24-го числа

† Rev. Eusevia, renamed Xenia In old Rome there was a famous senator and a good Christian. He had one daughter, Eusevia, as dear to him as the eye 248. When she reached the age, the nobleman and senator asked Eusevia’s parents to marry their daughter to his son. After family council, Eusevia was betrothed to a noble young man, equal to her in family nobility and wealth. A day was also appointed for the marriage. But the girl, full of holy love, wanted to be married to the Heavenly Bridegroom, Christ the Lord. She hid this desire from her parents, because she knew that if they knew about her intention, they would not allow her desire to be fulfilled. She was their only heir to their wealth, and they wanted to have consolation in their grandchildren. Eusevia had two faithful maids who lived with her from her childhood, zealous and devoted to her. She opened her soul to them; having received from them a promise to be faithful to her until death, she said that she would never agree to marry. “What is earthly life? - she said, “sleep and dreams.” So all three girls decided to live for the Lord alone, in virgin purity. Eusebia secretly, through her faithful maids, distributed money to the poor. Then, all three, dressed in men's clothing, secretly disappeared from Rome and arrived in Alexandria by ship. From there they sailed to the island of Ko, which is about 50 versts from the Carian city of Halicarnassus. Here, having rented a house, Eusevia lived for some time with the maids as with her sisters, making them promise not to tell anyone who she was, and to call her nothing other than Xenia. I am a pilgrim for the Lord, she said. Their condition on the island seemed unsafe to them: not seeing protection in anyone, they feared most for their purity 249 . But the Lord sent them help through their prayer. Once Eusevia met an old wanderer of venerable appearance and asked him to accept her and her sisters as spiritual daughters; “I think,” she added, “that you are the bishop of God.” The elder asked who they were? “We are from a distant country,” answered Ksenia, “and we are looking for one thing - the salvation of the soul.” “Believe me,” said the elder, I am a wanderer myself, coming from the holy land; I am not a bishop, but the rector of the monastery of St. Apostle Andrew, in the Carian city of Milas. Ksenia begged the elder to take them with her and shelter them with her protection from temptation. The elder agreed. In Milas, near the cathedral church, Eusevia bought a house, built a small church in the name of Archdeacon Stephen and formed a community of virgins. Blessed Elder Paul diligently cared for the new community and tonsured Xenia and her friends into monasticism 250. After a short time, Bishop Kirill of Milas died, and Abbot Pavel of St. Andrew’s Monastery was installed in his place. The new bishop, having visited Ksenia’s community, installed Ksenia as a deaconess, against her wishes. Her life was high. She ate food every other day, every other day, and sometimes every other week, and only one piece of bread; she didn’t even touch the vegetables or the oil. Remembering David’s words: ashes are like bread and dissolve my numée with weeping, and she sprinkled her bread with ashes and sprinkled it with tears. Dissatisfied with the prayers of the church, she stood praying all night in her cell, with her hands raised to the sky. She hid it; but her friends, jealous to imitate her exploits, saw this with their own eyes. Her clothes were the worst. Strict with herself, she was very merciful to everyone, quiet, kind to her sisters, attentive to their small needs; She did not speak harsh words to anyone; she admonished those who sinned with gentle love. The blessed ascetic accomplished her exploits under the influence of the high life of the Palestinian ascetic, St. Euthymius, while Empress Eudokia traveled to holy places 251. Blessed Paul told her about Euphemia, as an eyewitness to him. “When the death of the tall virgin approached, then the memory of St. Ephraim, Bishop of Milo, and blessed Bishop Paul with all the clergy went to the village of Levkin, where the relics of St. Ephraim." The Monk Ksenia, having called the sisters to the monastery church, told them: “You showed a lot of love for me, sisters; continue your love, pray for me, I am dying; ask our father Bishop Paul to pray for me; he cared so much about my soul.” The sisters began to cry. She continued: “The Apostle Peter says: The Lord does not slander the promises, as some men think slack, but is patient with us, not that anyone should perish, but that they might come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9-10). So, you don’t need to be lazy, but you need to stay awake. Stay awake, sisters, prepare to meet the Lord’s bridegroom with the oil of good works and burning love.” Having released the sisters, she remained in the church to pray and was found dead the next morning, on January 24th. The bishop and the whole city honorably laid her body in the place indicated by her. A year later, one of her lifelong friends died; Before the death of another, the sisters begged this friend to tell who Ksenia was. Now they only found out in the monastery and in the city what a high family Eusevia was. At the tomb of the great ascetic, who died no later than 457, healings of the sick were performed for the glory of God 252. St. Gregory the speaker, after being told about the death of the pure virgin on the day appointed by the Mother of God, was asked the question: are the souls of the righteous called to heaven before they are united with their bodies? St. Gregory answered: “We cannot affirm this about all the righteous, and we cannot deny this about all. The Apostle Paul wanted to be resolved and be with Christ. So, whoever believes that Christ is in heaven also believes that Paul’s soul is in heaven with Christ” 253. And I saw, says the seer, thrones and those sitting on them: and it was given to them to judge: and the souls of