Отдел четвертый. Святые девы и жены

1. The earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos as the highest example of the most perfect Christian life, especially for women Shortly before the Nativity of Christ, in Nazareth, a Galilean city, lived a family blessed by God - Joachim and Anna, who came from the ancient royal house of David. The holy couple lived in abundance, because Joachim was a rich man. But it was not wealth, but high piety that made this couple worthy of God’s special mercy. Tradition testifies that the entire life of the Godfathers Joachim and Anna was imbued with the spirit of reverent love for God and mercy for others. But they had a grief that made their life bleak: more than fifty years of their married life had passed, and they had no children. And in our time, it is bitter for childless people in old age, but among the Jews, infertility was considered a direct unblessing of God, and childless people were usually despised as great sinners. Joachim and Anna prayed a lot and for a long time for permission from infertility, and finally made a promise, if the Lord would show them His mercy, to dedicate their baby to God. Their prayer was heard. God gave them a Daughter, who was named Mary. The Most Holy Mary did not remain long in the house of her parents. When She was three years old, Her pious parents hastened to fulfill the vow made even before the birth of their beloved Daughter. Neither the affection of a parent's heart, nor the fear inspired by the weakness of age and gender, nor the weight of their own loneliness in extreme old age - nothing shook the determination of Joachim and Anna. And so they invited all their relatives to them, called the young maidens, dressed the Most Holy Daughter in the best clothes and solemnly led Her to the Temple of Jerusalem. And the priests who served at the church went out to meet the Virgin Child; with chants they met the future Mother of the Great Bishop - the Lord Jesus Christ. The holy priest Zechariah, as a prophet, saw in his spirit in this circumstance the future fate of the Virgin Child; he took Her hand and, rejoicing in his soul, went with Her first to the sanctuary, and then to the innermost part of the temple, the Holy of Holies, behind the second curtain, where not only the female sex, but even the priests themselves were not allowed to enter: only one high priest, and moreover, only once a year, could enter there with sacrificial blood. At the same time, the holy parents brought gifts to God, thanksgiving sacrifices, and, having received a blessing from the bishop and from all the priests of God, they returned to their home with all their relatives. They rejoiced and thanked God, who had enabled them to fulfill their vow. The Most Pure Virgin remained at the church of God. She spent the morning in heartfelt prayer, the day in needlework and reading the Holy Scriptures, and again devoted the evening to prayer. Her highest virtues were the unimaginable purity of thoughts and feelings, immense humility and complete devotion to the will of God. Having lived carefree at the church for nine years, the Virgin Mary, in the tenth year of her life in the church, learned her first earthly sorrow: She lost her elderly parents. After their death, She surrendered with all Her heart to the One God and decided to spend Her entire life in the presence of God, under the roof of the church. But then She turned fourteen years old. The priests, knowing Her unparalleled life, betrothed her to Joseph, the holy elder, so that he would be the guardian of Her virginity in his house. Joseph lived in Nazareth because here he found more opportunities to support himself by carpentry. The Blessed Virgin Mary also in his house, helping to maintain it with Her feminine labors, continued the divine exercises with which she had become accustomed in infancy. Tradition says that She once read the book of the prophet Isaiah and stopped at the words: behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel (God with us) (Is. 7:14). She thought: “How blessed will be that Virgin who is worthy to be the Mother of God! And how I would like to be the last maidservant with Her!” At this time, an angel of the Lord appeared to Her and announced the birth of the Son of God from Her. After the birth of the Infant of God, She, Her and the Son of God, as well as Joseph, had to flee from their fatherland to Egypt in order to hide from Herod, the king of the Jews, who was seeking to kill the Infant Jesus. The Holy Family remained in Egypt until the death of Herod. When he died, Jesus, Mary and Joseph returned to their country and settled again in the city of Nazareth. Here the righteous Joseph soon died. Now the Mother of God devoted herself entirely to caring for the Infant God. Nothing better proves the humility and meekness of the Mother of God than Her complete silence during the entire time of Jesus Christ’s ministry to the human race. But She, undoubtedly, when Jesus Christ went out to preach and walked around the villages and cities of the Holy Land, did not leave Him and followed Him. Once we see Her at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, asking Jesus Christ for His first miracle - turning water into wine. It was a joy for Her when the people listened to the teachings of Jesus; but often Her maternal heart had to suffer at the sight of the persecution to which Her beloved Son was constantly subjected. Nothing, however, can compare with the suffering that the Most Pure Mother endured in the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. How great was the suffering of the Most Pure Mother when the Most Holy Righteous One, who came to save the world, was condemned to death on the cross! It was inexpressibly painful for Her heart to hear that Her beloved Son was betrayed by Her own apostle, the flatterer Judas, taken by enemies from the Garden of Gethsemane and brought in for questioning by the high priest and elders. Not seeing Jesus, His Holy Mother was even more saddened by the unknown of His position. What were Her feelings when She saw Her Son presented by Pilate to the people, bloodied, disfigured, covered with wounds and clothed in the robe of reproach, with a crown of thorns on his head! Dejected by grave grief, She stood near Pilate’s house and waited with trembling hearts for the end of the terrible trial. And so She heard Pilate’s sentence and saw the raising of a heavy cross, which the Savior had to carry on Himself to the place of execution in order to be nailed to it there. Who can describe the feelings of the Holy Mother when She became convinced that Her Only Begotten Son was sentenced to crucifixion? Just as the life of the Most Holy Theotokos was pure and wonderful, so wonderful was Her Dormition. She did not die, but fell asleep in order to awaken to eternal life and eternal bliss. That is why we call Her death Dormition, that is, sleep. From the presented presentation of the earthly life of the Mother of God, one can see that there is no such Christian virtue that has not found a model in the life and character of the Mother of God... With a deeply believing soul, let us bow before the incomparable greatness of the humble Virgin Mary - the Mother of God, more honorable than the cherubim and more glorious than the seraphim. 2. Iveron Icon of the Mother of God Two centuries and a half have passed, A shrine sent from Athos The Russian city was to be visited; In it the hidden grace And perform miracles, and live. Rejoice, Moscow and all of Russia! Rejoice everyone: both young and old! Rejoice, noble, simple, Don't be discouraged in your sorrows, Do not suffer from illness, Zane 68 The Lady is among us. Run to Her with firm faith, Pour out your prayers before Her And every day and every hour. And believe: there is consolation in sorrows, There is healing in your illnesses And you, His humble servants, In the abodes of the blessed Before the eternal Son he will remember. 3. Salvation from imminent death through the intercession of the Mother of God The Monk Palladius of Alexandria once told his visitors the following story. One pious man known to him had a wife, meek and pious, and a six-year-old daughter, whom he raised in piety and the fear of God. Once, on trade matters, he had to go to Constantinople. His wife, accompanying him to the ship, casually asked: “Who are you leaving me and your daughter in the arms of?” “To our Lady Theotokos,” answered the father of the family and, saying goodbye, he sailed away. Shortly after that, an attempt was made by a villain on the lives of his wife and daughter. It was like this: the devil inspired the servant of that pious house to raise his hand against the life of his mistress and, having killed her, steal the best things and flee; the villain took a knife from the kitchen and went to the upper room; but as soon as he touched the threshold, he was suddenly struck by blindness and could not move either back or forward. For a long time he tried to enter, but an invisible force held him back. The madman here did not recognize the hand of Providence, which cares for the whole world and especially for man: he wanted at all costs to realize the thought instilled in him by the devil. And so he begins to call to his mistress, inviting her to come to him. The lady was surprised by the servant’s action and did not respond to his call, but ordered him to come up himself. The servant asked her to come closer to him or at least send her daughter; but she, although she did not suspect any malicious intent on her and her daughter’s lives, for some reason decided not to go, and refused his request. And then the villain did not come to his senses, but in despair because he could not carry out his villainous act, he struck himself with a knife... The neighbors immediately gathered at the lady’s cry; Finding the villain still alive, they found out what happened