The Lives of the Saints
1. THE HOLY SEVEN PRIEST-MARTYRS OF CHERSON
These are the holy seven priest-martyrs of Cherson: Basil, Ephraim, Eugene, Elpidius, Agathodorus, Aetherius, and Capito. All of these were bishops of Cherson at various times, and all suffered (Aetherius alone died peacefully) at the hands of unbelievers — whether Jews, Greeks, or Scythians. All of them went to those wild regions as missionaries, sent by the Patriarch of Jerusalem to carry the light of the Gospel. All were tormented and suffered for the sake of their Lord. Basil raised from the dead the son of a certain prince in Cherson, which enraged the Jews, and they brought charges against him. He was bound by the feet and dragged through the city streets until he gave up his soul. Ephraim was beheaded by the sword. Eugene, Elpidius, and Agathodorus were beaten with clubs and stones until they gave their souls to God. Aetherius lived in the time of Constantine the Great and governed the Church in freedom and peace, built a great church in Cherson, and reposed peacefully. When the last of them, Capito, was sent as bishop, the wild Scythians demanded a sign from him before they would believe. They themselves proposed that he enter a fiery furnace, and if he did not burn, they would all believe in Christ. With fervent prayer and hope in God, Capito put on his archiepiscopal omophorion and, making the sign of the cross, entered the blazing furnace with his heart and thoughts lifted up to God. He stood in the flames for about one hour, and without any injury — neither to his body nor to his clothing — came out unharmed. Then all cried out: there is one God, the God of the Christians, great and mighty, who preserved His servant in the fiery furnace! And the entire city and all the surrounding region was baptized. This miracle was much spoken of at the Council of Nicaea. And all glorified God and praised the steadfast faith of Saint Capito. But it befell Capito that on the road he was seized by pagan Scythians at the river Dnieper and drowned in the river. All suffered at the beginning of the fourth century.
2. VENERABLE EMILIAN
He was born in Rome and committed many grave sins in his youth. But when he came to his senses and sobered from his sinning, he trembled at the very thought of the Judgment of God. He entered a certain monastery, and by fasting, vigil, and obedience tamed and mortified his body. In every good endeavor he was an exemplary model for his brethren. He often went out of the monastery at night and made his way to a nearby cave for prayer. Not knowing where he was going, the abbot of that monastery secretly followed him one night. And the abbot saw Emilian standing in prayer with fear and weeping. Suddenly a heavenly light, more powerful than the sun, illumined that entire mountain, and especially that cave and Emilian. And a voice was heard from heaven: Emilian, thy sins are forgiven thee! The abbot was seized with awe and fled to the monastery. The next day he told of everything he had seen and heard the previous night. And Emilian was held in great honor by the brethren, and he lived long, and reposed in the Lord.
Hymn of Praise
VENERABLE EMILIAN
Emilian, heavily burdened with sin,
And from sin the soul suffers,
Emilian, inconsolable,
Prays to God for forgiveness:
"O Most High, O most wondrous,
From whom the sun receives its light,
From whom the angelic choir, wakeful,
Receives life, joy, and radiance!
Only for Thee, O God, do I care,
In repentance I have returned to Thee,
Only to Thee do I give thanks
That now I have understood life aright.
Tears, tears, tears I shed,
Body and spirit fast within me now,
From the world I hide my sight and hearing —
Forgive, O God, forgive, forgive!
For Thy mercy I am a field,
Weed me and plow me,
Let my soul be alive,
And let the flesh suffer and be worn.
The worst of all men am I —
Behold, I judge myself,
Yet do Thou, O God, not judge me,
It is Thee I fear, only Thee!"
“For Thy mercy I am a field, weed me and plow me, let my soul be alive, and let the flesh suffer and be worn.”
Reflection
A thick rope is made of thin fibers of hemp. A single thin fiber cannot hold you bound nor strangle you. For you will easily, as if in play, snap it and free yourself from it. But if a thick rope binds you, it will hold you fast, and may even strangle you. You can neither snap it easily nor free yourself from it. Just as a thick rope is formed from thin and weak fibers, so the passions of men are formed from small initial sins. Small initial sins a man can still snap and abandon. But sin upon sin, repeated, the weaving grows ever stronger and stronger, until at last a passion is formed, which then makes of a man such a deformity as only it can. You cannot easily cut it away, nor remove it from yourself, nor be unbound from it. Oh, if only men would guard themselves from initial sins! Then they would not struggle so much to free themselves from the passions.
"To cut away deep-rooted passions is just as difficult as cutting off one's fingers," said a monk of the Holy Mountain. To free himself from sinful passions, what helped Saint Emilian was the thought of death and, of course, the grace of God, without which it is hard to free oneself from the fetters of passion. To think often of approaching death, to repent, and to beg God for His all-powerful grace — these three things save a man from slavery to the passions. Saint Sisoüs was asked how much time it takes to root out the passions. The saint replied: "The moment a passion springs up within you, uproot it immediately."
“To cut away deep-rooted passions is just as difficult as cutting off one's fingers.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the Lord Jesus in prayer in Gethsemane, namely:
1. How He falls upon His face and prays three times: Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me — yet nevertheless, Thy will be done;
2. How He sweated in prayer, and His sweat was as drops of blood falling upon the ground;
3. How all this was for the sake of me and thee, on account of my sin and thine, and for the sake of my salvation and thine.
Homily
on the hand of the traitor
But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with Me on the table (Luke 22:21)
It is hardest of all for a commander to wage war when he has enemies inside as well — within the camp; not only outside, but inside as well, among his own. Judas was counted among Christ's own, yet he was an internal enemy. Around Him, the ranks of Christ's enemies were pressing and thickening, while within, he was preparing the betrayal. His hand was at the table which Christ had blessed, while his thoughts were out there among the enemies where the blackest malice and hatred and spite were seething against the meek Lord.
But is not the hand of many betrayers of Christ at the table together with Him even today? For what table is not Christ's? At what table are not His gifts present? He is the host, and He feeds and gives drink to His guests. The guests have nothing of their own — nothing! Every good thing and every abundance that is given to them is given by the hand of Christ. Is not Christ therefore present at every table, as host and as servant? And are not, therefore, the hands of all those who betray Christ today at the table together with Him? They eat His bread, yet speak against Him. They warm themselves in His sun, yet slander His name. They breathe His air, yet rise up against His Church. They live by His mercy, yet drive Him out of their homes, their schools, their courts, their books, their hearts. They trample His commandments willfully and spitefully; they mock His law. Are these not betrayers of Christ and followers of Judas? But fear them not! God has not commanded us to fear them, but to wait and see their end. And the Lord Christ did not fear Judas, nor does He fear all the traitorous hordes until the end of time. For He knows their end, and He already holds His victory in His own hands. Therefore fear not thou either. But hold fast faithfully to Christ the Lord, both when it seems to thee that His cause advances in the world, and when it seems to thee that His cause is falling and perishing. Fear not. For if thou takest fright, thy hand may be found pressed under the hand of Judas at the table of Christ.
O Lord All-Victorious, sustain us with Thy strength and mercy. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“Is not the hand of many betrayers of Christ at the table together with Him even today? For what table is not Christ's?”