The
Holy Martyr Eupsychius
Eupsychius
was of noble birth and was well instructed in pious beliefs. During
the reign of Julian the Apostate and when St. Basil the Great governed
the Church of God in Caesarea, Eupsychius entered into marriage with a
prominent maiden. However, it was not given to him to live even one
day in marriage. For at the time of his wedding, it so happened that
there was a pagan feast with sacrificial offerings to the idol
Fortune. Eupsychius, with his companions, entered the temple and
smashed all the idols and even demolished the temple itself. Hearing
of this, Julian became greatly enraged and ordered the culprits
beheaded; that many Christians be inducted into the army; that an
enormous tribute be imposed upon all Christians; that, at the expense
of the Christians, the temple of Fortune be rebuilt again and, that
the city be deprived of its honorary name `Caesarea' given it by
Caesar Claudius and to be called by its former name, Maza. At first,
Eupsychius was tied to a tree, brutally tortured and later was
beheaded in the year 362 A.D. Shortly after that, the wicked Emperor
Julian visited this city (Maza) on his way to Persia against whom he
was waging war. St. Basil the Great went out to meet him and carried
three loaves of barley bread as a sign of respect and hospitality. The
emperor ordered that a handful of hay be given to the saint as a
reciprocal gift. St. Basil said to the emperor: "You make jest of
us O Emperor. We offer you bread by which we feed ourselves and you,
in turn, give us food for livestock which you, by your authority
cannot change into food for men." To that the emperor replied:
"Know that I will feed you this hay when I return from
Persia." However, the wicked apostate did not return from Persia,
for he died a deserving and unnatural death.
The
Venerable Martyr Vadim
During
the reign of the Persian Emperor Sapor, Vadim, the abbot of a certain
monastery and a man famous for his generosity was cast into prison
with seven of his disciples. With them in prison was a certain Prince
Nirsan who was also a Christian. Everyday they were taken out and
beaten. Prince Nirsan became terrified and promised to deny the Faith
and worship the sun. This was gratifying to Sapor and he promised to
give Nirsan, among other things, the entire estate of Vadim's
monastery if he would behead Vadim by his own hand. Nirsan agrees to
this. With a quivering hand and frightened by the majestic countenance
of St. Vadim, he struck this holy man with the sword many times on the
neck until he finally beheaded him. Shortly after that, Nirsan
succumbed to despair and stabbed himself with the sword and received
at his own hand, the due punishment for the murder of the righteous
one. St. Vadim suffered in the year 376 A.D.
Reflection
It is
said about Pericles that he was a man of almost perfect human beauty
but that his head was oblong and resembled a squash, so that he
incurred being ridiculed when he appeared bareheaded in public. In
order to conceal the defect of this great man of his people, Greek
sculptors always portrayed him with a helmet on his head. When some,
among the pagans, knew how to conceal the defects of their friends,
how much more, therefore, are we as Christians obligated to do the
same? "Love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one
another in showing honor" (Romans 12:10), commands the apostle to
those who cling to Christ. How can we say that we adhere to the meek
and All-pure Christ, if we daily poison the air with tales about the
sins and shortcomings of others? To conceal your own virtue and the
shortcomings of others, this is the preeminent spiritual wisdom.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
He appears to Mary Magdalene in the Garden and at first glance, Mary
does not recognize Him;
2. How
He tenderheartedly addresses Mary and Mary recognizes Him, rejoices in
Him and she imparts her joy to the disciples.
Homily
About
the need for death in order to bring forth much fruit
"Amen,
Amen I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and
dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces
much fruit" (St. John 12:24).
Why does
the sower throw wheat into the ground? Does he do this so that the
wheat will die and rot? No, he does this so that it would live and
bear fruit. In sowing the seed, the sower does not think about the
death and decay of the seed, but rather about its life and its yield.
Indeed, with joy does the sower sow his seed, not thinking about the
death of the seed, but rather about life and fruit-bearing yield.
The
Sower is Christ the Lord and men are His wheat. He was pleased to call
us wheat. There are many other types of seed on earth but nothing is
more priceless than wheat. Why did the Lord sow us throughout the
world? So that we should die and decay? No, rather that we should live
and bring forth fruit. He alludes to our death along the way. He
alludes to death only as a condition for life and multiple yield. The
goal of sowing is not death but life. The seed must first die and
decay. He only mentions this because He knows that we are fully aware
of this. He reminds us of this along the way, whereas His Gospel is
primarily a narrative of life, about life and about bringing forth
good fruit. He speaks to us a great deal about the latter because He
knows that we are not aware of this and that we are suffocating from
ignorance and doubt. Not only does He speak to us abundantly about
life but He also shows us life. By His resurrection, He demonstrates
to us life and the multitude of fruit which is brighter than the sun.
The entire history of His Church is a clear map of life.
O Lord
of Life, Invincible, save us from a sinful death. Redeem us from a
spiritual death.
