February 6translatedThis page has been translated from Serbian to English. It may contain minor phrasing or syntactic issues.
The Lives of the Saints
1. SAINT BUCOLUS, BISHOP OF SMYRNA
Bucolus was a disciple of Saint John the Theologian, who consecrated him as bishop of the city of Smyrna. In Smyrna at that time there were few baptized. In the darkness of paganism Saint Bucolus shone like a bright candle. He was distinguished by all virtues, and especially by meekness and gentleness. Before his death Bucolus consecrated the glorious Polycarp as his successor in the episcopate, and he peacefully perished and went to the Lord.
2. HOLY MARTYR FAUSTA
She suffered for Christ in the time of Emperor Maximian (between 305-311). By her heroism she amazed and converted to Christianity her torturers: the eighty-year-old priest Evilasius and Maximus the eparch. When the judge threatened Fausta with even more terrible torments, she told him to make an icon of her with a depiction of all those torments with which he threatened her. When the icon was finished and shown to her, Saint Fausta said: "Just as this icon feels no torments, so neither does my body feel torments from your punishments, for my soul is established in the Lord." The judge cast her into a cauldron of boiling water where this holy thirteen-year-old girl perished with prayer on her lips, and her soul went to Paradise.
3. HOLY MARTYR DOROTHEA
Dorothea was a distinguished and beautiful virgin from Caesarea of Cappadocia. The governor of the region, Sapricius, gave Dorothea to two pagan sisters, Christina and Callista, so that they might turn her away from Christ. But the opposite happened; Dorothea succeeded in converting both sisters to the Christian faith. Enraged, Sapricius ordered that the two sisters be bound back to back and cast into a vat of pitch, and then set on fire. Then Dorothea too was condemned to death. She joyfully heard the sentence, and cried out: "I thank Thee, soul-loving Christ, that Thou callest me into Thy Paradise, and leadest me into Thy most holy courts!" A certain nobleman present, Theophilus, laughed at these words and called out to Dorothea: "Listen, bride of Christ, send me apples and flowers of roses from the Paradise of thy bridegroom!" "Truly I will do this!" the martyr answered him. When Dorothea was at the place of execution, suddenly there appeared a beautiful boy with three marvelous apples and three red rose flowers. This was an angel of God. And the time was winter. Dorothea told the angel to take this to Theophilus and to tell him: "Here is what you desired!" When Theophilus received the message and saw the gift, he was completely terrified. Everything in him was turned around, and he, a hardened pagan, became a Christian. And he too was tortured and killed for Christ, and his soul went to the Paradise of the Lord Jesus soon after Saint Dorothea.
4. SAINT PHOTIUS, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE
Photius was a great luminary of the Church. An imperial relative and grandson of the glorious Patriarch Tarasius. An irresistible defender of the Church from papal ambition and other Roman perversions of the faith. In six days he passed through all ranks from layman to patriarch. He became patriarch on Christmas 857, and perished in the Lord in the year 891.
5. VENERABLE BARSANUPHIUS AND JOHN
Barsanuphius was a great ascetics from Gaza, clairvoyants and wonderworkers. They left a notable book of Answers to many questions about the spiritual life. They lived in the sixth century.
6. HOLY MARTYRS MARTHA AND MARY AND THEIR BROTHER LYCARION
All three were crucified on a cross for Christ, and then pierced and killed with a spear.
Hymn of Praise
Saint Martha and Mary, sisters born, Lycarion their little brother, of small strength; Mother old, soul sweet, teaches them good: "Love Christ. He, children, suffered for us." From there comes the commander, terrible, violent. He kills the Christians—a hotheaded man. The sisters opened the door of their house, Of the hotheaded commander they fear nothing. "We are Christians hear, imperial commander, We are not like you whom the devil sold to the devil." The hotheaded commander raised them on a cross, Then little Lycarion approached nearer: "I too, I too am a Christian, crucify me also.." On the cross the torments are severe; the mother is horrified, And gives kisses to the children, from foot to foot, That hang bloodied down the cross, with broken legs, But the daughters comfort her from the cross with tortured voice: "Do not break with grief for us, dear mama. You taught us love toward Christ, Torments brief, Sweetness sweet will be in Paradise, We will await you, mama, in Paradise's radiance. Lycarion your glorious son and both daughters— O rejoice in such fruit of your womb!" The mother's face shone like a pillar of flame. "Blessed are you dear children, o blessed am I!"
Reflection
Saint Barsanuphius, who for fifty years lived enclosed in a cell, and did not allow himself to be seen by any living person, had attained through meditation on God and prayer unusual purity and clairvoyance. Here are a few of his thoughts from the book of answers: "Every thought which is not preceded by the silence of humility does not proceed from God. Everything that is from the devil happens with confusion and tumult." - "When you pray and God delays to hear you, He does this for your benefit, to teach you patience." - "Visible robbers are servants of invisible, mental robbers." - "The Lord Jesus Christ endured all, and finally ascended the holy cross, which signifies the mortification of the body and passions, and holy and perfect repose." - "The Lord wants you to honor every person more than yourself."
When they asked the elder whether to hire and pay a representative in a certain dispute of the monastery with some people, he answered: "If you buy the representation of men, then God will not represent you."
Contemplation
Contemplate the Lord Jesus as a worker, namely: 1. As a physical worker through a long series of years; 2. As a spiritual worker who constantly taught people, comforted, healed, giving a new law to the world; 3. As an untiring worker who left the commandment: work while you have the light.
Homily
on the mutual knowledge of the Father and the Son
I know him; for I am from him, and he hath sent me (John 7:29)
No one has ever dared to say that he knows God. Many have said only that they believe in God. The Lord Jesus alone uttered the word: I know Him. And immediately He explained whence He knows Him, saying: for I am from him, and he hath sent me. The first reason, for I am from him, testifies to the eternal being of the Son; and the second reason, and he hath sent me, testifies to the temporal appearance of the Son in the bodily world as an emissary of the Holy Trinity.
To us Christians it is not given to know the Father as His only-begotten Son knows Him, but it is given and commanded to us to believe. Our merit is in believing and not in knowing. If we all knew God through seeing, no one would have merit. For what merit is there in seeing and knowing? However, not seeing but believing—in this is merit, in this is virtue, in this is our salvation. We are not worthy to see God and know Him by seeing, for we are weakened by sin and distant from God. But God's mercy has given us faith in this life, which can bring us near to God and lead us into the kingdom of eternal seeing and knowing in that life. - O my brethren, let us believe Christ the Lord, for He knows. He does not speak by faith but by knowledge.
Merciful Lord, establish faith in us. Extend to us Thy shelter, that we may hold to it until the end of life. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.