and how. On this occasion, everyone learned the inscrutable ways of Providence and glorified God and the Intercessor of the faithful, the Mother of God and the Ever-Virgin Mary. 4. The face of the Mother of God in the village church Of all my memories, the memory of our village church that remains deepest and most soulful is preserved in me. She stood on a high mountain, on the bank of a river. Its faded wooden roof had the appearance of something unusually simple and modest; I especially remember two icons in it: the images of the Savior and the Mother of God. They were not painted by a skilled artist, but there was so much holiness and grandeur in their faces that they involuntarily took possession of the soul. My parents were not rich people. Once our family suffered a misfortune: my father, in order to earn something, had to go far to the city for six months. The mail did not reach us; it was impossible to receive news about him. This made my mother very sad. She got sick and could barely get out of bed. Unfortunately, my little six-year-old brother also fell ill. The brother's illness further increased the mother's melancholy and sadness. One day she told me: “Go to church, pray for me and for my brother.” I went. The church was full of people. The peasants prayed with reverence. The thought that my mother might die deeply worried me. I fell to my knees and cried. My eyes focused on the image of the Mother of God. There seemed to me so much pity and compassion in Her face that after that I felt very at ease, and I was a little consoled. At these moments, this is what was happening at home: the mother fell sobbing to the child, listening to his breathing, but there was no breathing: it stopped. The mother screamed and fell unconscious on the floor. Then, half asleep, but as clear as in reality, a majestic Woman approached her, put her hand on her and said: “Do not be afraid, your child will not die!” It was the Mother of God in the form and attire as She is depicted on the icon. The mother woke up, opened her eyes, looked at the child with anxiety and hope and saw that it was alive. When I returned from church, my brother was better, and after a few days he could already walk. The mother also recovered. Soon the father returned home. The former calm quickly returned to our family. We all went to thank the Mother of God for Her care for our family. 5. When reading “The Lives of the Saints” How much faith, how much strength! These lights of the earth... Oh, although a particle of faith 6. Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene When the Lord Jesus Christ walked through Galilee, working signs and wonders with His Divine power, a woman, whose name was Mary Magdalene, came to Him and begged Him for help. The Lord cast out seven demons from her and completely healed her from the illness from which she suffered. From then on, grateful Mary served the Lord, listened to His teaching and followed Him until His death on the cross. Together with other holy women, she looked at the suffering of Christ and cried for Him. She stood with the Mother of the Lord at the cross and saw how they laid the Lord in the tomb. The holy women, full of sadness over the death of the Lord, prepared fragrant myrrh, so that, according to Jewish custom, they could anoint the body of Jesus Christ with it, and after the Sabbath, early in the morning they went to the tomb; but first of all, even before dawn, Mary Magdalene came and, to her surprise, saw that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. She hastily ran to John and Peter and told them: “They took the Lord from the tomb, and I don’t know where they laid Him.” John and Peter immediately followed her and, entering the cave, they saw that the body of Jesus was not in it and that in the corner there were only the shrouds with which it was wrapped. They moved away; Mary, remaining at the tomb, stood and cried. Bending down, she suddenly saw two angels in white shiny robes sitting - one at the heads, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus lay. They told her: “They took away my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid Him.” Having said this, she turned back and saw Jesus Himself, but did not recognize Him and thought that he was the gardener. “Wife,” He said to her, “why are you crying and who are you looking for?” “If you took Him,” she said, “then tell me where you put Him?” - Maria! - the Lord said then. Only then did Mary recognize Him and exclaim joyfully: “Do not touch Me,” said the Lord, “but go to My brothers and tell them that I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.” Meanwhile, other wives came to the tomb; Mary Magdalene came with them again. They saw two angels who said to them: -Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here. He rebelled; Go and tell His disciples and Peter that He has risen from the dead. Filled with joy and fear, the myrrh-bearing women left the tomb and on the way met Christ Himself, who said to them: “Rejoice.” They fell at His feet and worshiped Him. Thus, the holy women, who zealously served the Lord during His earthly life, were honored to be the first evangelists of His glorious resurrection. Mary Magdalene, the first to see the risen Lord, consoled the grieving disciples with joyful words: “Christ is risen!” As the first evangelist of the resurrection, she is recognized by the Church Equal to the Apostles. After the Ascension of the Lord, Mary Magdalene remained with the Most Holy Theotokos and the apostles in constant prayer and witnessed the first successes of Christian teaching in Jerusalem. Full of zeal and faith, she herself preached the word of God and for this she visited different countries. Tradition says that she visited Rome and gave an egg to Emperor Tiberius, telling him: “Christ is risen!” Following this, she told the emperor about the Lord’s death on the cross and accused Pilate of unjustly condemning Jesus Christ to death. Since ancient times, it was the custom of the Jews, especially the poor, to offer eggs to acquaintances, friends and patrons on their birthday and on New Year's Day. This was accepted as an expression of joy and respect from people who could not bring more precious gifts. After the offering to St. Mary Magdalene, it became a custom among Christians to give each other red eggs in remembrance of the resurrection of Christ. From Rome, Mary Magdalene arrived in Ephesus, where she helped Saint John the Theologian in his apostolic labors until her death. In the 5th century, her relics were transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople. Her memory is July 22. 7. Saint Magdalene before Tiberius Emperor Tiberius silently listens The wondrous speech of a simple Jewish wife: - Sovereign! – she exclaims with inspiration, – “Sir, my news is important and true. I don’t have gold, I’m poorly dressed, But I do not ask for your bounty, Caesar. A priceless gift to you from the risen God I bring His peace and mercy with me. I decided to boldly appear before you And I hasten to announce to you a miracle of miracles: The great mystery of piety has been accomplished – God appeared in the flesh, God with the flesh was resurrected. Here is an egg: it will be a symbol of Sunday 69, The life of a chick in a shell will reveal its secret to you, How we receive salvation through the Blood of Christ, The path ahead is like from the grave to heaven. And the shell is dead, and the egg is motionless, But a living embryo grows and matures in him, Invisibly enveloped in maternal blood, Excited, warmed by her warmth. From the embryo of a bird the chick will develop, And, impulsively demanding another life, It will break through the shell to space and light And he will see the world of God with its beauty... In a sealed coffin wrapped in shrouds, Guarded by your zealous guards, All cruelly ulcerated, scolded by enemies, Our Teacher, Christ of Nazareth, rested. Only the malice of the enemies, having destroyed His body, She did not touch His most holy spirit; And I declare to you firmly and boldly: Bow before the glory of your Creator. He is the Son of God clothed in human flesh, – I couldn’t fit in the cramped coffin for a long time: He is the Messiah, promised to the world from eternity, - On the third day, he awakened and rose again as God. He rose again, excited by mighty power, By His life-giving Divine Spirit, And now the path beyond the grave has been opened to all people To eternal life, to bliss in communion with Him... He rose again, shining with radiant glory, Celebrating victory over the region of darkness. He rose again, revealing His holy will, So that we too may be resurrected together with Him in spirit. But, having handed over the Judge of the whole world to torment, Pontic Pilate disgraced your scepter, And now he does not dare to recognize Sundays; Let the Roman Senate investigate the matter. Let him investigate how the guards dared While on guard duty, indulge in a carefree sleep? How could a shameful theft be committed? Who, without breaking the seals, removed the slab from the coffin? Give a decree so that the Senate can find out, How Jesus of Nazareth taught and lived, How did the Sinless One suddenly turn into a criminal? For what faults was he killed as a villain? Having dominion over people and nature, Christ performed miracles publicly: Burning with immense love for everyone, He healed the sick, raised the dead, And now He Himself has risen and, appearing before us, Among us at the table He ate food; We touched Him with our own hands, And He consoled us with heavenly conversation. You are the ruler of the Roman Empire, Bring your soul closer to the eternal Truth, to the Light, Thus the Redeemer calls to you through me, God, risen from the grave, lives forever. His pierced heart is forever alive And the saint burns with love for people... O sovereign one, do not despise the