The Prologue from Ohrid: March 1
1. THE VENERABLE MARTYR EUDOCIA
The venerable martyr Eudocia lived in the Phoenician city of Heliopolis
during the reign of Trajan. Eudocia was a great debaucher at first. After that
she was a penitent, ascetic, and finally a martyr. Through her debauchery she
amassed a great fortune. The change in her life came about inadvertently through
God's Providence and a certain elder, the monk Herman. Coming into the city on
assignment, he resided at the home of a Christian whose house was adjacent to
that of Eudocia. In the evening and according to monastic tradition, he began to
recite the Psalter and to read a chapter on the dreadful judgment. Eudocia heard
him and attentively eavesdropped on his words to the end. Fear and terror
overcame her, and she remained awake until dawn. At daybreak, she sent her
servant to beseech the monk to come to her. Herman came and a lengthy
conversation took place between them about faith and salvation in general. As a
result of the conversation, Eudocia petitioned the local bishop to baptize her.
Following her baptism, Eudocia bequeathed her entire estate to the Church to be
distributed among the poor. She dismissed her servants and slaves and withdrew
to a convent. Thus, Eudocia resolved to dedicate herself to the monastic life,
obedience, patience, long vigils, prayer and fasting. After thirteen months,
Eudocia was elected abbess. Eudocia lived in the convent for fifty-six years and
was found worthy before God. He endowed her with much grace so that she raised
even the dead. When the persecution of Christians began under Prince Vincent,
St. Eudocia was beheaded. Eudocia is a glorious example of how a vessel of
impurity can be purified, sanctified and filled with the Grace of the Holy
Spirit, the precious odor of heaven.
2. THE VENERABLE AGAPIUS
He was a novice under the spiritual direction of a priest in the Vatopedi
Monastery on Mt. Athos. Captured by pirates, Agapius was sold as a slave in
Magnesia. After twelve years, he was miraculously freed through the help of the
All-Holy Mother of God and returned to Vatopedi. He baptized his former master
and became his spiritual father. Agapius continued the remainder of his life in
asceticism in Vatopedi and died peacefully in the Lord.
3. THE HOLY FEMALE MARTYR, ANTONINA
Antonina was born in Nicaea. Because of her faith in Christ, she was arrested
and brutally tortured. Finally, she was sewn in a sack and drowned in a lake in
the year 302 A.D. God saved her soul and continuously glorified her among the
angels in heaven and among the faithful on earth.
HYMN OF PRAISE
SAINT EUDOCIA
At one time, a woman filled with sin,
And finally, a meek penitent,
Eudocia prayed to God,
All the while kneeling, shedding tears.
This enkindled the rage of Satan,
And enraged, to the heavens he cried out:
O Michael, heavenly commander,
Justice you speak, injustice you do to me,
My sheepfold you intend to empty completely,
And from me, to seize the last sheep.
Why do you take this sinful woman?
Her sins are greater than mine!
For some minor disobedience,
To Hades I fell and, into eternal torments.
Her sins are as the stagnant sea
Encompassing everything that comes near her.
Thus, malice spites at good,
To every penitent it bodes evil,
While Michael, the guardian of the penitent,
With angels approach Eudocia
And takes her under his protection,
By his breath, he dispelled the demons.
At that moment from heaven a song echoed:
The mercy of God so willed,
That every penitent be embraced,
That every penitent be forgiven,
Repentance--for all mankind, salvation,
That is both God's mercy and will--
God's will--Satan's evil will.
REFLECTION
Faithfulness and obedience to the will of God is necessary to adorn the life
of every Christian. As is seen in the life of St. Agapius, God glorifies the
faithful and the obedient. When he was a young man, this saint was captured by
pirates, was taken to Asia and was sold to a certain Arab. For twelve years
Agapius remained quietly and obediently a slave of this Arab. For twelve years
he prayed to the All-Holy Mother of God to help him gain his freedom from
bondage. One night, the Virgin Mother of God appeared to him and said, "Arise
and go without fear to Mt. Athos to your elder." Agapius arose and came to his
elder on Mt. Athos, the Holy Mountain. When the elder saw Agapius, he was
saddened, thinking that Agapius had fled from his master.He said to him, "My
child Agapius, you have deceived your master, but you can never deceive God. On
the day of the dreadful judgment, you will have to render an answer for that
money with which your master purchased you to serve him. Therefore, you must
return and faithfully serve your master." Agapius, faithful and obedient to the
will of God, returned immediately to Asia, reported to his master, and informed
him about everything that had happened. The Arab, learning all of this, was
amazed and was overcome with the charity of Christians. He desired to see
Agapius' s elder. The Arab arrived at the Holy Mountain, accompanied by his two
sons. Here, he and his two sons were baptized. All three of them were tonsured
as monks. They remained there until their deaths, practicing the strict life of
asceticism, at first, under the guidance of Agapius' s spiritual father, and
afterwards, by Agapius himself. Thus, the one-time cruel masters became the
obedient disciples of their former slave, faithful to the will of the God of the
obedient Agapius.
CONTEMPLATION
To contemplate the Lord Jesus at the Mystical Supper:
1. How He washes the feet of His disciples. By this act He especially teaches
humility and love for one another;
2. How Peter, one of the most faithful, was ashamed and refused to allow our
Lord to wash his feet;
3. How Judas, unbeliever and traitor, was unashamed and did not refuse our
Lord to wash his feet;
4. How even today, the faithful receive countless benefits from God with
embarrassment and shame, and the unfaithful also receive the same but without
embarrassment and without shame, and yet with grumbling against God.
HOMILY
About knowing and doing
"If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it"
(St. John 13:17).
The most important aspect of this scripture text of our Lord, brethren, is
thatthe Lord does not mitigate knowing, but stresses doing. He does not say to
the apostles, "Blessed are you when you know this." Some pagan teachers who
viewed salvation only in terms of knowledge spoke in this manner. However, our
Lord says, "Blessed are you if you do it." The knowledge of salvation was
given to us by the Lord Jesus Himself, and no one is able to attain that
knowledge through his own efforts.
Some of the ancient Greek philosophers said that mankind cannot come to the
knowledge of the truth, nor can be saved, until God Himself comes to earth. Our
Lord came among men and revealed this knowledge to them. Whosoever receives this
knowledge also accepts the obligation to fulfill it. O, how much easier will it
be at the judgment for those who never received this knowledge at all, and
consequently, did not fulfill it, than for those who received this knowledge and
neglected to fulfill it.
O, how much easier it will be at the judgment for unlearned pagans than for
the learned Christians.
Our Lord alone showed Himself not only as a Knower, but also as a Doer. His
perfect knowledge complimented His perfect doing. Before the eyes of His
disciples, He personally fulfilled all of His own commandments. He gave them
this commandment and completed this act of humility and love when He washed the
feet of His disciples. He then commanded that they should do this to one
another. Our Lord did not dwell among men to soil men, but to wash them. He
never soiled anyone, but cleansed all who wished to be cleansed. What kind of
shame is it for many of us who labor much to wash ourselves and labor twice as
much to soil others? O, my brethren, we muddy our own blood brothers. Even
Christ weeps when He sees how we, with the mud of slander, soil those whom He
has washed with His own blood. O Lord forgive us! We sin everyday against our
own brothers. Make our brothers, O Lord, whom we have soiled, brighter than we
in Your kingdom. You are just and You see all.
To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.