St.
George, the Holy and Great Martyr
This
glorious and victorious saint was born in Cappadocia the son of
wealthy and virtuous parents. His father suffered for Christ and his
mother then moved to Palestine. When George grew up, he entered the
military, where in his twentieth year, attained the rank of a Tribune
and as such was in the service of the Emperor Diocletian. When
Diocletian began the terrible persecution against Christians, George
came before him and courageously confessed that he is a Christian. The
emperor had him thrown into prison and ordered that his feet be placed
in a stockade of wooden hobbles and that a heavy stone be placed on
his chest. After that, the emperor commanded that George be tied to a
wheel under which was a board with large nails and he was to be
rotated until his entire body became as one bloody wound. After that,
they buried him in a pit with only his head showing above the ground
and there they left him for three days and three nights. Then George
was given a deadly poison to drink by some magician. But, through all
of these sufferings, George continuously prayed to God and God healed
him instantly and saved him from death to the great astonishment of
the people. When he resurrected a dead man through his prayer, many
then accepted the Faith of Christ. Among these also was Alexandra, the
wife of the Emperor Athanasius, the chief pagan priest and the
farmers: Glycerius, Valerius, Donatus and Therinus. Finally the
emperor ordered George and his wife Alexandra beheaded. Blessed
Alexandra died on the scaffold before being beheaded. St. George was
beheaded in the year 303 A.D. The miracles which have occurred over
the grave of St. George are without number. Numerous are his
appearances, either in dreams or openly, to those who have invoked him
and implored his help from that time until today. Enflamed with love
for Christ the Lord, it was not difficult for this saintly George to
leave all for the sake of this love: rank, wealth, imperial honor, his
friends and the entire world. For this love, the Lord rewarded him
with the wealth of unfading glory in heaven and on earth and eternal
life in His kingdom. In addition, the Lord bestowed upon him the power
and authority to assist all those in miseries and difficulties who
honor him and call upon his name.
The
Holy Neo-Martyr Lazarus
This
neo-martyr Lazarus was a Bulgarian by birth from Gabrovo. As a young
man he left the place of his birth and went to Anatolia. Lazarus
tended sheep in the village of Soma. As a Christian, Lazarus provoked
the wrath of the Turks against himself and was cast into prison by a
certain Aga. After prolonged tortures from inhuman tormentors, which
Lazarus heroically endured out of love for Christ, this young martyr
was killed on April 23, 1802, in his twenty-eighth year. The Lord
received him into His eternal courts and glorified him in heaven and
on earth. Countless miracles have occurred over the relics of St.
Lazarus.
Reflection
During a
certain uprising in Constantinople during the reign of Emperor
Constantine, some embittered men broke off the nose and ears of the
statue of the emperor in the city. Many adulators quickly came to the
emperor and with great disgust relayed to the emperor how rebels broke
the nose and ears from his statues and they asked the emperor to
punish the transgressors with the most severe punishment. The great
emperor felt his nose and ears with his hands and said to the
flatterers: "I feel that my nose and ears are whole and
undamaged!" The flatterers were ashamed and withdrew. With every
royal generosity we all need to endure insults from others. Yet, with
particular caution listen to accusations against other people, which
our flatterers bring to us. We should always confess before God and
before ourselves, that we, by our sins, deserved even greater insults
than those which are perpetrated against us.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
His resurrection is the beginning of the new and bright day in the
history of mankind;
2. How
His resurrection is my peace, my strength and the resurrection of my
soul while I am still in the body.
Homily
About
stirring up pure minds
"This
is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; through them
by way of reminder I am trying to stir up your sincere
disposition" (2 St. Peter 3:1).
Do you
see brethren, the goal with which the Apostle Peter writes in his
epistle? To stir up in people their pure minds! The apostle considers
this as the main thing. And truly, it is the main thing. For if in
every man the dormant pure mind would be awakened, there would not be
a single human soul left on earth who would not have believed in
Christ the Lord; who would not have confessed Him as the crucified and
resurrected Savior of the world; and who would not have contritely
turned to repentance for sins committed by the inducement of an impure
mind.
Nothing
distances us more from the Good News (Gospel) than an impure mind.
What makes the human mind of man impure? Sin makes the human mind
impure as milk when you pour in poison; it all becomes poisonous, so
the human mind when impure sin enters into it, it all becomes impure.
Every sin is impure; every sin makes the mind of man impure, muddy and
poisonous. All knowledge which an impure mind possesses is impure as a
muddied and soiled image of an object in a muddied and soiled mirror.
"To the pure all things are pure" (Titus 1:15), said Paul,
the other chief apostle. While Adam had a pure mind in Paradise, all
of his knowledge about the Creator and created things was clear and
true. Sin darkened his mind and the minds of his descendants. That
paradisaical, pure mind of the sinless man is not dead rather is
dormant in men under sin. It is necessary only to awaken it and then
it will unerringly lead man back to Christ. That is why the apostle
takes the responsibility to awaken in men that original pure, clear,
discerning mind given to him by God.
O, my
brethren, let us assist the holy apostle in awakening of men; He who
was crucified upside down on the cross because of His preaching, let
us help him in as much as it concerns us, and to awaken in every one
of us, our own pure mind. If every one of us does this, we will see
that all of us have one mind. For a pure mind is one while an impure
mind is legion!
O
resurrected Lord, You awaken in us a pure mind through the prayers of
Your Holy Apostle Peter.
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May
7th
(New Style) • April 24th (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyrs Sabas the Soldier (Stratelates)
This
glorious Sabas lived in Rome during the reign of Emperor Aurelian and
held the rank of commander. By ancestry, he was of a Gothic tribe. He
often visited Christians in prison and assisted them from his own
estate. Because of his extreme chastity and fasting, God had given him
authority over unclean spirits. When Sabas was accused of being a
Christian, he courageously stood before the emperor, threw down his
military belt and openly confessed Christ the Lord. Sabas was tortured
in various ways: flogged, scrapped with irons and burned with candles.
