The Prologue from Ohrid: March 4
1. THE VENERABLE GERASIMUS
This remarkable and famous saint first learned about the ascetical lifein the
Egyptian Thebaid. He then went to the Jordan and there founded a community in
which there were seventy monks. This community still exists today. He instituted
a special Constitution [Rule] for his monastery by which the monks spent five
days in their cells weaving baskets, reeds and rush mats. They were never
allowed to light a fire in their cells. For five days they ate only a little dry
bread and dates. The monks were required to keep their cells open so that when
they went out, anyone could enter and remove whatever he needed from their
cells. On Saturdays and Sundays they gathered in the monastic church. They had a
common meal with a few vegetables and a little wine to the glory of God. Each
monk would then bring in and place before the feet of the abbot that which he
had made during the past five days. Each monk had only one robe. St. Gerasimus
was an example to all. During the Great Lenten Fast he did not eat anything
except what he received in Holy Communion. On one occasion, he saw a lion
roaring from pain because there was a thorn in his paw. Gerasimus drew near to
the lion, crossed himself, and removed the thorn in the animal's paw. The lion
became so tame that he returned with Gerasimus to the monastery and remained
there until the elder's death. When Gerasimus died, the lion succumbed from
sorrow for him. Gerasimus attended the Fourth Ecumenical Council [Chalcedon, 451
A.D.] during the reign of Marcian and Plucheria. Even though in the beginning,
Gerasimus leaned toward the Monophysite heresy of Eutyches and Dioscorus, he was
a great defender and champion of Orthodoxy at the Council. St. Euthymius
dissuaded him from this heresy. Of all of the disciples of Gerasimus, the most
famous was St. Cyriacus the Recluse. St. Gerasimus died in the year 475 A.D.,
and was translated into the eternal joy of his Lord.
2. THE HOLY MARTYRS PAUL AND JULIANA
Paul and Juliana were brother and sister from Ptolemais in Phoenicia. They
were brutally tortured for the sake of Christ by the Emperor Aurelius and were
finally beheaded. Before their martyrdom many of their miracles were manifested,
and were witnessed by many pagans. Through these miracles, many of the pagans
were converted to the Faith. Several of these were beheaded and received their
wreaths in the year 273 A.D.
3. SAINT JAMES THE FASTER
He lived in the sixth century. He was so perfected in pleasing God that
Jamescured the most gravely ill through his prayers. But the enemy of mankind
lured him into great temptations. At one time, an immoral woman was sent to him
by some scoffers. She misrepresented herself to James, pretending to be crying
yet all the while luring him into sin. Seeing that he was going to yield to sin,
James placed his left hand into the fire and held it there for some time until
it was scorched. Seeing this, the woman was filled with fear and terror,
repented and amended her life. On another occasion, James did not flee from his
temptation, but rather he succumbs to a maiden, who was brought as alunatic by
her parents to be cured of her insanity. He, indeed, healed her and after that,
sinned with her. Then in order to conceal his sin he killed her and threw her
into a river. As is common, the steps from adultery to murder are not too
distant. James lived for ten years after that as a penitent in an open grave. At
thattime there was a great drought which caused both people and live-stock to
suffer. As a result of his prayers, rain fell; James knew that God had forgiven
him. Here is an example, similar to that of David, of how twisted is the demon
of evil; how by God's permission, the greatest spiritual giants can be
overthrown, and through sincere and contrite penance, God, according to His
mercy, forgives even the greatest sins and does not punish those when they
punish themselves.
HYMN OF PRAISE
SAINT JAMES THE FASTER
Who from the greater height falls, is injured more,
To the heights whoever is lifted, let him cautiously shield himself.
The holy apostle writes: "Whoever thinks that he is standing
secure
should take care not to fall," (*) let him fear God.
James the Faster, according to the height of his soul, a giant was
he,
But, he, from the heights slipped, and the devil toppled him;
One sin, to the other hastens, adultery rushes to murder,
James the Faster, himself, punishes, and God comforted him.
