Lives of the Saints
1. SAINT EMILIAN THE CONFESSOR, BISHOP OF CYZICUS
He served as bishop in Cyzicus during the time of the wicked Emperor Leo the Armenian, the iconoclast. Since he would not submit to the imperial decrees about the removal of icons from churches, he too was sent into exile along with other Orthodox bishops. In exile he lived for five years, enduring many sufferings and much humiliation for the sake of Christ. He ended his life in 820 and departed to dwell among the citizens of heaven.
2. SAINT MYRON THE WONDERWORKER, BISHOP OF CRETE
He was at first married and occupied himself with agriculture. From the fruits of the earth on his own estate, Myron gladly and generously distributed to the poor. Once he found unknown thieves on his threshing floor stealing wheat. Without revealing who he was, Saint Myron helped the thieves fill their sacks, helped them also to lift them onto their backs, and to escape. Because of his exceedingly great virtues, he was ordained first a presbyter and then a bishop. He was a great wonderworker and performed many good and mighty works in the name of the Lord Jesus. He reposed around 350 in his old age of one hundred years.
3. VENERABLE GREGORY OF SINAI
He was called the Sinaite because he was tonsured a monk on Mount Sinai. In the time of Emperor Andronicus Palaeologus, around 1330, he came to the Holy Mountain to visit the monasteries and learn something about the prayer of the mind and contemplation. But these two spiritual practices were at that time all but unknown among the Athonites. The only one who knew this and practiced it to perfection was Saint Maximus of Kapsokalyvia. Gregory spread his teaching on the prayer of the mind throughout all the cells and monasteries of the Holy Mountain. His renowned disciple was Callistus, Patriarch of Constantinople, who also wrote the life of Saint Gregory. After that, Gregory crossed into Macedonia and other regions of the Balkans and founded communities in which monks practiced the prayer of the mind. Thus he helped many to deepen themselves and be saved. His writings on the prayer of the mind and asceticism are found in the Philokalia. Among other things, he also composed the hymns to the Holy Trinity "It is truly meet," which are sung at the Sunday midnight office. He ranks among the most illustrious ascetics and spiritual teachers in the Balkans. He peacefully reposed from a life of many labors and departed to the Kingdom of Christ.
4. HOLY NEW MARTYRS TRIANTAPHYLLOS AND SPASOS
Triantaphyllos was from Zagora and Spasos from Radovishte, in the diocese of Strumica. Both were Slavs, both young and simple men. But the love of Christ was dearer to them than the world and life. They gave their lives but did not betray Christ. For the Faith of Christ they suffered at the hands of the Turks — Triantaphyllos in Constantinople in 1680, and Spasos in Thessalonica in 1794.
5. HOLY MARTYR HORMISDAS
He was a nobleman at the court of the Persian King Isdegerdes. Since he would not renounce Christ, the king degraded him, stripping him of both his rank and his estate, and sent him to tend cattle. The king hoped that Hormisdas would quickly come to regret the loss of his rank and estate and bow down before the idols. But the king was mistaken. Hormisdas peacefully tended the cattle and kept his faith. Therefore the king put him to cruel tortures, by which he succeeded only in exhausting the body of Christ's martyr but not in changing his spirit. At last the holy Hormisdas was slain, in the year 418, immediately after the suffering of Saint Abdas the Bishop (see March 31). He suffered on earth and was glorified in heaven.
“They gave their lives but did not betray Christ.”
Hymn of Praise
The most wise Sinaite taught the monks,
And by his own example confirmed his teaching:
"Dispassion is the promised land,
The dispassionate soul is illumined by the Spirit.
Without any thoughts a man then becomes
When his mind rests in the heart with prayer.
Sinful thoughts are the forerunners of all passions,
Which hold the soul in the demons' power.
We are the sick, the Physician has prepared the medicine
That we may be healed and become well.
Speak the name of Jesus in your heart,
It will burn up the passions like fire.
Let that mighty name with heavenly radiance
Move in your heart with your breathing.
If you do not have the Lord Jesus in your heart,
All other ascetic labors remain as water.
Only Jesus can within me
Change the water of my being into wine.
Place the whole mind into the heart as into a nest,
And by ceaseless prayer glorify Jesus.
O Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner!
Let the prayer be gentle, not hasty.
Until from prayer the heart is set aflame,
Then the mind beholds heaven, and remembers earth no more."
“If you do not have the Lord Jesus in your heart, all other ascetic labors remain as water.”
Reflection
"Behold, I have set before you life and death," said Moses to the children of Israel, "therefore choose life, that thou mayest live" (Deuteronomy 30:19). There are decisive moments in human life when man truly is left to choose life or death. In the decisive moment, Judas was scandalized by silver, and he chose death, that is, the sin of avarice. When the commander wished to promote the soldier Marinus (see August 7) to the rank of officer, a centurion, a certain envious man accused him of being a Christian. The commander gave him a period of three hours to think it over and choose life or death — that is, either to deny Christ or to die. Marinus, hearing his commander, went to the local bishop Theotecnus and asked for counsel. The bishop led him into the church, placed him before the Gospel, and pointing first to the Gospel and then to the sword that hung at Marinus's side, said to him: "Choose, brave man, one of these two: either to bear the sword and serve the earthly king temporarily and perish eternally after death, or to become a soldier of the Heavenly King and lay down your life for His holy name, written in this book, and reign with Him in immortal life." Marinus immediately decided, kissed the Gospel and went — through death into eternal life.
“Behold, I have set before you life and death; therefore choose life, that thou mayest live.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the miraculous appearing of God to the child Samuel (I Samuel 3), namely:
1. How one night, when Samuel lay down, the Lord called him by name three times;
2. How the Lord declared His threat against the house of Eli, because of the corruption of Eli's sons, and His threat against all Israel;
3. How the Lord did not wish to appear to Eli the high priest nor to his sons, but to Samuel, an innocent child.
“How the Lord did not wish to appear to Eli the high priest nor to his sons, but to Samuel, an innocent child.”
Homily
on the peacemaking of Christ
How clearly the prophet sees Christ the Peacemaker! He sets forth one after another the dignities of the Savior. First he set Him forth as the Lawgiver of the new law, a law for all peoples on earth. Then he set forth His exaltedness above all heights, earthly and historical. And now he sets Him forth as the Peacemaker, by whose power and love swords shall be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. Has this great prophecy of peace been fulfilled? It has, in spite of the fact that wars still exist. Behold, wars among Christian peoples are not the same as wars among pagans. The pagans waged war with pride, while Christians wage war with shame. The pagan religions populated their heaven only with warriors, while the Christian faith promises heaven to saints. Just as Christians repeat, out of weakness, certain other pagan sins, so also do they repeat the sin of war. But God searches the hearts and knows with what disposition the pagans sin and with what disposition the Christians. The Pharisees denied Christ, and Peter also denied Him. But the Pharisees denied Him with unrepentant malice, while Peter denied Him with shame, and acknowledged Him again with repentance. But what shall we say, brethren, about the swords and spears of the passions, by which we slay our own souls and the souls of our neighbors? O if only we would beat those swords into plowshares, to plow deeply our souls and sow the noble seed of the peace of Christ within us! And if only we would beat those spears into pruning hooks, to reap the weeds in our souls and burn them! Then the peace of Christ would settle in the souls of all of us, as it has settled in the souls of the saints. Who then would even think of war against neighbors and neighboring peoples? O how wondrous is the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet of God! O Lord, by the fire of Thy word, beat the weapons of war within us into instruments of peace. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“And now he sets Him forth as the Peacemaker, by whose power and love swords shall be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.”