He did not succumb to these deadly tortures but appeared alive and
healthy. His military companions, seeing that God was obviously
helping him, embraced the Faith of Christ. Those seventy in number
were immediately beheaded by order of the emperor. Christ the Lord
Himself appeared in a great light to St. Sabas in prison and
encouraged His martyr. After that, he was condemned to death by
drowning. Sabas was thrown into a deep river where he gave up his soul
to God in the year 272 A.D. His soul went to the Lord to Whom he
remained faithful through many tortures.
The
Venerable Elizabeth
In her
early years, Elizabeth entered the monastic state in the Monastery of
St. Cosmas and St. Damian in Constantinople and took upon herself the
heavy burden of self-mortification for the sake of Christ the God and
for the sake of her soul. She considered herself a bride of Christ and
considered this world as though it did not exist. Out of her great
love for God, emanated her great compassion toward people, especially
toward the sick and the suffering. With the gift that God had bestowed
upon her, she cured various diseases and afflictions of the people.
During her nightly prayers, she was seen totally encompassed by a
heavenly light. Following her death, her relics possessed the power of
healing and a great number of the sick and suffering gathered at her
grave throughout the ages. She died peacefully and entered into the
eternal joy of her Lord in the year 540 A.D.
The
Holy Martyrs Eusebius, Neon, Leontius and Longinus
These four were military companions of St. George. Witnessing the
courageous endurance and miracles of St. George, these wonderful
soldiers became Christians for which they were beheaded.
The
Holy Martyr Pasicrates and Valentine
When the
judge urged Pasicrates and the martyr's brother Papianus, who had
fallen away from Christ because of the fear of torture, to offer
sacrifice to the idols, Pasicrates placed his hand in the fire and
cried out: "The body is mortal and is consumed by fire but the
soul is immortal and does not feel the visible sufferings!"
However, his mother sustained and encouraged him to endure to the end.
He was beheaded with Valentine and both took up habitation in the
kingdom of Christ about the year 288 A.D.
Venerable
Thomas, "Fool for Christ"
Whenever
he was in the city of Antioch on business for the monastery, Thomas
always pretended insanity for the sake of Christ. A certain Anastasius
did not want to give him alms that Thomas sought for the monastery but
struck him with his fist. Thomas then prophesied: "From now on
neither will I receive anything from Anastasius, neither will
Anastasius be able to give me anything." After a day, Anastasius
died and Thomas, prior to his return to the monastery, also died. Thus
the prophecy of this holy man was fulfilled. St. Thomas died in Daphni
near Antioch at the time of Patriarch Domnus (546 - 560 A.D.).
The
Neo-Martyrs Luke and Nicholas
This
wonderful young man Luke, a tailor by trade, suffered martyrdom for
Christ in 1564 A.D. Nicholas suffered martyrdom in the year 1776 A.D.
Reflection
In
exhorting Christians to attend church for prayer, St. John Chrysostom
says: "If someone delivers to subjugated citizens a royal decree,
the citizens do not question the life of the messenger, as to whether
he is rich or poor or righteous or sinful but all listen attentively
to that which he is reading. If someone did not hear, he asks one who
has heard. When you have such a great awe of earthly rulers, how much
more should you have heed us priests here, where the Creator of the
Heavenly Powers speaks through us sinners?" Indeed, what is Holy
Scripture but a Grammata (Letter) of the Heavenly King! Why is it that
the unique and saving Grammata does not interest us every day and
every hour, when the least authority in the country and their trivial
orders do interest us? St. Anthony said: "Whatever you do have
justification for this in Holy Scripture." But how can you have
justification in Holy Scripture if you are not familiar with Holy
Scripture?
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
His resurrection drives away from us every confusion, gloom and
melancholy;
2. How
His resurrection instills serenity, courage and goodwill into the
souls of men.
Homily
About
the vanity of everything in comparison with Christ
"I
consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ"
(Philippians 3:8).
The
apostle who writes this had worldly knowledge; he had wealth and
friends, he had youth and health. He had all the requisites of worldly
success among his people. Paul says, "I left all." For the
sake of Christ Jesus my Lord, I left all. Before the sages of this
world he became a fool; before the rich he became as a beggar; before
his friends, he becomes an enemy. He exhausted his youth and health by
voluntary sufferings and afflictions. With one stroke he closed for
himself all prospects for worldly success. Why did you do this O Holy
Apostle Paul? Because, " I consider them so much rubbish, that I
may gain Christ."
Brethren,
did the Apostle Paul deceive himself leaving everything as rubbish and
did he gain something greater in gaining Christ? Twenty centuries are
witnessing that the holy apostle did not deceive himself and, that in
gaining Christ, he received incomparably more and better than that
which he abandoned and sacrificed. He received wisdom above all
worldly knowledge and riches unperishable and incorruptible; he gained
friends in the form of true angels of God; and eternal youth without
disease and aging; and divine success, which lasts without change, in
eternal life. All of this he gained in gaining Christ. All of this he
received leaving all that the world offers to its favorites.
Indeed,
brethren, Christ is better than the world. There are no words which
could express His superiority over the world. The world deceives its
favorites but Christ rewards His favorites truthfully. The world gives
little and takes all. The world offers decay and takes away life.
Christ, however, seeks little and gives all. He seeks that we discard
decay and He gives us eternal life. Brethren, Christ is our one and
only true friend.
O
resurrected Lord Christ, help us to renounce rubbish, to renounce
decay and grant us eternal life.
To
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May
8th
(New Style) • April 25th (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark
Mark was
a traveling companion and assistant to the Apostle Peter who, in his
first epistle calls him his son, "The chosen one at Babylon sends
you his greeting as does Mark, my son" (1 Peter 5:13), not
according to the flesh but a son according to the spirit. While Mark
was in Rome with Peter, the faithful begged him to write down for them
the saving teaching of the Lord Jesus, His miracles and His life.
