The Lives of the Saints
1. SAINT MICHAEL, BISHOP OF SYNNADA
This holy and wise hierarch dedicated himself from childhood to the service of Christ. He struggled ascetically together with Saint Theophylact of Nicomedia. Once in a time of drought, these two saints by their prayers brought down abundant rain upon the earth. Because of his ascetical and virginal life from his early youth, he was chosen and consecrated by Patriarch Tarasius as Bishop of Synnada. He participated in the Seventh Ecumenical Council. At the emperor's wish he went to Caliph Harun al-Rashid to conduct negotiations for peace. In the time of the wicked Leo the Armenian, he was deposed from his hierarchical throne for venerating icons and sent into exile, where in poverty and destitution he ended his life, remaining faithful to Orthodoxy to the end, and in the year 818 he departed to the kingdom of Christ the King.
2. THE VENERABLE MARTYR MICHAEL
After the death of his parents, this Michael distributed all his property to the poor and went on pilgrimage to the holy places in Jerusalem. He then entered the monastery of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, where he was tonsured as a monk. Michael was quite young and beautiful of face, but from much fasting he was thin and pale. At that time the Arabs ruled Jerusalem. One day his spiritual father sent Michael to the city to sell handiwork. On the street a eunuch of the Arabian queen met him and brought him to the queen to show his wares. When the queen saw the beautiful monk, she was inflamed with impure lust and proposed carnal sin to the monk, as once Potiphar's wife did to the chaste Joseph. When Michael rejected the vile proposal and began to flee, the enraged queen ordered him beaten with rods and then taken to the king with the false accusation that he had blasphemed the faith of Muhammad. The king proposed that he accept the faith of Muhammad, but he refused. Then they gave him a strong poison to kill him; he drank the poison and it did him no harm. Then the king ordered that he be beheaded with a sword in the midst of Jerusalem. The monks found his body and transferred it to the monastery of Saint Sabbas, where they honorably buried him. Saint Michael suffered for Christ and was glorified in the ninth century.
3. THE VENERABLE EUPHROSYNE, PRINCESS OF POLOTSK
The daughter of Vseslav, Prince of Polotsk. When her parents wished to betroth her, she fled to a women's monastery and was tonsured. Three times an angel of the Lord appeared to her and showed her the place where she was to establish a new convent. She drew into monasticism her sister Eudoxia as well, and many other maidens from the nobility. One of her kinswomen, Zvenislava, by birth the Princess Borisovna, brought all her treasures, garments, and precious stones and said: "All the beauties of this world I consider worthless, and these adornments prepared for marriage I give to the church of the Savior, and I myself desire to be betrothed to Him in spiritual marriage and to bow my head beneath His gentle and easy yoke." Euphrosyne tonsured her also and gave her the name Eupraxia. In old age Euphrosyne desired to die in Jerusalem and prayed to God for this. God heard her prayer, and indeed, when she visited Jerusalem she ended her life there. She was buried in the Monastery of Saint Theodosius on May 23, 1173.
“All the beauties of this world I consider worthless, and these adornments prepared for marriage I give to the church of the Savior.”
Hymn of Praise
The wicked queen accused Michael,
Saying he had insulted the Islamic faith.
The king made the monk a strange offer:
He would adopt him as a son,
If only he would abandon the true faith
And shave his head like a Muslim.
The monk warmed his heart with prayers
And laughed in the sultan's face:
— Dost thou think, O king, thou art stronger than I?
Death for me means a new life.
My soul cares not for the world.
Here I propose three things to thee:
Either be baptized with the Cross of the true faith,
Or slay thyself with the bloodthirsty sword,
Or let me go to my spiritual father,
That I may return to my monastery.
—
The king, the sovereign, grew wrathful:
The sword flashed, the saint's head fell,
The angels took his holy soul
And bore it to the kingdom of Christ.
“The sword flashed, the saint's head fell, the angels took his holy soul and bore it to the kingdom of Christ.”
Reflection
A spiritual man interprets all things and all phenomena in nature in a spiritual and symbolic way, and from all things draws benefit for his soul. Once the brethren came to Saint John Colobos and began to tell him how a good rain had fallen and watered the palm trees, and how new branches on the palms had begun to flourish, so that the monks would have material for their handiwork. Saint John reflected and then said to the brethren: "In the same way the Holy Spirit descends into the hearts of the saints, and they are renewed and put forth shoots of the fear of God."
Contemplation
Contemplate the grace of God the Holy Spirit in the Mystery of Baptism, namely:
1. How that grace gives power to the soul to follow Christ the Lord,
2. How it is the pledge of God's adoption of the baptized man.
Homily
On How One Must Not Grieve the Spirit of God
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30)
"The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit" — this was spoken, brethren, over each of us who was baptized with water and the Spirit. The Spirit of God was given to us not according to our merit — let no one even think this — but by the grace of the Living God. Even in ordinary relations among men, he who gives a gift is joyful, and he who receives the gift is also joyful. Giving is a rejoicing on both sides. The greater the gift, the greater the joy. God too rejoices when He gives the grace of His Holy Spirit — how then should men not rejoice when they receive? A poor man who receives usually rejoices more than a rich man who gives — how then should wretched men not rejoice when they receive an enormous gift from the rich God?
By what do men grieve the Spirit of God? The Apostle, who commanded that we not grieve the Spirit of God, immediately adds by what that Spirit is grieved: by all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and blasphemy, and all malice. Let all this be taken away from you, says the Apostle. In one word: the Spirit of God is grieved by every sin of ours. Let every sin be taken away from us, and the Spirit of God will be joyful, and we shall rejoice in Him. When we have a distinguished guest in our house, we strive to do all that is pleasing to that guest. And can there be a greater guest than the Holy Spirit of God? Since He is our highest and most desired guest, we must exert our greatest effort to please Him. And we know by what the Spirit of God is pleased — by the very same things that please Christ the Lord. And the Lord has said: If ye love Me, keep My commandments (John 14:15). He therefore who keeps the commandments of Christ has love toward the Son; by keeping His commandments he pleases the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Apostle especially recommends goodness, mercy, and forgiveness. If we are good, if we are merciful, if we forgive one another, by this we please the Spirit of God, Who dwells as a guest in our hearts. And then the Spirit of God rejoices in us, and our whole being trembles with some inexpressible joy.
O my brethren, let us strive not to grieve the Most High Guest, Who comes to us with most rich gifts.
O God the Holy Spirit, forgive our negligence toward Thy immortal Majesty, and do not forsake us, empty and worthless without Thee. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“If we are good, if we are merciful, if we forgive one another, by this we please the Spirit of God, Who dwells as a guest in our hearts.”