28-го числа

St. Basil, faster and associate of St. Procopius Decapolitus St. Basil, faster and associate of St. Procopius of Dekapolitus, who lived with him and suffered in prison for venerating icons under Leo the Isaurian. Died in 747. Holy Hieromartyr Proterius, Patriarch of Alexandria, and those who suffered with him At the time when Dioscorus, a follower of the false teaching of Eutyches, was patriarch in Alexandria, there was one presbyter there, Proterius, a disciple of St. Kirill, who fearlessly rebelled and denounced the deviation from Orthodoxy of the patriarch. Finally, when at the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon Dioscorus was exposed, deposed and expelled, Proterius, who had become famous for the zeal with which he defended the truth of Christ’s teachings, and who was generally distinguished by his strict and virtuous life, was elected Patriarch of Alexandria. Meanwhile, many adherents of Dioscorus remained in Alexandria, who rebelled against the election of Proterius, rebelled in order to restore Dioscorus and burned a detachment of soldiers sent to pacify them. The pious Marcian, who reigned at that time, again sent a reinforced detachment of soldiers to pacify the rebels. Deprived by the will of the angry emperor of various benefits that they had enjoyed until then, the Alexandrians reconciled themselves and turned to Proterius, asking him to petition the emperor for the return of their previous benefits. The kindly saint did not refuse his intercession for the people and achieved the return of benefits to them (such as the import of bread into the city from Egypt). After the death of Marcian, the heretics again planned an uprising. Presbyter Timothy, who was aspiring to the patriarchal rank, took advantage of the temporary absence of the city commander and headed the rebels. Saint Proterius, not having the means to tame the rebellion, decided to leave Alexandria, but that same night in a dream he saw the prophet Isaiah, who called him to return to the city, telling him that he was waiting for him. – The saint understood this warning about his martyrdom and returned to Alexandria. Here he entered the baptismal room. - Having learned about this, the heretical rebels broke into his refuge, attacked Proterius and killed him and six other people who were with him. They did not retreat from the atrocity, despite the fact that it was on the day of Holy Saturday, and in their rage they went so far that, tying a rope to the body of the murdered saint, they dragged him out into the street, beat him, tormented his limbs and, finally, burned him, and scattered his ashes in the air - in 457. The Orthodox informed Emperor Leo, Marcian's successor, and Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople about what had happened and begged them for protection against the Eutychians. - Distressed by the news of the martyrdom of Proterius, the emperor sent an army to punish the inhabitants of Alexandria. Timothy the presbyter was put on trial, deprived of his priesthood and exiled in prison. Such horrors were accompanied here and in other places, especially in Syria and Egypt - unrest excited by the eternally warring followers of various heresies that divided and tore apart the Church of Christ. But she emerged from this test unharmed, and it, like others - in previous and subsequent centuries - only served to sanctify and strengthen her. After the death of Proterius, four contemporary Thracian bishops wrote: We place the most holy Proterius in the rank and rank of saints and ask God to be merciful and merciful to us through his prayers. Reverend Wives Marana (Marina) and Kira I ask you not to have distrust in what I am telling, even if it is instilled in (the listeners) to hear something that exceeds their strength,” - this is how Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus, warns his stories about the ascetics, “and let them not measure the virtues of the saints by their own standards,” he continues, “but firmly remember that the Lord usually proportions the gifts of the Holy Spirit with the spiritual disposition of pious people, and the most perfect of he sends them more gifts.” Speaking about the holy ascetics, Theodoret says that “there were and are many of them, some of whom spent and continue to lead a solitary life, while others, loving community, live together in groups of two hundred and fifty or more or less, eat the same food, sleep only on matting and, while exercising their hands with the wave, devote their tongues to psalmody. There are a lot of such schools of philosophy not only in our country, but throughout the East, so it is impossible to list them. Palestine, Egypt, Asia, Pontus, and Europe are filled with them. From the time that Christ the Lord honored virginity by being born of the Virgin, nature has grown these, so to speak, meadows of virginity and brings to the Creator fragrant and never-fading flowers of virtues in husbands and wives, without distinction of wisdom in one or the other; because they differ only in bodies, and not in spirit. “In Christ Jesus, according to the word of St. Apostle, there is neither male nor female” (Gal.3:28); the same faith is given to husbands and wives: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all. Each of us has been given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ” (Eph. 4:5, 6, 7). The Evangelist also promised the kingdom of heaven to the victorious. Wives deserve all the more praise because, having a weaker nature, they show the same zeal as their husbands and free their sex from hereditary reproach.” First of all, the eyewitness narrator mentions the holy women Marana and Cyrus, who “surpassed everyone in their feats of patience.” They were originally from Beria; lived in the 4th century and seemed to perceive that they themselves were a