To
the Top
April
23rd (New Style) • April 10th (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyrs Terentius (Terence), Africanus, Maximus, (Pompilius)
Pompeius and thirty six others with them
They all
suffered for Christ and were crowned with the wreaths of glory during
the reign of Emperor Decius. By order of the emperor, the governor of
Africa announced to the people that everyone must offer sacrifices to
the idols. To those who resisted, the governor threatened with cruel
tortures. Upon hearing about these threats many fell away from the
Faith and worshipped the idols. However these forty remained
unwavering in their faith and were exposed to torture. St. Terentius
(Terence) encouraged his companions saying: "Brothers, let us be
on guard that we do not deny Christ our God, lest He deny us before
His Heavenly Father and Holy Angels." The governor divided them
into two groups. Thirty-six of them, after flogging, scrapping of the
skin and pouring salt into their open wounds, were all beheaded. The
first four they cast into prison with heavy iron chains around their
necks, their hands and their feet. An angel of God appeared in the
prison, touched the chains of the shackled and the chains fell off.
After that, the angel prepared a bountiful table for them and fed
them. Once again, they were brought out and tortured and, again, they
were imprisoned. Then the governor ordered the soothsayers to gather
as many poisonous, loathsome creatures as possible, such as snakes and
scorpions and to lock them up in the same cell with the martyrs. The
loathsome creatures did not want to touch those chosen by God but
rather lay compressed in the corner where they remained for three
days. On the third day, when the door of the cell was opened, the
repulsive creatures rushed out and bit the soothsayers. Finally, the
governor pronounced the death penalty upon the four martyrs. When they
were brought out to be beheaded, they rejoicefully chanted Psalms and
praised God, Who made them worthy of a martyr's death. They suffered
honorably in the year 250 A.D., and were found worthy of the Kingdom.
The
six thousand martyrs in Georgia
In the
wilderness of David-Garejeli in Georgia, there were twelve monasteries
in which many monks practiced and lived the ascetical life for
centuries. In 1615 A.D., the great king of Persia, Shah Abbas I,
attacked Georgia, devasted it and beheaded many Christians. Once while
hunting early in the morning on the Feast of the Resurrection, Shah
Abbas noticed many lights in the mountains. They were the monks from
the twelve monasteries in procession around the Church of the
Resurrection with lighted tapers in hand. When the Shah discovered
that they were monks, he asked in amazement: "Has not all of
Georgia been given over to the sword?" He then ordered his
solders to immediately go and behead all the monks. At that moment an
angel of God appeared to Abbot Arsenius and informed him of impending
death. Arsenius informed his brethren. They all received Communion of
the All-Pure Mysteries and prepared themselves for death. Suddenly,
the assailants arrived and hacked to pieces, first of all, the abbot,
who came before the others and, after that, all the rest. They all
suffered honorably and were crowned with incorruptible wreaths in the
year 1615 A.D. Thus, ended the history of these famous monasteries
which, for more than a thousand years, served as the spiritual hearth
of enlightenment for the Georgians. Only two of the monasteries exist
today: St. David and St. John the Forerunner. The Georgian Emperor
Arcil gathered the relics of the monks and honorably interred them.
Even today, these relics emit a sweet-smelling Chrism (oil) and heal
the sick.
Reflection
When a
man detaches his mind from earth, opens it toward God with the desire
to please God, then God reveals His will in various ways. St. Peter of
Damascus writes: "If a man has a full intention to please God,
then God teaches him His will either through thoughts, through some
other person or through Holy Scripture." Such a man becomes
attentive, keen and awaits God's promptings from within and from
without. For him, chances cease to exist. The entire world becomes as
a ten-stringed harp which does not give out one sound without the
finger of God.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
He appeared to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus and they did
not recognize Him;
2. How
the hearts of these two disciples burned within when He spoke to them
and how they recognized Him only when He blessed and broke bread for
them;
3. How,
all at once, before their eyes the Lord became invisible to them.
Homily
About
living hope
"Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who in His mercy gave
us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christfrom the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).
Brethren,
who has dead hope and who has living hope? He who hopes in dead things
has a dead hope. He who hopes in the Living God has a living hope.
Further,
he who hopes in himself and in other people has a dead hope. He who
hopes in the Living God has a living hope.
Further,
he who hopes in luck and well-being in this brief earthly existence
and does not extend his hope beyond the grave, has a dead hope. He who
hopes in the resurrection and eternal life in the kingdom of heaven
has a living hope.
Truly, a
living hope is better than a dead hope; as life is better than death;
as light is better than darkness; as health is better than sickness;
as understanding is better than ignorance.
But, Who
brought and showed man that living hope; Who, and how? The Apostle
Peter gives an answer to that question: Our Lord Jesus Christ and
that, by His resurrection from the dead. No one else but the Lord
Jesus Christ and by nothing else than His own resurrection from the
dead. By His resurrection, the Lord gave wings to the pathetic hopes
of man, extended him beyond the grave and showed him the goal, purpose
and fruit beyond the grave.
All of
this is not confirmed by a credulous man but by an apostle who wavered
for a long while in his faith and who denied Christ three times. That
is why St. Peter's witness of the resurrected Lord and the
significance of His resurrection is inexpressibly priceless for us.
