December 31translatedThis page has been translated from Serbian to English. It may contain minor phrasing or syntactic issues.
Lives of the Saints
1. VENERABLE MELANIA THE ROMAN
Melania was born in Rome of pious and very wealthy parents. Compelled by her parents Melania entered into marriage with a certain distinguished young man Apinianus. Having borne her second child Melania became gravely ill, and said to her husband that Melania would recover only if Apinianus would swear before God that he would henceforth live with Melania as brother with sister. Her husband swore, and Melania from spiritual joy also recovered physically. Since it pleased God to take both their children, they decided to sell all their estates and distribute them to the poor, to churches and monasteries. They traveled through many lands and cities everywhere doing good works with their wealth. They visited renowned spiritual fathers in upper and lower Egypt, and from them learned much and were inspired. During all this time Melania practiced asceticism in strict fasting, heartfelt prayer and reading of Holy Scripture. Melania had the custom of reading through the entire Holy Scripture, the Old and New Testament, three times every year. With her husband Melania lived as with her brother and fellow ascetic. Coming to Alexandria, Melania received the blessing of Saint Cyril the Patriarch. Then they went to Jerusalem and settled on the Mount of Olives. There Melania shut herself in and gave herself entirely to contemplation of God, fasting and prayer. And she lived thus for fourteen years. Then Melania went out to serve others toward salvation. Melania founded a men's and women's monastery. At the invitation of her kinsman Senator Volusianus, a pagan, Melania went to Constantinople and converted him to the Christian faith (which even blessed Augustine could not do). Then Melania again returned to the Mount of Olives, where she presented herself to God in the year 439 in the fifty-seventh year of her life.
2. HOLY RIGHTEOUS JOSEPH, KING DAVID AND JAMES THE BROTHER OF THE LORD
They are celebrated on the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ. About King David, the son of Jesse, all can be learned from the books of Kingdoms. (About Saint James see October 23). The Gospel calls righteous Joseph "a just man" (Matt. 1:19). Therefore the Most Holy Virgin was given to him by God for protection and Joseph was accorded great honor in the economy of human salvation. Although Joseph was of the royal line of David, nevertheless Joseph was a humble carpenter in Nazareth. In his eightieth year Joseph took the Most Holy Virgin from the temple in Jerusalem into his home, and in his one hundred tenth year Joseph reposed.
3. VENERABLE MARTYR ZOTICUS THE ORPHAN-KEEPER (FEEDER OF THE POOR)
Zoticus was renowned by birth and by rank. Zoticus moved to Constantinople, cast off all worldly things from himself, and received holy orders. Zoticus founded a home for the poor, and in it sheltered lepers and served them. Zoticus was a personal acquaintance of Emperor Constantine the Great. For the gold taken from the emperor and spent on lepers, Constantius the son of Constantine seized Zoticus, bound Zoticus to a wild mule which was driven until Saint Zoticus died from his wounds. Zoticus suffered in the fourth century.
4. BLESSED THEOPHYLACT, ARCHBISHOP OF OHRID
Theophylact was born on the island of Euboea and raised in Constantinople under the most distinguished teachers of that time. As a cleric of the Great Church Theophylact was chosen as bishop and sent, against his will, to Ohrid, where Theophylact spent about twenty-five years (approximately from 1082-1108). Chomatianos of Ohrid calls Theophylact "the wisest archbishop." A man of enormous learning, worldly and theological, of refined Byzantine taste, melancholic and sensitive, Theophylact felt among the Slavs in Ohrid as an exile among barbarians. Theophylact wrote Commentaries on all four Gospels and other books of the New Testament. This is the best work of that kind after Saint Chrysostom, which is read even to this day with great benefit. Of his other works the following are known: Letters, and the Life of Saint Clement of Ohrid. In old age Saint Theophylact withdrew from Ohrid to Thessalonica where, it is thought, Theophylact ended his earthly life and passed into blessed eternity.
Hymn of Praise
Melania the wealthy had gold, For Christ and salvation distributed it to the poor. Gold is worth much to one who with it wisely trades, And the Heavenly Kingdom with it skillfully purchases. Melania the prayerful remained poor, Nothing in the world had except the Living God. Even without gold—with the Living God she became wealthy: Melania spoke: God alone is enough! Melania the healer healed torments, Until her last breath praised God.
Reflection
How holy men and holy women knew how to handle wealth wisely! How skillfully they purchased eternal heavenly riches with earthly goods! Oh how little, how very little they valued earthly riches in themselves! Like dust and smoke! When Saint Melania visited the holy desert fathers in Egypt with the intention of giving them some monetary help, she was astonished seeing their extreme contempt for possessions and wealth. Thus she visited a certain hermit Ephestion, and saw in his hut nothing except a rush mat, a vessel for water, a little dry bread and one salt cellar. Knowing in advance that the elder would not want to receive gold from her, she seized an opportunity and slipped several gold coins into the salt in the salt cellar. But when she was on the return journey she heard the elder running after her and shouting at the top of his voice for her to stop. She stopped. The elder held the gold coins in his palm and held them out to Melania saying: "I have no need of this, take back what is yours!" Melania said to him: "If you have no need, give it to another." "In this place," he answered, "no one needs it for anything." When Melania would not take the gold, the elder waved his hand and threw the gold coins into the river, and returned to his cell. In the time of plague in Constantinople the emperor commanded that every leper immediately be thrown into the sea. Saint Zoticus would buy up lepers and bring them to his home, and there care for them. When he ran out of money, Zoticus went to the emperor and asked for money to buy precious pearls for the emperor. The emperor gave it to him, and with that money Zoticus continued to buy up leprous people and care for them. One day the emperor asked Zoticus for the promised pearls, and Zoticus led the emperor and showed him the leprous people in his home and said: "These, O emperor, are living pearls which I have acquired with labor and money for your salvation." The enraged emperor condemned Zoticus to death. But Zoticus passed into eternal life, and the emperor remained to suffer and repent his sin.
Contemplation
Contemplate the assembly (image) of penitents male and female, namely:
1. How without knowledge or with knowledge they sinned against the law of Christ; 2. How they repented, corrected their lives, and fulfilled the law of Christ; 3. How they now rejoice in the Kingdom of Christ and help us with their prayers.
Homily
on the victory of the Lamb
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them (Revelation 17:14)
Let us rejoice, brethren, and be glad in the victory of the Lamb over all the beasts. Lions and tigers and wolves and foxes and hyenas and serpents the Lamb shall conquer! Who has heard and seen this? Our ears have heard it, and our eyes have seen it. The Lamb is Christ the Lord, and the beasts are all His adversaries, visible and invisible. Even in our time the Lamb gains victories, and in the future, until the last day, the Lamb will conquer. The Lamb has conquered and conquers and will conquer all earthly emperors and lords with beastly characters, and their armies and mercenaries, and their glorifiers and followers. Such power has the meek Lamb of God. O my poor brethren, do not fear, do not be frightened, do not doubt: the greatest Victor is your leader, your helper, your friend. He is called the Lamb that He might teach us to be as lambs: quiet, meek, guileless, patient, ready for victorious sacrifice and devoted to the will of our Shepherd. When God is with the lamb, the lamb is stronger than the wolf, mightier than the lion, craftier than the serpent and fox. But justice cannot be known nor final victory seen until both worlds are taken into account. O my brethren, when we take both worlds into account, we know eternal justice and immortal victory. The Lamb conquers, and only—the Lamb.
O Jesus Lord, King over kings, Victor in all conflicts and battles, Lamb of God, meek and merciful, make us also victorious lambs. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.