holy call: Bring your soul closer to God incarnate. And Maria fell silent. Crowned monarch Sitting on the throne in deep thought And he said, calling out: “Yes, death is blasphemous The procurator did not dare to betray Jesus. The matter of Jesus must be made clear, Justice must shine from the grave: I will command all His enemies to appear, I will now order Pilate to be taken into custody. When will I calm down from the affairs of the state, Then I will listen to your speeches again. I am ready to believe that in the Kingdom of Heaven Holy love can lead us in.” 8. What do the holy myrrh-bearers teach us? From the teaching of Archpriest R. Putyatin The third week of Holy Pascha is called the week of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women. How did the myrrh-bearing women deserve such honor and memory that the Holy Church appointed a special week of the year for their remembrance and glorification? Is it really only because on the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ very early in the morning they carried fragrant myrrh to His tomb to anoint His body with it, for which they were called myrrh-bearers? No. Of course, by this they proved that they loved Jesus Christ, but this was only their last work, which they did for Him out of love for Him, who died. No, even earlier, much earlier and much more, they showed their love for Jesus Christ. They were present at His burial; were present at His crucifixion; when they led Him to Golgotha, they followed Him and cried; but the main thing: all the time that Jesus Christ walked through cities and villages and taught the people, these women, one of the first, followed Him and served Him in their name. But what attracted them to Jesus Christ? They did not yet know that He was the Son of God, the Savior of the human race, the Creator, the Almighty, God. What exactly made them love Him so much? - The doctrine that He preached. No one has ever taught what Jesus Christ taught, and no one has spoken as He spoke. From His lips flowed good words like fragrant ointment; and they could not leave Him: everyone wanted to hear something from Him. Yes, that’s why they called Him more and more only Teacher; they almost didn’t have any other name for Him, except Teacher. So, this is how the myrrh-bearing women earned honor and memory from the Holy Church: with their love for Jesus Christ, especially because they loved to listen to His teaching and, following Him everywhere, served Him with their property; and therefore they not only themselves learned from Him, but in some way helped Him teach others, providing Him and the disciples with what they needed for life. Thus, the myrrh-bearing women were special lovers of the teachings that Jesus Christ preached, zealots of the enlightenment that He spread everywhere. When remembering the myrrh-bearing women, it is fitting for us to remember our women. But what can we say about them? What do they like? What are they interested in? How do they spend their time? What are they doing? The poor mostly work and toil. But what do the rich, not the poor, do? Do they read or listen to anything necessary, useful, saving, divine? They often complain about the emptiness in life, about boredom. But how can one not be bored, how can one not feel emptiness in life, when they do nothing good, do not engage in anything good, and thus live, for the most part, only as a burden to themselves and others? After all, we, as rational beings, can be occupied and pleased by something smart, practical, holy, necessary for us, useful for others. What should we do, what should we do? - they say. Engage in the teachings of Jesus Christ, reading and listening to him. You will love this teaching and stick with it. Oh, what light there is for the mind, what joy for the soul, what joy for the heart! Day and night you would think about him; would never forget his suggestions and instructions. What should you do, what should you do? Nowadays, everywhere, in cities and villages, so many schools are opening. Why don't you, especially the rich enough of you, why don't you take up these schools; why not serve them with your estate, delivering what they need to the students and students in them? How much glory there would be for God, benefit for others, and consolation for you! After all, in these schools all the teachings of Christ are taught; and thus, serving the schools, you, like the holy myrrh-bearers, would serve Christ, the only Teacher of all people in all ages. What should you do, what should you do? Oh, do everything in the name of Jesus Christ, for His sake, for the benefit of others, for the salvation of your neighbors, and then every deed, like fragrant myrrh, will delight and delight you in life; and you will earn yourself a good reputation and leave behind a good memory - eternal. Let the example of the holy myrrh-bearing women remind you of what you should love and what you should primarily do; and let your own consciousness, in the emptiness of your life, enlighten you that you are not living as you should; You love the wrong things, you are not doing what you should be doing. Life not according to Christ Jesus, without true, holy love, without good deeds, without useful activities is always boring and empty. 9. The Wise Princess-Great Martyr Of all the holy women, the Holy Great Martyr Catherine was distinguished for her wisdom. She was the daughter of an idolatrous king; Having lost her father early, she lived with her mother, a secret Christian, in the city of Alexandria, in Egypt. At the age of 18, she already knew well all the wisdom of pagan writers and, being tall, was distinguished by her extraordinary beauty. The mother really wanted to give her away in marriage, but the wise Catherine wanted to remain a virgin and therefore answered her mother and relatives: “If you want me to get married, then find me a young man who would be like me in beauty, and in nobility, and in wealth, and in wisdom. And if he doesn’t have any of these virtues, then I won’t marry him.” There were many suitors richer and nobler than Catherine, but none of them could equal her in beauty and wisdom. And Catherine said: “I don’t want to have an uneducated groom.” The mother had her spiritual father, an elder of holy life, who lived somewhere outside the city, hiding from persecution. Once Catherine's mother brought her to this noble husband. Talking to her about faith in Christ, he told her: - I know one Youth, Who incomparably surpasses you in everything: His beauty surpasses the radiance of the sun; His wisdom governs all creatures; He endows the whole world with His treasures, and His nobility is so great that it cannot be comprehended by the human mind. Catherine was embarrassed by such speeches and asked: is he telling the truth? And whose Son is this wonderful Youth? “He has no father on earth,” the servant of Christ answered her, “He was born in an indescribably miraculous way from one Most Pure and Most Holy Virgin, Who for Her holiness is exalted above heaven and Whom all heavenly angels worship as their Queen.” – Is it possible to see this Young Man? – asked Catherine. “It’s possible,” answered the elder, “if you do what I tell you.” Catherine was ready for anything, and the elder gave her an icon of the Mother of God with the Eternal Child of God in her arms and said: – Here is an image of the Virgin Mother with Her Divine Son; take this with you, shut yourself up in your room for the night and earnestly, with reverence and faith, beg this Virgin Mother to show you Her Son. Believe that She will fulfill the desire of your soul. With joy, Catherine hurried to fulfill the elder’s command and soon fell asleep from fatigue. And then she sees in a dream the Queen of Heaven as She was depicted in the icon; in Her arms was the Infant God, who shone brighter than the sun, but turned His face to the Mother, so that Catherine could not see Him. She came three times, both to the right and to the left, but Christ turned away from her. Then Catherine hears that the Mother of God says to Her Son: - Look, Child, at Your servant Catherine: she is so beautiful. “I can’t look at her: she’s dark and ugly.” Again the Most Holy Theotokos says to him: “She is wise, and rich, and noble.” “I tell you, My Mother, that this girl is mad, and poor, and thin, and until then I will not look at her as long as she remains in her wickedness.” Then the Most Blessed Mother says to Her Son: - I pray to You, My sweetest Child: do not despise Your creation, tell her what to do in order to see Your bright face. - Let her go to the elder who gave her the icon; whatever he says, let him do it, and then he will see Me and find grace from Me. Catherine woke up, and as soon as morning came, she hurriedly went to the elder, told him everything that she had seen in her dream at night, and with tears begged the elder to teach her what to do. Then the priest of God revealed to her all the teachings of the faith of Christ, performed holy baptism on her and ordered her to pray again to the Most Holy Theotokos. And she prayed again all night until she fell asleep, and again saw in a dream the Queen of Heaven with the Divine Child, who now looked at Catherine with great love and meekness. And the Mother of God asked Her Son: - Is this girl pleasing to You, My Son? – Very pleasing: she is now as beautiful and glorious as she was ugly before; as rich and wise as she was previously poor and foolish. I want to betroth her to be My incorruptible bride. And Catherine fell to the ground before Him, saying: - I am unworthy, glorious Master, to see Your Kingdom: grant me at least to be among Your servants. And the Most Holy Theotokos took her by the right hand and said to Her Son: - Give her, My Child, a betrothal ring, make her Your bride and make her worthy of Your Kingdom. Then the Lord Christ gave her the ring and said: - Be My incorruptible and eternal