O Lord I love the Beauty of Thy House
and the Place where thy Glory dwelleth.
Rejoice thou through whom
Hades was laid bare
Today we commemorate
Holy Nun-Martyr Anastasía of Rome
ANASTSIA was born in Rome of noble parents, and was left an orphan at the age of three. As an orphan, she was taken to a convent near Rome where the abbess was Sophia, a nun of the highest level of perfection. After seventeen years, Anastasia was well known-among the Christians as a great ascetic, and among the pagans as a rare beauty.
Probus, the pagan governor, heard of Anastasia and sent his soldiers to bring her to him. For two hours, the good Abbess Sophia counseled Anastasia how to keep the Faith, how to resist flattering deceits, and how to endure torture. Anastasia said to her:
"My heart is ready to suffer for Christ; my soul is ready to die for my Sweet Jesus.'' Brought before the governor, Anastasia openly expressed her faith in Christ the Lord, and when the governor tried to turn her away from the Faith-first by promises and then by threats-the martyr said to him: "I am ready to die for my Lord not only once, but-oh, if it were only possible-a hundred times!'' When they stripped her naked to humiliate her, she cried out to the servants: "Whip me, cut me up and tear me apart, cover my naked body with wounds and cover my shame with blood!'' She was beaten, torn and cut up. On two occasions she felt a great thirst and asked for water, and a Christian, Cyril, gave her a drink, for which he was blessed by the martyr of Christ and beheaded by the pagans.
Anastasia's breasts and tongue were severed, but an angel of God appeared and sustained her. Finally, she was beheaded outside the city. Blessed Sophia found her body and buried it honorably.
Anastasia was crowned with the wreath of martyrdom during the reign of Decius.
Galatians 3:8-12
King James Version
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Saint Luke 13:19-29
King James Version
19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
22 And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.
23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
KHOW THYSELF
from Saint Nektarios of Pentapolis
EROTICISM
Is it hasty to say that eroticism is becoming more prevalent in this age?
Regardless, the words of St. Nektarios provide not only a description of this consuming and soul destroying ailment but they strengthen and protect us against it. {Ed.}
Eroticism is a passion of an idle soul, born out of the curiosity of sight. Eroticism manifests itself as an excess of some irrational desire which is quickly born in the soul, but very slowly extinguished. Eroticism lights up like a flame all at once and ignites the heart, but it is not easily quenched because its flames are fanned by the imagination. Then the fantasy of a desired face is constantly represented and reshaped in the imagination. When eroticism takes possession of the whole soul the individual does not even care about food. When eroticism finds the soul unguarded, it completely enslaves it, and while persuading it to despise everything else, it preoccupies the entire heart with its own prompting. Eroticism maneuvers irrational souls toward mania and madness, for their unrestrained imagination fans the flame that corrupts the mind.
Eroticism, when it touches a reasonable soul, is extinguished before it can corrupt the mind because that soul is the master of itself and does not permit itself to be drawn away by the enticement of the imagination. Eroticism takes over souls that are empty of a divine love and are aching in their loneliness the heart, having been created to fall in love, cannot remain dispassionate toward the worldly eros unless it has first been wounded and subdued by Divine heroes. Worldly eros can conquer anything except for the hearts wounded by Divine Eros for Divine Eros fulfills every desire and leaves nothing in the heart empty and unfulfilled.
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