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Would you like to know what St. Paul meant when he said, “I die daily” in 1 Corinthians 15:31 KJV? if so, just read from St. Ignaty below. But will you???
Let us not forget
HOLY MARTYR BONIFACE AND SAINT AGLÄIS
MARTYRDOM FOR CHRIST makes a saint out of a sinner. The example of St. Boniface shows this. At first, he was a servant in Rome to a wealthy and immoral woman, Aglaïs, and had impure and unlawful relations with her. They were both pagans. Once, Aglaïs desired to have the relics of a martyr in her house as an amulet to protect against evil, so she sent her servant to Asia to find and purchase what she desired. Boniface took several slaves with him and a large amount of money. Before parting with Aglaïs, he said to her: "If I cannot find a martyr but they bring you back my body martyred for Christ, will you receive it with honor, my lady?'' Aglaïs laughed and called him a drunkard and a sinner, and then they parted.
Coming to the city of Tarsus, Boniface saw many Christians undergoing torture: some with their legs cut off, others with their hands severed, others with their eyes plucked out, still others on the gallows, and so forth. Boniface's heart was changed, and he repented of his sinful life and wept. He cried out among the Christian martyrs: "I too am a Christian!'' The judge took him for interrogation and ordered that he be harshly flogged, then that boiling lead be poured into his mouth, and-since this did him no harm-that he be beheaded. The slaves then took his body and carried it to Rome. An angel of God appeared to Aglaïs and said: "Receive the one who was once your slave but now is our brother and fellow servant; he is the guardian of your soul and the protector of your life.'' The awestruck Aglaïs came out to meet them, received the body of Boniface, built a church for him, and placed the relics of the martyr in it. She then repented, gave away her goods to the poor, withdrew from the world, and lived for fifteen more years in bitter repentance. St. Boniface suffered in the year 290.
Hebrews 11:17-31 KJV
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
Saint Mark 9:42-10:1 KJV
42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
10 And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again.
On Reading the Holy Fathers
by Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
The people you talk to and associate with have a great influence on you. Conversation and acquaintance with scientists result in new knowledge; with poets, in many exalted thoughts and feelings; with travelers, in much information about other countries, their manners and traditions. It is obvious therefore that conversation and acquaintance with a saint will impart sanctity. “With the holy Thou shalt be holy, and with an innocent man Thou shalt be innocent. With the elect Thou shalt be elect, and with the forward Thou shalt be forward.”
From this moment, during this short earthly life that the Scriptures do not even call life, but a pilgrimage, let us become acquainted with the saints.
Do you want to belong in heaven and to its society; do you want to be a sharer of its blessedness? Most do not!
From this moment, begin to spend time with the saints. When you leave your mortal body, they will accept you as their own, as an acquaintance, as a friend. There is no closer acquaintance, no more intimate connection than the union of thoughts, feelings, and aims.
Where there is oneness of mind, there must also be a symphony of emotions and success in the attainment of common goals. Acquire for yourself the thought and spirit of the Holy Fathers through the reading of their works. The Holy Fathers have attained the ultimate goal—they have been saved. You also will achieve this aim according to the natural way of things. As someone who is one in mind and heart with the Holy Fathers, you will be saved. The heavens have welcomed the Holy Fathers into their blessedness. Through this, it becomes apparent that the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the Holy Fathers are deserving of heaven. The Holy Fathers shared their thoughts, their hearts, and their actions in their writings. Thus, what invaluable guides to heaven are these writings! All the writings of the Holy Fathers were composed by the inspiration or under the influence of the Holy Spirit. What miraculous consonance they all have! What incredible agreement! He who is guided by them has, without any doubt, the Holy Spirit Himself for a guide. All the waters of the earth eventually pour out into the oceans, and it may be that the ocean is also the source of all the earth’s waters. The writings of the Holy Fathers all come together in the Gospels; they all incline to teach us the correct keeping of the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ; they all originate from one source and flow out into the same—the holy Gospels. The Holy Fathers teach us how to approach the Gospels, how to read them, how to properly understand them, and what helps and hinders such a proper understanding. Thus, it would be wise for you at first to principally study the works of the Fathers. Once they have taught you how to read the Gospels, then these may become your primary reading. Do not think it is enough for you to read only the Gospels without the writings of the Holy Fathers! This is a proud thought, a dangerous thought. It would be better if the Fathers lead you to the Gospels, as though you were their beloved child whom they raise and educate through their writings.
All who foolishly and proudly reject the Holy Fathers, who approach the Gospels directly with foolish brazenness and unclean mind and heart, fall into a lethal self-deception. The Gospel has rejected them, for it only accepts those who are humble. Reading the writings of the Fathers is the beginning and end of all the virtues. From this reading, we learn the true meaning of the Sacred Scripture; we are inculcated (implanted by consistent instruction) in the true faith, the life according to the commandments of the Gospel; we acquire a deep reverence for them. In a word, these writings teach us salvation and Christian perfection.
As a result of the dearth of spirit-bearing guides in our times, the Holy Fathers have become the most dependable guides for those who desire salvation and Christian perfection.
The books of the Holy Fathers, according to the words of one of their number, are like a mirror—the soul who looks at them often and with attention will be able to see all of its deficiencies.Again, these books are like a rich store of medical supplies—in them, the soul can find a lifesaving remedy for each spiritual illness.
St Epiphanius of Cyprus said in the Alphabetical Paterikon: “Only one look into these holy books inspires one to a pious life.”
Reading the Holy Fathers must be a scrupulous, attentive, and constant activity. Our invisible enemy, who hates the voice of truth, especially despises the voice of the Holy Fathers. This voice denounces the lies of our enemy, his evil, and reveals his traps, his modus operandi. Thus, the enemy battles against the reading of the Fathers through various proud and blasphemous thoughts; he tries to plunge the reader into earthly worries to distract him from this salvific reading; he attacks him with depression, boredom, forgetfulness.
From this battle against the reading of the Holy Fathers, we should see how effective this weapon is, and why it is so feared by the enemy. The enemy works without rest to snatch this weapon out of our hands.
Let everyone choose for himself the Fathers whose writings most correspond to his way of life. Let the hermit read the Fathers who wrote about hesychasm; let the cenobitic (monks who live with a community other monks, rather than alone or as hermits) monk read the Fathers who wrote instructions for those who live in monastic communities; let the Christian in the world read those Fathers who wrote for the benefit of all Christians. Let each person, no matter what his calling, glean a fruitful harvest from the Fathers’ writings. It is absolutely necessary that the reading correspond to one’s way of life. Otherwise, you will be filled with thoughts that may be holy, but may also be impossible to achieve in action, given your situation. This only results in a pointless exercise of the imagination and desires. Actual deeds of virtue appropriate to your mode of life will slip through your fingers. Not only will you become a fruitless dreamer, but your thoughts, constantly contradicting the actual reality of your life, will inevitably lead to confusion and lack of firmness in your actions, both of which will be detrimental to yourself and those around you. It is easy to fall away from the path of salvation into impenetrable roads and deep abysses if you read the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers incorrectly. This has already happened to many. Amen.
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