bride, guard this betrothal carefully, so that you do not know the earthly bridegroom. Then Catherine woke up and - oh joy! She truly held a wonderful ring in her hands, and her heart was full of heavenly joy. Needless to say, from that time on she seemed to be completely transformed: all her thoughts and feelings were directed towards the one Heavenly Bridegroom: she always thought about Him, she always prayed to Him day and night... At that time, the lawless king Maximin arrived in Alexandria. He organized a magnificent festival in honor of his idols. The city was crowded with people; The stench of idol sacrifices was everywhere... Saint Catherine was filled with divine jealousy: she entered the idol church, appeared before the king himself and boldly exposed his wickedness. The king was amazed at the holy boldness of the wise virgin; he could not find what to say to her, he only ordered her to be taken into custody and then brought to the royal chambers. Here he interrogated her: who is she and what does she need? And the holy virgin responded with a new denunciation of his wickedness. Meanwhile, the king, with caresses and threats, tried to persuade her to renounce Christ. But the holy virgin answered courageously: – Do with me what you want; with temporary dishonor you will only prepare for me eternal glory; I hope that through me many will believe in my Christ, and from your royal chambers many will go with me to the palaces of heaven. Then the king ordered to strip the holy virgin and beat her mercilessly with ox sinews. The holy martyr suffered for two hours; Her whole body was one continuous wound, blood flowed like a river. Despite the fact that the tsar persuaded Saint Catherine several times to renounce Christ, the wise virgin remained her own - she was adamant, like hard adamant (diamond). Then the torturer ordered her head to be cut off. The glorious martyr was taken out of the city; here she offered up a fervent prayer to the Lord. After praying, she turned to the tormentor: “Finish what you were commanded.” He raised his sword, and the honest head of wise Catherine was separated from her body. Instead of blood, everyone saw pure milk. And worthy people were honored to see how the holy angels immediately took her holy relics and carried them to Mount Sinai, where they still rest in the monastery dedicated to her name... Through the prayers of Your wise bride, Great Martyr Catherine, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us! 10. God's wonderful creation - man From the book “My Life in Christ” by Archpriest John Sergiev of Kronstadt Man is a wonderful, beautiful, majestic creation of God, especially a holy man; this is the star of God; it is a luxurious color, all beautiful, pure, unblemished; this is fragrant cedar; these are multicolor beads; it is a precious stone that has no price; this is a beautiful fruitful tree of God's paradise. Man is a wonderful creation of God. Glory to the Creator and Provider! Glory to the Savior of the human race, who draws our race out of the mud of passions, from corruption and death, and leads us into the eternal life! 11. Saint Nina, enlightener of Georgia Saint Nina was the niece of the Patriarch of Jerusalem and was raised in Jerusalem. From Jews who came to Jerusalem for the Easter holiday, Nina often heard that to the north of Palestine there is a country of Iberia (as Georgia was called in ancient times), where the Gospel had not yet been preached. Stories about pagan Iberia aroused in Nina’s soul a strong desire to convert the inhabitants of this country to Christianity. This desire intensified in her even more thanks to a miraculous vision: one day the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to Nina in a dream, handed her a cross made of vine twigs and commanded her to go to enlighten the pagans. When, after a long and dangerous journey, Nina reached the Iverian city of Mtskheta, a festival was taking place there in honor of the pagan gods. Nina, seeing the pagan triumph with sorrow, fervently prayed to God to turn the people away from idolatry. Suddenly a thunderstorm arose and a lightning strike broke the idol. The priests and people fled in horror, and Nina blessed God, who answered her prayer by crushing the idol. Having settled in Mtskheta, Nina soon became famous far and wide for her healing of the suffering, who came to her in large numbers. Through the saint’s prayer, the dangerously ill queen of Iberia was also healed. One relative of the Persian king, who visited the king of Iberia Mirian, recovered thanks to Nina’s prayers and converted to Christianity. Mirian, fearing that the pagan Persian king might be angry with him for this, hated the righteous woman and wanted to put her to death. But one day while hunting he was caught in a thunderstorm and he was blinded by lightning. Seeing the wrath of God in this for his evil intention, Mirian made a promise to accept Christianity if his sight returned, and fulfilled his promise. Thanks to the preaching of Saint Nina, the number of believers constantly increased; The king of Armenia, Tiridates, also turned to Christianity. To appeal to Queen Sophia of Kakheti, Nina herself went to her. This journey was her last exploit, shortly after which she died (in 335). Following the example of St. Nina, who passionately loved her neighbors and cared about the salvation of their souls and enlightening them with the light of true knowledge of God, we must always take care of the spiritual good of our neighbors and do everything we can for their salvation: then only our lives will become bright and joyful, and we will receive great and rich mercy from God after death for our deeds of spiritual mercy to our neighbors, for enlightening them with the light of Christ’s Gospel. 12. Saint Anastasia the Pattern Maker as a great example of Christian mercy towards prisoners in prison From the book “History of the Orthodox Church,” ed. K.P. Pobedonostseva I was in prison, and you came to Me (Matthew 25:36) - this word penetrated deeply into the soul of Saint Anastasia. Cheerful, bright, delighted with the joy that she gave to others, she walked around the prisons every day, and everywhere she was greeted as an angel of God. But the grace of this consolation did not last long with her: her husband was indignant at her and, fearing that she would waste all her wealth on prisoners, began to keep her locked up, assigning guards to her. She reached despair and wrote to her former teacher: “Pray to God for me, for whose love I suffer to the point of exhaustion...” The elder answered her: “Do not forget that Christ walking on the waters is able to calm every storm: He stood up and rebuked the wind and the disturbance of the water; and they ceased, and there was silence (Luke 8:24). You are now standing, as it were, among the waves of the sea, patiently waiting for Christ - He will come to you... Light is always preceded by darkness; life is promised after death; The end is coming for earthly sorrow, as well as for earthly joy. Blessed by God is he who trusts in Him.” Soon Saint Anastasia became a widow and was given the freedom to devote all her wealth and her whole life to the ministry that she loved so much. Now she was no longer limited to the dungeons of Rome alone, she moved from city to city, from country to country, washed the wounds of prisoners, provided them with food, and rewarded prison guards with big money so that they would free the sufferers from the iron shackles that were rubbing their wounds. For these deeds, she was given the name Pattern Maker. How many her love brought comfort, how many she gave strength to endure to the end! Working day and night, she completely forgot that she herself could be persecuted. One day, having come to the prison to the prisoners whom she had ministered to the day before, she did not find them in place, since at night they had all been executed in order to make room in the prison for many other newly captured Christians. She cried bitterly and asked everyone through her tears: “Where are my fellow prisoners?” Concluding from this that she was a Christian, they took her and brought her to trial before the ruler. She was crucified between four pillars and a fire was lit to burn her, but before the flames blazed up, she died in agony. 13. Holy Martyrs Adrian and Natalia From “The Lives of the Saints”, Bakhmeteva Emperor Maximian, having once arrived in the city of Nicomedia, issued an order to carefully search for Christians and bring them to trial. Monetary rewards were promised to those who fulfilled this command and denounced Christians; those who would hide them were threatened with severe punishment. And the pagans began to hand over the Christians they knew and bring them to the king for trial. One day, at the direction of some of the inhabitants of Nicomedia, Maximian’s soldiers found in one cave up to 23 people who declared that they believed in Christ. The soldiers tied them up and took them to the king. By order of the king, they were subjected to all sorts of torments and tortures, but they were unshakable. Then Maximian condemned them to death; but since they were very weak and exhausted from torture, he ordered them to be tied up with heavy chains for the time being and imprisoned. First of all, they were taken to the praetorium, or public place, to write down their names as those condemned to execution. One of the leaders of the praetorium, a pagan, from a noble and wealthy house, named Adrian, surprised by the unshakable firmness and patience of the martyrs, approached them and began to talk to them. “I beg you by your God,” he told them casually, “tell me the truth.” What reward do you expect from your God? You must be hoping for something wonderful if you agree to endure such terrible torment. “Neither our lips can tell, nor your hearing can contain, nor your mind comprehend those joys