The Prologue from Ohrid: April 20
1. THE VENERABLE THEODORE TRIHINOS
Theodore was a citizen of Constantinople and the son of wealthy parents. As
a young man he left his parent's home and riches and entered a hermetical
monastery in Thrace. Here, he imposed upon himself a most rigorous life of
mortification. He slept on stones in order to sleep less. He traveled
everywhere bareheaded and clothed himself in one garment made of "goat's
hair," for which he was called Trihinos [Greek] Kostret [Serbian] for
goat's hair. Because of his great self-mortification for the sake of the
salvation of his soul, God bestowed upon him the great gift of miracle-working
both during his lifetime and after death. He died peacefully about the year 400
A.D. His body was shown to be flowing with oil [Chrism].
2. THE VENERABLE ANASTASIUS OF MOUNT SINAI
Anastasius was the abbot of Mt. Sinai. In the beginning he was a monk for an
extended period of time under the glorious Abbot John of the Ladder. After
John's death, he then became abbot. Besides being a great ascetic, Anastasius
was an eloquent author of the lives of the saints as well as instructional
writings. He led a bitter struggle against the heretics, the so called
Acephalites [Akefalita - Headless Ones], who denied the decisions of the Fourth
Ecumenical Council [Chalcedon, 451 A.D.]. He died in an old age in the year 685
A.D. and took up habitation with the Lord Whom he faithfully served.
3. BLESSED ANASTASIUS SINAITES, PATRIARCH OF
ANTIOCH
While a monk on Mt. Sinai, Anastasius was elected patriarch of Antioch
during the reign of Emperor Justinian. He was elevated to this rank by virtue
of his charity, chaste life, great spiritual learning and a staunch faith. The
Emperor Justinian fell into the heresy of Docetism [this heresy taught that
Christ's sufferings were apparent and not real], which Eutychius the Patriarch
of Constantinople and this Blessed Anastasius sharply rebelled against. The
emperor banished Eutychius and also wanted to banish Anastasius but he was
unable to find any reproach in his life. However, when Justinian died,
repenting beforehand and re-instating Eutychius to the throne, then his
successor Justin succeeded in banishing Anastasius on the basis of some spurious
calumnies. Anastasius remained in exile for twenty-three years and was
re-instated to the throne of Antioch during the reign of Maurice. He governed
the Church of God for six years and ended his earthly sojourn in the year 599
A.D.
4. BLESSED GREGORY, PATRIARCH OF ANTIOCH
Gregory was an Armenian by birth. He was abbot of the Pharanite Monastery
below Mt. Sinai. When Blessed Anastasius was banished from his throne Gregory,
against his will, was installed as patriarch of Antioch. Blessed Patriarch
Sophronius also writes very favorably about him in his "Spiritual Meadow."
Gregory was especially distinguished by his very great compassion, especially
toward sinners. He died in the Lord in the year 593 A.D.
5. THE HOLY APOSTLE ZACCHAEUS
At first, Zacchaeus was a tax collector and a sinner. When our Lord saw him
in Jericho in a tree and entered his home, Zacchaeus was brought to repentance.
"He (Jesus) came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a
wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because
of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed the
sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, Who was about to pass that way. When he
reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him: `Zacchaeus, come down
quickly, for today I must stay at your house.' And he came down quickly and
received Him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
`He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.' But Zacchaeus stood there and
said to the Lord, `Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the
poor and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times
over." And Jesus said to him, ` today salvation has come to this house
because this man is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to
seek and to save what was lost" (St. Luke 19: 1-10). Later
on, Zacchaeus followed the Apostle Peter who appointed him bishop of Caesarea in
Palestine where he faithfully served the Gospel and died peacefully.(*)
6. THE VENERABLE ATHANASIUS OF METEORA
Athanasius was born in 1310 A.D. He lived the ascetical life on Athos, the
Holy Mountain. He founded the famous Meteora Monastery in Thessaly. He
possessed the great "gift of discernment" and miracle-working.
(*) Philaret mentions Gabriel the Child in his Lives of
the Saints, which a certain Jew, Schutko, lured to an isolated place and
there crucified him. Gabriel was born in the village Zvjerka near the town of
Zabludov. He was only six years old. His parents, Peter and Anastasia Gavdjev,
were absent from home that day. After thirty years, Gabriel's body was
discovered incorrupt. He suffered in the year 1684 A.D.
