Paragon/Treasure Wednesday • FAST DAY • Holy Martyr Tatiana • HYMN OF PRAISE • TO BE CALLED A CHRISTIAN by St. Nikolai Velimirovich • "Dick Van Dyke reads “A Most Non-Political Speech” by Rod Serling" • PIC: The Little Shepherdess by Millet

Tatiana was a Roman whose parents were of great nobility. She was a Christian and a deaconess in the church. After the death of Emperor Heliogabalus, Emperor Alexander, whose mother Mammaea was a Christian, reigned in Rome. The emperor himself was wavering and indecisive in the Faith for he kept statues of Christ, Apollo, Abraham and Orpheus in his palace. His chief assistants persecuted the Christians without the emperor's orders. When they brought out the virgin Tatiana for torture, she prayed to God for her torturers. And behold, their eyes were opened and they saw four angels around the martyr. Seeing this, eight of them believed in Christ for which they also were tortured and slain. The tormentors continued to torture St. Tatiana. They whipped her, cut off parts of her body; they scraped her with irons. So all disfigured and bloody, Tatiana was thrown into the dungeon that evening so that the next day, they could, again, begin anew with different tortures. But God sent His angels to the dungeon to encourage her and to heal her wounds so that, each morning, Tatiana appeared before the torturers completely healed. They threw her before a lion, but the lion endeared himself to her and did her no harm. They cut off her hair, thinking, according to their pagan reasoning, that some sorcery or some magical power was concealed in her hair. Finally, Tatiana along with her father were both beheaded. Thus, Tatiana ended her earthly life about the year 225 A.D., and this heroic virgin, who had the fragile body of a woman but a robust and valiant spirit, was crowned with the immortal wreath of glory.

H Y M N  O F   P R A I S E

SAINT TATIANA

You grieve over the youth of your body, Oh, be reasonable!

Youth which passes, is it worthwhile to grieve over; you judge!

There is only one youth, youth in eternity,

That is the true youth, youth without aging,

This is worthwhile to ask for, and for it, to shed tears,

Even if you have to pay for it with the death of the body.

Tatiana purchased the costly with the less costly.

For dust and water, the Divine wine;

For the body that ages, eternal youth

And for a few tears, Cherubic joy.

Betrothed to Christ, the Immortal King,

She remained faithful to her Betrothed;

By the power of a pure spirit, crushed temptations

And bravely endured frightening tortures.

Around her were heard angelic footsteps;

As a wrinkled cloth, her body she shed,

And a soul free of earthly ties

Was raised to the wedding feast in the Kingdom without tears.

Acts 18:22-28 KJV

22 And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch.

23 And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Saint John 10:39-42 KJV

39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

41 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.

42 And many believed on him there.

To Be Called a Christian

Saint Nikolai Velimirovich

There is no greater honor or greater calling on earth than to be a Christian. When the judge-torturer Sevirus asked the young Peter Apselamus, "Of what lineage are you?" Peter replied, "I am a Christian." The judge further inquired of him, "In what rank are you?" To that Peter responded, " There is no greater nor better rank than to be a Christian." 

Saint John Kronstadt writes: " The whole world is but a cobweb in comparison to the Christian human soul." 

The Christian is an earthen vessel into which is poured divine power and light. Will this vessel be placed on the golden royal throne or will it be lowered in the dark hut of the beggar; by this, his value will neither be magnified nor diminished. Does not gold have the same value whether it is wrapped in a silk handkerchief or in a cabbage leaf?

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