Lives of the Saints
1. HIEROMARTYR AUTONOMUS
He withdrew during the persecution of Diocletian from Italy to Soreos, a place in Asian Bithynia, and there converted many to Christianity and built them a church of the Holy Archangel Michael. He dwelt in the house of a certain good Christian, Cornelius, whom Autonomus first ordained as a presbyter and then as a bishop. Not far from the city of Soreos there was a place called Limna, inhabited solely by pagans. Saint Autonomus went to that place and quickly enlightened many with the Gospel of Christ. This enraged the pagans, and one day they burst into the church of the Holy Archangel Michael in Soreos, and at the Divine Liturgy they slew Autonomus at the altar and killed many other Christians in the church. In the time of Emperor Constantine, a certain imperial dignitary named Severian built a church over the grave of Saint Autonomus. Two hundred years after his death, Saint Autonomus appeared to a certain soldier named John. This John unearthed the relics of the saint and found them completely incorrupt. And many of the sick received healing from the relics of the saint. Thus God glorified the one who glorified Him while he lived in the body.
2. HIEROMARTYR CORNUTUS, BISHOP OF ICONIUM
Born near Nicomedia, from the village of Salata. He was already quite old when the persecution began in the time of Decius and Valerian. A certain persecutor of Christians named Perenius came to Nicomedia and began hunting for Christians. The Christians left the city and went into hiding, but their aged bishop did not wish to leave; rather, he personally appeared before Perenius and declared himself a Christian. The persecutor bound him completely and ordered that he be dragged through the city until much blood flowed from him, and until under the sword he surrendered his holy soul to God.
3. HOLY MARTYR JULIAN WITH FORTY COMPANIONS
They all suffered around the year 300. First they were tortured and then beheaded. Before his death, Saint Julian prayed to God thus: "To those who take of my dust, grant them, O Lord, forgiveness of sins and the quenching of passions; let not harmful birds, nor locusts, nor caterpillars, nor any other kind of destructive plague attack their fields; and receive my spirit in peace."
4. VENERABLE DANIEL OF THASOS
An ascetic and founder of a great monastery. A contemporary of Saint Joannicius the Great. He was present when Joannicius visited the island of Thasos. The people implored the renowned Joannicius to deliver them from serpents. The saint prayed to God, and serpents in enormous numbers rushed into the sea and drowned.
5. HOLY MARTYRS MACEDONIUS, TATIAN, AND THEODULUS
They suffered for Christ the Lord in the time of Julian the Apostate, in the place of Merosi in Phrygia. For destroying the statue of an idol, they were fiercely tortured and roasted upon an iron gridiron until they surrendered their souls to God. While burning on the fire, these courageous men called out to their tormentor, mocking him: "Will you not taste of our meat, to see if it is well-roasted?" And further they said, as did the glorious Archdeacon Lawrence: "Turn us to the other side, for this one is done!" Watching and listening to the holy martyrs on the fire, the tormentor was more confused and terrified than they.
“Looking at and listening to the holy martyrs on the fire, the tormentor was more confused and terrified than they.”
Hymn of Praise
The glorious Autonomus did not shrink from suffering,
But for the sake of his service was not bound to one place;
Fleeing from the wrath of fierce persecutors,
He sowed the seed of the Holy Gospel,
Baptizing people in the name of Christ,
Working wonders with that holy Name.
And when his task was done and he pleased God,
And when his hour struck to enter eternity,
The fierce persecutors burst into the church
And slew the saint in the holy altar.
While the bloodless sacrifice the saint was offering,
The bloodless and the bloody — both were mingled!
Holy Autonomus, servant of God
— To God's servant, sufferings are fitting —
Save us from fear at the sight of torment,
And be a helper of our salvation.
That we may not fear to endure all for the Cross,
That we may take pride in dying for Christ.
Wondrous healer of every illness,
Guard us from the false delusion of demons,
That we may immerse our minds in the Most High God,
That we may be deemed worthy of life everlasting,
In which even now thou reignest as a king,
With the holy angels joyfully exulting.
“And when his task was done and he pleased God, And when his hour struck to enter eternity, The fierce persecutors burst into the church And slew the saint in the holy altar.”
Reflection
What should be the bond between a person and God? Unbroken and unceasing. "Cling to God as a son to a father," counsels Saint Anthony. And Saint Alonius said: "If a man does not place it in his heart that there is no one else in the world except him and God, he cannot find peace for his soul." One God alone is sufficient, and more than sufficient, for everything that the human heart can desire. Blessed Theodora accepted without a single word the stranger's child, thrust upon her by slanderers as her own. She raised that child with love and brought it up in the fear of God. And before her death she counseled that child thus: "What does a person need more than God and His divine love? He is our treasure, He is our wealth, He is our food and drink, He is our clothing and shelter, He is our health and strength, He is our joy and gladness, He is our hope and our trust. Strive to gain Him, my son. If you gain God alone, it is enough for you: you will rejoice in Him more than if you had acquired the whole world." In speaking thus, Saint Theodora was speaking neither from a book nor from another's story, but on the basis of her own experience. For seven years she had lived driven out and despised by all people, and during that time she had learned from experience that God was everything to her, and that God alone was sufficient for everything that the human heart desires.
“If you gain God alone, it is enough for you: you will rejoice in Him more than if you had acquired the whole world.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the division of Solomon's kingdom (I Kings 11-12), namely:
1. How because of the sin of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was divided;
2. How the king's servant Jeroboam became king over ten tribes, while the king's son Rehoboam ruled over two tribes;
3. How even today it happens that a father through his sins brings calamity upon his son, and a leader of a people upon the people.
“How even today it happens that a father through his sins brings calamity upon his son, and a leader of a people upon the people.”
Homily
on how the spirit must be nourished by Christ in order to live
Thus speaks the Lord Christ, the Life and the Source of Life. A tree eats the earth and air and light. If a tree does not eat the earth and air and light, will it grow and live? An infant at its mother's breast — what else does it eat but its mother? If it does not eat its mother, will it grow and live? So also our spirit will neither grow nor live if it does not eat Christ, the living and immortal One. What is spoken of here is not the common life by which nature lives, nor the stunted life by which pagans live, but the particular, divine, eternal life — a life full and joyous. That life is given to men only through Christ, and it comes only to those who are nourished by Christ. Every person is as great as the food by which he is nourished; and every person is as alive as the food by which he is nourished. It is not bodily food that is spoken of here, for bodily food does not nourish the soul of a person but only the body. People differ in bodily growth and life as well, but that difference is quite insignificant. The difference, however, in spiritual growth and life among people is enormous: while some people in the growth of their spirit barely rise above the earth, others ascend to the heavens. Is the difference between Herod and John the Baptist any less than the difference between an emperor and an angel? While the former drags himself along the earth in both body and spirit, and defends his earthly throne by crime, the latter stands in body upon a rock in the wilderness and in spirit ascends to the heavens among the angels.
O my brethren, let us lift our spirits to the heavens, where Christ the Lord sits upon the throne of eternal glory, and let us nourish and refresh our spirits and hearts with Him, the pure and all-powerful Life. Only thus shall we be deemed worthy to be His co-heirs in the Kingdom of Heaven.
O Lord Jesus, our true God, our sweet food and our loving Nourisher, do not cast us away from Thy divine breast, for we are weak and feeble. Nourish us with Thyself, O merciful Nourisher. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“He who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.”