that the Lord has promised to His faithful servants,” answered the holy martyrs. Suddenly a ray of heavenly grace touched Adrian’s soul; he understood the truth and, standing between the holy martyrs, said to the notary (scribe), who wrote down their names: “Write my name in the same place, because I believe in Christ and will joyfully die for Him.” The surprised notary hastened to notify the king that Adrian declared himself a Christian, and the king immediately summoned him to his place. - What's wrong with you, Adrian? - he told him. – Is it true that you want to die with these people condemned to death? Ask for forgiveness and declare that you have sinned and repent, and then your name will be crossed off the list of those condemned. “From this day on, I pray to the true God, may He forgive me my former pagan errors,” Andrian answered the king. Then the king became angry and ordered Adrian to be taken to prison. Meanwhile, one of Adrian’s servants, who was with him that morning, hurried home to notify Adrian’s wife about what had happened. “Our master was chained and taken to prison,” he said to Natalia, Adrian’s wife. This news greatly amazed the young woman who had recently gotten married and loved her husband dearly. She began to cry and anxiously asked the servant if he knew for what crime Adrian was taken to prison. “I saw that several people were brought to the praetorium, taken for the confession of Christ,” answered the minister. – These people were sentenced to execution; and our master ordered his name to be entered with their names and said that he wanted to die with them. Here, to the surprise of her servants, Natalya suddenly stopped crying, and living joy was expressed on her face. She was secretly a Christian and with all her heart wished for her husband’s conversion to the true God. She, of course, knew that in this case there was a threat of death, but the salvation of his soul was most valuable to her. Dressed in her best clothes as a sign of joy, Natalia hurried to go to her husband in prison. There, falling at his feet, she kissed his bonds and, shedding tears of joy, said to him: “Blessed are you, my lord, for you have found true, eternal treasure by believing in Christ. I beg you, remain to the end in the calling to which you are now called by the mercy of God; and may neither your youth, nor your family, nor your friends, nor anything earthly keep you from this glorious feat.” This is how Natalia encouraged her husband, rejoicing that he, too, understood the life-giving power of the faith of Christ. When evening came, Adrian persuaded his wife to return home, promising to notify her of the day that would be appointed for interrogation and torture. Some time later, when this day had already been appointed, Adrian asked the prison guards for permission to go home; other Christians vouched for his speedy return, and the watchmen released him. When he came home, Natalia threw herself into her husband’s arms. “You truly love your husband,” said Adrian, “because you want him to be saved.” Together they went to the dungeon, talking about the upcoming feat. The day appointed for the torture of Christians has arrived. They took all the prisoners to trial before the king. But then it turned out that 23 people who had already suffered before were too weak to endure new tortures; and the king, having learned about this, ordered to call only Adrian for himself. They gave him the tools of torment to carry himself, and he went, accompanied by the blessings and prayers of Christians. “Lift up all your thoughts to the one God,” Natalia repeated to him, “work is short-lived, but peace is endless.” – Do you still persist in your madness? – the king asked him. “I have already told you that I have realized my previous errors,” answered Adrian, “and I am ready to lay down my life for my faith.” Maximian began to persuade him to renounce; but, seeing that Adrian continued to firmly confess Jesus Christ, he ordered him to be severely beaten. Maximian, irritated by Adrian’s unshakable firmness, tortured him in the cruelest way and, meanwhile, continued to admonish him. “Repent,” he told him, “bow to the gods, and I will let you go and restore your rank to you.” However, nothing helped. After long and cruel torture, which Adrian endured courageously, the king ordered him to be taken back to prison. Natalia remained in prison and served the holy martyrs. She said to her husband: “My lord, when you appear before the Lord, beg Him to quickly take me from this life and unite me with you in eternal life.” I'm afraid that the king might want to force me to marry. Pray for me. The king, having learned that the martyrs were very weak and others were almost dying, ordered the death sentence to be carried out on them. To prolong their suffering, he first ordered their arms and legs to be beaten off with a hammer. Everyone endured this torment with firmness and surrendered their souls to God with prayer. Natalia remained with her husband to the end, admonishing him not to weaken, telling him about the Lord and about the afterlife. The king ordered the bodies of the holy martyrs to be burned; but the pouring rain extinguished the stove lit for this purpose, and a sudden thunderstorm scattered the watchmen who were with them. Then one Christian reverently collected the remains of the martyrs and took them to Byzantium. Natalia's fears turned out to be well founded. One pagan tribune, or commander of a thousand, wished to marry her, since she was beautiful and rich, and the king favored his desire. Natalia prayed to God to save her from the marriage she hated, and the holy martyrs appeared to her in a dream and ordered her to sail to Byzantium. Natalia immediately went to the pier where the ship departing for Byzantium stood, and went there. The tribune, having learned about her departure, hurried after her, but the Lord miraculously protected her. The pursuer did not overtake her, and Natalia arrived safely in Byzantium, where the local Christians received her with love. Having prayed in the church in which the remains of the martyrs rested, Natalia lay down to rest, and in a dream she saw Adrian, who announced her imminent death. Waking up, she joyfully announced to the Christians about the vision she had had, asked for their prayers and calmly fell asleep again. When they approached her a few minutes later, they saw that she had already died. 14. Saint Julitta, mother of the holy martyr Cyricus Julitta was a rich and noble woman from the Lycaonian city of Iconium in Asia Minor. She was born in the 3rd century and descended from the ancient princes of Lycaonia, who, although deprived of power after the conquest of their region by the Romans, retained great wealth and fair respect among their fellow citizens. Iulitta married a man worthy of her high position; she was an ardent Christian, and her wealth served her as a means for numerous good deeds. The Lord gave her a son, whom she named Kirik, abbreviated as Cyrus, which means: “belongs to the Lord.” But joy does not last long in this world; the earth is a place of exile, where through struggle and courage we must win for ourselves an eternal and blissful fatherland in heaven. Iulitta, young and rich, lost her husband and became a widow when her son was still in the cradle. Soon another new test came for her. After some hesitation, the Emperor Diocletian, yielding to the hatred of the pagans towards Christians, instituted a terrible persecution of Christians, the victims of which were thousands of martyrs. Julitta, due to her high position, was more likely than others to be in danger of being captured; but she was frightened not so much by the possibility of being subjected to torture and death as by the unknown future of her child. Julitta then remembered the words of the Savior: “/If you/ are persecuted in one city, then you flee to another.” And, without a moment's hesitation, she left all her property and left Lycaonia, accompanied only by two maids, carrying her precious treasure in her arms. She intended to find a city in which she would not be known as well as in her hometown, and thought to hide from persecution under the cover of poverty. Moving in this way from city to city, she finally arrived in Tarsus - the homeland of the Holy Apostle Paul. Until now, the inhabitants of the city of Tarsus have enjoyed some peace; but almost simultaneously with Saint Julitta, the ruler Alexander arrived there, who was entrusted with the execution of imperial commands. Julitta, caught professing Christianity, was one of the first to be captured; the soldiers took her to take her to trial, and her maids ran away, but disappeared into the crowd, wanting to see what would happen to their mistress. Julitta, strengthened by the grace of God, without weakness appeared before the ruler’s judgment seat. Her young son was in her arms. -Who are you and where are you from? – Alexander asked her. “I am a Christian,” answered Julitta. Enraged by this answer, Alexander ordered her son to be snatched from her hands. She was then tied to the boards, and the executioners, armed with ox sinews, began to beat her without mercy. At the sight of such terrible torture, little Kirik began to emit a soul-rending scream. The cry of the beautiful child touched the ruler; he ordered him to be brought, sat him on his lap and began to caress him. But the child yearned for his mother and did not stop crying, and Julitta, enduring blows with heroic courage, answered all the exhortations of the executioners: “I am a Christian and will never sacrifice to demons.” Kirik, hearing these words, began to repeat with his mother: “I am a Christian, I am a Christian,” and with his small hands he pushed the ruler’s head away from himself and tried to break away from him and rush to his mother. Such resistance from the child infuriated the ruler. Then, the narrator