The Lives of the Saints
1. THE HOLY MARTYR AGRIPPINA
The holy Agrippina was born and raised in Rome. From childhood itself she trained herself to live according to the Gospel, driving the stench of the passions from her heart and filling her heart with the fragrance of virginal purity, chastity, and modesty. She was betrothed to Christ the Lord, and as a bride of Christ she suffered in the time of Emperor Valerian. She endured beating with rods until her bones were crushed. An angel of God appeared to her and strengthened her. Under new torments she gave up her spirit to God. Her companions Bassa, Pavna, and Agathonica transferred her relics to the island of Sicily and there honorably buried them. Later a church was built there in the name of Saint Agrippina. From her relics countless miracles occurred. By the power of her relics even the Hagarenes were driven back from the city where those relics rested. She reposed and was crowned with glory in the year 275.
2. THE HOLY MARTYRS EUSTOCHIUS, GAIUS, AND OTHERS WITH THEM
Eustochius was a pagan priest in the time of Emperor Maximian, but seeing the heroism of Christian martyrs, he cast away paganism and was baptized. Bishop Eudoxius of Antioch himself baptized him. After that Eustochius gradually brought his relatives to Christianity. His kinsman Gaius was baptized together with three youths: Probus, Lollius, and Urban. All these, and others with them, were brought before the court, tortured, and beheaded for the faith in Christ the Lord in Lystra. Their souls departed to the immortal Kingdom of Christ.
3. COMMEMORATION OF THE VLADIMIRSKAYA ICON OF THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS
When the Tatar Khan Ahmet surrounded Moscow, Prince Ivan Vasilievich set out with an army to defend the city. Although the army of this prince was small and weaker than the Tatar army, it nevertheless emerged victorious. For suddenly an indescribable fear fell upon the Tatars, and they were thrown into confusion and scattered. This unexpected success was attributed by all to the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, before which the people had prayed for deliverance from the Tatars. Because of this, June 23 was designated in Russia as a commemoration of this miracle.
4. THE ACCOUNT OF THE REPENTANCE OF THEOPHILUS
Out of envy toward the bishop, Theophilus surrendered his soul to the devil and renounced in writing both Christ and the Theotokos. But afterward Theophilus bitterly repented, wept for forgiveness from the Most Pure One after a forty-day fast and tearful prayers, received back the written document that he had given to the devil, and publicly confessed his sin in the church before the bishop and the people. And when the bishop pronounced his forgiveness and communed him, the face of Theophilus shone like the sun. Here is an example of how the merciful God not only forgives the sins of true penitents but even numbers them among the saints.
Hymn of Praise
Agrippina, purer than a lily,
The betrothed of the Son of God,
Her soul brighter than a flame,
And her faith firmer than stone.
Under the rod she prayed to the Lord,
In her wounds she chanted psalms,
She forgave all, she blessed all,
Like a bloody pillar she stood at the trial.
When her bones were crushed,
An angel descended — her wounds were healed!
But when new torments pressed upon her,
Agrippina's strength gave way,
Agrippina gave up her spirit to God,
Her soul departed, her body remained.
The holy relics of holy Agrippina
Are the defense of the land of Sicily,
A remedy for the suffering and the sick,
And a protection from warlike hordes.
By the prayers of holy Agrippina
May many a misfortune pass us by.
Reflection
Guileless endurance — that is Christian endurance; but endurance with impotent malice differs little from vengeance. Our saints are great in every Gospel virtue, but O how great and magnificent they are in guileless endurance! Probably they seem greatest to us in this virtue because we are smallest in it. When the desert fathers were once gathered around John Colobos to hear his teaching, a certain envious man called out: "Thy vessel, John, is full of poison!" — to which the guileless John immediately replied: "Thou hast said that seeing only the outside; but what wouldst thou say if thou couldst see the inside?" And when Saint Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, was led out to be beheaded, he ordered that after his death twenty-five gold pieces be given to his executioner for his trouble.
“Thy vessel, John, is full of poison! — Thou hast said that seeing only the outside; but what wouldst thou say if thou couldst see the inside?”
Contemplation
Contemplate the miraculous healing of Zechariah from muteness (Luke 1:64), namely:
1. How Zechariah was struck mute for not believing the angel of God,
2. How he spoke as soon as he fulfilled the angelic command (Luke 1:63),
3. How the muteness will also fall from my soul as soon as I begin to fulfill the commandments of God, and how my soul will be full of speech and wisdom according to God.
Homily
On How One Should Not Envy Sinners
Be not thou envious against evil men (Prov. 24:1)
Does anyone envy a leper? No one envies him. Why then does someone envy the wicked, when wickedness is a greater disease than leprosy? Leprosy is a disease of the body, while wickedness is a disease of the soul. A leper may be inwardly healthy while outwardly sick; a wicked man, on the other hand, may be outwardly healthy, but his inside is sick — his heart is sick. A tree that is outwardly ailing but has a healthy core is of greater value than a tree that is outwardly healthy but has a rotten core. So leprosy is a lesser evil than wickedness, that is, than sin. For by evil the Wise Man meant sin.
Does a physician envy a patient? He does not. Neither does the righteous man envy the sinner. If thou dost not know whether thou art righteous, examine thy heart: dost thou envy the sinner? If thou dost envy, then thou art not righteous; but if thou dost not envy — then rejoice, O righteous one of God.
A sick man can envy another sick man; a sick man can envy a healthy man; but a healthy man does not envy a sick one. Neither does a righteous man envy a sinful one. A physician recognizes a mortal disease in his patient, and knowing, he has compassion on him — but does not envy him. And the righteous man recognizes the disease of sin, horrible and mortal, and does not envy the sinner but has compassion on him.
O good and compassionate Lord, root out envy from our hearts and root in love. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“Does anyone envy a leper? No one envies him. Why then does someone envy the wicked, when wickedness is a greater disease than leprosy?”