Thus, Mark wrote the Holy Gospel which the Apostle Peter himself saw
and attested to its truthfulness. Mark was appointed a bishop by the
Apostle Peter and was sent to Egypt to preach. As so, St. Mark was the
first preacher of the Good News (Gospel) in Egypt and was the first
bishop in Egypt. Egypt was entirely oppressed by the thick darkness of
paganism, idolatry, soothsaying and malice. With the help of God, St.
Mark succeeded to sow the seed of the teaching of Christ throughout
Libiya, Ammonicia and Pentopolis. From Pentopolis, St. Mark came to
Alexandria where the Spirit of God led him. In Alexandria, he
succeeded in establishing the Church of God and installed bishops,
priests and deacons and to firmly strengthen them all in the honorable
Faith. Mark confirmed his preaching through many and great miracles.
When the heathens raised accusations against Mark, as a destroyer of
their idolatrous faith, and when the mayor of the city began to search
for Mark, he again fled to Pentopolis where he continued to strengthen
his earlier work. After two years, Mark again returned to Alexandria
to the great joy of all the faithful, whose number was greatly
multiplied. On this occasion, the pagans seized Mark, bound him
tightly and began to drag him over the cobblestone pavement crying
out: "Let us drag the ox to the pen." Wounded and bloodied
throughout, they cast Mark into prison where, at first, a heavenly
angel appeared to him encouraging and strengthening him. After that,
the Lord Jesus Himself appeared to him and said: "Peace be to you
Mark, my Evangelist!" To that Mark replied: "Peace be to you
also my Lord Jesus Christ!" The next day the vicious men brought
Mark out of prison and again dragged him throughout the streets with
the same cry: "Let us drag the ox to the pen." Completely
exhausted and worn out, Mark uttered: "Into Your hands O Lord, I
give up my spirit." Mark expired and his soul was translated into
a better world. His holy relics were honorably buried by Christians
and, through the centuries, his relics give healing to people from all
of their afflictions, pains and diseases.
St.
Anianus, the second Bishop of Alexandria
When
Mark stepped out of the boat on dry land in Alexandria, the sandal on
one foot became torn. Then, he saw a cobbler to whom he gave his
sandal for repairs. In mending the sandal, the cobbler pierced himself
with the needle in his left hand and blood began to flow and the
cobbler screamed in pain. Then the apostle of God mixed some dust with
his spittle and anointed the wounded hand and suddenly the hand became
whole again. Astonished at this miracle, the cobbler invited Mark to
his home. Hearing Mark's homily, Anianus (for that was the cobbler's
name) was baptized; he and his entire household. Anianus displayed so
much virtue and so much zeal for the work of God that St. Mark
consecrated him bishop. This holy man was the second bishop of the
Church in Alexandria.
Reflection
The
devil quickly finds work for idle hands and an angel quickly finds
work for diligent hands. In this world of constant movement and
constant change man, whether he wants to or not, must always be busy,
be it either good works or evil works. The idle man, actually is not
lazy. He is a diligent worker of the devil. An idle body and an idle
soul is the most suitable field for the devil's plowing and sowing.
St. Anthony the Great said: "The body needs to be subdued and
immersed in prolonged labors." St. Ephrem the Syrian teaches:
"Teach yourself to work, so that you will not have to learn to
beg." All of the other Holy Fathers, without exception, speak
about the necessity of work for the salvation of the soul of man. The
apostles and all the saints give to us an example of continuous and
concentrated spiritual and physical labor. That the idle man, by his
idleness, does not extend his life on earth but shortens it, is
clearly shown by the longevity of many saints, the greatest laborers
among the laborers in the world.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
His resurrection incites us and strengthens us for every good work;
physical and spiritual;
2. How
His resurrection enlightens our every good work with the light of hope
in the Living God, Who counts our works, measures them and preserves
them for the Day of Judgment.
Homily
About
the apostles' love for labors
"Nor
did we eat food received free from everyone. On the contrary, in toil
and drudgery, night and day we worked so as not to burden any of
you" (2 Thessalonians 3:8).
First
fulfill then teach. All the apostles and all of the saints of God
adhered to this rule. Thus, the Apostle Paul, even before he spoke the
command: "If anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that
one eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10), declares for himself and for his
assistants in preaching that they did not eat anyone's bread for free,
rather by effort and labor earned their bread. "Night and day we
worked!" Behold the true laborers! Behold the honey-bearing bees
of Christ! Daily and nightly toil: where is their time for sin? Daily
and nightly toil: where is their room for sin? Daily and nightly toil:
where can the devil weave his nest of passions? Daily and nightly
toil: where is their cause for scandal?
In
certain Egyptian and Palestinian monasteries, there lived about ten
thousand monks. They all lived off the labor of their hands: from
weaving beehives, baskets, door mats and from other types of
handiwork. Daily and nightly toil and daily and nightly prayer. When a
monk sold his beehives in town for a higher price than the price which
the abbot designated, for that, the monk experienced punishment. For
the ascetics it was not a matter of enrichment but only for the most
essential nourishment and the simplest clothing. In this, the ascetics
were and are the true followers of the great apostle.
O, my
brethren, let us flee from slothfulness (idleness) as from a cave of
wild beasts. If by some chance we fall into a cave of wild beasts, let
us quickly flee from it, before the wild beasts totally seal off the
entrance. The cave is the dwelling place where the slothful man seeks
rest. The wild beasts are evil spirits who, in such a dwelling place,
feel more at home there than near their king in Hades. O Lord, Who are
wonderful in all the works of Your creation, awaken us from
slothfulness and encourage us to nightly and daily labor by Your
encouraging Holy Spirit.