says, this wild beast grabbed the boy by the leg and threw him onto the platform with all his might. The head was crushed on the step of the seat, and the innocent lamb died on the pavement, doused with his pure blood. At this terrible sight, Julitta raised her eyes to heaven and said: “I thank You, Lord, that You have honored my son with the crown before me.” The ruler himself was ashamed of the barbaric act he had committed; but he began to blame Julitta for bringing him to this with her criminal stubbornness, and then ordered her body to be whittled with iron hooks and boiling tar to be poured on her feet, repeating: - Have pity on yourself, Iulitta! Spare yourself this torment. “No,” answered the holy martyr, “I will never make sacrifices to the demons; I believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, through whom God the Father created all things; soon I will see my son again in the Kingdom of Heaven. Finally seeing that nothing could be achieved from the martyr, the ruler said to the executioners: – Take the child’s body to the place of execution and take the mother there, then cut off her head. The executioner untied the saint, stuffed oakum into her mouth so that she could not speak, and led her to the place of execution. Here she made a sign to ask to take the tow out of her mouth, and when her request was fulfilled, she loudly uttered her last prayer for all the pagans to hear: - Lord Jesus, be blessed because You called my son before me into Your Kingdom; You took him from a miserable, short-lived life, so that he could enjoy a blessed and eternal life in the midst of the host of Your holy martyrs: now accept Your unworthy servant, so that, strengthened by Your Divine Spirit, I may appear before the face of the Heavenly Father, to His kingdom there is no end. Amen. Having said this prayer, Iulitta knelt down, and the executioner cut off her head. It was July 15, 304. The next night, Julitta's maids, taking advantage of the darkness of the night, took the body of their mistress and her son and buried them in a field adjacent to the city. 15. Holy Ascetic Paul Comp. according to No. 473 of “Trinity Leaves” She was a native of Rome, of noble birth; brought up among wealth, which was then hardly equal, she grew up in extreme luxury and did not so much walk as she was carried by slaves. But among all the luxurious surroundings, she knew how to cultivate rare spiritual treasures. With a noble, tender and strictly moral heart, she also combined an excellent education of the mind: she spoke Greek as her native language, and knew so much Hebrew that she read and sang the psalms of David in the original. At the age of 35, left a widow with six children, she barely endured her loss, but she triumphed in spirit and reverently bowed before the Divine right hand, which had struck her so painfully. She abandoned the world and began to squander all her wealth on the poor of Rome. She considered it a loss for herself if the poor and hungry received help from another. When her relatives reproached her for ruining her children, she answered: I leave them an incomparably greater inheritance - the mercy of Christ. And when praise for her activities began to be heard around her, she quickly decided to flee Rome. She took one daughter with her and went to Palestine. It was in the winter of 385, more than one and a half thousand years ago. In Asia, on her way, she met her Roman friend, Presbyter Jerome, a strict ascetic and a most learned writer. A great connoisseur of the Holy Land, he was the companion she could wish for. Despite all the inconveniences of the journey, to the cold mountains, to the gangs of Arabs prowling everywhere, to the damp, relaxing winter, Pavla, warmed by the fire of faith, rode on a donkey almost non-stop and thought only about how to quickly reach Jerusalem. And everyone around her was amazed at the invincible spiritual strength in her weak, pampered body... Here she is in sight of Jerusalem; The head of the city sent an honorary escort to meet her and offered her room in the palace, but Paula chose a poor house near the Holy Sepulcher. As soon as she appeared in the church above the Holy Sepulcher and Golgotha, the eyes of all the people turned to her; but she did not notice anything: no granite walls, no marble columns, no gilded vaults, no people, she was looking only for holy places and was completely imbued with strong emotional excitement. How many tears, sighs, sincere sorrow and trembling reverence were shed by her - only the Lord, who listened to her, knows this. On Golgotha, prostrating herself before the Cross, she prayed like this; as if I saw the Crucified Savior Himself. In the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher, she fell down on a stone rolled away by an angel, wrapped her arms around it, and no one could tear her away from it. But when she penetrated into the very cave of the Sepulcher and her knees bowed at the place of burial of the Savior, she hugged the stone elevation on which the most pure Body lay with her hands, and lost consciousness; then, gathering her strength, she covered these abandoned stones with kisses, with a warm feeling she fell to them, as if to a stream quenching a fiery thirst - a stream that she had been looking for for so long... As she walked further, she had difficulty tearing herself away from each holy place, and then only to bow before another. We will not follow Paula's entire path and will follow her straight to Bethlehem. Bethlehem, the birthplace of David and Christ, was then a simple village; only the magnificent royal church towered above the nativity scene. Here, along a twisted staircase, she hurriedly descended into the den. Prostrate on the stone floor, immersed in the contemplation of the great sacrament that took place in this very place, Pavla came into that indescribable delight when a person, forgetting everything around him, is transported in spirit to another, unearthly world. Paul cried, rejoiced and prayed at the same time. She recalled all the prophetic passages of Scripture and spoke them as they came to her mind - in Latin, in Greek, in Hebrew, and she herself cried out in prophetic delight: “And I, an unworthy sinner, was honored to kiss the manger in which the Child Lord wept. Here will be my dwelling, because my Savior has chosen His here; the fatherland of my God will be the place of my peace! “She examined all the places in Bethlehem and the surrounding area like family, with joyful excitement. Having visited the Egyptian desert and the ascetics in it, she returned to Bethlehem to settle there with her daughter forever. She lived here for 20 years. At first she took refuge in a cramped hospitable house and for three years built cells, monasteries, and hotels along the road along which Mary and Joseph once found no place to lay their heads. Having founded a women's community, she herself joined it with her daughter. Here these two women, who previously could not endure the dirt of the streets, for whom it was very difficult to walk on uneven ground, who were carried by servants, for whom silk clothes were heavy - these women, now dressed in modest, rough clothes, prepared candles for the house of God, lit the stove, swept the floors, cleaned vegetables, prepared food, set the tables, served bowls, walked nimbly to and fro and, compared with the same, became healthier and stronger. The mother was not inferior to her daughter either in work or in worries. And among the many sisters she collected from every class, she seemed, in her clothes, in her voice, in her appearance and manners, to be the lowest of all. She did not know a soft bed on her bed even during the most severe fever; having spread out the cavity, she slept on the hard ground. But in relation to others, even the simplest people, no one was more lenient than her, no one was more friendly. She often made loans to the poor herself, so as not to refuse help to anyone who asked. She made a vow to Christ - to give away all her wealth, to die a beggar herself and to lie in her grave in someone else's shroud. “If I ask,” she used to say, “there will be many who will give it to me; and if this poor man does not receive from me, who can give him, and dies, then from whom will his life be exacted?” In her monastery, every day at the 3rd, 6th, 9th hour (counting in Eastern time), in the evening and at midnight, the sisters gathered and sang psalms in a large hall, and on Sundays they went to church. She humbled young, playful girls with fasting; If she saw someone dressed up, she sadly denounced and said that the luxury of clothing and bliss of the body is a sign of impurity of the soul. When others fell ill, she provided them with everything in abundance and even fed them meat; but when she herself fell ill, she in no way relaxed her severity towards herself. So she, with a tired, senile, decrepit, small body, fell ill with a severe fever; only God could save her; Somehow she began to recover. After such twenty years of exploits, she finally fell ill with a dying disease and rejoiced. For many years now she has been repeating the words of the apostle: who will deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom.7:24) - and now, when only the fire of life was trembling in her chest, she whispered verses from the psalms: Lord, I have loved the beauty of Your house... (Ps.25:8) Since Your village is beloved, O Lord of hosts! (Ps.83:3) She answered the caring questions of her loved ones that she was not at all sad and looked at death calmly. Until the very last minute, already powerless to raise her hand, she, putting her finger on her lips, made the sign of the cross on them. Her last word was: I believe to see the good of the Lord in the land of the living (Ps. 26:13). And so, instead of crying and sobbing over the body of the deceased, psalms thundered in different languages; the bishops