Lives of the Saints
1. THE FOURTEEN THOUSAND HOLY INNOCENTS OF BETHLEHEM
Since the wise men from the East did not return from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to inform Herod of the newborn King, but by the angel's command went by another way to their homeland, Herod raged like a wild beast and commanded that all children from two years and under two years be slain in Bethlehem and in all the region around Bethlehem. That terrible command of the emperor was carried out literally. His soldiers beheaded some children with swords, smashed others against stones, crushed others with their feet, strangled others with their hands. And there arose a wailing and lamentation of mothers to heaven: A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not, as it was prophesied (Jer. 31:15; Matt. 2:18). This crime against many innocent children was committed one year after Christ's birth, on December 29. At that time Herod was searching, lest he find the divine Child. Herod sought from Zacharias his son John, naturally to kill him, since Herod thought that John was that new King. And since Zacharias would not give up John, by Herod's command Zacharias himself was killed in the temple. Saint Simeon the God-receiver would also have been killed, had he not soon after the Meeting presented himself to God. Having slain the children of Bethlehem, Herod then attacked the Jewish elders who had interpreted to him where the Messiah was to be born. Thus Herod killed Hyrcanus the high priest and seventy elders from the Sanhedrin. Thus evilly died those who agreed with Herod that the new King the Child should be killed. Then Herod killed his brother and sister and wife and three of his sons. Finally God's punishment overtook him too: Herod began to tremble all over, his legs swelled, the lower part of his body became gangrenous, and worms flowed from the pus, his nose closed, and an unbearable stench spread from him. Before his very last breath Herod thought that they would rejoice at his death, so Herod commanded that they all be killed. Thus this terrible ruler vomited out his inhuman soul and gave it to the devil in eternal possession.
2. VENERABLE MARCELLUS OF APAMEA IN SYRIA
Marcellus was abbot of the community of the "Sleepless Ones" in Constantinople. Marcellus was a great clairvoyant, healer and wonderworker. Marcellus conversed with angels, easily conquered demons and drove them away. After his death Marcellus appeared to his fellow monk Saint Lucian and told Lucian that Marcellus had entreated God to take Lucian also soon into the Heavenly Kingdom. This holy and glorious man reposed in the year 486.
3. VENERABLE MARK THE GRAVEDIGGER AND THEOPHILUS THE WEEPER
Mark and Theophilus were monks of the Kiev Caves. Saint Mark had such grace that Mark commanded the dead and they obeyed him. "Wait, brother, until tomorrow for your grave is not yet ready," Mark sent word to be told to a certain dead monk who had already been bathed and shrouded. And the monk opened his eyes and was alive until the next day. Theophilus wept unceasingly for his sins. Theophilus poured out his tears over a certain vessel. Before his death an angel appeared to Theophilus and showed Theophilus a larger vessel filled with tears. These were the tears of Theophilus which had fallen to the earth or had been wiped away by hand or had dried on his face. Thus in heaven are known and kept all our tears, as well as all our torments, labors and sighs for salvation. These holy servants of God reposed in the eleventh century and passed into the Kingdom of Christ.
Hymn of Praise
A voice in Ramah was heard and much lamentation
And the crying to God of despairing mothers.
The slain infants in blood lay
And over them the mothers grieved sorrowfully.
The city of David wails with all its surroundings,
And heaven was horrified at the human misdeed;
Both heaven and earth were horrified and shook,
When the cry of the innocent ones swept through the air.
The blow intended for God's Son
With all its weight fell upon the innocent children;
Upon Christ's little, helpless peers
The servants of the wicked emperor attacked.
There where the angels of God sang
And the shepherds to Christ humbly bowed down,
There now flowed a torrent of blood.
Why? That Herod might always be first!
Just as the eternal Physician appeared on earth
And earth revealed her wounds and sins,
That it might be seen how leprous is humanity,
And how necessary is the medicine from heaven:
To the little forerunners of His passion
Christ gave the Paradise of eternal joy.
“Just as the eternal Physician appeared on earth, earth revealed her wounds and sins, that it might be seen how leprous is humanity, and how necessary is the medicine from heaven.”
Reflection
A story about the Most Pure Virgin Mary. She conceived the Lord Jesus on a Friday, just as on a Friday was His passion, and bore Him on a Sunday. On a Sunday God said Let there be light (Gen. 1:3); on a Sunday manna fell from heaven; on that day the Lord Savior was born, and on that day was baptized in the Jordan. In Bethlehem at that time lived an old woman Salome, a certain kinswoman of Joseph and Mary. She could not receive her kinsmen as guests at her house, but she visited them in the cave for sheep. When the Most Holy Virgin immaculately bore the Lord Savior, Salome came to visit her and marveled how so young a maiden could give birth without midwife's help, and also swaddle the Child, and on top of all be on her feet. When it was explained to Salome that this birth was from God and not from man, that it was incorrupt and painless, and that the Virgin Mother remained a virgin after birth just as she had been before birth, Salome would not believe. But Salome stretched out her hand to the body of the Most Pure Virgin to examine in midwife's manner whether this was truly so. But for her unbelief and audacity punishment overtook her: her hand seized up and withered. The old woman was very frightened by the miracle and grieved for her withered hand. But when she then touched with her hand the divine Child, her hand was healed and became as it had been. Thus Salome believed in the virginity of the Most Pure Virgin Mary and in Christ's divinity. And when after forty days, according to custom, the Most Pure Virgin with the Child came to the temple in Jerusalem, the high priest Zacharias placed her in the place designated for maidens. The Pharisees and priests were stirred up because of this and wanted to lead her to the place designated for women, but the visionary Zacharias did not permit this, maintaining that she was a maiden although she had given birth. Because of this the Jewish elders grew hateful toward Zacharias and sought from Herod that Zacharias be killed. Immediately after leaving the temple the Theotokos with Joseph withdrew from Jerusalem to Nazareth and then to Egypt.
Contemplation
Contemplate the assembly (image) of the holy hierarchs and teachers of the Church, namely:
1. How they zealously preached the Gospel and shepherded the flock of Christ, how they strengthened the pious faith and trampled heresies;
2. How they now rejoice in the Kingdom of Christ and help us with their prayers.
Homily
on the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos
Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also (Luke 2:35)
Who could even approximately compare with the Lord in patient endurance of sufferings on earth as well as His Most Holy Mother of God? The elder Simeon, adorned with gray hair like a white swan, prophetically foresaw her pains in the future, and compared those pains to the piercing of a sword through the soul. One sword passed through her soul when righteous Joseph suspected her during her pregnancy, a second when she had to flee to Egypt from Herod's sword, a third and fourth and tenth and many and many when she observed the hatred and intrigues of the Jewish elders against her Son, from day to day during all the time of His preaching and miraculous working among people. But the sharpest sword passed through her soul when she stood beneath the Cross of her Son and Lord. That sword the holy elder Simeon foresaw and foretold to her. Majestic and moving is her silence, by which as by a veil she covered all her pains, all the wounds of her heart. In the twilight of all those many pains heaped up in her most pure heart, there shone the unquenchable lamp of faith and hope in God and devotion to God. Unsurpassed in nobility is the handmaid of the Lord! She saw herself clearly in God's plan of human salvation; she read in the prophets about herself; she conversed with angels—God's messengers. Therefore all that came upon her, joy or torment, she knew came from God, so that she neither exulted in joy nor murmured in torment. But she was silent and kept all things in her heart.
O Most Holy Virgin Theotokos, help us also that like Thee we may be obedient to the will of God. To Thy Son and Lord through Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“Majestic and moving is her silence, by which as by a veil she covered all her pains, all the wounds of her heart.”