To
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May
9th
(New Style) • April 26th (Old Style)
The
Priestly-Martyr Basil, Bishop of Amasea
Licinius,
brother-in-law of Constantine to whose sister he was married,
pretended to be a Christian before the great emperor. When he received
authority from the emperor, to govern the entire east, he, at first
secretly, and later openly, began to persecute Christians and to
strengthen idolatry. His wife grieved much about this, but was unable
to dissuade her husband from this shamefulness. Giving himself over to
idolatry, Licinius also succumbed to infinite passions without
restraint but, most of all to infidelity toward his wife. During the
assault of these unclean passions, Licinius wanted to defile the
virgin Glaphyra who was in the service of the Empress. Glaphyra
complained to the empress and the empress secretly sent her away from
the imperial court of Nicomedia to the Province of Pontus. The virgin
Glaphyra arrived at the town of Amasea and there was cordially
received by Bishop Basil and other Christians. Glaphyra was elated
that God had saved her virginity and, concerning this, she wrote to
the empress. The empress also rejoiced and forwarded money to the
church in Amasea. However, a letter of Glaphyra which was directed to
the empress, fell into the hands of the emperor's eunuch who showed it
to Emperor Licinius. The emperor, learning where Glaphyra was staying,
immediately ordered that she and the bishop be brought back to
Nicomedia. In the meantime, Glaphyra died and the soldiers brought
Basil back to Nicomedia, alone and bound. Following tortures and
imprisonment this blessed man was beheaded and tossed into the sea in
the year 322 A.D. Through a vision of an angel of God his clergy found
his body near the town of Sinope. They removed his body with the aid
of a fisherman's net and translated it to Amasea where they honorably
buried it in the church which he, by his efforts, had built. The
Emperor Constantine raised up an army against Licinius, defeated,
captured him and banished him into exile to Gaul where he ended his
god-hating life.
St.
Joannicius of Devich
Joannicius
was a Serb from Zeta. As a young man he was overwhelmed with love for
Christ. He left his home and family and withdrew to the region of Ibar
at the mouth of the Black river into a narrow cave in which, according
to tradition, before him, St. Peter of Korish lived a life of
asceticism. When his fame began to spread among the people, he fled to
Drenica and hid in the thick forest of Devich. Here St. Joannicius
spent years in solitude, in silence and in prayer. According to
tradition, the Serbian Prince George Brankovich brought his mentally
ill daughter to him whom the saint healed. Out of gratitude, George
built a monastery on this spot, known today by the name of Devich. The
holy and wonder-working relics of Joannicius repose in this monastery.
In this monastery, more recently, the nun Euphemia, the famous and
God-pleasing hermitess lived a life of asceticism in Devich. The nun
Euphemia is better known in the area of Kossovo by the name: The
Blessed Stojna. She died in the Lord in the year 1895 A.D.
St.
Stephen the Bishop of Perm
Stephen
was a Russian by birth. From an early age he was devoted to prayer and
pious thoughts. As a young man, Stephen went to Rostov where he was
tonsured a monk in the monastery of St. Gregory the Theologian.
Learning about the Land of Perm, completely overrun with the weeds of
heathenism, Stephen desired to become a missionary in this land. He
immediately dedicated himself to the studying of the language of the
Perms and when he mastered the language, he composed an alphabet and
translated the ecclesiastical books into that language. With the
blessing of the Metropolitan of Moscow, Stephen, as a presbyter,
started out on his apostolic mission and with apostolic zeal began to
preach the Gospel in this dense darkness of the heathenism of Perm.
Having baptized a few souls, he endeavored to build a church in Perm
dedicated to the Holy Annunciation. When the Church of God flourished
in Perm, he was consecrated as its bishop. Undergoing every hardship,
affliction, maliciousness and humiliation, he succeeded to dispel the
darkness among the heathens of Perm and to illuminate them with the
Light of Christ. In his old age he returned to Moscow once more but,
there ended his earthly life and took up habitation with the Lord in
the year 1396 AD.
Reflection
The
saints are alive and their God-given power does not diminish in time.
St. Joannicius of Devich works miracles today even as he did during
his life on earth, some five-hundred years ago. A certain Milosh from
Hercegovina prepared to travel to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage to the
holy shrines. As he was about ready to depart on his way, St.
Joannicius appeared to him in a dream and told him not to go to
Jerusalem. Rather than go to Jerusalem, it would be better for you to
go to Devich, explained the saint, and there, to restore my church and
place it in order. Milosh obeyed the saint and arrived at the
neglected Devich, cleaned it, placed it in order and again, made it
possible to sing praises to God. At Devich, Milosh was tonsured a monk
and remained there until the end of his life. During the First World
War and the Austrian occupation, a Hungarian officer with a detachment
of soldiers came to Devich. The officer ushered Damaskin, the abbot of
the monastery, before the reliquary of St. Joannicius and asked him
what was under the slab? "Holiness," replied the abbot.
"What kind of holiness?", the officer laughed. "Some
things are hidden under there." He then ordered the soldiers to
strike the slab with pick axes and to overturn it. While this was
being done, the officer was seized with pain around his waist. He lay
down in bed and before evening of the same day, he died. The
frightened soldiers left there work undone and fled the monastery.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
His Resurrection is a great light which dispels the darkness of our
doubt, ignorance and despair relative to life after death;
2. How
His Resurrection is a great light, which illuminates the path on which
we must travel in this world in order to arrive to the other world.
Homily
About
Christ as the confirmation of all good
"For
the son of God, Jesus Christ, Who was proclaimed to you by us,
Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not "yes" and
"no," but "yes" has been in him" (2
Corinthians 1:19).
Christ
is not light and darkness but only light. Christ is not truth and
falsehood, but only truth. Neither is Christ life and death, He is
only life. Neither is He strength and weakness. He is only strength.
Neither is He love and hate. He is only love. He is the
"yes" for every good and in Him there is no vacillating
between "yes" and "no." His teaching is all pure,
all truth, all light and all loving of mankind. His path is accurately
hewn and He does not permit swerving neither to the left or to the
right. Not even a shadow of sin can pause on His teaching nor find a
place on His path. His person is the incarnation of good and all that
is good is in Him and all that is sin, falsehood, malicious and unjust
is outside of Him.