carried her in their arms; other bishops carried lamps and candles in front; they placed it in the middle of the church of the den of Christ; there was not a single monk left in the desert who would not come to pray for her; widows and the poor brought and showed the clothes they received from her; prayers for her were almost uninterrupted for three whole days, and all this time her face was filled with some dignity and importance, so that she seemed to everyone to be asleep in deep thought. They buried her right there, next to the nativity scene, under the church. And the tombstone above her is still intact; on the stone there is an inscription inscribed by Jerome, and pious worshipers venerate her holy remains. Her blessed companion, daughter Eustochia, rests next to her. 16. How the Holy Great Martyr Barbara came to know the true God from looking at the world According to “Sunday Reading” for 1888 During the reign of Maximian, in the city of Iliopolis there lived one noble and wealthy citizen, Dioscorus, a pagan by faith. He had an only daughter, whom he cherished like the apple of his eye. Beautiful in face, and even more beautiful in heart, she, as she grew older, surpassed all her peers in beauty. So that none of the ordinary people could see the beauty of Barbara—that was the name of Dioscorus’s daughter—Dioscorus built a pillar with a richly decorated dwelling in it and locked his daughter there. Hidden from human gaze, removed from all external entertainment, the young woman delved into the contemplation of the beautiful world of God. One day, looking at the heavenly bodies and admiring the beauty of the earth, she asked the slaves assigned to her: -Who created all this so wisely and beautifully? “All this,” answered the pagans, “was created and arranged by the very gods whom your parent worships and who stand in his chambers.” But the wise girl was not satisfied with such an answer and thought: “The gods revered by my father were themselves created by human hands and soulless, made of silver, or gold or wood - how could they, not being able to walk with their feet or move their hands, be the creators of such wise things?” She thought for a long time in this way, and finally the grace of God touched her heart, which was looking for God the Creator, and announced to her heart and mind that there is one God who created heaven and earth with all their beauty. Thus, the thought of God, which constantly occupied the soul of the young woman, awakened in her an irresistible desire to know the true and only God closer and more clearly. But since there was no one under Varvara who could teach her this, the Lord God Himself, always close to those who seek Him, appeared as her mentor and teacher. Varvara’s father left home for a long time and gave orders that in his absence the girl’s freedom should not be constrained, but that she should be allowed to go wherever she wants and do whatever she wants. Taking advantage of the freedom given by her father, Varvara met some Christian girls. Hearing from them about the name of Jesus Christ, she rejoiced in spirit, recognizing in him the One for whom her soul had long thirsted. At this time, by the special providence of God, a Christian priest arrived here. Having learned of his arrival, Varvara immediately called him to her and, having learned from him all the truths of faith necessary for salvation, she was baptized. Thus Saint Barbara came to know the true God, worshiped and glorified in three Persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and sealed her faith with the crown of martyrdom. She was not afraid of severe torment, but in the hope of God’s help, in the midst of the most severe suffering, she cried out: “I honor the Trinity - one Divinity.” The great world of God is open to each of us - know the Creator, Christian, and above all try to please the Lord. From an early age, learn the knowledge of God and do not weaken until old age to improve in it. The sky was dressed in a light haze, Passed silently over the ground. Everything was drowned in quiet darkness, Everything calmed down, fell asleep, - The sovereign elder of Rome fell asleep. Can't be heard in the empty streets - For everyone: for good and for evil. And the proud Caesar 70, and the patrician 71, And the slave is hungry, pale-faced Under the roof of the night they sleep peacefully, And the month is full, golden, Bloodthirsty Rome, unclean Rome They stand without knowing human affairs, Everyone is sleeping peacefully. Kingdom of the night There was peace for everyone, Sits motionless, not knowing sleep, And all in the heat, with her lips open, Since the difficult cross of patience And from the wounds that covered the body, Now she's bleeding Didn't give in, didn't bow down Their false, vain gods; She is firm, and in conclusion, Forgetting about torture, about torment, "Oh strengthen me, Savior, Don't let your soul lose its strength, And the pain of torture, Comforter, The sight of the grave disturbs me... I'm weakening... God give me strength To suffer, to endure torture She is grieving - it’s hard, difficult for her... Suddenly the dark vault above her disappeared, And some wonderful light flashed, Christ the Lord descended into prison And standing before the virgin, his right hand "Don't be afraid - I'm with you, Be patient and believe..." The vision disappeared - And again everything was covered in darkness. Her suffering stopped. There are no bloody wounds on the body, Her strength of spirit has strengthened, And the tyrant is no longer afraid of her. Now to die for God's word Let the enemies come now - They will not find fear in her. Rome on seven hills has awakened People appeared on Stogni 72, Life began to boil, began, - And in the Colosseum in chains a maiden They took me to death, to torment... And there have been crowds of people there for a long time, Having gathered, they await her arrival; “Oh, I’ve been waiting for this torment for a long time!” – She stands with her arms crossed, Stands and waits for the final torment. Chu... a door rattled somewhere, He doesn’t see him - he looks up, And he says loudly and clearly: “Christ, who forgave the Jews, Forgive my villains today: They, the blind, do not see you, They don't know what they're doing. Oh, enlighten their eyes quickly... The darkness of the deep night will disappear And a wonderful light will light up here And it will spread far... Oh my Savior, my Creator, Look down from heaven at my end! My soul has become close to You. But then the sky dissolved - To You..." And the beast plays with its tail, It's creeping closer and closer... It’s not far... suddenly... a jump - The last weak breath of the unfortunate His people, passionate to the point of blood, And at this moment the holy soul, Flew high, where is the eternal God From the book “Christian Family” by Rev. A. Rozhdestvensky Beautiful is the image of the God-fearing Nonna, drawn by her son, Saint Gregory the Theologian. “Some women deserve fame through household labors, another through courtesy or chastity, another through piety and mortification of the flesh, tears, piety and concern for the poor; and Nonna is famous to everyone. What time and place of prayer was hidden from her? That was her first thought every day. Who showed such respect to priests? Who valued so highly every kind of wise life? Who more than she exhausted the flesh with fasting and vigil? Who stood more reverently than her during all-night and daytime psalmody? Who more often praised virginity, although she herself bore the bonds of marriage? Who was the best intercessor for widows and orphans? Who alleviated the plight of those who were crying to such an extent?.. In sacred meetings and places, except for the necessary mysterious exclamations, her voice was never heard... She honored the shrine with silence, never turned her back to the venerable Table, did not spit on the floor in the church of God... She did not desecrate either her hearing or her tongue, with which she received and broadcast the Divine, with pagan stories and songs, because everything unsanctified is indecent for the sanctified.” Having become the wife of a man who had not yet been introduced to the pasture of Christ, she tried to attract him to God by all means. And finally she got what she wanted. On this occasion, St. Gregory puts into the mouth of his father a sacred song: “The great God, who was a wild olive tree, called me to Himself as not the last sheep, made me the leader of His flock, and bestowed happiness from a godly wife.” The first fruit of this marriage was Saint Gregory. Nonna hurried with her firstborn to church. According to this vow, she dedicated him to God, and as a sign of this dedication, she asked that the book of the Gospel be placed on the baby’s chest. The memory of this first initiation always made a strong impression on Gregory. He compared himself to Samuel, whom Anna also dedicated to God early. “The wise Sarah, who honors a kind spouse: but you, my mother, prepared a good spouse, who was far from the world, so that he would become first a Christian, and then a great priest. You are Anna; Through prayer you gave birth to a dear son, and brought the pure servant Samuel as a gift to the church.” When, still in his youth, he set out from Palestine for Alexandria and during a storm the angry sea threatened to destroy the ship on which he was sailing, it was especially sad for him that he would die unbaptized, without fulfilling his mother’s holy vows. He prayed to God with hot tears to save his life for His service. And when he saw that God heard His prayer, he considered this salvation a second dedication of his life to God and confirmed it with a new vow. Subsequently, he remembered with deep gratitude his mother, who blessed him for the feat of higher service and was rewarded by God for his piety and zeal for the church by dying in the church