The Lives of the Saints
1. THE HOLY MARTYR GLYCERIA
The daughter of a certain governor of Rome. Having been orphaned at the death of her father, Glyceria settled in Trajanopolis in Thrace. In the time of the impious Emperor Antoninus, Glyceria was brought forth to offer sacrifice to the idol of Zeus. She traced the sign of the cross upon her forehead; and when the imperial governor asked her where her lamp was (for all carried lamps in their hands), Glyceria pointed to the cross on her forehead and said: "This is my lamp." At her prayer, a bolt of thunder struck the idol and shattered it to pieces. The governor was enraged and ordered that she be beaten and thrown into prison. And the governor sealed the prison doors, resolved to kill the maiden by starvation. But an angel of God appeared to Glyceria and gave her heavenly food. After a certain time, when the governor thought that the martyr must have perished from hunger, he opened the prison and was astonished when he saw her healthy, radiant, and joyful. The jailer Laodicius, seeing this miracle, himself confessed Christ the Lord and was immediately beheaded. After this Glyceria was cast into a fiery furnace, but she remained unharmed by the fire. Standing in the midst of the fire, she praised the Lord, recalling the miracle of the Three Youths in the Babylonian furnace. Finally she was cast before the lions, and having prayed to God, this holy virgin gave up her soul to the Lord, for Whom she had heroically endured many torments. She suffered honorably in the year 177. From her relics there flowed a healing myrrh, by which the sick were healed of the most grievous diseases.
2. THE HOLY MARTYR ALEXANDER
A Slav. An eighteen-year-old soldier in the army of Emperor Maximilian. He refused, by the emperor's command, to pay homage to the Roman idols, for which he was handed over to Captain Tiberian either to persuade him to renounce Christ, or else to torture and execute him. Since all persuasions were in vain, Tiberian took him along and led him through Macedonia to Constantinople, where he himself had to go on duty. In every town the young Alexander was cruelly tortured; but in every town Christians came forth before him, asking his blessing and encouraging him in his struggle. His mother Pimenia followed after him. During this journey an angel of God appeared to Alexander many times, soothing his torments and encouraging him. At one place called Karasura, the martyr wrought a miracle by prayer; namely, when thirst tormented both him and the soldiers who escorted him, he brought forth a spring of cold water in a dry place. On the bank of the River Ergina, Tiberian ordered the executioner to behead Alexander and cast his body into the water. When the executioner raised his sword over the martyr's head, he saw radiant angels of God round about and became afraid, and his hand went limp. Alexander asked him why his hand had gone limp, and he said that he saw certain radiant youths around him. Desirous of death and union with the Lord, Alexander prayed to God that the angels withdraw, so that the executioner would not be afraid. And so the executioner completed his task in the year 298. Pimenia retrieved the body of her son and honorably buried him. There were many healings at the martyr's grave. After death the martyr appeared to his mother and foretold her own soon departure to the other world.
3. THE VENERABLE JOHN, EUTHYMIUS, GEORGE, AND GABRIEL OF IVERON
The founders of the renowned Iveron (Georgian) Monastery on the Holy Mountain. Saint John first struggled ascetically in the Lavra of Athanasius, then founded his own monastery, Iveron. He reposed in the year 998. Euthymius and George translated the Holy Scriptures into the Georgian language. Euthymius reposed in 1028, and George in 1066. Gabriel was deemed worthy to receive the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, which came to the monastery by sea.
Hymn of Praise
— Glyceria, sacrifice to the gods!
Commands the mindless judge.
Or in fire thou must be consumed.
Glyceria mocks the judge:
— God is one. The "gods" are demons,
Who cloud thy mind with darkness.
What manner of sacrifices, O mindless man?
Was there not one Sacrifice on Golgotha,
A Sacrifice dread, divine, and bloody,
That abolished all bloody sacrifices?
One Sacrifice after that Sacrifice.
One Sacrifice the Lord demands of us:
A pure heart, an altar of prayer,
Clean hands, deeds of mercy,
Faith, hope, love, and piety.
Such a sacrifice I strive to offer
To the Living God, my Creator:
The Most Holy God desires such a sacrifice,
Not a bloody and lifeless carcass.
“One Sacrifice the Lord demands of us: a pure heart, an altar of prayer, clean hands, deeds of mercy.”
Reflection
Of the power of the death and Cross of Christ, Saint Athanasius writes: "Whose death has ever driven out demons? And whose death have the demons ever feared as they fear the death of Christ? Where the name of the Savior is but spoken, there every demon is driven out. Who has so tamed the passions of the soul in men, that fornicators live chastely, and murderers no longer wield the sword, and the timid become courageous? Is it not the faith of Christ? Is it not the sign of the Cross? And who else has so convinced men of immortality as the Cross of Christ and the Resurrection of the Body of Christ?"
The death of the Sinless One and the Cross of the Lover of Mankind have won a greater and more lasting victory than all the earthly kings with their armies of many millions. For what army has ever been able to defeat even a single demon? Yet the mere mention of the name of the One crucified on the Cross puts the demonic armies to flight. O if only all Christians knew what riches they possess in the name of Christ, and what a weapon in the Cross of Christ!
“Whose death has ever driven out demons? And whose death have the demons ever feared as they fear the death of Christ?”
Contemplation
Contemplate the action of God the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, namely:
1. How the Apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, travel throughout the whole world without means and without friends,
2. How they convert to the faith of Christ both the rich and the poor by word alone, by their way of life, and by miracles.
Homily
On How God Uses the Unfaithful to Punish the Faithful
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, My servant, saith the Lord (Jer. 25:9)
Is not this a hard word? Who can be nourished by it? A pagan king, an idolatrous king, the Lord calls His servant! If a servant of God is one who knows the true God and keeps the law of God, how can one be a servant of God who does not know the true God and does not keep the law of God? Indeed, a true servant of God is one who knows the true God and keeps the law of God, but when one to whom God has given knowledge of Himself, has given His law, turns knowledge into ignorance and law into lawlessness, then the Lord takes the ignorant one as His servant, to punish the apostate. For an apostate from God is worse than a pagan, and an apostate from the law of God is lower than a born idolater.
Therefore, when Israel, as the old Church of God, apostatized from God and the law of God, God chose Nebuchadnezzar as His servant to punish apostate Israel.
Therefore, when the Christian peoples of Asia and Africa through numerous heresies apostatized from God, God took the Arabs as His servant to punish the Christians, that He might bring them to their senses.
And when the Christian peoples of the Balkans apostatized from God and the law of God, God summoned the Turks as His servants to punish the apostates, that He might bring them to their senses through punishment.
Whenever the faithful apostatize from God, God weaves a whip from the unfaithful to bring the faithful to their senses. And just as the faithful consciously and willfully apostatize from God, so the unfaithful unconsciously and unwillingly become servants of God, the whip of God.
But the Lord takes the unfaithful only temporarily into His service against the faithful. For concerning the land of Nebuchadnezzar the same Lord says that He will visit it for its iniquities and will turn it into an everlasting desolation. Then servant will be found against servant. For God did not take the Babylonians as His servant because of their goodness and faith, but because of Israel's wickedness and unfaithfulness.
O righteous Lord, help us by Thy most exalted Spirit to hold fast always to Thee, the one true God, and to Thy law, the only saving one. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“An apostate from God is worse than a pagan, and an apostate from the law of God is lower than a born idolater.”