Such
teaching, such a path and such a person of Christ, the apostles of God
preached: the teaching meant the confirmation of good and the
revelation of the infinite treasury of good; the path which leads to
the realization and eternal enjoyment of this good; the Person, Who in
Himself, contains all good and complete confirmation of good.
Brethren,
let us also adhere to this unique Person, this unique path and this
unique teaching.
Almighty
Lord, help us by the power of Your Holy Spirit, so that our
insignificant life on earth would become a confirmation of good and
not the denial of good.
To
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May
10th
(New Style) • April 27th (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostle Simeon
Simeon
was one of the Seventy Apostles. He was the son of Cleopas who was the
brother of Joseph, the betrothed of the All-Holy Mother of God. Seeing
the miracles of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Simeon believed and
was numbered among the Seventy Apostles. He preached the Gospel of
Christ with great zeal and courage throughout Judea. When the
nefarious Jews killed James, the brother of our Lord and first bishop
of the Church of Jerusalem, by hurling him from the heights of the
Temple and beat him over the head with a hoe, then this Simeon, a
cousin of James, was appointed Bishop of Jerusalem. And Simeon, as the
second bishop of the Holy City, governed the Church of God with wisdom
and strength until a ripe old age. He was over one hundred years old
when he suffered. His suffering was in this manner: during the reign
of Emperor Trajan, a two-fold persecution began: one in Palestine
against the descendants of David and the other persecution against the
Christians. The wicked people accused Simeon of being both one and the
other (a Jew and a Christian). St. Simeon endured enormous pains and
finally was crucified on a cross, as was his Lord, Whom he faithfully
served on earth.
Venerable
Stephen, the Bishop of Vladimir
Stephen
was a disciple of St. Theodosius of the Monastery of the Caves in
Kiev. For a while, Stephen was abbot of the Monastery of the Caves and
labored much in the regulation and organization of the monastic life
and in adornment of churches. The devil incited malice among the monks
against Stephen and, not only did they remove him as abbot, but
banished him from the monastery. God, Who does not abandon the
righteous for long under the humiliation of the unrighteous, directed
the life of Venerable Stephen so that he was elected as Bishop of
Vladimir. As a hierarch of God, Stephen governed the Church until old
age and died peacefully in the Lord in the year 1094 A.D.
The
Burning Relics of St. Sava
Sava was
the Archbishop of the Serbs. The body of St. Sava was buried in
Mileshevo Monastery. During the time of the Turkish tyranny, the
Serbian people gathered around the relics of their saint to seek
comfort and healing. Fearing that an insurrection might arise from
that place against the Turks, Sinan Pasha of Belgrade ordered that the
relics of St. Sava be translated to Belgrade and there to be burned on
Vracar, April 27, 1594 A.D. With the burning of the relics of this
saint, the rabid Pasha did not burn the saint who remained alive
before the Throne of God in the heavens and in the hearts of his
people on earth.
Venerable
John the Confessor
John was
the Abbott of the Cathar Monastery. This monastery was established
near Nicaea during the reign of Justin in the sixth century. Because
of his veneration of icons and his defense for the veneration of
icons, John suffered much at the hands of the Emperors Leo and
Theophilus and died in exile around the year 832 A.D.
Reflection
The True
Faith must be persecuted in this world. The Savior Himself said this
clearly and openly to His apostles. St. Apollinaris of Hierapolis in
writing against the Montanist heretics says: " Let them tell us
before God who, out of all their prophets, beginning with Montanus and
his wives, was persecuted by the Jews and killed by the ungodly? No
one. Who, from among them was taken away for of the Name of Christ and
was crucified on the cross? Again, no one. Have any one of the women
ever been flogged or stoned in the Jewish synagogues? Nowhere and
never." However, the Orthodox saint wants to say, that the True
Faith must be persecuted in this world. Heresies are generally closer
to the worldly and demonic spirit, which is why the world and the
demon do not persecute their own. To be constantly persecuted, with
brief intervals in between, is a characteristic of the Faith and of
the Orthodox Church. This persecution existed throughout all of
history, either from without or within; externally from unbelievers
and internally from heretics.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
He commands that repentance and forgiveness of sins be preached in His
Name;
2. How
He commands His disciples to await the Father's promise of the power
of the Holy Spirit from on high.
Homily
About
the persecution of the pious
"It
is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of
God" (Acts of the Apostles 14:22).
"In
fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be
persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12).
The Lord
Jesus prophesied this and by His example He proved it. The apostles
also said this and by their examples they proved it. All the
God-bearing Fathers of the Church, confessors and martyrs said this
and they proved this by their example. Therefore, is there any need to
doubt that, through a narrow door, one enters the kingdom of God?
Should we hesitate for a moment that, "it is necessary for us to
undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God?" No, there is
no basis nor justification for doubt. Can sheep live among the wolves
and not be attacked by them? Can a candle burn in the midst of cross
winds and not sway back and forth? Can a good fruit-bearing tree grow
along side the road and not be disturbed by passersby? Thus, the
Church of pious souls cannot but be persecuted and be persecuted by
heathens, by idolaters, by heretics, by apostates, from passions and
vices, from sin and transgressions, from the world and by demons. So
it is that not one devout soul can remain without persecution, be it
externally or internally, until it is separated from the body and the
world. Someone might oppose this and prove it otherwise according to
his calculation and according to his logic. But, in this case, neither
the mind nor the logic of one man is of any avail. Thousands who were
crucified speak otherwise, thousands burned alive cry out otherwise,
thousands who were beheaded prove otherwise and thousands who were
drowned witness otherwise. O my brethren, the Christian Faith is
mighty not only when it agrees with sensory reasoning and sensory
logic but when, and especially when, it contradicts sensory reasoning
and sensory logic.