during prayer. From the magazine “The Helmsman” for 1900. And, by age, in losses Faith in painful illnesses - And at the last hour of death Faith in life is a clear light, 20. Princess Euphrosyne of Polotsk From “The Book of Adults” by Alchevskaya In the Principality of Polotsk there was Prince George, the great-great-grandson of Vladimir the Saint. George had a daughter, who was named Predslava. They began teaching the princess to read and write early; By the age of 12, Predslava had completed all the science of that time. The Holy Scripture became her favorite reading: she read about how pious women lived in ancient times, how they served and helped people; She read the words of Christ about how to help others, and she passionately wanted to act according to His covenant. And so the young princess could be found everywhere there were unhappy people. She cared for the sick, obtained clothes and food for the poor, visited prisoners and begged her father for their freedom. Quiet, modest, affectionate, like a clear sun, she appeared wherever she could help people. The princess grew up, and suitors began to woo her. In those days, they didn’t ask a girl if the groom was after her heart; They betrothed Predslava to a rich young prince. At the handshake they started a feast; Wine flowed like a river, cheerful songs flowed. And the young princess stood in her little room and prayed. It was hard for her to marry a stranger, an unloved man, and wealth did not captivate her. She had already fallen in love with another life - all the unfortunate people she helped, who needed her, were dear to her. And the princess decided to go to the monastery: she would not have her own family, all people would be her family. The princess quietly left the tower. Была уже ночь; никто не заметил ее. She quickly went to the monastery and began knocking on the gate. The monastery was surprised at the late arrival of the princess; They were even more surprised when the princess said about her desire to become a nun. The abbess of the monastery was the princess's aunt. She persuaded the young girl for a long time, but she was adamant. They sent for the bishop and at dawn they tonsured the young princess and named her Euphrosyne. The grief of the parents was great when they learned about what had happened, but nothing could be done. But the princess did not find peace in the monastery. The monastery was rich, everyone pampered and groomed the young nun. This was not the kind of life Euphrosyne wanted, and she began to ask the abbess to be allowed to live alone at Hagia Sophia. Here she found something to do: during the day she cleaned the church, welcoming everyone who came to the church, read; and at night she sat down to another job - copying books. There were very few books at that time: many churches did not even have the Gospel, and the young nun sent her books to the poorest churches. They began to give her orders for books; she took money for it and spent it on those in need. They began to flock to Sister Euphrosyne from all over, so that it became crowded in the courtyard of the cathedral; there was nowhere to shelter the sick, old man, and so the bishop came up with the idea of ​​​​giving Euphrosyne a whole village with land. They repaired the old church in the village, and Sister Euphrosyne moved there, followed by all the sick, crippled, old people, lonely, and beggars. At this time, Euphrosyne no longer worked alone, she had assistants; Together they began to settle in the new place. The new monastery grew. Rich people made contributions to it - donated money, things, land; many rich girls and widows asked to be Euphrosyne’s assistant and worked with her. And there was a lot of work: it was necessary to teach children, treat the sick, care for the elderly, provide clothes and bread to the poor, find work for those who could work; the books had to be rewritten. Sister Euphrosyne lived her entire long life in such labors for people. Shortly before her death, she gathered in the Holy Land to venerate the Holy Sepulcher. The whole monastery cried bitterly, parting with their beloved abbess, as if everyone had a presentiment that they would not see her again. And indeed, Euphrosyne did not return to her homeland. In Jerusalem, she prayed for a long time at the Holy Sepulcher and placed a golden censer there. The great worker prayed at the Tomb for the entire Russian land, for all the unfortunate, for the whole world. And her whole life, and her last prayer, were for her human brothers. There, in distant Palestine, she died, never seeing her homeland again; She was buried there. 21. An old Russian story about a good lady From the “Good Word” by Archpriest G. Dyachenko More than 300 years ago, when Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible ruled Russia, there lived at the royal court a rich housekeeper named Justin, nicknamed Nedyurev, a kind and poverty-loving man. He had a wife Stefanida and a daughter Juliana. Juliania was orphaned early; At the age of six, she moved from under her parents’ roof to live with her grandmother, and when her grandmother died, she went to live with her aunt. Juliania grew up as a pale, quiet, thoughtful child. When they taught her to read and write and she read in the Holy Scriptures how holy people lived, she completely, with all her ardent childish soul, surrendered to God. She was not bored either by long prayer or fasting; she was not afraid of hardships, was not ashamed of ridicule, and early began to live her faith and her truth. Games, laughter and outfits did not amuse her: she loved work, worked all day long, even until late at night the candle in her hoop or at her spinning wheel did not go out. From an early age, Juliania sewed and dressed little homeless orphans with her handicrafts. The girls were then kept locked up, and Juliana rarely had to go to church, especially since there were few churches then and it was far from home to walk. At home, Juliana prayed alone, but faith and love for people grew and strengthened in her young soul. She got married at the age of sixteen. Juliania's husband was a rich man. She had a lot of property and servants. But she did not change and did not become proud: she lived in peace with everyone, worked and prayed, and took care of the servants. She did not demand help from them, but served them herself. Other noblewomen could not take a step without a slave, but Juliania washed and dressed herself. Others left the servants in the mud and half-starved - at Juliana’s they were well-fed and clothed. Others scolded and beat the guilty, but Juliana never called anyone without affection and without greetings. She did not forget the poor, wretched, orphans, and on the side she did not forget the church, giving there the money she earned from her own labor. In those years, God's wrath visited the Russian land. Famine visited the cities and villages in the area where Juliana lived. People got sick and died in the hundreds. Juliania’s heart was torn with pity, and she worked hard, generously distributing alms. Previously, she often refused various foods offered to her by her mother-in-law, but now she took and asked for more to give to the hungry. When contagious diseases appeared after famine and the healthy abandoned the sick, Juliana boldly went to the unfortunate, washed their sores and consoled them. If the patient died, she buried him at her own expense, not wanting the deceased to be deprived of his last earthly honor because God struck him with a peptic ulcer. Hardships and labor exhausted Juliana, but she was still cheerful. Little else, it seemed to her, she pleased God. And she began to ask her husband to enter the monastery. But he did not let her in, saying: “Who will you leave me and the children with?” Juliania was left to save herself in the world. In the evening she went to bed on firewood and iron keys; and at night, when the servants fell asleep, she got up to pray, so that people would not think that she was praying for them to see. A few years later, Juliania's husband died. She remained a full-time housewife and became even more generous with her alms. And she did not give out of excess: she often gave to the last coin. In winter she went without a fur coat, and she gave the money that was supposed to go towards a fur coat to the poor. In old age she suffered trials. She became impoverished, weakened, could not work, and she did not have enough strength to drag herself to church on weak legs. And there was hunger all around again. And so Juliana dismissed her servants so that they would not suffer poverty with her. Others, loving her, remained with her; and she sent them to collect quinoa from the empty, scorched fields and tear off the bark from the trees, and they made bread from the quinoa and bark - there was no other way. It was hard for Juliana to go hungry and see hunger, but so that those around her would not become discouraged and would not murmur against God, she was always cheerful and consoled the weak in spirit. And when she had to die, she called her children and faithful servants; first she taught them to be merciful and to love God, and then, weakened, with prayer on her lips, she quietly passed away into eternity. People remembered the good noblewoman for a long time and said that miracles were performed near her tomb. Having seen the crowd, Savior And so, speaking loudly, – Blessed are all the poor in spirit – The Kingdom of Heaven awaits them! Blessed are all the tears that shed - Their grief will find consolation! Blessed are all the meek in heart - Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness - Blessed are those who are full of mercy - Blessed are all the pure in heart - Blessed are all peacemakers - Blessed are those who suffer for truth Blessed are you when you are reviled, Rejoice in pure hearts! Your reward is in heaven! You might be interested in: