until he finally exchanged
this earthly life for the heavenly life.
St.
Crescens was a companion of the Apostle Paul and after that the bishop
in Galatia and a missionary in Gaul, where he died as a martyr for
Christ during the reign of Trajan. "For Demas hath forsaken me,
having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica;
Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia" (2 Timothy 4:10).
St.
Epaenetus is mentioned by the Apostle Paul. He was the bishop in
Carthage. "Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the
firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ" (Romans 16:5).
St.
Andronicus, the bishop of Pannonia, is commemorated separately on May
17. "Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow
prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ
before me" (Romans 16:7).
The
Holy Priestly-Martyr Valentine
Valentine
was the bishop of the Italian City of Interamna. He cured the brother
of the Roman tribune, Frontanus, of an illness. When Cherimon, the son
of the renown philosopher Craton, took ill and at the advice of
Frontanus, Craton summoned Bishop Valentine to Rome. Cherimon was
completely crippled, so that his head was bent over between his knees.
Valentine closed himself off in a room with Cherimon and spent the
entire night in prayer. The next day he brought Cherimon out
completely cured and handed him over to his father. Then Craton with
his entire household and three of his disciples, was baptized.
Cherimon left the home of his father and went with Valentine. Also
baptized at that time was Abundius, the son of the Roman eparch.
Enraged at this, the eparch arrested Valentine and after much torture
he was beheaded. Also beheaded at this time were those three disciples
of Craton: Proclus, Abibus and Apollonius. Their bodies were taken by
Abundius and he buried them with honor. They all suffered in the year
273 A.D. and became citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom.
The
Priestly-Martyr Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon
When
Emperor Decius overran Babylon, he captured Polychronius with three
presbyters, two deacons and two baptized princes, Eudin and Senis.
Polychronius did not want to respond before the emperor and remained
silent, while St.Parmenius, the presbyter, spoke on behalf of all. The
emperor took the bishop and priests to Persia, to the city of Kordoba,
and there they were beheaded. The princes, Eudin and Senis, were taken
with them to Rome and there, at first, they were thrown to the wild
beasts and later slain by the sword. They all suffered honorably in
the year 251 A.D.
St.
John the Soldier
John was
secretly a Christian. He was sent by Emperor Julian the Apostate to
slay Christians but he did not kill them rather assisted them to hide.
Julian cast him into a prison in Constantinople. When the evil Emperor
Julian was slain, John gave himself over to a life of asceticism,
living in purity and holiness. He died peacefully in old age. After
his death, he appeared to some who needed his help. Prayers directed
to St. John help to seek out robbers.
The
Venerable Mother Angelina
Angelina
was a Serbian Princess (Despotica). Her relics repose in the Monastery
Krusedol (December 12).
Reflection
One
needs to distinguish a sinner from a penitent. If you have taken upon
yourself the role to rebuke the sinner, guard yourself well, that you
do not rebuke the penitent also. How dear the repentant sinner is to
God, call to mind the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Therefore, let it
be very dear for you, he who has become dear to God. At one time it
happened that a monk succumbed to sin for which he was banished from
the monastery. This monk went to St. Anthony, confessed his sin,
repented and remained with Anthony for a period of time. Then Anthony
sent him back again to the monastery but they did not receive him and,
again, they banished him. Again, the penitent came to Anthony. Again,
Anthony sent him back to the monastery with a message to the fathers
of the monastery: "One boat experienced shipwreck and lost its
cargo; with great difficulty did that boat arrive in the harbor and
you wish to drown even that which was saved from drowning!"
Hearing this wise message, the fathers received with joy the penitent
brother into the monastery.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous victory of Gideon over the Midianites
(Judges 7):
1. How
Gideon gathered thirty-two thousand soldiers and set out against the
Midianites;
2. How
God commanded him to reduce the number, so that the Israelites would
not brag about themselves and say that they defeated (the Midianites)
and not God;
3. How
Gideon selected only three hundred soldiers and defeated the
Midianites who were numerous "as grasshoppers" (Judges
7:12).
Homily
About
the coming of the Dreadful Day of the Lord
"But
the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein
shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10).
Dreadful
is the day of the Lord, O how inexpressibly dreadful! Dreadful because
of its inexorable justice and also because of its unexpectancy. The
Lord Himself commanded: "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the
day nor the hour" (St. Matthew 25:13), and the apostle who, with
his own ears, heard these words only repeats them. He who is afraid of
thieves watches every night, so that the thief would not surprise him.
He, who is afraid of the Day of the Lord, watches every day and every
hour in order that that day and that hour would not unexpectedly catch
him in sin. We are so accustomed to the correct rotation of the course
of time, and on the correct passage of day and night, that we do not
suspect the approaching noise of that day which will overshadow all
days and hold back the wheel of time and smash its tiny spokes. So
also will it be when the sun places its fiery face over millions of
wax candles and blots out their glow and melts their wax. Dreadful,
dreadful, dreadful is the Day of the Lord! When that day places its
fiery face over the candles of today's day, these will be snuffed out
and darkened, "the heavens shall pass away with great
noise," the heavens, by which the present average days are
counted, "and the elements shall melt with fervent heat" the
material elements, the earth, water, air and fire will disintegrate.
They will cease to be. Everything will be new. Our earthly homeland
and all works on it will be burned up. They will cease to be.
Everything will be new. All our works will burn up; when God does not
have pity on His works, would He then pity our works? God will not
seek works but workers. All workers will appear before Him for
judgment and their works He will burn up. And all will be new. Who
will be judged, will be judged; who will be rewarded, will be
rewarded, for all eternity. Brethren, dreadful, truly dreadful is the
Day of the Lord! Dreadful because of its unexpectancy and dreadful
because of the inexorable justice of God.
O Just
Lord, make us sober and vigilant! Command Your holy angels to keep us
in sobriety and vigilance, so that sin does not inebriate us and cause
us to sleep.
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August
13th (New Style) • July 31st (Old Style)
St.
Eudocimus
Eudocimus
was born in Cappadocia of devout parents, Basil and Eudocia. At the
time of the Emperor Theophilus (829-842 A.D.), Eudocimus was a young
officer in the army. Even as an officer, he exerted all effort to live
according to the commandments of the Holy Gospel. Preserving his
purity undefiled, he avoided conversing with any woman, except his
mother; he was merciful toward the misfortunate and needy,
conscientious in reading holy books and more conscientious in his
prayers to God. He avoided vain gatherings and verbosity. "Among
the throngs and worldly vanity, he was a lily among thorns and as gold
in the fire." Because of his unusual good works, the emperor
appointed him as the commander of Cappadocia. In this high position,
Eudocimus strived to be just before God and before men. According to
the Providence of God he died at an early age, in his thirty-third
year. His relics were found to possess healing properties. An insane
man touched his grave and immediately became whole; a child also
touched his grave and was made whole. After eighteen months, his
mother opened his coffin and found his body as though it were still
alive, without any signs of decay or corruption. A wonderful aroma
emitted from the body of the saint. His relics were later translated
to Constantinople and buried in the new church of the Holy Theotokos
which the parents of this righteous Eudocimus built.
The
Holy Female Martyr Julita
Julita
was from Caesarea in Cappadocia. She had a dispute with her neighbor
over some property. The neighbor went to the judge and reported that
Julita was a Christian which, at that time, meant the same thing as
being outside the protection of the state. St. Julita gladly denied
her property rather than her faith. But even after that, the evil
pagans did not leave her in peace but tortured her and finally burned
her alive in the year 303 A.D. Thus, this follower of Christ
sacrificed her estate and her body for the sake of the eternal
salvation of her soul.
St.