Those
who want to live a godly-life will be persecuted. This the apostle
prophesied at the beginning of the Christian era and twenty Christian
centuries render a multi-voiced echo to confirm the truth of the
prophecy.
O
resurrected Lord, grant us light that we may be pious to the end and
give us the strength to endure persecution to the end.
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May
11th
(New Style) • April 28th (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostles Jason, Sosipater and the Virgin Cercyra
The
first two were of the Seventy Apostles and the latter was the daughter
of a king from the island of Corfu. Jason and Sosipater are mentioned
by St. Paul and he calls them his relatives. "Jason and Sosipater,
my relatives" (Romans 16:21). Jason was born in Tarsus as was the
Apostle Paul and Sosipater was born in Achaea. The first was appointed
bishop of Tarsus by the apostle and the other was appointed bishop of
Iconium. Traveling about and preaching the Gospel these two apostles
arrived on the island of Corfu, where they succeeded to build a church
to the honor of St. Stephen the First-martyr and to win over some
heathens to the Church. The king of the island threw them both into
prison where seven thieves were also imprisoned. Their names were:
Sagornius, Jakishol, Faustian, Januarius, Marsalus, Euphrasius and
Mamminus. The apostles converted these seven to the Faith of Christ
and turned these wolves into lambs. Upon hearing this, the king
ordered that these seven be put to death in boiling pitch. Thus, they
received the wreath of the martyrs. While the king was torturing the
apostles, his daughter, the virgin Cercyra, watched from the window at
the suffering of these men of God and learning for what reason they
were being tortured, she declared herself a Christian and distributed
all of her jewels to the poor. The king became enraged at his daughter
and closed her in a special prison. Since he did not succeed to
dissuade her from Christ by this imprisonment, he ordered that the
prison be burned. The prison burned, but the virgin remained alive.
Upon seeing this miracle many people were baptized. The infuriated
king then ordered his daughter to be tied to a tree and Cercyra was
slain by arrows. Those who believed in Christ fled from the terrible
king to the nearest island and hid themselves. The king pursued them
by boat in order to apprehend them, but the boat sank into the sea and
thus the unrighteous one perished as did the one-time pharaoh. The new
king embraced the Faith of Christ, was baptized and received the name
Sebastian. Jason and Sosipater freely preached the Gospel and
strengthened the Church of God in Corfu. They lived to a ripe old age
and there ended their earthly life and took up habitation in the
mansions of the Lord.
The
Holy Martyrs Maximus, Dada and Quintilian
Maximus,
Dada and Quintilian suffered during the reign of Diocletian. They were
tried and tortured by Commander Tarquinius. After imprisonment and
torturing, they were all beheaded.
The
Holy Martyr Tibald
Tibald
was a Slav from Pannonia. During the reign of Diocletian he was
brutally tortured for the Faith of Christ and suffered in a place
called Tsibal.
Reflection
The
mystery of our salvation is concluded with the appearance of God among
men in the human body. St. Meliton of Sardis writes: "The works
of Christ, following His baptism, manifested and proved to the world
that in His body, His divinity was hidden. Being God, He was also
perfect man. He revealed to us His two natures. Divinity, by His
miracles performed throughout the three years following His baptism
and, His humanity, throughout those years when the weakness of the
flesh hid the signs of His divinity, even though He was truly the
Eternal God." The manner of the union of divinity with humanity
is difficult to comprehend but the event of the appearance of God as a
man among men is perfectly comprehensible from the concept of the love
of God for man. Not even the creation of the world, as an event, is
more comprehensible; one can say even less comprehensible--than the
event above the events: the Incarnation of God.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the Ascension of the Lord Jesus:
1. How
He led His disciples to a hill toward Bethany;
2. How,
with up-lifted hands, He blesses the disciples.
Homily
About
seeking the face of the Lord
"Your
presence, O Lord, I seek" (Psalms 27:8).
"Let
Your face shine upon Your servant" (Psalm 31:16).
King
David sought that which the simple fishermen received without seeking.
King David was reclining in darkness and was yearning to see the
glowing face of the Lord, which was revealed to the simple fishermen
in its complete radiance. King David belonged to the period of
waiting, but the disciples belonged to the period of fulfillment.
There (the period of waiting) it was only the announcement of the
coming of the Lord, but here, (the period of fulfillment) the coming
of the Lord. There a presentiment and day dreams about the face of the
Lord, here radiance and beauty of that same face. The face of the Lord
was radiant even before the resurrection and how much more radiant
after the resurrection! The inextinguishable flame of Divinity hid
behind the icon of His body and shown through that bodily icon. The
disciples gazed upon Him fixedly and they rejoiced in their hearts.
For forty days they gazed upon His glorified body and they rejoiced in
their hearts!
O my
brethren, let us also seek the radiant face of the Lord in order to
feel the pleasure by which the angels of God become intoxicated. If we
are going to seek Him with yearning in this life, then we will see
Him, at least, in the other life. If we do not seek Him in this life,
then we will not see him either in this life or in the other life.
Brethren, let us yearn for the face of Christ! His every word shows us
one feature of His face. Each of His apostles shows us some
characteristic of His face. His every deed shows us some feature of
His face. Each of His saints shows us some ray of His radiant face.
With yearning brethren, let us exam the face of the Lord. Let us
assemble ray after ray until it reveals the entire sun. Let us
enshrine that Sun in the depths of our hearts, that it illuminates our
bodily courts from within. Let us plant this inexpressible sweet
vineyard in our heart that we may taste of that immortal drink by
which the angels become intoxicated.
O Lord,
bearer of light, show Your radiant face to us, Your servants.
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May
12th
(New Style) • April 29th (Old Style)
St.
