Lives of the Saints
1. VENERABLE MARTYR EUGENIA AND OTHERS WITH HER
Eugenia was the daughter of Philip, eparch of all Egypt. Eugenia was born in Rome. At that time the Christians were exiled from Alexandria and lived outside the city. The virgin Eugenia visited the Christians and with her whole heart received their faith. Eugenia fled from her parents with her two faithful eunuchs, was baptized by Bishop Elias and disguised in male clothing entered a male monastery, where Eugenia received the monastic rank. Eugenia so purified her heart by voluntary asceticism that Eugenia received from God the grace of healing the sick. Thus Eugenia also healed a certain wealthy woman Melantia. But afterward this woman wished to draw Eugenia into bodily sin, not suspecting that Eugenia was female. And when Melantia was firmly rejected by Eugenia, this evil woman out of revenge went to the eparch and slandered Eugenia just as once Potiphar's wife slandered chaste Joseph. The eparch commanded that all the monks be chained and cast into prison together with Eugenia. But when Eugenia was brought to trial, Saint Eugenia revealed herself to her father as his daughter. The joyful Philip then was baptized with his whole household. And Philip was chosen as Bishop of Alexandria. Hearing of this, the Roman emperor sent a certain wicked general Terentius who, coming to Alexandria, secretly killed Philip. Then Saint Eugenia moved to Rome with her mother and brothers. In Rome Eugenia fearlessly and zealously converted pagans to the true faith, especially maidens. Thus Eugenia converted to the faith a certain beautiful maiden Basilia. Soon Basilia was beheaded for Christ, as Eugenia foretold to her. Then were beheaded also both those eunuchs, Protus and Hyacinthus. Finally the martyric end came also for Saint Eugenia. From her proximity the temple of Diana fell and was destroyed. The torturers cast her first into water, then into fire, but God saved her. The Lord Jesus Himself appeared to her in prison and told her that Eugenia would suffer on the very day of His Nativity. So it was. Eugenia was beheaded with a sword on December 25, 262 in Rome. After her death Eugenia appeared to her mother in great glory and comforted her.
2. VENERABLE NICHOLAS THE GENERAL
Some think that this great saint was of Balkan Slavic origin. In the time of Emperor Nicephorus, Nicholas was a general and commanded over one part of the army which went to war against the Bulgarians. On the way Nicholas spent the night in a certain inn, where Nicholas had a great temptation and a strange dream. This dream completely came true in the war, in which the Greeks were terribly defeated by the Bulgarians in the year 811. Nicholas was saved; and out of gratitude to God's Providence Nicholas left his military rank and became a monk. Nicholas labored long in asceticism and by ascetic effort so perfected himself that Nicholas became a great clairvoyant and one pleasing to God. Nicholas died peacefully in the ninth century and passed to the blessed Kingdom of Christ the Lord.
Hymn of Praise
Eugenia the glorious virgin
Came to know God,
To the service of her God she gave herself entirely,
Temporal life sacrificed for the eternal and enduring.
Her heart betrothed to endless Christ,
By suffering she conquered devilish malice.
And grace obtained Eugenia, wondrous, divine.
With the angels in heaven
Now she rejoices,
With the saints the eternal feast gloriously celebrates.
Eugenia, beautiful virgin, God sanctified thee,
Now thou also us sinners before God remember.
Reflection
Victory over temptation is victory over death. This is proven by a miraculous experience of Saint Nicholas the General. When this general was going in the army of Emperor Nicephorus against the Bulgarians, it happened that Nicholas spent the night in a certain roadside inn. At the innkeeper's was a daughter, a maiden, who, captivated by the outward beauty of the emperor's general, began to call him to sin. Nicholas rejected her once, telling her that the deed to which she called him was satanic. But the shameless maiden came a second and then a third time into the general's room and called him to an impure deed. The general rejected her the second and third times even more decisively, advising her to guard her virginity and not to give over to the devil both her body and her soul. Finally he said to her that he was a soldier and that he was going to war, and that it was both unworthy and dangerous for a soldier to defile himself with such a misdeed, which would anger God and lead him to certain death. And thus this God-loving man conquered the temptation. The next day he departed with the army. The following night he saw such a vision: how he stood in a certain wide field, and saw near himself one mighty man, how he sat with his right leg crossed over the left. Before them in the field stood two armies facing each other, Greek and Bulgarian. That mighty man told him to watch carefully what would now happen. Nicholas looked and saw the following: as long as that mighty man held his right leg over the left, the Greek army was defeating the Bulgarian army, but when he changed position and crossed his left leg over the right, then the Bulgarians attacked and terribly slaughtered the Greeks. Then that mighty man brought the general closer to the slaughtered Greek army. The whole field was covered with corpses, and all corpse to corpse. Only in the midst of those corpses was one place empty, as much as one human body could occupy. Then that man said to Nicholas: That place was destined for thy body, but since thou last night three times conquered the diabolical temptation, thou hast saved from death both thy body and thy soul. What Nicholas saw in the night vision, he saw exactly thus in reality at the time of battle. The entire Greek army perished on the battlefield, but Nicholas returned home alive, but no longer to the barracks but to—the monastery.
“Victory over temptation is victory over death.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the assembly (image) of patriarchs, prophets and righteous ones in heaven, namely:
1. How they before Christ fulfilled God's law;
2. How they foretold Christ the Lord, either by word or by the image of their lives;
3. How they now rejoice in the Kingdom of Christ.
Homily
on righteous Joseph
Joseph being a righteous man...did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him (Matt. 1:19,24)
One must fear God more than men, and one must obey God more than men. This is the teaching of the life of righteous Joseph, the kinsman and protector of the Holy Virgin Mary. Joseph lived at the turning point between law and grace, and Joseph was faithful to the law until grace appeared; and when the new grace of God appeared, Joseph became faithful to grace. Obedient to the letter of the law Joseph wanted to put away the Holy Virgin when she conceived in her most pure body the Savior of the world, but when God's angel revealed to him that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit, Joseph recoiled from his intention, and did not put her away but did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. Joseph reasoned nothing of himself but listened to the will of God. Therefore the Lord deemed him worthy of great glory both on earth and in heaven. Quietly and secretly Joseph served God, and God glorified him openly. And not only did Joseph himself become worthy of the Kingdom of God, but also his sons and daughters. What father would desire anything more than that his son be an apostle of Christ? And Joseph had two sons who were apostles. Thus God glorifies those who fear Him and obey Him.
O great Lord, God of righteous Joseph, help us sinners also to love Thy righteousness and to fear Thee alone. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“One must fear God more than men, and one must obey God more than men.”