brilliant reflection of the glory of this wonderful era of the Christian faith, which shone with so many ascetics of both sexes. Living among some luminaries and among the close memories of others who had passed away, they early comprehended the vanity of earthly blessings and the beauty of eternal things, I rushed to them, moving away from the brilliant field of life, which represented to them their noble origin and “upbringing in accordance with this origin.” Marana and Kira hid from the light outside the city, fenced off one small corner of the earth for themselves and, blocking the entrance to their refuge with earth and stones, devoted themselves entirely to the ascetic life. Since their former maids followed them here, who wished to join in the life they had chosen, Kira and Marana placed them in a small house near their fence and watched them through a small hole in their fence, excited them to prayer and guided them on the difficult path of total dedication to God. They themselves lived in the open air, spending most of their time in silence, but occasionally, namely on the day of Pentecost, one of them, Marana, received and talked with the women who came; No one has ever heard Kira's voice. Not content with renouncing the sweets of life, they zealously subjected themselves to great hardships, burdened themselves with chains, and these chains were so heavy that the delicately built Kira could not straighten her body, but bowed under this arbitrary burden to the very ground. Out of respect for the priesthood of Blessed Theodoret, the ascetics sometimes allowed him inside their enclosure. Struck by the sight of their heavy chains, he urged them not to exhaust themselves beyond their strength; during his presence they; agreed to yield to his convictions, but after he left they again placed them on themselves. And so Marana and Kira lived for too many forty years, amid unbroken fasting and prayer and from strength to strength... Meanwhile, it all seemed to them that they were just beginning their ascetic labors... They only left their solitude twice, once to make a journey to Jerusalem, which they did without refreshing themselves with food during the journey, but only after they had venerated the shrine, and another time they went to venerate the tomb of the victorious first martyr Thekla in Isauria, observing the strictest fast during this second journey. What words can one express reverent amazement at the contemplation of such spiritual power, such heights of earthly beings, as if disembodied in the flesh... Holy New Martyr Kir-Anna (the wisest) Born in Avissok, Thessaloniki diocese, from pious parents, young Kir-Anna, beautiful in soul, beautiful in appearance, had the misfortune of attracting the attention of one Janissary, a tax collector. Not having had time to achieve rapprochement with her, the embittered barbarian, with the help of his accomplices, abducted a young girl from her parents' house and presented her to the judge with the complaint that she was reluctant to fulfill, as it were, her word to marry him and accept the Mohammedan faith... Kir-Anna's parents tried in vain to free their daughter; they had to give up before the terrible threats of the villains. But no threats, no gifts, no flattering promises of the Janissary had any effect on the young girl and could not persuade her to fulfill his demands. “I am a Christian,” she told him, “I love only Christ, the Lord my God.” I have belonged to Him alone since infancy and am ready to die for Him in order to live with Him in eternity... Behold, you have heard my answer; Now don’t expect another word from me. And indeed, after that she did not utter a single word. It seemed that her soul had already departed and was in contemplation of the Savior, and was occupied with only one thought: to die for Him as soon as possible. Struck by her imperturbable calm, seeing her inflexibility, the Turks decided to imprison her in heavy chains. The Janissary, still not losing hope of persuading the girl to surrender to him, got himself permission from the chief governor of the prison to visit her. Throughout the day, he used this permission several times, coming to her first alone, sometimes with other Janissaries. At first he tried to influence her with affection, but she, covering her face with a veil, crossing her arms on her chest, remained silent and motionless. Then the monsters began to beat and torture her so that she fell dead. At night they left her. But when they left, and as soon as she came to her senses, the prison bailiff began to torment her. He hung her with her hands chained, beat her with anything and left her hanging in the cold - it was winter. In addition to Kir-Anna, there were also Jewish, Turkish and Christian prisoners in the dungeon. All of them, who were kept here for various offenses, were indignant at the cruelties of a relatively innocent girl, showered reproaches on the bailiff, and sometimes, reproaching him, one of the Christians who were here freed Kir-Anna from the rope for a while. But the next day the same thing resumed and continued in this way for a whole week. The patience of the sufferer was supernatural; She endured all the torture calmly and silently. Finally, the prisoners who witnessed all this rebelled and approached the prison bailiff with threats - to complain to the Pasha about him for allowing strangers into the prison. This had some effect, and when the Janissaries arrived an hour later, he did not let them in. They complained to Ali Bey. In the evening, the prison bailiff received a reprimand for preventing the Janissaries from entering the prison, who had received permission to do so from the highest authorities. This embittered the inhuman jailer to the last extreme. Arriving at the prison, he rushed at Kir-Anna, hung her as before and hit her with the