Lives of the Saints
1. SAINT EUMENIUS, BISHOP OF GORTYNA, ON CRETE
From his youth he wholeheartedly followed Christ, having freed himself from two heavy burdens: the burden of wealth and the burden of the flesh. He freed himself from the first burden by distributing all his possessions to the destitute and the poor, and from the second by great fasting. And thus he first healed himself, and then began to give healing to others. Dispassionate and filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, Eumenius shone with a light that could not be hidden. For as it is written, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid (Matthew 5:14), so neither could holy Eumenius be hidden from the world. People saw him and chose him as bishop of Gortyna. As bishop he governed the flock of Christ as a good shepherd. "He was a father to orphans, wealth to the poor, comfort to the sorrowful, a healer of the sick, and a wondrous wonderworker." By prayer he worked many miracles: he slew a venomous serpent, cast out demons, and healed many of the sick; and that not only in his own place but also in Rome and in the Thebaid. In the Thebaid he obtained rain from God by prayer in a time of drought; and there at last he ended his earthly life and passed into the eternal dwellings of his Lord. He lived and labored in the seventh century.
2. HOLY MARTYR ARIADNE
In the city of Promissus in Phrygia, during the time of Emperor Hadrian, there was a certain nobleman Tertullus, a pagan. The virgin Ariadne was his slave and a Christian. On the day of the birth of his son, Tertullus arranged a great sacrifice to the idols, to which the pious Ariadne did not go but remained at home praying to the true God. Her master became angry with her for this and began to compel her to renounce Christ and bow down before the idols. But when Ariadne refused to do so, he tortured her with beatings and other cruel torments, then cast her into prison. Then he released her from prison and drove her from his house; but he soon repented of having released her and sent servants to seize her and bring her back. Ariadne had already gone some distance from the city. When she saw her pursuers, she prayed to God by a great rock, and the rock opened and hid Ariadne. The servants were confounded by this, quarreled among themselves and began fighting, and perished by one another's hand.
3. HOLY MARTYR BIDZIN, PRINCE OF GEORGIA
He suffered for the Christian faith at the hands of Shah Abbas II, together with his kinsmen Elisbar and Shalva, in the year 1661.
“He was a father to orphans, wealth to the poor, comfort to the sorrowful, a healer of the sick, and a wondrous wonderworker.”
Hymn of Praise
Ariadne, a maiden most worthy,
Honorably served her master,
But God more than man.
A slave in body but not in soul,
She would not enslave her soul,
She would not bow down to idols:
She bowed before God the Creator,
She bowed before Christ the Savior.
She would not bow down to idols.
She endured torments for her Lord,
She endured torments with great joy,
With joy and with thanksgiving.
God the merciful, with His all-seeing eye,
Saw the torments of holy Ariadne,
And commanded the lifeless stone
To hide the tortured maiden.
As once He hid Thecla and John.
O Ariadne, most blessed maiden,
Help us by thy prayers
Before the throne of the merciful God.
And in the company of the holy Theotokos —
Help us by thy prayers.
“God the merciful, with His all-seeing eye, saw the torments of holy Ariadne, and commanded the lifeless stone to hide the tortured maiden.”
Reflection
Whatsoever ye have done unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me (Matthew 25:40), said the Lord. Similar things occur in almsgiving as in Holy Communion. In Communion, under the appearance of bread and wine, we receive into ourselves the very living Lord Christ; in giving alms, giving to a poor man, we give to the very living Lord Christ. A certain man in Constantinople was uncommonly merciful. Walking through the city streets, he would press his gift into the hands of the poor and immediately walk on, so as not to hear their gratitude and not to be recognized. When a friend of his asked him how he became so merciful, he answered: "Once in church I heard a priest teaching that whoever gives to the poor gives into the very hands of Christ. I did not believe it then, for I thought: how can that be, when Christ is in the heavens? But once, going to my home, I saw a beggar standing and asking for alms, and above his head the countenance of Christ shone. At that moment someone passed by and gave the beggar bread; and I saw how the Lord stretched forth His hand, received the bread, and blessed the giver. From that time I always see that countenance above the heads of beggars, and therefore with great awe I give alms as much as I can."
“Similar things occur in almsgiving as in Holy Communion. In Communion, under the appearance of bread and wine, we receive into ourselves the very living Lord Christ; in giving alms, giving to a poor man, we give to the very living Lord Christ.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the righteousness of King Asa and the reward of God (I Kings 15), namely:
1. How Asa did what was right before the Lord and cleansed the land of idols;
2. How God granted him victory over the Ethiopians and blessed him and his people with every good thing.
Homily
on the Lord risen and living, Who is the Resurrection and the Life
These holy words were spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not merely say them, but proved them by deed. Having raised the daughter of Jairus, and the son of the widow of Nain, and His friend Lazarus, He proved that He is the Resurrection and the Life, the Resurrector and the Life-giver. But by His own resurrection from the dead He proved it best of all. For to be alive and to help one who has died — of that at least one can speak; but to be dead, and buried, and to lie three days in the grave, and to help oneself, to bring oneself to life — of that it was not even possible to speak before Christ's resurrection. That is the miracle of miracles, and the proof of power above all power. That miracle was wrought by our Lord. That power was shown by our Lord. True, therefore, are His words: I am the Resurrection and the Life — true, and holy, and comforting for all of us who go toward inevitable bodily death and who hope to live beyond the grave and to see our living Lord in glory. But our Lord is not only the Resurrector of the body; He is the Resurrector of the soul as well. During His life on earth He resurrected only a few human bodies, but countless souls. By this He showed that the resurrection of the soul is far more important than the resurrection of the body. Nearly all human souls were dead when He descended into the world, and He resurrected innumerable souls by His power and gave them to drink of His life. Both Jews and pagans were dead in soul, and He gave life to both. Let us also, brethren, leave aside our concern for the resurrection of our bodies, and let us labor, while we still have time, toward the resurrection of our souls. For if our souls do not rise and come to life in Christ here on earth, let us not expect any joy from the resurrection of our dead bodies on the Day of Judgment, the Day of Wrath. For then the bodies of dead souls will rise not to life but to eternal torment.
O Lord Jesus, our Resurrection and our only Life, help us by Thy power and Thy mercy, that we may rise and come to life in Thee, unto salvation and life eternal. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“He is not only the Resurrector of the body; He is the Resurrector of the soul as well.”