Lives of the Saints
1. HOLY MARTYR JAMES THE PERSIAN
James was born in the Persian city of Klapi, or Vilatus, of Christian parents, raised in the Christian Faith and married to a Christian woman. The Persian Emperor Yezdigerd loved James for his talent and cleverness, and made him a true nobleman at his court. Flattered by the emperor, James was deceived and offered sacrifice to idols, to which the emperor also bowed. Hearing of this, his mother and wife wrote him a reproachful letter in which they lamented him as an apostate and a spiritual corpse, yet begging him at the end of the letter to repent and return to Christ. Moved by this letter, James bitterly repented and before the emperor boldly confessed his faith in Christ the Lord. The angry emperor condemned him to death, but with this provision, that his body be cut off piece by piece until he expired. The executioners literally fulfilled this command of their impious emperor, and first cut off James's fingers on his hands, then his fingers on his feet, then his legs, then his hands, then his shoulders, and finally his head. At each cutting the penitent martyr gave thanks to God. From his wounds came a fragrant smell like cypress. Thus this wondrous man atoned for his sin and presented his soul to Christ his God in the Heavenly Kingdom. He suffered around the year 400. His head is found in Rome, and part of his relics in Portugal, where he is celebrated on May 22.
2. SEVENTEEN INDIAN VENERABLE MARTYRS
These were Christian monks who suffered under the Indian King Abenner. Enraged at the elder Barlaam for baptizing his son Joasaph, King Abenner sent pursuers after Barlaam. The pursuers did not capture Barlaam, but they captured seventeen other monks and brought them before the king. The king condemned them to death, and after first piercing out their eyes, cutting out their tongues, breaking their legs and hands, they beheaded them with the sword. But by the blood of these knights of Christ, the Christian Faith was strengthened all the more in the Indian kingdom.
3. VENERABLE ROMAN THE WONDERWORKER
Roman struggled in the vicinity of Antioch. In his cell he never lit a fire or burned a candle. He reposed peacefully. A wonderworker during his life and after his death. He helps barren women when they pray to him.
4. VENERABLE PHNUPHRIUS
Phnuphrius was a contemporary of Saint Cassian (February 29) and a great Egyptian ascetic. He lived in the fourth century and struggled in various places, always fleeing from human praise. He had many disciples who strove to imitate the elevated example of their teacher.
5. VENERABLE NATHANAEL
Nathanael was a Nitrian monk. Day and night he prayed to God and was enlightened by contemplating divine things. He did not leave his cell, not even the threshold, for a full thirty-eight years. He reposed in the Lord in the second half of the sixth century.
“From his wounds came a fragrant smell like cypress.”
Hymn of Praise
The Creator loses not penitent souls,
True penitents He loves most of all.
James renounced Christ the Living God,
For the sake of a godless emperor, his flatterer.
His mother rebuked him, his wife rebuked him
"All earthly goods are passing like foam."
James repented, he repented bitterly
And declared publicly what he had kept silent
"I was a Christian, I am a Christian again,
Your idols are foolish and powerless!"
This James declared when he stood before the emperor,
This he declared publicly, and in that he remained.
All the emperor's gifts were stripped from him,
They dressed wondrous James in torments,
James turned crimson from wounds and blood,
People rushed like eagles upon carrion!
They crushed the body of Christ's warrior,
They cut holy James into pieces.
Now James in Paradise prays before God,
That every Christian may overcome temptations.
Reflection
When the executioner cut off Saint James's right thumb, he said: so also the vine is pruned, that in time a shoot may grow upon it. At the cutting off of the second finger he said: receive, O Lord, also the second branch from Thy vineyard. At the cutting off of the third finger he said: I bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. At the cutting off of the fourth finger he said: Thou who receivest praise from the four living creatures, receive the suffering of the fourth finger. At the cutting off of the fifth finger he said: may my joy be fulfilled as at the wedding of the five wise virgins. At the cutting off of the sixth finger he said: glory to Thee, O Lord, who at the sixth hour didst spread out on the Cross Thy most pure hands, that Thou hast counted me worthy to offer Thee my sixth finger. At the cutting off of the seventh finger he said: like David who glorified Thee seven times a day, so I too today glorify Thee through seven fingers cut off for Thy sake. At the cutting off of the eighth finger he said: Thou Thyself, O Lord, wast circumcised on the eighth day. At the cutting off of the ninth finger he said: at the ninth hour Thou didst give up Thy spirit into the hands of Thy Father, my Christ, and I offer Thee praise at the suffering of the ninth finger. At the cutting off of the tenth finger he said: on a ten-stringed harp I sing to Thee, O God, and give thanks to Thee, that Thou hast counted me worthy to endure the cutting off of my ten fingers on my two hands for the Ten Commandments written on two tablets. – O wondrous faith and love! O valiant souls in the knights of Christ!
“So also the vine is pruned, that in time a shoot may grow upon it.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the wondrous Paradise of God, namely:
1. How beautiful Paradise was outwardly and inwardly;
2. How all living things in Paradise unconditionally obeyed man, and man obeyed God;
3. How beautiful the first man and woman were in Paradise, conscious of God's presence and God's dominion.
Homily
on the perfect man
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13)
Unity of faith, brethren, and knowledge of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ the Savior, unites two people into one person, a thousand people into one person, and many millions of people into one person. Unity of faith in Christ the Lord, and right Orthodox knowledge of Christ the Lord, unites people more strongly than blood, more strongly than language, more strongly than all external circumstances and material bonds. When many souls think one and the same thing, will one and the same thing, and desire one and the same thing, then those many souls are as one soul, one great and mighty soul. Bodily differences in this matter mean little and are taken little into account. Thus uniform souls are built into a perfect man, in the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. In a perfect whole, the parts also are perfect. Every Christian soul is a part of the perfect man. Christ is the perfect man, whose mystical body is the Church. He fills with Himself every believer in Him according to the measure of each one's stature. He is fullness above fullnesses, a living fountain that flows and fills every worthy emptiness. That is, insofar as a man empties himself of everything that is not Christ, to that extent Christ enters into him and fills him.
O my brethren, depth of humility is needed alongside strong faith, that the Living Water might pour into us. In nature too we see that water more easily saturates low ground. The lower our humble humiliation before the Lord Jesus, the more willingly He descends into us, saturates us with His life-giving power, and fills us as His vessel with His immortal fullness.
O Lord Jesus, fullness of life, wisdom, beauty, and sweetness, help us to humble ourselves before Thy divine majesty, that we may be counted worthy of Thy visitation. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“Insofar as a man empties himself of everything that is not Christ, to that extent Christ enters into him and fills him.”