February 10translatedThis page has been translated from Serbian to English. It may contain minor phrasing or syntactic issues.
The Lives of the Saints
1. PRIEST-MARTYR HARALAMPIUS
This great saint was bishop in Magnesia and suffered for Christ in his one hundred and thirteenth year. When terrible persecution of Christians arose in the time of Emperor Septimius Severus, the elder Haralampius did not hide from the persecutors, but freely and publicly preached the Christian faith. He endured all torments as if in another's body. And when they flayed the living skin from him, the gentle saint said to the imperial soldiers: "Thank you, brethren, for by scraping off my old body, you have renewed my spirit for a new, eternal life." He performed numerous miracles, and converted many to the faith. Even the emperor's daughter Galina abandoned the paganism of her father and became a Christian. Condemned to death and led to the place of execution, Saint Haralampius raised his hands to heaven and prayed to God for all people, that God give them bodily health and salvation of soul, and that He multiply the fruits of the earth for them. "Lord, Thou knowest that people are flesh and blood; forgive them their sins, and pour out Thy grace upon all!" After the prayer this holy elder gave up his soul to God before the executioner lowered the sword onto his neck. He suffered in the year 202. Galina took his body and buried it honorably.
2. VENERABLE PROHOR THE HERB-EATER
Prohor was a wonderworker of the Caves. He was called the Herb-Eater because for all the time of his living in the Monastery of the Caves he did not taste bread, but fed himself on orach, kneading it in his own way and making some sort of bread from it. When he would give someone some of his orach bread with a blessing, the bread would be sweet as honey; but when someone would steal it from him, it would be bitter as wormwood. At one time when there was no salt in Russia, Prohor distributed ashes to the people as salt. The ashes which he distributed with a blessing became salt; but the ashes which someone took by himself became ordinary ashes. Prince Svyatopolk ordered that all the ashes from Prohor's cell be transferred to his palace, without asking and without the blessing of the monk. But when the ashes were transferred, those who tasted them were convinced that it was ashes and not salt. Then Prohor said to the people who came to him for salt, that they should all go to the prince's palace, and when the prince throws out those ashes from his house, let them take them and carry them as salt. The people did so, and again the ashes were salt. Becoming convinced of this, the prince himself was filled with reverence and love toward Saint Prohor, so that when he died in the year 1107, he laid him in the grave with his own hands next to the great Russian saints Anthony and Theodosius.
Hymn of Praise
The naked sword swung over Haralampius, Only to descend! But the saint kneels, raises prayer to God: Lord, forgive! Forgive the sins of all sinful people. Have mercy again: Bless their labor, and give upon the field Abundance of fruits! Let them have all, for they are blood and flesh! Let them sing to Thee. Oh give them health, health and joy, Let them remember Thee! Drive away every evil, save them from misery, Have mercy on all. And after death lead their souls into Paradise— Lord have mercy! Whoever prays to Thy Haralampius, Mentions my name, Help him, O God, for the sake of my torments, Help because of me! Then a voice from heaven came: I accept thy prayer Give me thy soul now! The saint released his soul, and soared to Paradise Before the sword fell!
Reflection
Many grave afflictions that befall a person have their cause, known or unknown, in his past. The causes of these grave afflictions, such as for example madness, are none other than a violation of God's moral law. When Saint Haralampius was being tortured, the emperor torturer learned of his wonderworking power and ordered that a demon-possessed man be brought before him, that he might be convinced whether Haralampius could heal him. A devil had tormented that man for 35 years, driving him through deserts and mountains and casting him into mud or into ravines. When that madman approached Haralampius, the demon sensed the fragrant aroma from the holy man and cried out: "I beg thee, servant of God, do not torment me before the time, but command me and I will come out; and if you wish, I will tell you how I entered this man." And the saint ordered him to tell. The demon said: "This man desired to rob his neighbor and thought to himself: if I do not first kill the man, I will not be able to seize his treasure. And he went and killed his neighbor. Finding him in such a deed, I entered into him, and behold, I have been dwelling in him for 35 years already." Hearing this, God's saint ordered the demon to come out of the man immediately and leave him in peace. The demon came out, and the demon-possessed man became healthy and peaceful.
Contemplation
Contemplate the Lord Jesus as the beauty of all the created world, namely: 1. As the beauty of all things, beauty dimmed by the fear and melancholy of sin; 2. As the beauty of people, the most rational beings in the material world, beauty dimmed by the fear and melancholy of sin; 3. As the beauty of the purely intelligible, bodiless world of angels; 4. As the beauty of the Holy Trinity, manifested by Him and through Him.
Homily
on the sin of those who claim to see
If ye were blind, ye should have no sin (John 9:41)
These words were spoken to the Jews by Him who gave them the law through the prophets, to serve them as sight for the soul. The Jews received that sight, but shut their eyes deliberately and maliciously. Therefore the righteous Lord spoke to them these righteous words.
These words are pure justice, both then, and today, and forever. For a blind man has no sin, if he tramples another's crop, or takes another's garment instead of his own. But if he who has eyes does this, he will commit sin and receive condemnation. And if he who has eyes does this, but deliberately closes them, he too will commit sin and receive condemnation.
But what is to be said about those who have received baptism and chrismation, as two eyes of the soul, and yet sin as the unbaptized? At the Last Judgment they will not be treated as the blind from birth, but as transgressors, who themselves disfigured themselves, themselves blinded themselves.
And what indeed is to be said about those who received also the other sacraments of grace, in Orthodox fullness, and who have before them the examples of the saints, and who unceasingly hear the admonition and reproach of God's Church, and yet go and go astray? At the Last Judgment such will not be able to excuse themselves by any blindness, but will be judged as transgressors who themselves, and others around them, disfigured with blindness.
Terrible Lord, save us from sin. Merciful Lord, open our eyes to the path of salvation. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.