Lives of the Saints
1. SAINT AMBROSE, BISHOP OF MILAN
This great holy father of the Orthodox Church was of distinguished lineage; his father was the imperial governor of Gaul and Spain, but in faith an unbeliever, and his mother a Christian. While he was still in the cradle, once a swarm of bees descended upon him, poured honey into his mouth and flew away. And even as a child he would stretch out his hand and say prophetically: Kiss it, for I too shall be a bishop. After the death of his father, the emperor appointed him as his governor of the Ligurian region, in which Milan was the chief city. When the bishop of that city died, there was great dispute between the Orthodox and the Arian heretics concerning the election of a new bishop. Ambrose by duty entered the church to maintain order. At that moment a certain child at its mother's breast cried out: *Ambrose—bishop! * This the whole people received as the voice of God and, contrary to Ambrose's will, they unanimously chose him as bishop. Ambrose was baptized and within a week passed through all the preceding orders and was ordained bishop. As bishop, Ambrose strengthened the Orthodox Faith, suppressed the heretics, adorned the churches, spread the Faith among unbelievers, wrote many instructive books, and served as an example of a true Christian and Christian pastor. He also composed the well-known thanksgiving hymn: We Praise Thee, O God. This glorious hierarch, whose wisdom and eloquence drew people from distant lands to visit him, was very temperate, industrious and vigilant. He slept little, worked and prayed to God unceasingly, fasted every day except Saturday and Sunday. Therefore God granted him both to see many of God's wonders and to work them himself. He uncovered the relics of the holy martyrs Protasius, Gervasius, Nazarius and Celsus (see October 14). Meek toward humble people, he was fearless before the great. He denounced Empress Justina as a heretic, cursed Maximus the tyrant and murderer, forbade Emperor Theodosius access to the temple until he repented of his sin, and refused to meet with Eugenius the usurper and self-proclaimed emperor. To this God-pleasing man God granted such grace that he even raised the dead, cast demons out of people, healed the sick from every disease, and saw into the future. He reposed peacefully at the dawn of Pascha in the year 397.
2. VENERABLE GREGORY THE SILENT
Gregory was by origin a Serb. Founder of the Holy Mountain monastery of Saint Nicholas, known because of him by the name Grigoriou. A quarter hour from the monastery is located his cell, where in silence he struggled and prayed. This man of God reposed peacefully in the year 1406. In the year 1761 there was a great fire in the monastery, during which some monks took his relics and transferred them to Serbia.
3. VENERABLE NILUS OF STOLOBNY
Nilus was a farmer, by origin from Novgorod. Having withdrawn to the desert, he fed himself on plants and husks. By a voice from on high he moved to the island of Stolobnoye. Once robbers entered his cell for plunder, and went blind on the spot. He dug himself a grave near his cell, and every day wept over it. He reposed and departed to Christ's Kingdom in the year 1554. His wonder-working relics rest there where he also fasted.
Hymn of Praise
Ambrose, late converted,
Ambrose, quickly consecrated,
Pillar of truth, light of piety,
Christ's warrior, persecutor of impiety,
To God's Church divinely ministered,
The Church to her pastor gave honor,
Glorified him with hymn and love
(And angels were at that celebration),
Glorified him as her father,
As pastor and as wonderworker,
And wise man, equal to Solomon,
Who acknowledged the whole universe,
Invisible as well as visible,
To give praise to the Living God.
Thee, O God, we also glorify
And to Thy power we bow,
To Thy power and to Thy mercy,
To eternal justice, to wondrous wisdom,
Through Thy wondrous saint Ambrose.
O how merciful art Thou, O God,
O how wondrous art Thou in Thy saints!
Reflection
God returns a hundredfold the loan which is lent to Him through the poor. There was once a Christian woman married to an unbelieving husband. They lived in love and poverty. When with difficulty they had saved 50 silver coins, the husband said to his wife that they should give that money to someone as a loan with interest, for otherwise, coin by coin, they would eat what was saved and again be left with nothing. The wife answered him: If thou wilt give as a loan, lend to the Christian God. *And where is the Christian God? * asked the husband. The wife led him before the church and told him to distribute all the money to the beggars before the church, saying to her husband: The Christian God will receive it from them, for all these are His. Having distributed all 50 silver coins to the poor, they returned home. But after a certain time they were left without bread in the house. Then the wife said to her husband to go to the church and he would receive money from God, to whom he had given. The husband went and saw by the church only beggars, and in perplexity as to who would give him money, he walked around the church. Suddenly he looked before him and saw one silver coin. He took it, bought with it one fish and brought it home. The husband complained to his wife how he saw no one and how no one gave him anything, but by chance found only one silver coin. The wife answered him: God is invisible and by invisible means arranges all things. When the wife cut open the fish, she found in it a certain bright stone. She gave it to her husband, and the husband took it to a merchant to see if he could get anything for that stone. The merchant offered him 5 silver coins, and the husband laughed thinking the merchant was joking, offering such a large price. But the merchant thought that the man was laughing because of the small price he offered, so he offered 10, then 15, then 30, then 50 silver coins. That man realized that it was some precious stone, and began to hold back. The merchant raised the price higher and higher until it reached 300 silver coins. Then the man received 300 silver coins and joyfully went home. *Seest thou how good is the Christian God? * the wife said to him. The amazed husband immediately was baptized, and together with his wife glorified God.
“If thou wilt give as a loan, lend to the Christian God.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the sinful fall of Adam and Eve, namely:
1. How God expelled Adam and Eve from Paradise;
2. How He placed the cherubim with flaming sword at the gates of Paradise;
3. How Paradise remained closed to people until the coming of Christ the Lord to earth.
Homily
on how very good was all that God created
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good (Gen. 1:31)
When, brethren, the parts of a structure are good, then the structure as a whole is very good. Good is each brick by itself, and every stone, and mortar, and lime, and beams, and pillars, but the sight of the whole structure brings man to rapture. Often some detail in the structure seems to him incomprehensible and awkward, but he commits that to oblivion the moment he casts a glance at the whole. And indeed there are in this world many details, both in objects and in events, which are to us both incomprehensible and unpleasant. Only when a higher whole is revealed to us, do we comprehend and become calm. Many sufferings and deprivations in our life we consider positively ugly and senseless when they befall us. But when days and years pass, in our memory those sufferings and deprivations shine like precious stones, which illuminate the later path of our life. Therefore, if something in God's nature offends thee, look at the whole; if something in life embitters thee, wait patiently for new days and years, with faith and hope. And if this whole life seems to thee painful and sorrowful, lift up thy spiritual eyes to the other world, and thou wilt be peaceful and joyful. For even this whole visible world is still not the perfect whole—there exists that world as well. For it is said: God created the heaven and the earth. And a painter directs the viewer to look at the painting from afar, that he might see it in all its beauty.
O Lord, O immortal Artist, how very good is all that Thou hast created! To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“If something in life embitters thee, wait patiently for new days and years, with faith and hope.”