O
resurrected Lord, Victor over death, uproot from us dead hope and
plant a living hope in us through the prayers of St. Peter, Your great
apostle.
To
the Top
April
24th (New Style) • April 11th (Old Style)
The
Priestly-Martyr Antipas, Bishop of Pergamum in Asia Minor
Antipas
is mentioned in the Book of Revelation as, "Antipas, my faithful
witness, who was martyred among you, where Satan lives"
(Revelation 2:13), i.e., in the city of Pergamum. The inhabitants of
this city lived in the darkness of idolatry and in extreme impurity.
They were slaves to passions. They were slanderers, tyrants and they
were incestuous. In other words, they were the servants of Satan. Here
among them lived Antipas, "As a light in the midst of darkness,
as a rose among thorns and as gold in mud." He, who captured and
killed a Christian, would be deemed as good and just. The totality of
pagan belief consisted of soothsaying, interpretation of dreams,
serving demons and extreme perversion. Being frightened of Antipas as
from fire, the demons appeared to the soothsayers in a dream and
confessed how afraid they were of Antipas and how, because of him,
they must depart from this city. The pagan priests summoned a large
number of people against Antipas and began to interrogate and to force
him to deny Christ and to worship idols. Antipas said to them:
"When your so-called gods, lords of the universe are frightened
of me, a mortal man, and must flee from this city, do you not
recognize that, by this, your faith is an aberration?" The saint
also spoke to them further about the Faith of Christ as being the only
One, True Saving Faith. They became enraged as wild beats and dragged
the aged Antipas to the temple of Artemis before which stood an ox
cast in bronze. They heated the bronzed ox and hurled the servant of
God into the red-hot molten ox. From within the molten ox, St. Antipas
glorified God with thanksgiving, as once did Jonah in the belly of the
whale or the Three Youths in the fiery furnace. Antipas prayed for his
flock and for the entire world until his soul parted from his weakened
body and ascended among the angels into the Kingdom of Christ. He died
suffering and was crowned with unfading glory in the year 92 A.D.
The
Holy Martyrs Processus and Martinian
Processus
and Martinian were jailers in the Roman prison where the Apostles
Peter and Paul were imprisoned. Hearing the words and witnessing the
miracles of the apostles, they were baptized and released the apostles
from prison. The apostles left Rome but the Lord, on His way to Rome,
appeared to Peter who asked Him: "Lord where are you going?"
((Wither goest Thou?--Domine Quo Vadis?)) and the Lord answered:
"I go to Rome to be crucified a second time." Ashamed, the
apostles returned to Rome where they were apprehended and slain. Also
slain with the apostles were these two brave martyrs, Processus and
Martinian.
Reflection
"There
can be no rest for those on earth who desire to be saved," says
St. Ephrem the Syrian. The struggle is unceasing be it either external
or internal. The adversary acts visibly at times through men and other
things and at other times, invisibly through thoughts. At times, the
adversary appears openly and behaves brutally and cruelly like an
enemy and, at other times, under the guise of a flattering friend, he
seduces by shrewdness. That which occurs in battle between two
opposing armies also occurs to every man individually in battle with
the passions of this world. Truly, "There can be no rest for
those on earth who desire to be saved." When salvation comes,
rest also comes.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
Simon Peter and the other disciple ran quickly to the tomb to confirm
the news of the Resurrection;
2. How
one after the other entered the tomb and saw the cloths and napkin;
3. How
they both saw and believed and, after that, they witnessed and for
their witness they died.
Homily
About
the two Adams; the Death-creating and the Life-giving
"For
just as in Adam all die, so too, in Christ, shall all be brought to
life" (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Following
Adam's example, life is sown in shame, and following Christ's example,
life is raised in glory. Sin is from Adam and justice is from Christ.
Weakness and death come from Adam and strength and life come from
Christ. Accordingly, in Adam we all die. Accordingly, in Christ, we
shall all be brought to life.
That one
is the earthly man (Adam), this one is the heavenly man (Christ). That
is the bodily man (Adam) and this is the spiritual man (Christ).
Christ
did not resurrect for His sake but for our sake just as He did not die
for His sake but for our sake. If His resurrection does not signify
our resurrection, then His resurrection is bitterness and not
sweetness. Where, then, would the love of God be? Where, then, would
the meaning of our miserable earthy experience be? What, then, would
be the purpose of Christ's coming to earth?
There,
where Adam ends, Christ begins. Adam ends up in the grave and Christ
begins with the resurrection from the grave. Adam's generation, i.e.,
the seed underground that rots and decays, does not see the sun, does
not believe that it can emerge from beneath the earth to blossom into
a green plant with leaves, flowers and fruit. Christ's generation is a
green field upon which wheat grows, turns green, becomes covered with
leaves, blossoms and bears much fruit.
"In
Adam" does not only mean that we will die one day, rather it
means that we are already dead; dead to the last one. "In
Christ" does not only mean that we will revive one day, but
rather that we are already alive, i.e., that the seed in the ground
has already begun to germinate and to break through to the light of
the sun. The complete expression of death is in the grave, but the
complete expression of eternal life is in the kingdom of God.
