The Lives of the Saints
1. THE VENERABLE ISAAC THE CONFESSOR
In the time of Emperor Valens there was a great persecution of Orthodoxy by the Arians, which the emperor himself supported. Hearing of this persecution, Isaac, a desert-dweller somewhere in the East, left his desert and came to Constantinople to encourage the Orthodox and to denounce the heretics. Just at that time Emperor Valens was setting out with an army to the north against the Goths, who from the Danube were descending toward Thrace. Isaac came before the emperor and said to him: "O Emperor, open the churches to the Orthodox, and God will bless thy path!" But the emperor paid no heed to the elder and continued on his way. The next day Isaac again ran out before the emperor and repeated his admonition, and the emperor nearly heeded the elder, had not one of his counselors, a follower of the Arian heresy, prevented it. On the third day Isaac ran out before the emperor, seized the emperor's horse by the bridle, and besought the emperor to give freedom to the Church of God, threatening him with the punishment of God if he resisted his plea. The enraged emperor ordered the elder cast into a pit of mud and thorns. But three angels appeared and pulled the elder out of the pit. On the fourth day Isaac came before the emperor and prophesied a terrible death for him if he did not give freedom to the Orthodox: "I say to thee, O Emperor, thou shalt lead thy army against the barbarians, but thou shalt not prevail against the barbarians; thou shalt flee before them, but thou shalt be caught and burned alive." And so it all came to pass. The barbarians cut down the Greek army like grass, and the emperor fled with that counselor of his, the Arian, and hid in a barn. The barbarians came to that place, and learning where the emperor was, surrounded the barn, set it on fire, and Emperor Valens was burned together with his counselor. Then Emperor Theodosius the Great came to the throne, who heard of Isaac and his fulfilled prophecy. The emperor summoned him and bowed before him. When peace was established in the Church and the Arians were driven out, Isaac wished to return to his desert, but was prevailed upon to remain in Constantinople. A certain nobleman, Saturninus, built him a dwelling where the elder practiced his asceticism until death, performing many miracles. The dwelling filled with monks and became a great monastery. Before his death Isaac appointed as abbot his disciple Dalmatus, after whom the monastery was later called the Dalmatian monastery. And the God-pleasing elder Isaac departed to eternity around the year 383, to delight in beholding the face of God.
2. SAINT MACRINA
The grandmother of Saint Basil the Great. She was wondrous in intellect and piety. A disciple of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea. In the time of Diocletian she left her home, and with her husband Basil, hid in forests and wildernesses. Their property was confiscated, but they did not grieve over it. Deprived of everything except their love for God, they settled in an ancient forest, where they spent seven years. By the Providence of God, goats would come down from the mountain and give themselves to them, and thus they were fed. They both reposed peacefully in the fourth century after many sufferings for the faith of Christ.
“Deprived of everything except their love for God, they settled in an ancient forest, where they spent seven years.”
Hymn of Praise
Isaac, like the Prophet Elijah,
Shines in virtue like the sun,
He implores the emperor, threatens the wicked tsar,
Who defies the great God:
— O my emperor, against Whom hast thou risen?
Thy kingdom shall remain desolate!
Why dost thou wage war with the Most High God,
Thou dust and ash beneath His foot!
With an army thou marchest against fierce barbarians,
In thine own strength thou dost hope, O emperor!
Thy strength is like that of a tiny ant;
He who is with God possesses true strength.
In two wars hast thou set thy foot:
Against men and against God.
Against wretched men all shall be easy for thee,
But make thy peace with the unconquerable God.
Cast away heresy, hold fast to Orthodoxy,
For a fierce fire shall scorch thee.
Fire here and fire hereafter —
Both worlds shalt thou lose in shame.
The emperor heeded not the holy admonition,
To war he went, God he did not mention.
To war he went, from war he did not return —
Like an evil odor Valens came and passed,
But God set His Church free,
And Isaac was deemed worthy of Paradise.
“Thy strength is like that of a tiny ant; he who is with God possesses true strength.”
Reflection
The Word of God is food for the soul. The Word of God is also strength and light for the soul. Whoever reads the Word of God gives to his soul food, strength, and light. Whoever is able should read the Word of God in Holy Scripture, and whoever cannot should listen to one who reads. All the saints emphasized the benefit of reading Holy Scripture. Saint Seraphim of Sarov says: "The soul must be fed with the Word of God, for the Word of God, as Gregory the Theologian says, is the bread of angels, by which souls hungry for God are nourished. But above all one should read the New Testament and the Psalter. From this comes the enlightenment of the mind... It is very profitable to read the Word of God in solitude, and to read through the entire Bible with understanding. For such an exercise, apart from other good deeds, the Lord gives a man His mercy and fills him with the gift of understanding. When a man feeds his soul with the Word of God, then he is filled with the understanding of what is good and what is evil."
“The soul must be fed with the Word of God, for the Word of God is the bread of angels, by which souls hungry for God are nourished.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the grace of God the Holy Spirit in the Mystery of the Priesthood, namely:
1. How that grace sanctifies, enlightens, and qualifies a man for the pastoral and teaching duty,
2. How it enables and empowers the priest for the performance of the other Mysteries.
Homily
On the Mystery of Ordination
And when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them (Acts 6:6)
By the laying on of their hands upon the chosen faithful, the Apostles consecrated bishops, priests, and deacons. From this it is evident that the Christian faith is not merely a teaching but also a power. It is not enough merely to know; one must also possess power. And it is not enough merely to be chosen by men; one must also be confirmed by God. If power were not needed for the priestly calling, then the laying on of hands would not be needed either, but only teaching from mouth to ear. The laying on of hands, however, signifies the transmission of authority and the bringing down of power upon the chosen one. And that power is in the grace of God, which strengthens a man, sanctifying and enlightening him. It is precisely the grace of God that teaches, leads, shepherds, and through the Mysteries strengthens the flock of Christ. The priest is a vessel of that ineffable, awesome, and all-sufficient power of grace. Blessed is that priest who understands what a treasury of precious things he has become! Blessed is he, if the fear of God does not leave him day and night until his last breath! On earth there is neither greater honor nor greater responsibility than the priestly calling and service. By the laying on of hands by the bishop, the priest has come into connection with the heavenly, eternal source of grace and with apostolic authority. He has thereby become a companion in grace and a co-servant of all Orthodox priests from the apostolic age to the present day: with the great hierarchs, with the countless saints, confessors, wonderworkers, ascetics, and martyrs. Their dignity adorns him, but their merit, their example, and their reproach burden him.
O my brethren, great and exceedingly great is the service of the shepherd over the rational flock of Christ. He is obligated to pray to God for all, but all the faithful are also obligated to pray to God for him.
O Lord, Supreme Hierarch, sustain the Orthodox priests by the grace of Thy Holy Spirit in strength, in wisdom, in purity, in zeal, in meekness, in every apostolic virtue. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“On earth there is neither greater honor nor greater responsibility than the priestly calling and service.”