Lives of the Saints
1. THE TEN HOLY MARTYRS OF CRETE
The Ten Martyrs suffered for Christ the Lord in the time of the persecution of Decius in the year 250. Their names are: Theodulus, Saturninus, Euporus, Gelasius, Eunician, Zoticus, Pompius, Agatopus, Basilides and Evarestus. All were prominent and honorable citizens, the best among the best. When they were led out to the place of execution, they were exceedingly joyful, and disputed with one another who of them would be beheaded first, for each one desired to go first to the beloved Christ. Then they prayed: *Forgive, O Lord, Thy servants, and receive our blood poured out for us, for our kindred and friends and for all the fatherland, that all may be freed from the darkness of ignorance and may know Thee, the true light, O eternal King! * They were beheaded and passed into the kingdom of glory, to rejoice eternally.
2. SAINT NIPHON THE WONDERWORKER
Niphon was born in Paphlagonia, raised in Constantinople at the court of a certain general. Having fallen into bad company, young Niphon became corrupted and gave himself over to many sins and vices. Because of sin Niphon could not even pray to God. By the mercy of the Holy Theotokos Niphon was returned to the path of righteousness, and became a monk. Niphon had countless visions of the heavenly world. For four years Niphon waged a difficult struggle with a demon who unceasingly whispered to him: *There is no God! There is no God! * But when the Lord Jesus Himself appeared to Niphon as living on an icon, Niphon gained great power over evil spirits, and was freed from difficult temptations. Niphon was so clairvoyant that Niphon saw angels and demons around people just as he saw people, and Niphon knew people's thoughts. With angels Niphon conversed often, and with demons Niphon disputed. Niphon built a church to the Most Holy Theotokos in Constantinople, gathered monks and saved many. Archbishop Alexander of Alexandria by revelation from heaven consecrated Niphon as bishop of the city of Constantia in Cyprus. At that time Saint Niphon was already old, and having governed the Church of God well for a short time, Niphon passed into the eternal Kingdom of Christ. Before his death Saint Athanasius the Great, archdeacon of the Church of Alexandria, visited Niphon, and after Niphon's death saw his face illumined as the sun.
3. VENERABLE NAUM THE WONDERWORKER OF OHRID
Naum was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius and one of the Five Disciples, who most zealously collaborated with those apostles to the Slavs. Saint Naum traveled to Rome, where Naum was glorified by wonderworking power as well as by great learning. Naum was a knower of many languages. Upon returning from Rome, they settled, with the help of Emperor Boris-Michael, on the shores of Lake Ohrid. While Saint Clement worked as bishop in Ohrid, Saint Naum founded on the southern shore of the lake a monastery which even to this day adorns that shore—just as the name Saint Naum adorns the history of Slavic Christianity—and which through the centuries has been a source of wonderworking power and a refuge for the sick and afflicted. Around Saint Naum gathered a multitude of monks from all over the Balkans. Saint Naum was a wise teacher, a unique leader of monks, a resolute ascetic, a wonderworking man of prayer and spiritual father. The tireless laborer Saint Naum worked especially at translating the Holy Scriptures and other church books from Greek into Slavonic. Naum performed miracles both during his life and after his death. His wonderworking relics even to this day amaze with numerous miracles, especially healings from grave illnesses, particularly insanity. Naum reposed in the first half of the tenth century and passed to the joy of the beloved Christ (see June 20).
“Forgive, O Lord, Thy servants, and receive our blood poured out for us.”
Hymn of Praise
Venerable Naum, apostle to the Slavs,
By Christ's light illumined completely,
In spirit unshakable as a firm rock,
To the gracious Spirit he subjected his body.
By fasting and prayer and nightly vigils
He purified his soul from wicked passions,
Likened himself to the mighty angels.
And God bestowed on him divine authority:
The Lord subjected to him all the forces of nature
And the demons of malice, and dark deceptions.
He won for Christ peoples and nations
By his word and miraculous healing of diseases.
Dead yet not dead, a citizen of heaven,
Saint Naum even now upon this world looks,
Both in body and spirit he works miracles,
To the nations even now he preaches Christ.
O holy Naum, pride of the Balkans,
Pleasing one to God, companion of angels,
Great power from God to thee is given,
O help all to serve the Lord.
“Dead yet not dead, a citizen of heaven, Saint Naum even now upon this world looks.”
Reflection
While still living in the body, the saints had great revelations from God and visions of heavenly and hellish powers. All these their revelations and visions confirm the Orthodox faith in all her teachings. The saints are joy, great joy to the faithful. Saint Niphon saw the living Theotokos, and the living Lord Christ in glory; Niphon saw the departure of human souls from bodies, and the guardian angels of individual people! Consciously Niphon conversed with angels and disputed with demons. The Church teaches that sincere repentance of a sinner even in the last hour saves the soul of the penitent. Saint Niphon saw the soul of a certain suicide being dragged by devils to Hades. The guardian angel of that soul walked and wept bitterly. And that soul was of a certain servant who committed suicide because his master was unmerciful, and the servant would not endure to the end, that he might be saved.
Contemplation
Contemplate God's reward to penitent David, namely:
1. How God glorified penitent David and gave him the gift of His Holy Spirit, to compose the wondrous Psalter;
2. How God made penitent David the ancestor of many good kings and prophetic righteous ones;
3. How God made David the ancestor according to the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Homily
on the Prophet Daniel
And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth (Dan. 2:35)
Suffering, brethren, weakens a man's character, but luxury weakens it still more. Daniel, the man of God, could be weakened neither by suffering nor by luxury. Daniel remained the same in both cases; and in both cases Daniel was equally a herald of the living and only God and a prophetic revealer of God's mysteries. Daniel lived in royal luxury, then in the lions' den. In both these cases Daniel remained unchanged: in royal luxury Daniel fasted, and in the lions' den Daniel was not hungry. His faithful servant God Most High rewarded with the great, great gift of prophecy. The chief subject of his prophecies is Christ the Lord.
Christ will come and destroy idolatry throughout all the earth. He will fill the whole earth with Himself as never anyone of all men clothed in flesh. He is the one to whom will be given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples and tribes and tongues should serve Him. The great prophet of God Daniel also foretold the time, the exact time, of the coming into the world of the Lord Jesus.
How we Christians must be ashamed before this Daniel! We see all the promises fulfilled in Christ, yet still we are weak in faith and in love of Christ. But to Daniel not all was revealed that is revealed to us who are baptized, yet still Daniel did not depart from God even once.
O Lord God of Daniel, strengthen us, convert us and have mercy on us. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“Suffering weakens a man's character, but luxury weakens it still more.”