Lives of the Saints
1. HOLY MARTYR BONIFACE
Martyrdom for Christ makes a saint out of a sinner. This is shown by the example of Saint Boniface. Boniface was at first a servant of a certain wealthy and dissolute woman Aglaida in Rome, and Boniface had impure and unlawful relations with her. Both were pagans. Once Aglaida wished to have in her house martyrs' relics as a kind of amulet to protect from evil. And Aglaida equipped her servant for Asia, that he might find and buy for her what she desired. Boniface took with him several slaves and much wealth, and upon parting with Aglaida Boniface said to her: *If I cannot find any martyr, and if they bring you my body tormented for Christ, will you receive it with honor? * Aglaida laughed and called him a drunkard and a sinner. Thus they parted. Coming to the city of Tarsus, Boniface saw many Christians under torment: some had their legs cut off, others their hands, others their eyes gouged out, others on gallows, etc. Boniface's heart changed, Boniface repented for his sinful life and wept. And Boniface cried out in the midst of the Christian martyrs: *And I am a Christian! * The judge took him for interrogation, commanded that they flog him terribly, then poured molten lead into his mouth, and—since that did not harm him—they beheaded him with a sword. The slaves took his body and carried it to Rome. God's angel appeared to Aglaida and said: Receive him who once was thy servant, and now is our brother and fellow servant; he is the guardian of thy soul and protector of thy life. Aglaida, horrified, went out to meet them, received Boniface's body, built him a church and laid the martyr's relics in it. Then she repented, distributed all her possessions to the poor, and withdrew from the world, and lived another fifteen years in bitter repentance. Saint Boniface suffered in the year 290.
2. SAINT GREGORY (GRIGENTIUS), BISHOP OF OMIRIT
Gregory was at first a deacon of the Milanese church and had many visions. By God's Providence Gregory was brought to Alexandria, where Patriarch Proterius, according to a heavenly revelation, ordained him as bishop of the land of Omirit in southern Arabia, which the holy Emperor Elesboas (see October 24) had just liberated from the tyrant Dunaan the Jew. Gregory was a good shepherd and great wonderworker. Gregory organized the Church of Omirit, with the help of the Christ-loving Emperor Avramios, built many churches and baptized a multitude of Jews. By prayer Gregory performed great and terrible wonders; by prayer Gregory even caused the appearance of Christ the Lord before the unbelieving Jews, which led the Jews to baptism. Gregory governed the Church for thirty years and passed peacefully into eternal life in the year 552.
3. SAINT BONIFACE THE MERCIFUL, BISHOP OF FERENTI
From childhood Boniface was unusually merciful, so that his mother rebuked him for it. But by means of prayer Boniface received from the Lord one hundred-fold. Boniface died peacefully in Italy in the sixth century.
4. VENERABLE ELIJAH OF MUROM
Elijah was a monk of the Kiev Caves. He died in the year 1188. His incorrupt relics are wonderworking. On his right hand even to this day the three first fingers stand composed for prayer. From this it is seen that Elijah died in prayer. And this is a reproof to those who do not cross themselves with three fingers.
“Martyrdom for Christ makes a saint out of a sinner.”
Hymn of Praise
A sinful soul was in Boniface,
A sinful soul pressed down by sin,
He repented and shone with Christ
And sighed a hundred times over.
He saw the torments of the holy martyrs,
He saw the torments, and melted like wax,
He wept and was purified by weeping,
He repented for all his sins.
What is life? A destined sacrifice
Either to the devil or to the Creator.
The first stinks like a dead corpse,
The second sings to its Savior.
Repentance—life's renewal,
Was renewal for Boniface too.
For the salvation of his soul he sacrificed his body,
He bought the kingdom for a bag of bones.
From sinner to penitent,
From penitent to martyr,
Is no farther than one finger from another,
Is no farther than earth from the cross.
“From sinner to penitent, from penitent to martyr, is no farther than one finger from another.”
Reflection
Can mountains be moved by faith (Matt. 17:20)? Undoubtedly they can; and even more can be done: by faith even God Himself can be moved to mercy toward us sinners. In the Omirite city of Afar the majority of the inhabitants were Jews. Saint Gregory labored to convert them to Christianity. Then the Jews proposed to Saint Gregory and Emperor Avramios a debate about the Faith, with the condition that if they were defeated, all would pass over to the Faith of Christ. For several days this debate lasted in the presence of several thousand people, Jews and Christians. Seeing that they would be defeated by the irresistible reasons and proofs of Gregory, the Jews demanded that Gregory somehow show them Christ alive, so that they might see Him with their sensory eyes, and then they would believe. Having great boldness before the Lord because of the purity of his heart, Saint Gregory knelt facing east before all and began to pray to God. When he finished the prayer, the earth shook and thunder roared, and in the east the sky opened. From the east there moved a bright cloud with flaming fire and shining rays, and it slowly descended to earth toward that place where the assembly of people was. In the midst of the cloud stood a man of ineffable beauty, with a face of extraordinary radiance and in garments as if embroidered with lightning. He moved on the cloud until He came above Bishop Gregory himself. All saw Him in glory and beauty never seen, and from fear fell face down to the earth. Gregory cried out: *One is Holy, One is the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen*. Then came a voice from the Lord's glory to the Jews: Because of the bishop's prayer, the One Crucified by your fathers heals you. And the bright cloud slowly withdrew as it had come. The Jews then were baptized.
Contemplation
Contemplate Moses's humility before God, namely:
1. How Moses always emphasized God alone and never himself;
2. How Moses expected all power, all good, all help from God alone and from no one else;
3. How Moses in every task humbly turned to God for help and guidance.
Homily
on Samuel
For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him: Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord (1 Sam. 1:27-28)
Obtained from God and dedicated to God was Samuel, the prophet and leader of the people of Israel. Blessed Hannah, his childless mother, obtained him from God by tears and sacrifices. And him, her only child, her greatest treasure, she gave over from his very childhood to serve the Lord. A wise mother does not consider her children her own but God's. They are God's when God gives them, they are God's when God takes them, but they are most of all God's when the mother herself dedicates them to God. God's gift is returned to God as a gift in return. For we have nothing of our own to give to God, except from that which we receive from Him. And little Samuel lived at the temple among the corrupt sons of the high priest Eli and was not corrupted. And the Lord would not reveal Himself to the sinful elders, but revealed Himself to this pure child. For Samuel did that which was good in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord let none of his words fall to the ground (3:19). And Samuel was a judge to the people of Israel from youth to old age, and did nothing wrong either to God or to men. And God gave him power, so that he prophesied and performed miracles; all the enemies of God and of the people he defeated, and two kings he anointed, Saul and David. And when he grew old, he called the people together and asked whether he had ever done violence to anyone, or taken a bribe from anyone. And the people unanimously answered: Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand (12:4). Such was the man who was gifted by God and given to God as a gift in return, and who grew up with God's blessing and his mother's blessing. Let mothers profit by the example of blessed Hannah; let judges and leaders of the people profit by the example of righteous Samuel.
O holy and most holy Lord, gracious and most gracious, open our souls that we may see Thy holiness and graciousness, that we might repent of our evil deeds. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“We have nothing of our own to give to God, except from that which we receive from Him.”