Joseph of Arimathea
The
noble Joseph, a wealthy man and member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, was
secretly a follower of Christ. "Now when it was evening, there
came a certain rich man of Arimathea, Joseph by name, who was himself
a disciple of Jesus" (St. Matthew 27:57). "Now after these
things Joseph of Arimathea, because he was a disciple of Jesus
(although for fear of the Jews a secret one), besought Pilate that he
might take away the body of Jesus" (St. John 19:38). Together
with Nicodemus, Joseph removed the body of Christ from the cross and
placed it in his sepulchre. Because of this, he was shackled by the
Jews and thrown into prison. But the resurrected Lord appeared to him
and convinced him of His resurrection. After that, the Jews released
him from prison and banished him from the fatherland. He went
throughout the world to preach the Holy Gospel of Christ, and that
"good news" he brought to England where he reposed in the
Lord.
St.
John the Exarch
John was
a distinguished Bulgarian priest and theologian during the time of
Emperor Simeon (892-896 A.D.). He translated the "Six Days"
by Basil and the "Exposition of the Orthodox Faith" by John
Damascene into Slavonic. He died peacefully in the Lord.
Reflection
Ascetics
in the wilderness labor to sever their will and to live according to
the will of God. Some erroneously think that the hermit lives
completely in isolation. Not one hermit thinks thusly. He lives in the
company of God, angels of God and the departed saints who have found
repose in the Lord. Wherever the mind of man is, there also is the
life of the man. The mind of the hermit is among the greatest, the
most pure and in the most numerous company in which one man can
possibly be. One time, Abba Mark remarked to St. Arsenius the hermit:
"For what reason do you flee from our company and of conversation
with us?" Arsenius replied: "God knows that I love you all
but I cannot be both, together with God and with man. In heaven,
thousands and thousands of thousands have but one will and, with men,
there are many and various wills. That is why I cannot leave God and
be with men."
Contemplation
To
contemplate the punishment of God which befell Abimelech and the
Shechemites (Judges 9):
1. How
Abimelech with the help of the Shechemites slew seventy of his
brethren;
2. How
Abimelech himself, after that, slew the Shechemites and plowed under
the city, sowing it with salt;
3. How
Abimelech, after many victories, was killed by a woman who, from a
tower, cast a piece of a millstone on his head;
4. How
the curse of Jotham, the son of Gideon, came upon the Shechemites and
Abimelech.
Homily
About
the last awaiting
"Wherefore,
beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that you may
be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless" (2
Peter 3:14).
Brethren,
what is our last awaiting? In the night we await the day and in the
day we await the night and again the day and again the night. But this
awaiting is not our last awaiting. Brethren, what is our last
awaiting? In joy we tremble waiting for sorrow and in sorrow we wait
with hope for joy and again sorrow, and again joy. But not even these
awaitings are our last awaitings. Brethren, our last awaiting is the
awaiting of the Judgment of God. When the judgment of God comes, the
Dreadful Day "which burns like a furnace" (Malachi 4:1),
then we welcome all that we deserve; a day for some, without change
into night, and night for others, without change into day; joy for
some without change to sorrow and sorrow for others without change to
joy. Brethren, that is the last awaiting of the human race, whether he
knows it or does not know it, whether he thinks about it or does not
think about it.
But, you
faithful should know this and you should think about this. Let this
knowledge be the zenith of all your knowledge and let this thought
direct all your other thoughts. In the knowledge and contemplation of
this, include that which is even most important, include your
diligence "that you may be found of Him in peace without spot and
blameless" (or still more correctly translated: pure and
blameless). Be diligent to be pure in mind and in heart, correct in
your conscience and in peace with God. Only in that way will the last
awaiting not frighten you with unexpectancy, nor will it hurl you into
the night without day or into sorrow without joy. As everything else
in the life of the Lord Jesus was a surprise for man, thus will be His
Second Coming unexpected, in power and in glory. Unexpected was His
birth by the All-holy Virgin, unexpected was His poverty, unexpected
also was His miracle-working and every word and humiliation and
voluntary death, the resurrection, the ascension, the Church and the
spreading of His Faith. Unexpected will be His Second Coming,
unexpectation more frightful than all other unexpectations.
O Lord,
O righteous Judge, how will we meet You, unclad in purity and
blameless even in peace? Help us, help us that however much as
possible we may prepare for the dreadful encounter with You.
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