huge end of a broken pole that came under his arm. Some time later, Kir-Anna died. The Christian prisoner freed her hands from their bonds and reverently lowered her body to the ground. The next morning, Christians gathered in prison and, raising the body of the martyr, gave it over to burial outside the city, where all dead Christians are usually buried. - It was in 1751. And how many similar cases there were in the next century! And the future from the torture of Christians under the Turkish yoke is not yet unconditionally guaranteed, although much blood has already been shed by fellow believers in their defense... † Repose of the blessed. Nicholas the Holy Fool, Pskov The victory by which the world is conquered is our faith,” says the Apostle (1 John 5:4). Blessed Nikolai of Pskov can repeat this about himself. In the Trinity Cathedral of Pskov, on the tomb of the blessed one, the ancient troparion says that blessed Nicholas was from the Pskov side, but through exploits of foolishness he became a citizen of heavenly Jerusalem. In the ancient kontakion it is written: “The miracle worker appeared to Nicholas, the royal power and turned the meaning of ferocity into mercy” 344. In the chronicle we read the following: in February 1570, in the first week of Lent, the formidable Tsar John arrived in Pskov and stayed in the Lyubyatovo Monastery, near the city 345. He was preparing the same terrible fate for Pskov that Novgorod suffered. “He will come with great wrath, like a lion roaring, although he will tear apart innocent people and shed much blood.” But the Lord put it into the hearts of His blessed saint Nikolai Salos and the Christ-loving Prince Yuri Tokmakov to soften the heart of the king. By their order, tables with bread and salt were placed along the streets of the city, in front of each house, and when the king walked through the city, citizens with their wives and children were on their knees: this touched the cruel John. From the cathedral he went into the cell of Blessed Nicholas the Fool; he, in his own way, persuaded him to stop shedding human blood and not to rob the churches of God 346. “Do not touch us, passing (minuhne),” said the blessed one, “go away from us, you will have nothing to run on” 347. The king did not respect these words; he ordered the bell to be removed from the Holy Trinity, and at the same hour his best horse (argamak) fell, according to the saint’s prophecy. When they told the king about this, he was horrified and hastened to leave the city 348. According to other news, Blessed Nicholas offered John a piece of raw meat, and when he said, “I am a Christian, I don’t eat meat during Lent,” the blessed one answered: You are doing worse, you feed on human flesh and blood, forgetting not only fasting, but also God 349. From the city outskirts, where the tsar stopped upon leaving the city, he allowed the guardsmen to rob the houses of rich people in the city, but did not order them to touch the monks and priests. Nevertheless, he himself took away money, the best things, vessels and books 350 from the monasteries. On the tomb of Blessed Nicholas it is written: “The holy righteous Nicholas, the Pskov wonderworker, reposed in the summer of 7984 (1576) February 28th” 351. Due to the special respect of the inhabitants of Pskov for Blessed Nicholas, he was buried under the cathedral church - an honor that was then awarded only to princes and archpastors. According to a vision that happened in 1581 during Batory’s attack on Pskov, Rev. Cornelius and blessed Nicholas begged the Most Pure One to pray to Her Son for the people who had sinned, and the Mother of God fulfilled their prayer. Grateful Pskov then painted an icon of the Mother of God with the upcoming saints. Anthony and Cornelius, with princes Vladimir of Kyiv, Gabriel and Timothy of Pskov and with Blessed Nicholas. This icon was placed in the Church of the Intercession and became famous for its miracles; she is celebrated on October 1st 352. From that time on, the day of the repose of Blessed Nicholas 353 began to be celebrated in Pskov. “Don’t touch us, passing one!” What meek and at the same time strong words of the blessed one! Shouldn't they be included among the various reformers of modern times, ready to turn everything upside down, including trampling the lives of holy fools into the mud? Let them at least think that their abuse of the saints, first of all, does not honor their minds, which are incapable of understanding the ideal of a selfless life, triumphing over one’s self-love, over physical nature, over the greatness of the transitory world. Not everyone can follow the same road to heaven, but worshiping the golden calf will probably not bring anyone to heaven. Not everyone should follow the same road to heaven, but everyone must strictly judge himself, and in no case should the judgment of another’s conscience be taken away from the Lord. To Him alone be glory and worship. Amen. The Tale of Pskov. Pecher. mon. l. 44. M. 1831. Lyubyatov Pogost - 5 versts from Pskov, on its eastern side; here in the church, a former monastery, above the royal doors hangs a small image left by the Terrible Tsar. Gr. Tolstoy ancient Pskova, pp. 76. 77. RKP. abbreviation times at Solovyov 6, pr. 96. Collection l. 4, 344. Abbr. times 1691 Collection l. IV, 344. 345. Ilyinsky description. Pskova, part 4, page 63. 64. St. Petersburg. 1795 The Tale of the Pechersk Monastery. l. 44. RKP. Saints: “St. Blessed Nicholas, Fool for Christ's sake, Pskov Wonderworker, was in l. 7070 m. Dec. at 6 days.” This is the year of his struggle with the Terrible Tsar. According to another list of saints: “repose in l. 7084". The Tale of Pecher. mon. l. 22. Glory to Our Lady III. 1, 28. List from the icon of gr. Tolstoy. Shrines of Pskov, M. 1861. A. Knyazeva described. Pskov cafe Cathedral pp. 20. 21. 29. 37.