The Lives of the Saints
1. HOLY APOSTLES ARCHIPPUS, PHILEMON AND APPHIA
Archippus was one of the Seventy. The Apostle Paul mentions him in the Epistle to the Colossians and to Philemon, calling him his fellow soldier. In the city of Colossae the center of Christianity was in Philemon's house. There Christians gathered for prayer. This the Apostle Paul, writing to Philemon, called thy house church. At that time the apostles ordained their disciples as bishops, some of them to a permanent place, and some as missionaries traveling to various places. And Philemon was one of these latter. Apphia, Philemon's wife, fasted and served the house church. At the time of a certain feast to the pagan goddess Artemis, all the faithful in Colossae were by custom gathered in Philemon's house for prayer. The pagans, learning of this gathering, rushed and seized all the Christians. Philemon, Archippus and Apphia, as leaders, were first put to the whip, and then they buried them up to the waist in the ground and began to beat them with stones. And thus they killed Philemon and Apphia, and Archippus they pulled from the pit barely alive, and left him for the amusement of children. The children, however, stabbed him all over with knives. And thus this fellow soldier of Paul also well ended the course of his earthly course.
2. VENERABLE DOSITHEUS
Venerable Dositheus was a disciple of the renowned Abba Dorotheus, who lived in the monastery of the venerable Seridus, John and Barsanuphius the Great. Dositheus was a relative of a certain commander, and came to Jerusalem to see the holy places. When he was once looking at a picture of the Last Judgment in a church, a woman in purple robes approached him and explained it to him. And finally, at parting, she told him that if he wished to be saved, he should fast, not eat meat, and pray to God often. This was the Most Holy Theotokos. And the heart of young Dositheus was inflamed, and he desired the monastic life. Dorotheus received him as his novice and ordered him to completely cut off his own will and to obey his spiritual father. For several days he gave him to eat as much as he wanted, after a certain time he reduced it by one quarter, then after some time again one quarter, until he accustomed him to get by with the smallest measure of food, always saying to him: "Eating is a habit and however much one becomes accustomed, so much does one eat." And he was saved and glorified by complete obedience. And he remained forever an example of monastic obedience and devotion to one's spiritual father. This young saint lived in the sixth century.
Hymn of Praise
Unmurmuring obedience—almost salvation,
The first pearl among spiritually precious stones.
This pearl slipped from Eve's necklace.
After it all other treasures given by God.
The devil both then and now says: do not obey God,
But live according to the thoughts of your mind alone!
Thus speaks the enemy from the beginning who hated light,
Thus speaking, the disobedient he binds with his snare.
Christ came, called to men, called to obedience,
The disobedient to all the calling gave no response.
The scene of Paradise repeats from Christ until now,
The obedient rises to Paradise, the disobedient falls.
The true monk is obedient to his spiritual father.
The Father to the Church, the Church to Christ, her Master,
Obedience is to salvation a sure path,
The first light, the first pearl—of the spiritual necklace.
“The devil both then and now says: do not obey God, but live according to the thoughts of your mind alone!”
Reflection
Saint Anthony teaches: "Just as man comes out of the maternal womb naked, so the soul comes out of the body naked. And one soul is pure and bright, another stained with sins, and a third black from many sins. — Just as having come out of the maternal womb, you remember nothing of what was in the womb, so having come out of the body, you will remember nothing of what was in the body. — Just as having come out of the womb, you became better and more beautiful in body, so having come out of the body, you will be better and more beautiful in the heavens. — If the body comes out of the maternal womb unhealthy, it cannot live: and the soul likewise, if it does not attain knowledge of God through good conduct, cannot be saved nor be in communion with God. The organ of bodily sight is the eye, the organ of soul's sight is the mind. Just as the body is blind without eyes, so is the soul blind without the right mind and the right life."
“Just as the body is blind without eyes, so is the soul blind without the right mind and the right life.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the Lord Jesus in the midst of the simple people, namely:
1. How He with love teaches the people, as a parent his children;
2. How the simple people with love receive His words, marvel at His deeds, and glorify God;
3. How even today simple and uncorrupted people receive His words with joy and gratitude.
Homily
on the test
**He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? ** (Luke 16:10-12)
Thus speaks the Master of both worlds, material and spiritual. Material wealth He calls little, and spiritual wealth He calls much. To whom material wealth is given, and he shows himself selfish, hard, proud, merciless and godless, to him spiritual wealth cannot be given, for when he is unfaithful in the little, he will be unfaithful also in the great; when he is unfaithful in the bodily, he will be unfaithful also in the spiritual.
In another man's world a person takes a test, and if he passes it, he will receive his own world; but if he fails, who will give him his world? Man's true world, his homeland, is the heavenly exalted, divine world; the earthly world, however, the world of coarseness and perishability, is a foreign land for man. But into that foreign land he was sent to take a test for that true world of his, for his heavenly homeland.
Both sayings of the Savior, therefore, have similar meaning. Oh how deep and true is their meaning! Just as light dispels darkness, so these words of the Savior dispel our perplexity concerning this: why were we sent into this life? and what should we do? To him who knows how to read with pure reason, in these two sentences everything is said.
Let us know, therefore, that God will not give the spiritual gift, the gift of reason, nor of faith, nor of love, nor of purity, nor of prophecy, nor of wonderworking, nor of authority over demons, nor of clairvoyance, nor of visions of the heavenly world to him who has squandered and used for evil—like the prodigal son—the gift of bodily health, or earthly wealth or glory and position among people, or knowledge of the material world, or some other skill and ability.
Most gracious Lord, sustain our faithfulness to Thee in that which Thou hast entrusted to us. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“Material wealth He calls little, and spiritual wealth He calls much.”