January 24translatedThis page has been translated from Serbian to English. It may contain minor phrasing or syntactic issues.
The Lives of the Saints
1. VENERABLE XENIA
Xenia was born in Rome as the only daughter of a distinguished senator. Drawn by the love of Christ, she did not wish to enter into marriage, as her parents desired, but rather, to avoid this, fled from home secretly with her two maidservants, and came to the island of Kos, to the place of Milas, where she founded a virgin community, practicing asceticism there until her death. Although she was a weak woman, nevertheless she had manly endurance in fasting, prayer and vigil. Often she stood in prayer the whole night; she was dressed more poorly than all the sisters, and on the bread which she ate, she often sprinkled ashes from the censer. At the hour of her death (+ 450), a wondrous sign appeared over the virgin monastery: a wreath of stars with a cross in the center, brighter than the sun. From her relics many sick people received healing. Her maidservants followed in everything the example of their abbess, and when they died, they were buried, according to their wish, at the feet of blessed Xenia.
2. HOLY MARTYR BABYLAS
This holy martyr was a priest in Sicily. He suffered for Christ with his two disciples in the third century.
3. VENERABLE MACEDONIUS
He was a Syrian hermit. Only in old age did he eat baked bread, but before that he ate only barley grains softened in water. He ended his earthly life in the year 418.
4. VENERABLE PHILON, BISHOP OF CYPRUS
Philon was consecrated as bishop by Saint Epiphanius, when the latter was called to Rome to help by prayer the sister of Emperor Honorius. He interpreted the Pentateuch and the Song of Songs. He reposed peacefully in the fifth century.
5. VENERABLE DIONYSIUS OF OLYMPUS, WONDERWORKER
He practiced asceticism on Olympus. He was tonsured as a monk at the Holy Mountain, where he was abbot of the Philotheou monastery. Toward the end of his life he withdrew again into solitude on Olympus where he also reposed in the sixteenth century.
Hymn of Praise
Virgin Xenia, like Agnes, Or renowned Thecla or Anastasia, Would not bind herself to a perishable husband But found as bridegroom Christ the immortal. With all her soul she loved His beauty And mercy and tenderness and radiant purity, And abandoned the senator's house and wealth When the Sun of Righteousness shone in her soul. Soul! soul! soul! is the true bride But the body is poor like passing grass. So Xenia began to adorn the bride And wash and nourish her with much prayer, That the bride might be a heavenly likeness, Sweet, and worthy of the heavenly Bridegroom. The labor of holy Xenia pleased the Bridegroom, He gave her many wondrous gifts. When her pure soul ruled over the body, Calm as an emperor of a conquered city, The Lord crowned her with the crown of immortality, Led her into the chamber of eternal joy, There where angels sing a song to the Creator, There the Lord received His bride also.
Reflection
In our days one often hears from parents the words: we want to secure life for our child! Therefore they labor with excessive labor, accumulate wealth, often unjustly, educate their child for that profession which brings the most bodily security and material benefit. And so-called Christians do this! They do this because their concept both of true life and of true securing of life is mistaken. But behold how a true Christian woman prepares her son for true life: at death blessed Euphrosyne said to her son, Clement of Ancyra: "Do me honor, O my son, and stand manfully for Christ, and confess Him firmly and unshakably! I hope, O my heart, that soon the crown of martyrdom will blossom on you, both for my honor and for the salvation of many... Do not fear threats, nor the sword, nor wounds, nor fire. Let nothing separate you from Christ, but look toward heaven, and from there expect a great and eternal and rich reward from God. Fear God's majesty, dread His Judgment, tremble before His all-seeing eye, for those who deny Him will receive unquenchable fire and the undying worm. Let this be my reward from you, my sweet son, for my birth pangs and labors for your upbringing—that I may be called the mother of a martyr... The blood received from me, do not spare but shed, that from this I too may receive honor. Submit your body to torments, that from this I too may rejoice before our Lord, as if I myself had suffered for Him."
Contemplation
Contemplate the Lord Jesus as teacher, namely: 1. As a teacher who teaches how man ought to think, in order to be saved; 2. As a teacher who teaches how man ought to speak, in order to be saved; 3. As a teacher who teaches how man ought to act, in order to be saved.
Homily
on the most clear-sighted Prophet
Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? (Matthew 9:4)
When the Lord chose to direct a rebuke to the Pharisees and scribes, they had not in that hour killed anyone, nor deceived anyone, nor plundered anyone. And not only that, but in that hour they had not even insulted anyone with words. Why then did the Lord rebuke them, when they had not committed any sin, either by deed or by word? Because they thought evil.
Even an evil thought is a sin. This is a great novelty which Christ brought into the world. Indeed, an evil thought is the original sin of every sin, for before a man says something or does something sinful, he thinks sinfully. Thought is the causal sin, the other sins are only consequent sins. Whoever wishes to destroy these latter must uproot those former. Whoever wishes to stop the streams of water must first dry up the springs. Let no one, therefore, justify himself: I am not sinful, for I have not killed anyone, nor robbed anyone, nor defiled anyone, nor lied. Behold, we are full of murderous, thievish, defiling, and deceitful thoughts! If we have not committed sin by deed, it is only a matter of God's mercy and external circumstances. If God had permitted and if circumstances had been favorable, we would have committed all those sins which we also thought. A snake is poisonous not only when it bites but also when it does not bite, for it carries poison within itself.
Not only, therefore, is thought a sin, but it is the source of sin, the beginning of sin, the seed and root of sin. That is why the Lord, all-seeing and all-knowing, rebuked those who thought evil. Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
O Lord, all-seeing and all-knowing, help us to cleanse our heart and our mind from evil thoughts, that thus our words and our deeds also may be pure. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.