All virtues, one sin, is able to erode;
One hole in the granary, all the wheat pours out.
A house filled with fragrances, one handful of filth
Empties it of redolence and fills it with stench.
One-hundred victories nor one-hundred celebrations do not help
When in the final battle, the head is lost.
The spiritual life is a struggle against the hordes of the devil,
In this battle, from the beginning the proud are defeated.
Whoever invokes the Name of God with profound humility
That one, in battle, will be protected by God's mercy.
(*) I Corinthians 10:12
REFLECTION
If the philosophies of men were able to satisfy man, why did the philosophers
Justin and Origen become Christians? Why did Basil, Chrysostom and Gregory, who
in Athens studying all the philosophy of the Greeks, receive baptism? And why
didBlessed Augustine, who knew the wisdom of both the Greeks and the Romans,
throw away all and seek salvation and illumination in the Faith of Christ? And
St. Clement of Rome, who was very wealthy and very learned? And St. Catherine,
who was from the royal house and knew all the worldly wisdom of the Egyptians?
And the young Crown Prince Joasaph in India, to whom was known all the Indian
philosophies? And many, many more who primarily sought explanations to the
puzzles of the world and illumination for their souls in philosophy and, after
that, entered the Church and worshipped the Lord Christ?
CONTEMPLATION
To contemplate the Mystery of Communion as the presence of our Lord Jesus in
the Church on earth:
1. As the fulfillment of His promise, "And behold, I am with you always
until the end of the age" (St. Matthew 28:20).
2. As His constant support of the faithful, to whom He said, "Without me,
you can do nothing" (St. John 15:5).
HOMILY
About Pilate's wavering
"Consequently, Pilate tried to release Him, then, hehanded Him over to
be crucified" (St. John19:12,16).
From where does this contradiction in Pilate stem? From where is this dual
will in one and the same man? While he stood under the radiant face of Christ,
Pilatefrom all his heart wanted to release the Just Man. But, when the darkness
of the Jews overcame him, he agreed to the works of darkness. This is the seed
[Jesus Christ], fallen among the thorns. While the face of Christ shown on the
seed, the seed took root, but as soon as the seed was left without this light,
the darkness of the thorns smothered it. When the Lord Jesus authoritatively
spoke to Pilate of the Heavenly Kingdom, saying to him, "You would have no
power over Me, if it had not been given to you from above" (St. John
19:11), Pilate then felt overcome by the fear of God. But when the masses of
the Jews cried out to Pilate, "If you release Him, you are not a friend of
Caesar" (St. John 19:12), then Pilate was overcome with fear from the
worldly king. His fear for the body overcame his fear for his soul, as it
happens occasionally, even today. Pilate was a disciple of worldly wisdom.
Worldly wisdom does not offer strength but instills fear. Worldly wisdom does
not sustain the soul but the body. Worldly wisdom does not instill fear for the
soul but fear for the body and all that is physical. Here, in Pilate, we see an
obvious and a pathetic example of what kind of men worldly wisdom produces and
educates, sidestepping God and going against Christ. Pilate's weak character and
wavering soul is a picture, not only of pagans, but also of weak Christians.
Certain Christians daily, imperceptibly and, more often,unconsciously, would for
a while like to eliminate Christ from the darkened and evil instinct of the Jews
within themselves. Then, at other times, they would like to abandon Him to that
instinct for crucifixion. This always happens when a Christian transgresses some
of the commandments of Christ for the sake of fulfilling some of his own
physical desires. For a moment, that commandment enlightens the heart of a
wavering Christian and again, for a moment, the physical darkness overcomes him
so much that he completely succumbs to it. O Lord, long-suffering, do not turn
away the radiance of Your face from us even for one twinkling of the eye, so
that the darkness does not overcome us.
O Lord help us that we will remain children of the light until the end.
To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.