HYMN OF PRAISE
SAINT ANASTASIUS
Anastasius, the God-bearing father,
Upon himself assumed prayerful labor and fasting,
Mortification he maintained, long and persistent,
Until, with the spirit, he learned the mysteries.
Then, his honey-mouth he opened:
Christ is, says he, the rock of salvation.
Do not insanely say: He was a long time ago,
Where is He now in order to speak to me?
The Good News, his Covenant Holy,
Who is able to resist it?
It speaks to you in place of Christ Himself,
That is His All-Pure Mouth!
Again, you speak: I desire to see Him!
Look with your whole mind and heart
At Holy Communion, from wine and bread,
There, in the flesh is He; what else do you need?
Repent, O brother, repent of your sins,
A thousand deaths around you stand!
To your spiritual father, your sins confess,
After that, drink His Blood and eat His Body.
Only repent. If you begin with repentance
You will live with justice and shining hope.
Repent, O brother, repent of your sins,
A thousand deaths, around you stand!
REFLECTION
St. Anastasius of Sinai teaches: "To every Christian is given an angel
[Guardian Angel] from God to guard him all his life unless someone through evil
deeds drives him away. But as the snake drives away bees and evil smell drives
away pigeons, thus our sins drive away the guardian angel of our life:
drunkenness, adultery, anger and so forth. The angel of every faithful man
leads him to every good deed, while the demons exert to scandalize the faithful
ones and to deprive them of the Kingdom of Heaven." The angels are close
to men and that they take care of men, the whole of Holy Scripture attests to
this, but especially the New Testament. Besides this, there exists in the
Orthodox Church numerous traditions of saintly men and women, who witness to
that which St. Athanasius confirms, i.e. that is that each one of us in this
world is accompanied by a gentle and mighty [herald] messenger of God, a soldier
of the King of Heaven, the angel of light. Who, except an insane person drives
a good friend away from himself? In truth, only the insane and the extremely
ignorant, drive away their best friend, their guardian angel by their sins.
CONTEMPLATION
To contemplate the resurrected Lord Jesus:
1. How He, as the Almighty Victor over death, does not seek revenge on His
enemies who tortured and crucified Him, but leaving them to themselves, He
sustains His frightened friends;
2. How He even today as in all times, innocent and meek, does not hurry to
seek revenge on the unfaithful but hurries to the aid of the faithful.
HOMILY
About the one and only foundation of salvation
"For no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is
there, namely Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11).
The Jews say, " the foundation is Moses." The Muslims say, "
the foundation is Mohammed." The short-sighted naturalists say, " the
foundation is nature." We ask: Did Moses resurrect from the dead? Did
Mohammed ascend into heaven? Does nature bestow the Holy Spirit the Comforter?
Moses did not resurrect. Mohammed did not ascend into heaven. Nature, not only
does not bestow the Holy Spirit the Comforter to men, but breathes hatred
against man and growls at him and bares its talons.
One cannot be the foundation of the world who is conceived in sin; who
himself sinned; who wandered and sought counsel in women; who, by someone else's
power, performed certain works; who crumbled in the grave and whose name leads
to confusion in regard to the way, the truth and the life. Mohammed and Moses
were conceived in sin and they committed sins; they sought counsel from women;
with the power of others they performed deeds; in the grave they lay decomposed;
their names lead men to confusion about the way, the truth and the life.
That is why, brethren, we have no where to turn in history and to seek
another such foundation except the Lord Jesus Christ Who was conceived without
sin; Who did not commit any sin; Who did not wander and Who did not seek counsel
from anyone; Who by His own power performed mighty deeds; Who did not decay in
the grave; and Whose Name does not lead men into confusion regarding the way,
the truth and the life.
The apostle does not say that Christ laid down some foundation but that He
Himself is that established foundation. He is All-justice, that is why He is
the foundation of every justice. He is All-truth, that is why He is the
foundation of every truth. He is All-wisdom, that is why He is the foundation
of every wisdom. He is All-power, that is why He is the foundation of every
power. He is All-good, that is why He is the foundation of every good. He is
All-life, that is why He is the foundation of life in both worlds, in this and
in the next. O resurrected Lord, You are the foundation of our salvation and
eternal life.
To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.