The mind
of the sons of Adam are in accordance with death, reconciled with
being decayed and sink even deeper into the ground. The mind of the
sons of Christ rebel against death and decay and exert all the more,
to burgeon a man toward the light, which the Grace of God helps. O
resurrected Lord sober the minds of all the sons of man that they
would flee from darkness and destruction and reach out toward the
light and life eternal which is in You.
To You
be glory and thanks always. Amen.
To
the Top
April
25th (New Style) • April 12th (Old Style)
Venerable
Isaac the Syrian II
Isaac
the Syrian I, is commemorated on January 28. St. Gregory the Dialogues
writes about this Isaac II. He came to Italy at the time of the Goths
and entered a church to pray in the city of Spoleto. He implored the
verger to allow him to remain locked in the church overnight. And so,
he spent the entire night in prayer, remaining in the same place. The
same thing happened the next day and even the second night. The verger
called him a hypocrite and struck him with his fist. Instantly, the
verger went insane. Seeing that the verger was bitterly tormented,
Isaac leaned over him and the evil spirit departed from him and the
verger was restored to health. Upon hearing of this incident, the
entire populace of the city thronged around this amazing foreigner.
They offered him money and property, but he declined all and accepted
nothing and withdrew into the forest where he built a cell for
himself, which was rapidly transformed into a large monastery. Isaac
was known for working miracles and especially for his special
"gift of discernment." On one occasion, he ordered the
brethren to carry all the hoes into the vineyard and to leave them
there. The next day Isaac, along with the brethren, went out into the
vineyard and brought along lunch. The brethren were puzzled. Who was
this lunch for, since there were no laborers? Upon arriving at the
vineyard, there were as many men digging as there were hoes. This is
what happened: these men came as thieves to steal the hoes, but by the
power of God, they were detained to dig all night. On another
occasion, two partly-clad men came to Isaac and sought clothes from
him. Isaac sent a monk to a hollow tree along the road to retrieve
what he would find there. The monk departed, found some clothing and
brought it to the monastery. The abbot took these clothes and gave
them to the beggars. The beggars were extremely ashamed when they
recognized their own clothes which they had hidden in this tree. Once,
a man sent two beehives to the monastery. The monk hid one along the
way and the other he brought to the monastery and turned it over to
the abbot. The saint said to him: "Be careful upon your return.
For in the beehive that you left along the way, a poisonous snake had
slithered into it. Be careful, therefore, that it does not bite
you."
St.
Basil the Confessor
At the
time of the Iconoclastic controversy, this devout man was bishop in
the town of Parius in Asia Minor. He refused to sign an imperial
document against the veneration of icons. For that, Basil was greatly
persecuted and severely tortured. He remained as firm as a diamond in
His Orthodoxy. He died at the beginning of the eighth century and was
translated to the Lord.
The
Venerable Acacius
Acacius
was from the village of Gollitsa in Epirus. He was a great Athonite
ascetic, spiritual father and possessed the "gift of
discernment." Acacius had many heavenly visions. He gave his
blessings to several monks who chose the mortification of martyrdom.
Acacius died in his ninety-eighth year in the year 1730 A.D.
The
Venerable Athanasia
Athanasia
was born on the island of Aeginia of wealthy and benevolent parents.
She distributed her wealth to the poor and retreated to a convent.
There she took upon herself greater and more difficult mortifications.
Athanasia took food only once a day and that, only bread and water.
During the Honorable Fast (Lenten Season), she ate once every other
day. She tasted oil and fish only on the Feasts of the Nativity and
the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even thought she was the
abbess of this convent, Athanasia was a servant to the other sisters
and shied away from having anyone serve her. Athanasia was made worthy
of the great gift of working miracles, both, during her life and after
death. She died in the Lord in the year 860 A.D.
Reflection
The
wicked Emperor Constantine Copronymos had a virtuous daughter, the
maiden, Anthusa: "A beautiful branch on a wicked tree."
Despite all the pressure placed on her by her father to marry, Anthusa
remained adamant, for she was firmly attached with a sincere love for
Christ the Lord. When her father died, Anthusa distributed her entire
estate to the poor, entered a convent and was tonsured a nun. How much
for astonishment are the many noble men who left the vanity of this
world and followed the narrow path of Christ; twice as much for
astonishment are the many women who despised both, youth and riches
and the transitory attractions of this world for the love of Christ.
Our Lord Himself said: " It would be hard for one who is rich to
enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (St. Matthew 19:23). Difficult yes,
but not impossible. For him, who despises himself, it is easy to
despise the riches of the entire world.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
He enters through closed doors among His disciples and gives them
peace;
2. How
His glorified body does not have any material obstacles to appear
wherever He wants.
Homily
About
the city which is being built
"For
here, we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to
come" (Hebrews 13:14).
Brethren,
where are the great cities of Babylon and Nineveh? Today, only lizards
lay in the dust of their towers. Memphis and Thebes, were they not the
pride of the pharaohs and the princes of mankind? Today, it is
difficult to establish the exact place where these two cities were
located.
