C H R I S T I S R I S E N !
Wednesday May 5 / 18 ns 2022
MID-PENTECOST
Holy Great Martyr Irene
Holy Monk-Martyr Ephraim the Newly-Revealed
Saint Evthýmios, Bishop of Mádytos
Irene lived in the Balkans during apostolic times in the town of Magedon.
Her father Licinius was of lesser royal nobility. Some think that she was a Slav. Irene was born a pagan of pagan parents. Penelope was her pagan name. She learned about the Christian Faith from her teacher Appelianus. St. Timothy, the disciple of the Apostle Paul, baptized her and her court attendants and provided her with the epistles of the Apostle Paul to read. Refusing to marry, she enraged her father and he wanted to torture her but, in a miraculous manner, she converted her father to Christianity.
Irene was subjected to various tortures by four kings but, God, through His angels, spared her.
King Sedechias buried her up to her neck in a ditch filled with snakes and scorpions but an angel of God made these venomous and repulsive creatures ineffective and saved the holy virgin from harm. King Sedechias then wanted to saw her in half but the saw rebounded from her body as from stone. After that, the same king tied her to a wheel under a water mill and released the flow of water hoping, in this manner, to kill her. But the water refused to flow, rather stood still and the virgin remained alive and well. King Sapor, the son of King Sedechias, shod her feet with nails, loaded a sack of sand on her, harnessed her and ordered that she be led like an animal far outside the town. "Truly, I am a beast before You, O Lord!" said the holy martyr, running bridled behind her torturers. However, an angel of God shook the earth and the earth opened up and swallowed her torturers.
Surviving all tortures, by which she converted a countless number of pagans to Christianity, Irene entered the town of Callipolis [Gallipoli] where she preached the Faith of Christ.
The local king Numerian wanted to kill her in this manner: he tossed her into three flaming hot metal oxen; one after the other. But the virgin was saved and remained alive. Many witnessed and believed. The Eparch [governor] Vaudon took her to the town of Constantina where he thought to kill her in this manner: he placed her on red-hot grates. But that did not harm St. Irene and she converted many to the True Faith.
Finally, Irene arrived in the town of Mesembria where she was slain by King Sapor but God restored her to life.
The king, with many of the people, upon witnessing this, believed in Christ and were baptized. Thus, St. Irene, by her suffering and miracles converted over one-hundred thousand pagans to the Faith of Christ. Finally, she lay down in a grave and ordered Appelianus to close the grave. After four days, when they opened the grave, she was not in the grave. Thus, God glorified forever the virgin and martyr Irene, who sacrificed all and endured all so that God may be glorified among men.
Acts 14:6-18 KJV
6 They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:
7 And there they preached the gospel.
8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:
9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.
13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
18 And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
Saint John 7:14-30 KJV
14 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
20 The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.
22 Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.
23 If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?
26 But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?
27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.
28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
29 But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.
30 Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.
Christian Morals
Elder Joseph of the Monastery of Vatopedi
The Holy Mountain Athos
The whole of the fullness of the divine revelation is to be found forever in the Church, which is the Body of our Lord, and so the divine will is always known to those who seek it. And the Lord Himself is hidden in the divine commandments, which have themselves been made clear and familiar through the Church: “Indeed, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me” (St. John 13, 20). And Saint Maximos mentions that: whoever receives the commandment and observes it, mystically has the Holy Trinity”. Read again and rejoice!!
The Lord Himself says, in fact, that: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our dwelling-place within them” (St. Jn. 14, 23). Here, then, is the truth of the words of Saint Maximos. These words of Christ reveal the Trinitarian aspect of divine providence, since the presence within us of God the Word- because of the consubstantiality and indivisibility of the divine persons- also involves the presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit.
As we have emphasized elsewhere, in the Orthodox tradition, dogmas and morals, faith and works are not measured separately. They are simply two forms of the same thing. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem in his Instructions says: “For the path of devotion consists of two things, of correct dogmas and good works. Dogmas without works are unacceptable to God, nor does God receive works which are not carried out without correct dogma”. It is as if we say faithless works and workless faith. The divine revelation is expressed through the divine commandments and these are not articles of the law or stale moral ordinances, but rather the word of God, which was spoken by the incarnate Word of God, Who, for this reason is hidden within His commandments.
So if people wish to find Christ, Who is not only high above in the heavens, nor is only in the bosom of the Father, but also is in every one of His commandments, let them begin from this moment to observe and keep His commandments, and let them be certain that proof of His presence will be perceptible. “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and manifest myself to them” (St. John 12, 21).
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