Lives of the Saints
1. HOLY MARTYRS MENODORA, METRODORA, AND NYMPHODORA
Three sisters by birth, from a certain place in Bithynia of Asia. Raised in the Christian spirit, they withdrew from the city into the wilderness, desiring to raise their minds to God and free themselves from all the deceptions of the world, and so to live out this life in purity and virginity as true brides of Christ. They gave themselves to great labor, fasting, and prayer, until God adorned them with the gift of wonder-working. When sick people began to be brought to them for healing, they became famous beyond their own will. A certain prince named Fronton heard of them and dragged them to trial. Seeing them, the prince was amazed at the beauty of their faces. For even though they were great ascetics and their bodies emaciated, their faces were radiant, illumined by inner peace and the grace of God. The governor first used flattery and promised to send them to the emperor, who would marry them to his noblemen, but when he became convinced that all his flattery and promises had no effect on these brides of Christ the Lord, he ordered that Menodora be tortured first and cast her sisters into prison. After fierce torments the prince cried out to Menodora, wounded and bloody: "Offer sacrifice to the gods!" To this the holy martyr answered: "Do you not see: I am doing nothing else but offering my whole self as a sacrifice to my God?" When Saint Menodora expired in her torments, the prince brought out the other two sisters and set them beside the dead body of Menodora, and pointing to the dead body of their sister counseled them to renounce Christ. But as they remained unshakable, he put them also to death with fierce torments. At that moment thunder struck from heaven and slew the heartless Fronton and his servants. Christians honorably buried the bodies of the holy martyrs of God. They suffered between the years 305 and 311, in the time of Maximian Galerius, and reposed in the Kingdom of Christ.
2. SAINT PULCHERIA THE EMPRESS
Daughter of Emperor Arcadius. She vowed to remain a virgin for life, and as a sign of this vow she built in the cathedral church a holy altar table of gold and precious stones. She was co-ruler with her brother Theodosius the Younger. A great zealot of the Orthodox faith. Through her efforts the Third Ecumenical Council was convened in Ephesus, which condemned the heresy of Nestorius. She built the renowned Church of the Holy Theotokos in Blachernae in Constantinople. After the death of Theodosius she married Marcian, the chosen emperor, but lived with him as with a brother. She found the relics of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia. She reposed in the Lord on September 10, 453, in the fifty-fifth year of her life.
3. SAINTS APOLLOS, LUCIUS, AND CLEMENT
Apostles of the Seventy. Apollos (Acts 18:24-25) was bishop in Smyrna before Saint Polycarp. Saint Lucius (Romans 16:21) was bishop in Laodicea. Saint Clement was bishop in Sardica.
4. THREE HOLY WOMEN
A noblewoman of Constantinople with her two handmaidens. They scorned the vanity of the world and withdrew into solitude, where after eleven years of ascetic labor they reposed in the Lord.
“Do you not see: I am doing nothing else but offering my whole self as a sacrifice to my God.”
Hymn of Praise
Three virgins, born sisters,
Three glorious martyrs of Christ,
Before Fronton they glorified Christ,
Fearless, they made the prince afraid,
And Prince Fronton, poor in wisdom,
He thought, as many others did,
That by force, by fire, by the gallows,
He would quickly finish the matter with the Christians.
The prince thought: women as women,
They will quickly change their faith!
But the prince was bitterly deceived,
By Christian women put to shame.
Christ knows neither women nor men,
He gives power to those who serve Him,
Wondrous power of faith and hope,
Power of suffering without bitter lamentation.
This power has outlived kingdoms,
It has been tested for thousands of years,
Tested, and remained whole,
All things before it are weak as clay.
Menodora, and with her Metrodora,
And the youngest sister Nymphodora,
By God's power conquered the prince,
They gave their lives, and glorified Christ,
They gave their lives, and remained alive.
“Christ knows neither women nor men; He gives power to those who serve Him, wondrous power of faith and hope, power of suffering without bitter lamentation.”
Reflection
The examples of courage and endurance shown by Christian women martyrs — thousands and thousands of them — have illumined with dazzling glory all the pages of the history of the Christian Church. But as admirable as these examples of voluntary women martyrs are, no less admirable are the examples of Christian women ascetics, known and unknown. For asceticism is nothing other than prolonged martyrdom. Paul, Bishop of Monovassia, handed down to posterity one instructive example of women ascetics. When he was still a layman and a collector of imperial taxes, it happened that he lodged in a certain monastery. Seeing that ravens swooped down upon the fruit trees, broke off branches with fruit and carried them away, he was astonished by this, and together with the monks he followed them to see where they were taking the fruit. Going on, they came to an impenetrable thicket, at the bottom of which the ravens descended, left the broken-off fruit branches, and swiftly returned. Investigating, they found a cave, and in it three women ascetics. The eldest of them told them her life story: she was a noblewoman of Constantinople. When her husband died, a certain other nobleman wished to take her as his wife by force. But she was resolved, after the death of her first husband, to spend the rest of her life in virginity. Therefore she distributed her wealth to the poor, took her two handmaidens, and with them fled to this deserted place. Eleven years they spent there in fasting and prayer, seeing no one and unseen by anyone save God. And God the Provider arranged for birds to bring them fruit for food. Then they asked the abbot to bring them Holy Communion, that they might receive it. When they received Communion, three days later all three of these holy women reposed, and the monks honorably buried them.
Contemplation
Contemplate the riches and glory of Solomon (I Kings 4-10), namely:
1. How Solomon first built a magnificent temple to God, and then built cities and ships;
2. How the surrounding rulers marveled at Solomon, how Hiram served him, and the Queen of Sheba visited him;
3. How Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one lily of the field (Matthew 6:29).
“How Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one lily of the field.”
Homily
on how sinful men more willingly receive an evildoer than a benefactor
I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive (John 5:43)
Who is this other, who shall come in his own name and whom sinful men will more willingly receive than Christ the Lord? He is the one who bears no cross and does not walk the narrow way; who is not a lover of mankind but a hater of mankind; who wages war not against sin but for sin; who loves uncleanness and spreads uncleanness; who is a soldier of eternal death and not of eternal life; who flatters the ungodly and caresses every passion and vice — he is the Antichrist. He shall come in his own name and not in the name of God. And all those who did not receive Christ shall receive him. He will be dear to them, for he will caress all the crooked paths of sinners. He will be dearer to them than Christ, for beside the difficult path of Christ he will make a smooth trail as of ice, on which men will easily slide without thinking of the abyss into which he leads them. The Lord Christ came in the name of the eternal salvation of mankind, eternal life, eternal truth and righteousness, but he shall come in his own name, that is, in the name of eternal perdition, death, lies, and unrighteousness. And when the Antichrist comes among his own, his own will gladly receive him; all those to whom Christ is burdensome will gladly receive the Antichrist, for he will seem light to them, and his path will seem easy. When it is too late, the fools will see that they were deceived, but there will be no salvation. When they are sliding into eternal night, into the bosom of the foul serpent, then it will be too late — repentance will not be accepted, and salvation will be no more. Quickly shall the senseless banquet of the Antichrist with the sinners on earth come to an end, in the twinkling of an eye it shall end; and the house of impure merriment shall be turned into a prison without exit, of gnawing and bitterness. Then all shall be too late.
O Lord, Lover of mankind, only Friend of men, Thee alone do we know and acknowledge. Thee, Thee alone do we receive as our Savior and our salvation. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”