However,
let us leave these cities of stones and bricks. Let us look at the
cities of blood, flesh and bones. Men fashion the city of their bodies
more slowly and more painstakingly than they fashion fortresses and
cathedrals. Men spend about eighty to a hundred years to fashion the
cities of their bodies and, in the end, see that their effort is in
vain. That which took them decades to fashion with care and constant
fear, collapses into the dust of the grave in the twinkling of an eye.
Whose bodily city is not toppled over and turned into dust? Not any
ones.
But, let
us leave the cities of the body. Let us look at the cities of fortune
which men have built from generation to generation. The materials of
which these cities were built are: good times, pleasure, property,
authority, honor and glory. Where are these cities? As a cob-web they
spin around man in an instant and as a cob web they break and vanish,
making the fortunate more unfortunate than the unfortunate.
Truly,
we have no city here that will remain.
This is
why we seek the city which is to come. This is the city built of
Spirit, Life and Truth. This is the city whose one and only architect
is the Lord Jesus Christ. This city is called the Kingdom of Heaven,
Eternal Life, the dwelling place of the angels, the haven of saints
and refuge of martyrs. In this city, there is no dualism of either
good or evil but, everything is a harmony of good. Everything that is
built in this city is built to last forever. Every brick in this city
remains without end and termination. The bricks are living angels and
men. In this city the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ sits on the throne
and reigns.
O
resurrected Lord, redeem us from beneath the ruins of time and lead us
mercifully into Your eternal city of Heaven.
To
the Top
April
26th (New Style) • April 13th (Old Style)
The
Priest-Martyr Artemon
Artemon
was a priest in Laodicea during the reign of Emperor Diocletian.
Before his tormenting judge, he spoke of himself: "I am called
Artemon, a slave of Christ, my God. For sixteen years I was a lector
and read books in the Church of my God. For twenty-eight years, I was
a deacon and read the Holy Gospel. With the help of Christ, I have
fulfilled thirty-three years as a presbyter teaching men and placing
them on the path of salvation." The judge brought him to the
temple of Aesculapius, where the soothsayers nursed large reptiles
dedicated to this "god." They all assumed that the snakes
would bite Artemon. Artemon crossed himself and by the power of the
cross nailed all the snakes to the ground rendering them unable to
move. After that, he brought them all out into the courtyard, breathed
upon them and all of them died instantly. All of the soothsayers were
in great fear. Upon seeing this miracle, Vitalis, the chief soothsayer
of this temple, fell to his knees before Artemon and cried out:
"Great is the Christian God!" The martyr then baptized him
along with several of his friends. The malicious judge remained
persistent in his malice and tortured the aged Artemon in various
ways. Once, he wanted to throw him into a vat of boiling pitch but, he
fell off his horse into the pitch and he himself was incinerated. Two
eagles were seen who swooped down upon the judge, lifted him from the
horse and dropped him into the pitch. St. Artemon remained free for a
period of time and traveled about, always accompanied with his two
beloved deer, and instructed the people. Again, he was captured and
was beheaded in the year 303 A.D. and his soul took up habitation in
the Kingdom of Christ our God, Whom St. Artemon faithfully served.
The
Holy Martyr Crescens
Crescens
was from the city of Myra in Lycia. He was an honored and well known
citizen. He openly confessed his faith in Christ and mocked the dead
idols. Because of that he was burned to death by the pagans.
The
Holy Martyr Thomais
Thomais
was born in Alexandria of honorable parents. She was taught piety from
her youth. At the age of fifteen, she was married to an honorable man.
Her father-in-law was a vile old man and in the absence of his son,
attacked his daughter-in-law and desired to seduce her. Becoming
terrified, Thomais, in fear reminded her father-in-law of the Law of
God and slipped out of his hands. After a prolonged struggle, the
father-in-law drew a knife and murdered his daughter-in-law and then
cut her in half. At that moment, the punishment of God fell upon him.
He was blinded instantly and was unable to find the door from which to
leave. Here, in this room, he was apprehended in the act and turned
over to the court which sentenced him to death. Thus, Thomais suffered
for the Commandment of God regarding spousal fidelity and chastity.
After that, many who would be tempted by adulterous passions directed
their prayers to St. Thomais and received strong assistance from her.
Daniel the great ascetic, translated her relics to the Scete (Monastery)
and buried them in the cemetery of the heiromonks (priest-monks). St.
Thomais suffered in the year 476 A.D.
Reflection
When
they brought the martyr Crescens, a nobleman of Myra in Lycia, to
court the judge, in order to persuade him to worship idols, counseled
him for a long time. When he did not succeed, he finally said to
Crescens: "Worship (idols) only in the body and bow down before
your God in the spirit!" To that, the honorable Crescens replied:
"The body cannot do anything independent of the soul, which is
its driving force and leader." For that Crescens was killed. An
obvious lesson that a Christian cannot be duplicitous. Still another
lesson: A Christian has an obligation to serve his Creator even with
the body and not only with the soul. By this is refuted the false
position of certain Christians who live physically as pagans and
meanwhile praise themselves that they believe in God and love God with
their souls. They divide themselves in two and place themselves in the
service of two masters, even though the holiest lips (The Lips of
Jesus Christ) proclaimed that as an impossibility.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
because of Thomas, momentarily, the only one unbelieving among the
disciples, He appeared again in His glorified Body;
2. How
Thomas, believed again, when he placed his finger on the scars of the
wounds of the All-Pure Body of the Lord and believed.
Homily
About
the test by Thomas
"My
Lord and my God" (St. John 20:28).
When the
Apostle Thomas felt the wounds of the Lord Jesus, he cried out:
"My Lord and my God!"
When
Mary Magdalene heard the voice of the resurrected One in her soul, she
cried out: "My Lord and my God!"
When
Saul saw the light and heard the words of the resurrected One, he
acknowledged: " My Lord and my God!"
When the
pagans, in amazement, observed how the countless numbers of martyrs
joyfully undergo pains and asked them: "Who is this Christ?"
All of them replied: "My Lord and my God!"
When the
scoffers ridiculed the army of ascetics and asked them: "Who is
He, for Whom they took upon themselves the awesome burden of
mortification? They all had one answer: "My Lord and my
God!"
When the
scorners derided the virgins who vowed their virginity and asked them:
"Who is He for Whom they renounced marriage?" They all had
one answer: "My Lord and my God!"
When the
avaricious in astonishment asked the very wealthy: "Who is He for
Whom they distribute their wealth and become beggarly?" All of
them replied, one and the same: "My Lord and my God!"
Some
have seen Him and have said: "My Lord and my God!" Some have
only heard Him and said: "My Lord and my God!" Some have
only felt Him and said: "My Lord and my God!" Some have only
observed Him in the fabric of events and in the destinies of peoples
and said: "My Lord and my God!" Some have felt His presence
in their lives and cried out: "My Lord and my God!" Some
have recognized Him by some sign, on themselves or on others, and
cried out: "My Lord and my God!" Still some have only heard
about Him from others and believed and cried out: "My Lord and my
God!" Truly, these last ones are the most blessed!
Let us
also exclaim, with all our hearts, regardless of how we have come to
recognize Him or how we have come to learn about Him: "My Lord
and my God!"
To
the Top
April
27th (New Style) • April 14th (Old Style)
St.
Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome
Martin
became pope on July 5, 649 A.D., at the time of the furious debates
between the Orthodox and the Monothelete heretics, who adhered to the
belief in a single will in Christ. Reigning at that time was Constans
II, the grandson of Heraclius. The Patriarch of Constantinople was
Paul. In order to establish peace in the Church, the emperor complied
a booklet, entitled Type (Typos) which was very favorable to the
heretics. Pope Martin convoked a Council of one-hundred five bishops
(in the Church of the Holy Savior in the Lateran Palace in October)
which condemned this pamphlet of the emperor. At the same time, the
pope wrote a letter to Patriarch Paul imploring him to adhere to the
purity of the Orthodox Faith and to counsel the emperor to renounce
this heretical sophistry. This letter angered both the emperor and the
patriarch. The emperor dispatched Olympius, one of his commanders, to
Rome to bring the pope to Constantinople in bonds. The commander did
not dare to bind the pope but bribed a soldier to slay him in church
with a sword. When the soldier entered the church with the concealed
sword, he was instantly blinded. Thus, by the Providence of God,
Martin escaped death. At that time, the Saracens attacked Sicily and
Olympius was ordered to Sicily and there he died. Then, according to
the intrigue of the heretical Patriarch Paul, the emperor dispatched
Theodore, another commander, to bind the pope and to bring him to
Constantinople under the accusation that he, Pope Martin, was in
collaboration with the Saracens and does not honor the All-Pure Mother
of God. When the commander arrived in Rome and read the accusation
against him, Pope Martin responded that: "This was slanderous and
that he has no association with the Saracens, the adversaries of
Christianity. As regards the All-Pure Mother of God; if one does not
honor her and does not confess her and does not reverence her, let him
be cursed in this world and in the next." However, this did not
alter the decision of the commander. Pope Martin was bound and brought
to Constantinople where he lay for a long time in prison, painfully
ill, suffering from anxiety and hunger, until finally, he was
sentenced to exile to Cherson. Pope Martin lived for two years in
exile and died in the year 655 A.D., offering his soul to the Lord,
for Whom he suffered much. Two years prior to Pope Martin's death, the
repentant Paul died. When the emperor visited him before his death,
Paul turned his head toward the wall and wept, confessing that he had
greatly sinned against Pope Martin and begged the emperor to release
him.
The
Holy Martyrs Anthony, John and Eustace (Eustathius)
All
three were pagans and, at first, were fire worshippers. All of them
were servants in the palace of the Lithuanian Prince Olgard in Vilna.
They were formerly called: KRUGLETZ, KUMETZ AND NEZILO. All three were
baptized by Nestor, the priest. All three were hanged, one after the
other on the same oak tree in the year 1347 A.D. Christians cut down
the tree and erected a church in honor of the Holy Trinity. The
revered relics of these martyrs were then placed in this church and a
holy altar table was carved from the stump of the oak tree. Their
relics repose in Vilna.
The
Holy Martyr Ardalion, the Actor
At first
Ardalion was an actor-comedian. For the sake of entertaining the
people, he eagerly played the role of a martyr for the Faith deriding
Christians in every possible manner. When a persecution surfaced
during the reign of Emperor Maximian, his spirit completely changed.
In front of the crowd, he cried out in a loud voice that he is a
Christian and that he was not jesting. For this, Ardalion was
condemned, suffered for Christ and died tied to a red hot framework of
rods thus portraying a true and honorable role of a martyr.
Reflection
"It
is befitting for a monk to love God as a son and to fear Him (God) as
a slave," says St. Evgarius. Naturally, this is also befitting to
every Christian, even though he might not be a monk. It is a great art
for anyone to unite love for God and to have fear of God. Many other
Holy Fathers whenever they speak about love for God, at the same time,
also mention fear of God, and vice-versa. In his homily: "On
Perfect Love," St. John Chrysostom speaks about suffering and the
pains of Hell at the same time. Why? Because the great love of man
toward God without fear, imperceptibly crosses over into pride and
then, again, a great fear of God without love leads to despair.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
He appeared to the disciples on the shore of the lake and addresses
them as "children" (St. John 21:5) .
2. How
He fills their nets again with fish and they knew Him but did not dare
to ask Him, "Who are You?" (St. John 21:12).
Homily
About
the personal experience of all the apostles
"What
we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon
and touched with our hands---We proclaim now to you" (1 St. John
1:1).
Behold,
such is the apostolic preaching! The apostles do not speak as worldly
sages, nor like philosophers and even less as theoreticians who make
suppositions about something in order to discover something. The
apostles speak about things which they have not sought but which
unexpectedly surrounded them; about the fact which they did not
discover but, so to speak, unexpectedly found them and seized them.
They did not occupy themselves with spiritual researches nor have they
studied psychology, neither did they, much less, occupy themselves
with spiritism. Their occupation was fishing - one totally
experiential physical occupation. While they were fishing, the God-Man
(Jesus) appeared to them and cautiously and slowly introduced them to
a new vocation in the service of Himself. At first, they did not
believe Him but they, still more cautiously and slowly with fear and
hesitation and much wavering, came toward Him and recognized Him.
Until the apostles saw Him many times with their own eyes and until
they discussed Him many times among themselves and, until they felt
Him with their own hands, their experienced fact is supernatural but
their method of recognizing this fact is thoroughly sensory and
positively learned. Not even one contemporary scholar would be able to
use a more positive method to know Christ. The apostles saw not only
one miracle but numerous miracles. They heard not only one lesson but
many lessons which could not be contained in numerous books. They saw
the resurrected Lord for forty days; they walked with Him, they
conversed with Him, they ate with Him, and they touched Him. In a
word: they personally and first handedly had thousands of wondrous
facts by which they learned and confirmed one great fact, i.e., that
Christ is the God-Man, the Son of the Living God, the Man-loving
Savior of mankind and the All-Powerful Judge of the living and the
dead.
O
resurrected Lord confirm us in the faith and ardor of Your Holy
Apostles.
To
the Top
April
28th (New Style) • April 15th (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostles Aristarchus, Pudens and Trophimus
They
were numbered among the Seventy Apostles. Aristarchus was bishop of
Apamea in Syria. The Apostle Paul mentions him several times.
"The city was filled with confusion and the people rushed with
one accord into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus" (Acts
of the Apostles 19:29). "Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends
you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom
you have received instructions) if he comes to you, receive him"
(Colossians 4:10). "Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus,
greets you, as well as Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my
co-workers" (Philemon 1:23,24). Aristarchus was captured in
Ephesus with Gaius by a multitude of people who had risen up against
Paul. The Apostle Paul writes to the Colossians: "Aristarchus, my
fellow prisoner sends you his greetings" (Colossians 4:10). In
the Epistle to Philemon, Paul calls Aristarchus "my
co-worker" together with Mark, Demas and Luke.
Pudens
was a distinguished citizen of Rome. The Apostle Paul mentions him
once. "Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers send
greetings"(2 Timothy 4:21). At first, the home of Pudens was a
haven for the Chief Apostles (Peter and Paul) and later it was
converted into a place of worship, called the Shepherd's Church.
Trophimus
was from Asia. "Sopater, the son of Pyrrhus, from Beroea,
accompanied him, as did Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica,
Gaius from Derbe, Timothy and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia"
(Acts of the Apostles 20:4). He accompanied the apostle on his travel.
In one place the Apostle Paul writes: "I left Trophimus sick at
Miletus" (2 Timothy 4:20).
During
the reign of Nero's persecution, when the Apostle Paul was beheaded,
all three of these glorious apostles were also beheaded.
The
Holy Martyr Sabas of Gothland (Sabas the Goth)
In
Gothland, there was a brutal persecution against Christians. A certain
prince of the Goths (Atharidus) entered the village where this devout
Sabas lived and asked the villagers: "Are there any Christians
living in your village?" They convinced him by swearing that
there are none. Then Sabas stood before the prince and the people and
said: " Let no one swear for me; I am a Christian!" Upon
seeing Sabas, wretched and poor, the prince let him go in peace
saying: " This one can neither harm nor benefit anyone." The
following year, around Easter, a certain priest Sansala came to this
village and celebrated the glorious Feast of the Pascha (Resurrection)
with Sabas. Upon learning of this, the heathens suddenly attacked the
home of Sabas and began to beat this holy man of God unmercifully with
canes and, besides this, they dragged the naked body of Sabas through
thorns and then tied both Sabas and Sansala to a tree and offered them
the meat of the idolatrous sacrifices to eat. These men of God called
to mind the words of the apostles and refused to eat of the unclean
sacrifices of the devil. Finally, Prince Atharidus condemned Sabas to
death and handed him over to the soldiers. Full of joy, Sabas arrived
at the scaffold praising God. Recognizing him as a good man, the
soldiers wanted to release him along the way and, because of that,
Sabas became very sorrowful and said to the soldiers that they are
duty-bound to carry out the order of the prince. The soldiers then
brought him to the Mussovo river (at Targoviste, Romania, near
Bucharest) tied a stone around his neck and tossed him into the water.
His body was washed up along the shore. Later on, during the reign of
Emperor Valens when the Greek Commander Ioannis Soranos was warring
with the Goths, he discovered the body of Sabas and translated it to
Cappadocia. Sabas, the saint, suffered at the age of 31 in the year
372 A.D.
The
Holy Female Martyrs Basilissa and Anastasia
Basilissa
and Anastasia were two pious and devout Romans. During the reign of
Emperor Nero, they gathered the slain bodies of the disciples of the
apostles and buried them with honor. For this, they were accused and
imprisoned. After prolonged torture, during which their breasts and
tongues were severed, they were finally beheaded.
Reflection
Concerning
contemplation, St. Gregory Sinaites writes: "We confirm that
there are eight principle subjects for contemplation: First, God,
invisible and unseen; without beginning and uncreated; the First Cause
of everything that exists; Triune; the one and only pre-existing
Divinity; Second, the order and rank of rational powers: (the bodiless
powers of heaven; the angelic world); Third, the composition of
visible things; Fourth, the plan of the Incarnation of the Word;
Fifth, the general resurrection; Sixth, the awesome second coming
(Second Advent) of Christ; Seventh, eternal torment; Eighth, the
Kingdom of Heaven. The first four have already been revealed and
belong to the past. The last four have not yet been revealed and
belong to the future, even though these four are clearly contemplated
by those who, with the help of acquired Grace, attained complete
purity of mind. Whosoever approaches this task of contemplation
without the illumination of Grace, let him know that he is building
fantasies and does not possess the art of contemplation." Thus
wrote the great and discerning Gregory Sinaites who, that which he
knows, he knows form personal experience.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How
he is concerned about the physical nourishment of His disciples; How
He breaks and blesses bread for the disciples in Emmaus;
2. How
by the shore of the lake he asked His disciples: "Have you caught
anything to eat?" (St. John 21:5). When they answered Him that
they have not, He prepared bread and fish and gave it to them.
Homily
About
how we will resemble Him Whom we love
"Beloved,
we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall
see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2).
Until
now, we were slaves and now we are the children of God. We were the
slaves of evil and now we are the servants of good; the supreme good
in heaven and on earth. We were slaves to all of that which is lower
and worse than man and now, we will serve the All-Highest and the
All-Good. We were squashed by darkness and now, we will labor in the
light. Until now, the devil, sin and death held us in continual fear
and now, we will live close to God in freedom and joy.
Now,
when now? Now, when the Lord appeared on earth in the flesh, when He
gave us the knowledge of light, freedom and life; when He gloriously
resurrected and manifested Himself in His glorified body; when He
fulfilled all the prophecies of the prophets and all of His promises.
Now we, too, are the children of God: "The sons of light and the
heirs of the Kingdom."
"We
shall be like Him." Truly, this has not yet materialized but He
has manifested Himself and, for now, that is sufficient. He Himself
showed how beautiful man is in the resurrection and we know that we
will also be the same as He. The Apostle John says: "We know that
we shall be like Him." He does not say we suspect or it has been
told to us but he does say: "We know that we shall be like
Him." For He did not resurrect for His sake, but for our sake. He
did not resurrect from the grave, only to show His power to the dead
who are without hope, but to assure the dead that they, too, will live
again and to show them how they will be when they become enlivened.
Neither did the apostles write: " We know," because of their
vanity before the ignorant, but because of brotherly love toward man,
that all men may know the same and "that we may also know."
O
resurrected Lord, confirm in us also this saving knowledge through the
prayers of Your Holy Apostles.
To
the Top
