Lives of the Saints
1. VENERABLE PATAPIIUS
Patapiius was born and raised in faith and fear of God in the city of Thebes in Egypt, of pious parents. Early he perceived and despised the vanity of this world and withdrew to the Egyptian desert, where he gave himself to the struggle of cleansing his heart from all worldly desires and thoughts for the sake of God's love. But when his virtue became renowned among people, people began to come to him and to seek from him consolation for their sorrows. Fearing human glory, which darkens the human mind and separates from God, Patapiius fled from that desert to Constantinople. For this wondrous saint thought that perhaps he could more easily hide from people among people in the city than in the desert. Near the church of Blachernae in Constantinople he built himself a hut, and there, secluded and unknown, he continued his interrupted ascetic struggle. But light cannot be hidden. A certain boy, blind from birth, led by God's Providence, came to Saint Patapiius and asked him for prayer to God, that he might see and behold God's creation, and thereby glorify God all the more. Patapiius took pity on the sufferer, prayed to God, and the boy received sight. This miracle revealed the God-pleaser to the entire capital, and people flocked to him for healing, comfort or instruction. One distinguished man Patapiius healed from dropsy by making the sign of the cross over him and anointing him with oil. One young man he freed from an unclean spirit which tormented him fiercely, freed him by making the sign of the cross with his hand in the air. And the evil spirit departed from God's creature like smoke, with a great cry. A certain woman who had a wound on her breast, filled with worms, he made the sign of the cross over and made whole. And many other miracles Saint Patapiius manifested, all by prayer, by the name of Christ, and by the sign of the cross. In deep old age he reposed and passed into the Kingdom of Heaven, in the seventh century.
2. HOLY APOSTLES SOSTHENES, APOLLOS, TYCHICUS, EPAPHRODITUS, ONESIPHORUS, CEPHAS AND CAESAR
They are all commemorated on January 4 with the other lesser apostles. Separately commemorated is Saint Apollos on September 10, Onesiphorus on September 7, Cephas and Caesar on March 30. Saint Sosthenes was bishop in Caesarea. Tychicus—his successor in the same place, Epaphroditus in Hadrianopolis of Pamphylia, Cephas in Iconium and Caesar in Corinth of the Peloponnese. All with burning love preached the Gospel of Christ and for His holy name endured sufferings and passed into the kingdom of eternal joy.
3. HOLY MARTYRS IN AFRICA
They suffered from the Arian heretics during the reign of the Vandal king Huneric or Genseric (477-484) for the truth of the Orthodox Faith. Two priests were burned, sixty had their tongues cut out, three hundred laymen were slain. All suffered, but by their death they conquered falsehood. They confirmed Orthodoxy and left it to us pure and bright. The Lord crowned them with the crown of glory in His immortal kingdom.
“Light cannot be hidden.”
Hymn of Praise
Patapiius, like a seafarer,
Who in the storm fixes his gaze
Where he will see the light of harbor
From this vain world,
Churned by winds of passion,
Darkened by fogs of vanity;
To the heavens he fixed his gaze—
Patapiius, like a seafarer.
The spirit is the eye for seeing heaven
And the wondrous world of heaven,
The spirit true in a pure heart.
Patapiius directed his spirit to God,
Washed his heart with tender tears,
And intently awaits the light,
The light of heaven, of tranquil harbor—
Patapiius, like a seafarer.
He who seeks also finds,
To him who knocks it is opened,
The merciful God loves the saints,
The thirsty seekers of God's Kingdom.
Patapiius's gaze He caught,
And heavenly light to him revealed,
Patapiius saw—and wept,
God's light with tears kindled
Until he sailed to tranquil harbor.
His trace remained a wondrous signpost
To travelers on the ocean of the world.
“The spirit is the eye for seeing heaven and the wondrous world of heaven, the spirit true in a pure heart.”
Reflection
Whoever completely surrenders himself to God, God guides to his salvation and to the benefit of many others. Saint Nicholas, surrendered to God's will, fled from the vain glory of men from his city of Patara and came to the city of Myra in Lycia, where neither did he know anyone, nor did anyone know him. Without any means—for though he was rich, he had left everything at home—without acquaintance and without plan he walked as a stranger through the city, expecting that God would direct his steps. At that time John, the archbishop of that city, died, and the assembled council for the election of a new archbishop could not agree on any of the candidates proposed. Finally the members of the council decided to fast and pray to God, that God might indicate someone who was most worthy of that calling. And God heard the prayer of His servants and revealed to them the most worthy one. When the presiding bishop was standing in prayer, a certain man in light appeared to him and told him to go early before the church and wait for him who would come first to morning prayer: Him appoint as archbishop; his name is Nicholas. Having seen this and heard, the bishop communicated everything to his fellows, and the next day early he went before the church and waited. At that moment Saint Nicholas appeared, who had the habit of rising early for prayer. Seeing him, the bishop asked him: *What is thy name, child? * Nicholas was silent. The bishop asked him again, and he answered: Nicholas is my name, master, servant of thy holiness. Then the bishop took him by the hand and led him to the council and said: Receive, brethren, your pastor, whom the Holy Spirit has anointed, and whom not a human council but God's Providence has chosen.
Contemplation
Contemplate the first brotherhood of people on earth, namely:
1. How the first brothers on earth were Cain and Abel;
2. How Abel was chaste and God-fearing, and Cain envious and self-willed;
3. How envious Cain slew chaste Abel.
Homily
on the curse of sinful deeds
Cursed is the ground in thy works (Gen. 3:17)
After the sin of Eve and Adam, God pronounced punishment. He did not pronounce punishment immediately but after a certain time, awaiting their repentance. This is shown by the conversation which God entered into with Adam after the sin. *Where art thou? * God asked Adam. And when Adam said that he hid because of his nakedness, God again asked him: *Who told thee that thou wast naked? * Then Adam instead of repenting began to accuse his wife. After that God pronounced punishment. Upon the serpent, which had served as an instrument for the devil, fell an unlimited curse. The woman was condemned to bear children in pain, and that her will should be under the authority of her husband. This is not a curse but punishment with hope. Man was condemned to toil over the earth. But what do the words mean: Cursed is the ground in thy works? Did God curse the earth as He cursed the serpent with unlimited curse? By no means. The earth is cursed only in man's sinful deeds. Because of man's sin the earth produces thorns, because of sin poor crops, because of sin droughts, floods, earthquakes, harmful insects, locusts, caterpillars and diseases. And that the earth is not cursed as earth, in its entirety, is clear from the fact that the earth also produces good fruits; that God has always at the prayer of the righteous blessed earthly fruits necessary for human life, and that even God's angels, as Abraham's guests, tasted of earthly produce (Gen. 18:1-8). For what is the earth guilty of, and what are all the other creatures of God on earth guilty of, except the serpent, for Adam's sin? Yet the whole creation groaneth and travaileth together until now (Rom. 8:22). It does not groan and travail because of a curse upon itself but because of man's sinful deeds, which are cursed. O my brethren, let us be ashamed of our sin, because of which even the innocent creation of God suffers.
O gracious God, forgive us our past sins and preserve us from future ones. O merciful God, have mercy on every innocent creature of Thine which suffers because of us, and ease its sufferings. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“The earth is cursed only in man's sinful deeds. Because of man's sin the earth produces thorns, because of sin poor crops, because of sin droughts, floods, earthquakes.”