The Lives of the Saints
1. THE HOLY MARTYR EUPSYCHIUS
He was of noble birth and well brought up in the pious faith. In the time of Emperor Julian the Apostate, when Saint Basil the Great governed the Church of God in Caesarea, this Eupsychius entered into marriage with a maiden of distinction. But he was not granted even a single day to live in wedlock. For at the time of his wedding there occurred a pagan festival with the offering of sacrifice to the idol of Fortuna. Eupsychius went with his companions and smashed all the idols in the temple, and destroyed the temple itself as well. When Emperor Julian heard of this, he was exceedingly wrathful and commanded that the perpetrators be beheaded, that many Christians be conscripted into the army, that an enormous tax be levied upon the Christians, that the temple of Fortuna be rebuilt at the Christians' expense, and that the city's honorary name of Caesarea (given to it by Caesar Claudius) be taken away and it be called by its former name, Maza. Saint Eupsychius was first bound to a tree and cruelly tortured, and then beheaded, in the year 362. Shortly thereafter the wicked Emperor Julian visited that city on his way to Persia, against which he was waging war. Saint Basil came out to meet him and brought three barley loaves as a sign of honor and hospitality. The emperor ordered that a handful of hay be given to the saint in return. Basil said to the emperor: "Thou dost mock us, O Emperor; we brought thee bread, by which we feed ourselves, and thou givest us cattle fodder, which thou canst not by thy power transform into food for men." To this the emperor replied: "Know that I shall feed thee with that hay when I return from Persia!" But the malicious apostate never returned alive from Persia, for he perished there by a deserved and unnatural death.
2. THE VENERABLE MARTYR VADIM
In the time of the Persian King Sapor, Vadim also — the abbot of a monastery and a man renowned for his piety — was cast into prison together with seven of his disciples. With them in prison was also a certain Prince Nirsan, likewise a Christian. Every day they were led out and beaten. Prince Nirsan became frightened and promised to abandon the faith and bow down before the sun. This was pleasing to Sapor, who promised to give Nirsan, among other things, all the property of Vadim's monastery, if he would slay Vadim with his own hand. Nirsan agreed to this. With a trembling hand, terrified by the dignified countenance of Saint Vadim, he struck many times with the sword upon the neck of this holy man, until he barely succeeded in beheading him. But shortly thereafter Nirsan fell into despair and pierced himself with his own sword, receiving from himself the punishment for the murder of the righteous one. Saint Vadim suffered in the year 376.
Hymn of Praise
SAINT VADIM
Courageous Vadim looks death straight in the eye,
And pities Nirsan for the woe that befell him.
Nirsan with bared sword before Vadim stands,
He fears not God, but the saint he does fear.
He swings the sword, swings it, and lets it fall!
Before the knight of God — sheer faintheartedness!
"Nirsan, O Nirsan!" Vadim speaks to him,
On the road to eternity Vadim says to thee:
"Thou hast denied Christ, embraced a lie,
Thine own soul thou thyself hast destroyed.
I eagerly await death at every hour of God,
That the gates of the eternal Kingdom may open unto me.
But from thy hand I grieve to die,
And never more, O prince, to see thee.
The betrayer of Christ eternal darkness shall hide,
And twice as dark — the slayer of Christians."
This the saint spoke, then fell silent in suffering,
And Nirsan slew him with a trembling hand.
Thus a lion perished by a timid hare!
But whom did Nirsan slay? Himself, or the saint?
Eternal justice speaks: the thief condemns himself,
And to the saint of God does no harm at all.
“Thus a lion perished by a timid hare! But whom did Nirsan slay? Himself, or the saint?”
Reflection
It is told of Pericles that he was a man of nearly perfect human beauty, but that his head was overly elongated and resembled a gourd, so that he provoked mockery whenever he appeared bareheaded. In order to conceal this defect of this great man of their nation, the Greek sculptors always depicted him with a helmet upon his head. When even some among the pagans knew how to hide the failings of their neighbor, how much more, then, are we Christians obliged to do the same? In honor preferring one another (Rom. 12:10), the apostle commands those who hold to Christ. How shall we say that we hold to Christ the meek and most pure, if every day we poison the air with tales of the sins and failings of others? To conceal one's own virtue and the failings of others — in this lies the chief spiritual wisdom.
“In order to conceal this defect of this great man, the Greek sculptors always depicted him with a helmet upon his head.”
Contemplation
To contemplate the risen Lord Jesus, namely:
1. How He appears to Mary Magdalene in the garden, and Mary does not recognize Him at first;
2. How He gently addresses Mary, and Mary recognizes Him and rejoices in Him, and communicates her joy to the disciples.
Homily
on the necessity of death for the sake of much fruit
**Verily, verily, I say unto you: except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit (John 12:24). **
Why does the sower cast wheat into the earth? Is it so that the wheat might die and decay? No, but so that it might live and bear fruit. In sowing the seed, the sower does not think about the death and decay of the seed, but about its life and its fruit. Truly, with joy the sower sows his seed, not thinking about the death of the seed but about its life and fruit. The Sower is Christ the Lord, and men are His wheat. He was pleased to call us wheat. There is much other seed upon the earth, but nothing is more precious than wheat. Why did the Lord sow us upon the earth? Was it so that we might die and decay? No, but so that we might live and bear fruit. He mentions our death only in passing, mentions it only as a condition of life and of much fruit. The aim of sowing is not death but life. But the seed must first die and decay; and He merely mentions this, for He knows that we all know this only too well. He only reminds us of it in passing, while His Gospel is in the main an account of life — of life and fruit. About this He speaks to us at length, for He knows that we do not know it, and that we are suffocating from ignorance and doubt. And not only does He speak much to us about life, but He also shows us life. By His Resurrection He demonstrates to us, more clearly than the sun, life and much fruit. And the entire history of His Church is a clear map of life.
O Master of unconquerable life, save us from the death of sin. Deliver us from the death of the soul. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“The aim of sowing is not death but life. He mentions our death only in passing, mentions it only as a condition of life.”