Lives of the Saints
1. The Holy Forty-Five Martyrs: Leontius, Maurice, Alexander, Sisinius, and the Others
In the time of the wicked Emperor Licinius, who ruled the eastern part of the Byzantine Empire, there was a great persecution of Christians. In Nicopolis of Armenia, Saint Leontius presented himself with several of his friends before the imperial governor Lysius and declared that they were Christians. "And where is your Christ?" asked Lysius. "Was He not crucified, and did He not die?" To this Saint Leontius replied: "Since thou knowest that our Christ died, know also that He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven." After a long disputation about the faith, Lysius had them beaten and cast into prison, where they were given neither food nor drink. A certain noble Christian woman, Vlassiana, brought them water and passed it through the prison window. And an angel of God appeared to them in the prison to comfort and encourage them. When the trial took place, two prison guards also presented themselves to Lysius as converted Christians, and many others as well — forty-five in all. The judge condemned them all to death: first their hands and feet were to be cut off with axes, and afterward they were to be cast into the fire. This terrible sentence was carried out to the letter, and the souls of the holy martyrs flew to their Lord into eternal life. They honorably suffered and inherited the Kingdom in the year 319.
2. The Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Caves
The founder and father of monasticism in Russia. Born in the small town of Liubech near Chernigov, he early left his homeland and went to the Holy Mountain, where he was tonsured and struggled ascetically in the Monastery of Esphigmenou. According to a certain heavenly revelation, the abbot directed him to Russia to establish monasticism there. He chose a certain cave near Kiev. When those who desired the monastic life gathered around him, he appointed Theodosius as their abbot, while he himself remained in the cave as a hesychast. By the blessing of God the monastery grew and became the matrix of Russian monasticism. Anthony endured many malicious assaults from men and from demons, but he conquered all by his meekness. He had a great gift of clairvoyance and healing of the sick. He departed to the Lord in the year 1073, in the ninetieth year of his life, leaving his spiritual nursery to bring forth good fruits through the centuries for the Orthodox people in Russia.
3. The Translation of the Precious Robe of Our Lord Jesus Christ
At the time of the suffering of the Lord Jesus for the human race, there was in the detachment of the Roman army in Jerusalem a certain Georgian, Elioz, from the city of Mtskheta. His mother had heard of Christ and believed in Him in her heart. Sending her son off to military service in Palestine, she counseled him not to do anything against Christ. When the Lord was being nailed to the Cross, the sound of the hammer on Golgotha reached the ears of the mother of Elioz in the city of Mtskheta. Hearing that sound, she cried out: "Woe is me, that I did not die before this time; death would have delivered me from this terrible sound!" And having said this, she fell dead. Elioz was then standing beneath the Cross and with the other soldiers was casting lots for the robe of Christ. The robe fell to him, and he brought it to Mtskheta and gave it to his sister Sidonia. She, upon hearing of the death of the Lord and that her brother had been a participant in the shedding of innocent blood, fell dead with the tunic of the Lord, clutching it firmly in her hands so that no one could wrest it from her, and they were compelled to bury her together with the tunic. From her grave a cedar tree grew, from which a healing myrrh flowed. In time the cedar fell and the place was forgotten. Saint Nina discovered that place by means of a fiery pillar over it, which appeared after her prayer. And the baptized King Mirian erected a church there dedicated to the Holy Apostles. In the year 1625, Shah Abbas took that robe and sent it to Moscow as a gift to Prince Michael Feodorovich and Patriarch Philaret. That robe was placed in the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow.
“Elioz was standing beneath the Cross and with the other soldiers was casting lots for the robe of Christ. The robe fell to him.”
Hymn of Praise
The mother of Elioz counseled him:
"Elioz, O apple of mine eye,
Thou goest now to the emperor's host
Into the very land of my forefathers.
"In that land a King has appeared,
Christ the Lord, long awaited,
The Savior foretold by the prophets.
The tidings of Him have reached Georgia.
"He works miracles never before seen
And speaks words never before heard.
But O my son, my precious light,
Enter not into their malice,
"Enter not into the blood of the Righteous One."
Time passed along its course,
One day the mother at her prayer
Heard the clank of hammer upon the Cross.
The mother shrieked as if in living fire:
"Alas, O death, why didst thou not come sooner,
That I might not hear this terrible clank
That heralds the death of the sinless Savior,
That brings the Kingdom of God among men
"And the curse upon the Jewish nation?
The tidings of Him are heard everywhere.
Men and angels rejoice,
But this joy is now darkened.
"Alas, my son, alas, Elioz,
Why didst thou not hearken to thy mother?
Why didst thou enter the blood of the Righteous One,
Through the evil envy of the Jewish princes?"
This spoke the grieving mother,
"They think to slay the Savior
With a new curse to oppress the nation."
She fell to earth and gave her soul to God.
Reflection
The thought of death is like a cold downpour that extinguishes the fire of passion. The Psalmist says: when a rich and famous man dies, he shall carry nothing away, neither shall his glory descend after him (Psalm 49:17). Who would not be ashamed when he sees that even among the unbelievers there is sometimes a better understanding of our earthly nothingness than among some Christians? When the Caliph Saladin died, according to his will, a herald marched before his coffin with a lance in hand, and on the lance one of the emperor's shirts, and he cried out: "The great Saladin, who conquered all Asia and made many nations tremble before him and defeated kings — behold, of all his glory and all his subjects he takes nothing with him but this wretched shirt."
“The thought of death is like a cold downpour that extinguishes the fire of passion.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the miraculous revelation of God to Moses on Sinai (Exodus 20), namely:
1. How Moses ascended Mount Sinai and entered into the darkness in which God was;
2. How the light of God is so great that before it all of nature and its light becomes darkness;
3. How the heart of man is like Mount Sinai; in the darkness of the heart God meets with man.
Homily
on the Duty of Spiritual Shepherds
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly according to God; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock (I Peter 5:1-3)
Behold the rule for the shepherds of the flock of Christ! In a few words the holy Apostle Peter has exposed three terrible passions that turn shepherds into wolves, namely: the passion of pride (taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint), the passion of avarice (not for filthy lucre), and the passion of love of power (neither as being lords over God's heritage). Against these wicked passions the Apostle has set forth three virtues that should adorn a priest of God, namely: the fear of God (willingly according to God), zeal (of a ready mind), and service (being ensamples to the flock). This rule the Apostle gave not only as a teacher but also as a prophet. For the centuries have shown in the main two kinds of shepherds: those who were guided by their passions in their governance over the Church — by pride, avarice, and love of power; and those who were guided by the fear of God, by zeal, and by the example of service. From the former the Church suffered but did not perish, while they themselves perished. From the latter the Church grew, prospered, and shone in the world. The former are wolves, the latter are shepherds. The former are enemies of both men and God; the latter are friends of both men and God. The Chief Shepherd Christ will demand an accounting from both concerning every sheep — that is, concerning every human soul — and will repay each justly according to his merit. The pride, avarice, and love of power of false shepherds shall be repaid with eternal fire, while the fear of God, the zeal, and the service of true shepherds shall be repaid with eternal joy.
O Lord Jesus, Chief Shepherd, help the shepherds of Thy rational flock to fulfill unto the end the commandment of Thy holy Apostle. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“The pride, avarice, and love of power of false shepherds shall be repaid with eternal fire.”