those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God... They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4). Those who are alive are called souls here; it is clear that these are souls that have not yet united with bodies. And yet they reign with Christ, not only enjoy bliss, but also participate in the royal power of Christ the Lord, or, what is the same, perform works of God’s power, miracles. On the other hand, the Savior said: in My Father’s house are many mansions (John 14:2). This clearly means that not all righteous souls are in the same blissful state, not all are equally close to the Lord, differing in degrees and types of moral perfection. “One day such a thought came to me,” said Abba Athanasius, abbot of the Lavra of St. Savva, what will happen to those who do not strive? I fell into a kind of frenzy. At this time someone says to me: follow me. Having brought him to one place full of light, he placed it at the door; the appearance of this door cannot be depicted; only behind her we heard an innumerable multitude praising God. When we knocked, someone inside heard us and asked us: what do you need? My guide answered: “We want to enter.” But he answered: “None of those who live carelessly will enter here; if you want to enter, go and strive, not being bothered by the vanities of the world.” 254 † St. John, Martyr of Kazan In the Chetye-Minea of Metropolitan Macarius we read: “On January 24, 1529, the suffering of St. John, a new martyr who suffered for Christ in Kazan.” Then follows this description of the sufferings of the martyr: “During the time of the pious Grand Duke Vasily Ioannovich, the wicked Tatars devastated Nizhny Novgorod and took many captives. Among them was the God-fearing John, who from his youth had lived according to the commandments of the Lord. He was brought to Kazan and, according to the division of prisoners, he went to the royal relative Alei-Shpur. This prince appointed him among his servants. The blessed one faithfully served his master; spending the day in services, at night he stood for prayer and remained almost without sleep; He had to listen to a lot of ridicule and insults, but he endured everything patiently. Finally, the prince and his mullah decided to distract him from the holy faith and make him a fan of Mohammed. But John declared before everyone that he confessed Christ Jesus as his Lord and God, and considered the teachings of Mohammed to be an error. They tied the saint’s hands with a belt and led him up the mountain, to where the Russian cemetery is. Here, with threats of torture, people were forced to renounce Christ. And he, despite any threats, repeated that he was a Christian. After long threats and abuse, Alei-Shpur ordered John's head to be cut off. He was hit on the neck and fell backward; the head was not cut off; the blow cut his neck; but the fanatics wounded his body with several blows of the sword, and pierced his belly right through. It was bitterly cold that day. The saint lay half-dead in place from the first hour of the day until night; the ice melted around the saint, and in the last hour of the day his hands were untied. The saint stood up, protected himself with the sign of the cross and, supporting his head with his hand, came to the boyar children of the Grand Duke. He told everything that he had suffered from the Tatars, and they glorified God. At night, the saint asked the priest to read the rule and administer the holy mysteries to him; Christ's confessor spent the whole night without sleep, in tearful prayer, and in the morning he gave up his spirit to the Lord. The house where the saint's body lay was filled with fragrance, so that all Christians were amazed at the greatness of God, who glorified His saint, the new martyr John. His honest, suffering body was laid in the old Russian cemetery" 255. The holy sufferer, even when he accomplished the feat of confession and endured torment for the Lord Jesus, considered it necessary for himself to partake of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus. How do famous people dare to be content with some kind of monastic confession, some kind of self-willed piety, and do not want the life-giving mystery? The unfortunate ones do not understand that they are putting themselves in the position of the Jews who neglect the heavenly food of the Son of God! They do not understand that they remain lifeless trees, ready to be eaten by the eternal fire. The Lord said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not have life in you” (John 6:53). Life of Ave. Eusebius in Act. Sanct. Januar. II, 598. In Chet-Mineya January 24 (in the latter with a few abbreviations). Written by a contemporary. The biographer says at the beginning: “and our times have been given by God a great miracle and a glorious mystery, which I consider necessary to write down in writing and commemorate the memory of posterity.” Ancient translation by Tsarsky 192, 614. In the prologue of January 24, a translation of the Synaxarion. There is short news in Vasily’s menology. Menologist: “due to women’s weakness, I was perplexed as to where to lay my head.” About Milas, the capital of Caria, ancient geography, St. Petersburg. 1856, p. 219. About the diocese of Milas Le-quien, Or. chr. I, 920 s. Nicephorus Callistus directly writes that St. Eusebius was famous for her exploits when St. Euthymius lived († 473); emperor Evdokia († 451) visited St. places. Le Quien, Or. chr. 1, 921. 922. Memory of Rev. Eusebia in Greek. and Rimsk. Churches Jan. 24, for the Abyssinians - Jan. 19 (24). Conversation about the life of the fathers of the book. 4, ch. 17. Chet-Minea May 16 days. John Moschus. Meadow. spirit., pp. 132, 128. M. 1853. Min. m. Makaria January 24; the life of a new martyr in Tolstoy 2, No. 68. 266, in Tsarsky No. 396; from the letter of M. Hermogenes it is printed in the notes of Kazan. uni book 4, pp. 151–152. 1839 RKP. Saints: “St. John was killed quickly in l. 7037 months January on the 24th day."