Basil of Ostrog
Basil
was born in Popova, a village in Hercegovina of simple and God-fearing
parents. From his youth, he was filled with love for the Church of God
and when he reached maturity, he entered to the Monastery of the
Dormition (Assumption) of the Birth-giver of God in Trebinje and there
received the monastic tonsure. As a monk, he quickly became renown
because of his genuine and rare ascetical life. Saint Basil took upon
himself mortification upon mortification each one heavier and more
difficult than the last. Later, against his will, he was elected and
consecrated bishop of Zahumlje and Skenderia. As a hierarch, he first
lived in the Monastery Tvrdosh and from there, as a good shepherd,
strengthened his flock in the Orthodox Faith, protecting them from the
cruelty of the Turks and the cunning ways of the Latins. When Basil
was exceedingly pressed by his enemies and, when Tvrdosh was destroyed
by the Turks, he moved to Ostrog, where he lived an austere ascetical
life, protecting his flock by his ceaseless and fervent prayer.(*) He
died peacefully in the Lord in the sixteenth century, leaving behind
his incorruptible relics; incorruptible and miracle-working to the
present day. The miracles at the grave of St. Basil are without
number. Christians and Muslims alike come before his relics and find
healing of their most grave illnesses and afflictions. A great
people's assembly (pilgrimage) occurs there annually on the Feast of
Pentecost.
(*) A
new church was built upon the ruins of the old Tvrdosh Monastery in
our day by Nikola Runjevac from the village of Poljica near Trebinje.
A wonderful and glorious monumental church (Zaduzbina) before God and
before His people.
The
Nine Martyrs in Cyzicus
These
nine brave martyrs, enflamed with love for Christ, refused to offer
sacrifices to the idols or to deny Christ the Lord, for which they
were brutally tortured and finally beheaded. During the reign of
Emperor Constantine, a church was built in Cyzicus in honor of these
martyrs where their incorruptible relics were placed. Countless
healings have taken place over their relics. Their names were:
THEOGONIUS, RUFUS, ANTIPATER, THEOCTIST, ARTEMAS, MAGNUS, THEODOTUS,
THAUMASILUS AND PHILEMON. All of them despised everything temporal for
the eternal, the corruptible for the incorruptible. That is why the
Lord led them to His eternal home and crowned them with unfading
wreaths of glory. They suffered honorably and were glorified in the
eighth century.
Venerable
Memnon the Wonder-Worker
From his
youth Memnon dedicated himself to fasting, prayer and purified himself
so much that he became a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. He healed
incurable diseases and worked many other miracles. He appeared on the
tempests of the seas and rescued ships from disaster. He died
peacefully in the Lord in the second century and took up habitation in
the heavenly courts of the Lord.
Reflection
Nothing
can be kept secret from our Omniscient God. At every moment, to Him is
known all that is being done in the world; both in the external as
well as in the internal, spiritual world. Not one intention, not one
desire, not one thought of his can man conceal from God. How can you
hide from God that which you cannot hide from men; from holy men! One
day, Tsar Ivan the Terrible came to church to pray to God. In the
church, Blessed Basil, "the fool for Christ," stood for
prayer. It is true the Tsar was in church physically, but his thoughts
were on the Hill of the Sparrow, a short distance from Moscow, upon
which he had begun to construct a palace. Throughout the liturgical
services the Tsar thought about how he could extend and complete his
palace on that hill. After the services the Tsar noticed Basil and
asked him: "Where have you been?" Basil replied: "In
church." Basil then immediately asked the Tsar: "O Tsar and
where were you?" "I, also, was in church, " answered
the Tsar. To that the discerning saint replied: "You are not
speaking the truth Ivanushka for I perceived how, in your thoughts,
you were pacing about on the Hill of the Sparrow and building a
palace."
Contemplation
To
contemplate the Ascension of the Lord Jesus:
1. How
the Lord, blessing His disciples, is raised above the earth and is
ascending into Heaven;
2. How
the disciples watched Him as He was ascending until a cloud hid Him
from their sight.
Homily
About
the incomparable love of Christ
"And
to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge" (Ephesians
3:19).
"The
love of Christ that surpasses knowledge!" Surpasses, not the
knowledge of God, but surpasses the knowledge of man, darkened and
embittered by sin. God's knowledge is equal to God's love and neither
surpasses the other. But man's knowledge, alienated from God, does not
comprehend God's love at all, shown through the Lord Jesus Christ. God
understands man but man does not understand God. God attempted, by
reason, to enable man to understand through nature and through the Old
Revelation, through the Law and the prophets, but man did not want to
submit to that knowledge. Then, God attempted to overcome men through
love and through this love to draw them to Himself. From that (love)
comes the Incarnation of the Son of God, from that (love) thence is
His sacrifice and His suffering to the death. Such inexpressible love
of God, beyond words and knowledge, have captured and returned many to
God, i.e., made them to understand; gave them a new knowledge, pure
and bright. But, it confused many of them, again, for it did not agree
with their darkened and embittered understanding.
"And
to know," says the apostle. How can we brethren, know that which
is beyond knowing and beyond understanding? In no other way than by a
change of mind, awakening and sharpening of the mind, illumination and
elevation of the mind: in brief, the acquiring of a new mind, which
would have the capability to understand the love of Christ which is
beyond the present sinful mind of men.
O the
depth of God's wisdom and knowledge! Whoever even approaches just a
little closer to You that one feels that You are, at the same time,
the depth of the love of God.
O Lord,
ascended into heaven, illumine our mind with Your understanding that
we may more easily adopt Your unfathomable love toward mankind and
weep--weep from sorrow because of our hardened hearts and because of
our darkened and malicious minds and weep because of joy, because of
Your love toward us, who are darkened and embittered.
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May
13th
(New Style) • April 30th (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostle James
James
was the son of Zebedee, brother of John and one of the Twelve
Apostles. At the invitation of the Lord Jesus, James left the
fishermen's net, his father and, together with John, immediately
followed after the Lord. He belonged to that trinity of apostles to
whom the Lord revealed the greatest mysteries; before whom He was
transfigured on Tabor and before whom He lamented before His agony in
the Garden of Gethsemane. After receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit,
he preached the Gospel in various places and traveled to Spain. Upon
his return from Spain, the Jews began to quarrel with him concerning
Holy Scripture and no one was able to withstand him, not even a
certain magician Hermogenes. Hermogenes and his disciple Philip were
defeated by the power of truth which James preached and, both of them
were baptized. Then the Jews accused him before Herod and persuaded
Josias to slander the apostle. Josias, seeing the brave conduct of
James and listening to his clear explanation about the truth, repented
and believed in Christ. When James was condemned to death, this same
Josias was also condemned to death. Enroute to the place of execution,
Josias implored James to forgive him the sin of slander. James
embraced and kissed him and said: "Peace and forgiveness be to
you!" Both of them bowed their heads under the sword and were
beheaded for the Lord Whom they loved and Whom they served. Saint
James suffered in Jerusalem in the year 45 A.D. His body was
translated to Spain, where miraculous healings occurred over his grave
and, do so even today.
St.
Donatus
Donatus
was bishop of Evira in Albania. He was endowed by God with the great
blessing of miracle-working, by which he performed many miracles for
the benefit of the people. Donatus changed bitter water into sweet
water; brought down rain during a drought; healed the king's daughter
of insanity; and resurrected a man from the dead. This deceased man
had repaid his debt to a certain creditor. This unscrupulous creditor
wanted the debt to be repaid a second time and, wanting to benefit
from the death of his debtor, he came to his widow and demanded that
the debt be repaid immediately. The widow wept and complained to the
bishop. St. Donatus warned the creditor to wait, at least, until the
man was buried and then the debt would be discussed. The creditor
angrily insisted his own. Then Donatus approached the dead man,
touched him and cried out: "Arise brother and see what you have
with your creditor!." The dead man rose and with a frightening
glance looked at his lender and related to him the time, when and
where he had repaid the debt. He also sought from the lender his
written receipt. The frightened lender then placed a document into his
hands and the enlivened deceased tore it up and again lay down and
died. St. Donatus died peacefully in very old age and took up
habitation with the Lord in the year 387 A.D. His relics repose in
Evira, Albania and, even today, benefit the faithful.
The
Holy Female Martyr Argyra
Argyra,
this neo-martyr was born in Brusa, of devout parents. As soon as
Argyra was married to a Christian, a certain Turk from the
neighborhood fell in love with her and invited her to live with him.
The Christ-loving Argyra rejected such a vile proposal of this Turk.
He became so enraged and accused her before the judge saying that she
had wanted to embrace Islam and later reneged. This holy Argyra spent
fifteen years suffering for Christ, going from judge to judge and from
prison to prison. She loved Christ above everything in this world. She
finally died in prison in Constantinople in the year 1725 A.D.
Reflection
A devout
elder lay on his death bed. His friends gathered around him and
mourned him. With that, the elder laughed three times. The monks asked
him: "What are you laughing at?" The elder replied: "I
laughed the first time, because all of you are afraid of death; the
second time, for none of you are prepared for death; the third time,
because I am going from labor to rest." Behold, how a righteous
man dies! He is not afraid of death. He is prepared for death. He
sees, that through death, he passes from the difficult life to eternal
rest. When the nature of man imagines itself in its original state in
Paradise then, death is unnatural, the same way that sin is unnatural.
Death emanated from sin. Repented and cleansed from sin, man does not
consider death annihilation, but the gate to life eternal. If, at
times, the righteous prayed to God to prolong their earthly life, that
was not because of love for this life nor because of the fear of death
but solely that they would gain more time for repentance and cleansing
from sin in order that they may present themselves before God, more
sinless and more pure. Even if they showed fear before death, that was
not out of fear of death but the fear of God's judgment. What kind of
fear then must the unrepentant sinner have before death?
Contemplation
To
contemplate the Ascension of the Lord Jesus:
1. How
all the gravitational forces on earth were unable to keep down the
body of the Lord from ascending;
2. How
by his ascension, the Lord showed Himself to be above the laws of
nature.
Homily
About
the illumination of Christ
"Awake,
O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you
light" (Ephesians 5:14).
Saint
Paul the apostle, similar to all the other apostles and Christian
saints, whatever he teaches to others, he teaches from his own
personal experience. For the Faith of Christ is an experience and
proof and not a theory of human sophistry. Even Paul lay as one
spiritually dormant and, he was spiritually dead while he opposed the
Christian Faith. St. Paul was awakened, arose, resurrected in the
spirit and was illumined by Christ. He knows himself from the time
when he was spiritually dormant and from the time when he became
awakened, and when he arose, and when he was resurrected by the Spirit
and when he was illumined by Christ. That which he knows about himself
as a Christian, he commends to others. As an apostle, he sees himself
in a great light and believes that all other men, if they so desire,
can be as bright as he is. The light is not his, but Christ's light.
His is only the love for that Light, Who is Christ.
The
illumination of Christ is necessary for man in the beginning as well
as in the end. For without Christ's illumination man is unable either
to awaken, or to arise, or to resurrect from the dead, as afterwards,
he is unable to live alone by himself in faith or to die in hope.
Christ is needed in the beginning as well as in the end. As to a
drowning child the hand of the parent is needed to retrieve him from
the water and afterward to lead him on dry land, protecting him and
preventing him from drowning again; thus Christ is needed for those
drowning in the waters of sin. The apostle himself received the
illumination of Christ in the beginning on the road to Damascus and,
again, he received it later. The first illumination was his conversion
to Christ and the second illumination was the confirmation of himself
in Christ. The first illumination we all receive through baptism and
later, through faith, and the fulfilling of the commandments of the
Lord. All of those who do not possess the illumination of Christ,
either they have had it and lost it, are dormant as though dead.
O gentle
Lord, awaken us, uplift us, resurrect us, for we cannot do any of
these things without You.
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