February 17translatedThis page has been translated from Serbian to English. It may contain minor phrasing or syntactic issues.
The Lives of the Saints
1. HOLY GREAT-MARTYR THEODORE TYRO
Tyro means recruit. Saint Theodore had just entered the army, in the Marmarite regiment, in the city of Amasea, when persecution of Christians began under Emperors Maximian and Maximinus. Since Theodore did not want to hide that he too was a Christian, he was brought to trial and cast into prison, and the prison was locked and sealed. For the wicked judge wanted to kill Theodore by starvation. In the prison the Lord Christ Himself appeared to Theodore and encouraged His martyr, saying to him: "Fear not, Theodore, I am with thee, take no more earthly food and drink, for thou shalt be in another life, eternal and imperishable, with Me in the heavens." Then a multitude of angels appeared in the prison, and the whole prison was illumined most brightly, and the prison guards saw the angels clothed in white, and were very frightened. Then Saint Theodore was led out, tortured and condemned to death. He was cast into fire, and gave up his holy soul to God Most High. He suffered in the year 306.
2. VENERABLE THEODOSIUS THE BULGARIAN AND ROMANUS, DISCIPLE OF THEODOSIUS
As a monk Saint Theodosius settled not far from the city of Trnovo where he founded a community, which was called after him Theodosius's. He distinguished himself notably at the council in Bulgaria against the Bogomils in the year 1360. Defending the Orthodox faith at that council he put the Bogomils to shame with arguments. He ended his earthly life in Constantinople in the year 1362. His disciple Romanus continued to struggle in Theodosius's community until his death.
3. SAINT MARIAMNE (MARIA)
Sister of the holy Apostle Philip. She traveled with her brother and together with him preached the Gospel in Hierapolis and in other places. After the martyric death of Philip, Mariamne continued her missionary work in Lycaonia, where she also died.
Hymn of Praise
"Fear not the world, for I have overcome the world!" These are holy words both then and now. This is true balm for all sufferers, Most of all for God's wondrous martyrs. Why fear the fearful? Oh, the world fears even its own shadow! Why fear the powerful and the ruling, And mortal creatures, constantly dying? Who is with the Householder, fears not the house, The Householder sees all that is in the house, And there is nothing there, that He would not know, So why would His servant fear? And when he hears the Lord where He says: "Fear not the world!" what more could he wish? "Fear not the world, for I have overcome the world!" Our Christ reigns and rules over the world. Theodore mocked fire and death, Therefore he received crowns that never fade.
Reflection
An artist is one who from rough and shapeless stone carves and sculpts forms similar to living creatures. An artist is one who from sheep's wool weaves a multicolored carpet. An artist is also one who from earthen bricks builds a magnificent palace. But what artist in the world can compare with the Artist Christ, who from ignorant people creates sages, from fishermen apostles, from cowards heroes, from libertines saints? But everything must submit to the artist's hand in order to create what the artist knows and is able to do. And all things in truth submit to the artist's hand. And people must submit to Christ's hand, so that He might carve from them, weave or build what He alone knows and is able to do. Nineteen past centuries testify to us, that all those who did not resist, but submitted to Christ the Artist, became from boors and ignoramuses angel-like children of God.
Contemplation
Contemplate the Lord Jesus as Artist over artists, namely: 1. Who from the body gone wild with passions creates a noble organ of every virtue; 2. Who from chaos in the human soul creates cosmos, a pure and bright mirror of God's glory; 3. Who from ennobled people creates a kingdom of the immaculate, a state of saints—an artistic work without example and without comparison.
Homily
on death as sleep
He said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead (Luke 8:52-53)
The subject here is the dead daughter of Jairus the ruler. Jairus himself had said that his daughter was dead, and his servants confirmed this. But the Lord the Life-giver said: weep not, she is not dead. People laughed at Him to scorn knowing that she was dead. Ignoramuses pretend to know better than the All-Knower. The blind pretend to see better than the All-Seeing. But when the girl rose and showed herself alive, the ignoramuses were astonished with great astonishment (Mark 5:42).
Even to this day ignoramuses laugh to scorn when they hear divine truth. Divine truth says: there is a living God! but ignoramuses laugh to scorn as if knowing that there is no God. Divine truth says: there is a heavenly kingdom! but ignoramuses here too laugh to scorn as if knowing that there is no heavenly kingdom. Divine truth affirms: the dead will rise! but ignoramuses deny even this as if knowing that this will not be. But when God appears, and God's angels manifest, and the heavenly kingdom is revealed, and the dead rise, then the ignoramuses will be astonished with great astonishment.
Who can save the world from ignoramuses? No one except Christ the All-Knowing and Almighty. And by what can ignoramuses be saved? By nothing except faith in Christ and faith to Christ. Who are the greatest ignoramuses in the world? Those who deny whatever Christ affirmed, and affirm whatever Christ denied. In a word: those who think they know something contrary to Christ's knowledge. These are the greatest and most dangerous ignoramuses, most dangerous both for themselves and for others.
My brethren, know that everyone and everything can deceive us, only not Christ, our Lord and Friend. He always knows, and we do not always know, except when we look at Him and listen to Him.
Merciful and most merciful Lord, help all ignoramuses, that before death and Judgment they might be astonished with great astonishment, that they too might be saved in the kingdom of Thy saints. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.