The Lives of the Saints
1. VENERABLE SIMEON THE MYRRH-STREAMING -
Stefan Nemanja was a great ruler of the Serbian people, unifier of the Serbian lands, creator of the independent Serbian state, defender of Orthodoxy, and destroyer of heresies. First he was baptized in the Latin church, but later freed himself from that church and became a member of the Orthodox Church. In the beginning, he was dependent in state matters on the Greeks, but later freed himself from that dependence and became completely independent. When he had consolidated the state, and the Orthodox faith in the state, then, following the example of his son Sava, he received monastic tonsure in the monastery of Studenica in the year 1195 and received the name Simeon. His wife Ana also received monastic tonsure, received the name Anastasia and withdrew to a women's monastery. After two years of monasticism in Studenica, Simeon went to the Holy Mountain. There he settled first in the monastery of Vatopedi, together with Sava. Father and son spent days and nights in prayer. There they built six chapels: to the Savior, to the Unmercenaries, to Saint George, to Saint Theodore, to the Forerunner and to Saint Nicholas. They purchased the ruins of Hilandar and built a wondrous monastery in which Simeon lived only eight months and then died. When he was breathing his last, Sava, at his wish, laid him on a simple mat. With eyes directed at the icon of the Mother of God and the Savior, the blessed elder uttered these words: "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!" And he departed to the Lord on February 13, 1200.
2. VENERABLE MARTINIANUS
Glorious and most wondrous is the life of this saint, and it is worth reading in its entirety. What all did he not endure just to fulfill the Lord's commandments! In his eighteenth year he withdrew to a mountain, called Kovčežna, in Cappadocia, and there spent twenty-five years in fasting, vigil, prayer, and struggle with many temptations. When a woman came to tempt him, and he saw that he would fall into sin with her, he jumped barefoot into fire and stood in the fire until pain drove tears to his eyes and killed in him every lust. When other temptations arose, he fled to a certain solitary rock in the sea, and lived there. But when, during a certain shipwreck, a woman also swam to that rock, he jumped into the sea to drown himself, but by God's Providence a dolphin caught him on its back and brought him to shore. Then he resolved no longer to settle anywhere permanently, but to travel unceasingly. And thus in two years he passed through 164 cities, correcting and counseling people. Finally he reached Athens where he died in the year 422.
3. SAINT ZOE AND PHOTINIA
Zoe was first a harlot and temptress of Saint Martinianus, but when she saw this faster jump into fire, in order to kill in himself every lust, she bitterly repented, went to a monastery in Bethlehem where as a faster and recluse she heroically struggled. Having repented all her sins, she received from God the gift of wonderworking. Saint Photinia was cast by a sea storm onto the island where Saint Martinianus had isolated himself. Martinianus immediately withdrew from the island, and Photinia died there in fasting and prayer.
Hymn of Praise
With horror Zoe saw in the fire the monk
How he burns without regret, fear, or sigh!
With horror and with shame Zoe repented:
"Oh what this man does just to save his soul!"
She wept, she bowed, begged forgiveness,
And asked what to do to resist evil,
To resist evil and flesh, and to save her soul.
From joy the man of God - he too wept.
Then he sent her to Bethlehem to blessed Paulina:
"Go woman, save yourself, go do not perish,
All the rest will tell you blessed Paulina."
Completely broken Zoe went across the blue sea.
Paulina received her as a sister and instructed her.
Zoe wepd, Zoe listened, and endures and was silent.
Twelve summers thus passed, twelve years,
Sister Zoe became renowned as a faster.
But before death she asked God, bathing herself in tears,
Has God forgiven her? Has He or has He not?
Then they lead a blind woman to Zoe's door:
"That she might see, pray! — pray, pray!"
Zoe prayed with weeping, and the woman received sight;
Zoe knew, thus knew, that she was forgiven.
Through sinners God is glorified when they repent,
Then with miracles they shine like stars on earth.
“Through sinners God is glorified when they repent, then with miracles they shine like stars on earth.”
Reflection
The great Stefan Nemanja, whose ruler's word everyone unconditionally obeyed, and whom peoples and emperors trembled before, having become a monk, served the monks of the Holy Mountain with an exemplary example of gentleness, humility, goodness and prayerfulness. And his death was the death of a true man of God and spiritual father. He became bedridden on February 7. He called Sava, laid his hands on him and blessed him saying: "My beloved child, light of my eyes, consolation and guardian of my old age! Behold the time of our parting has come; behold the Lord dismisses me in peace. But do not grieve, child, because of the parting. This is the common cup of one and all; here we part, but we shall meet there where there is no more parting." On February 12 Saint Simeon ordered Sava to dress him in a death mantle, to spread a mat on the ground for him, put a stone under his head and thus lay him down. Then he summoned all the monks and bade them farewell. At dawn on February 13, when the monks were singing the morning rule in the church, and their voices reached the dying man's cell, Saint Simeon's face lit up once more, and he gave up his soul to God.
“Here we part, but we shall meet there where there is no more parting.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God, namely:
1. As a Lamb born in a stable of lambs;
2. As a Lamb pursued by people of wolfish nature, such as Herod and others;
3. As the Sacrificial Lamb who patiently endured torments and death;
4. As the victorious Lamb of God on the heavenly throne.
Homily
on love above every love
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me (Matthew 10:37)
The entire Gospel teaches that one must leave the lesser for the greater, the transitory for the imperishable, the worse for the better, the cheaper for the more precious. If the Gospel did not promise greater values, who then would leave the lesser? If it did not reveal the radiance of more precious treasures, who would abandon cheaper treasures? Who would leave honey and milk, if he had not found something sweeter? Who would leave father and mother, if he had not found someone more closely related? Who would abandon children and friends, if he had not known someone dearer? Who would voluntarily hand over this life to torment and death, if he had not glimpsed immortal life? The Lord Christ is sweeter than honey and milk; a closer kinsman to us than our father and mother; dearer than children and friends; more precious than all visible treasures, more valuable than this life, for He grants immortal life. Everything in the world is worse than Him, and lesser and more bitter, and weaker, and cheaper and more transitory than Him. Whoever receives Him, to him it is easy to leave everything, everything, because he has received the best and the Best.
O Lord Jesus, treasury of all imperishable treasures, help us to detach ourselves from everything and cleave to Thee, our life and our good. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“Who would leave honey and milk, if he had not found something sweeter? Who would leave father and mother, if he had not found someone more closely related?”