April 9 / March 27
The Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica (3rd-4th )
An orphan, Matrona was a servant in the home of a Jew in Thessalonica. The wife of the Jew continually mocked Matrona for her faith in Christ. She tried to persuade her to deny Christ and attend the synagogue. But the meek Matrona went about her work conscientiously and said nothing to her mistress. In secret, she prayed to Christ the Lord. On one occasion the Jewess discovered that Matrona was attending church unbeknownst to her. In anger, she asked her why she did not attend the synagogue rather than the church. To this Matrona replied: “Because God lives in the Christian churches, and He withdraws from the Jewish synagogues.” Furious at this bold reply, the Jewess beat Matrona, locked her up in a dark room, and bound her hands. The next day as Matrona was kneeling in prayer and glorifying God, her ropes fell off by
the power of God. On two more occasions, she has locked up again. In the end, she died of starvation. This evil Jewish woman then took the body of the holy maiden and hurled it to the ground from the roof of her home. Chris- tians took the martyr’s body and buried it with honor. Bishop Alexander, learning of the many miraculous works of this holy martyr, erected a church over her grave. The evil Jewess received her just punishment: when standing at the same spot from which she had hurled Ma- trona’s body down, she slipped, fell to the pavement, and was smashed to death.
The Venerable John the Clairvoyant, anchorite, of Lycopolis, Egypt (394)
John was a carpenter until his twenty-fifth year and then, driven by an insatiable desire for constant prayer, he withdrew into the wilderness. There he lived until his death at age ninety. He was a corporeal man but lived as an incorporeal being. He discerned the heart of every person who came to him and knew his name, his desires, and his thoughts. He prophesied the outcome of his battles to Emperor Theodosius. He prophesied for generals, monastics, and for all who found it necessary to know what was hidden for them in the darkness of future days. A prince once begged John to receive his wife, who especially wanted to meet him. The saint refused to satisfy idle curiosity but appeared to the wife of the prince in a dream, showing her his appearance. When the woman described her vision to her husband, he confirmed that, indeed, this was the likeness of the saint. To every visitor, he taught humility as the basis of the virtues, always citing examples from the life of how pride has brought many exalted men down to the dust and led them into serious sins. He endured many assaults of evil spirits. On one occasion, Satan appeared to him with a myriad of demons under the guise of shining angels. They pressured him to worship Satan, whom they represented as Christ. But John answered wisely: “I bow down and worship my King, Jesus Christ, every day. If that were He, He would not demand me to do so now, especially since I already worship Him.” Following these words, the evil powers vanished like smoke. He reposed peacefully, kneeling in prayer, in his ninetieth year.
The Venerable Paphnutius
Paphnutius was a disciple of St. Anthony the Great. By his sanctity of life, Paphnutius converted many sinners to the path of repentance, such as St. Thais, who is commemorated on October 8. Paphnutius resembled an incorporeal angel more than a man. He died near the end of the fourth century.
- Prophet Hanani (Ananias) (II , ch. 16).
- Martyrs Manuel and Theodosius (304).
- Cyricus, monk, of Thrace.
- Rupert, bishop of Salzburg (718).
- Paul, bishop of Corinth (ca. 925).
- Ephraim, archbishop of Rostov (1454).
- Anthony, metropolitan of Tobolsk (1740).
- Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos on Athos “Glykophylousa” (“Sweet-kissing”) and “Of the Akathist”.
HYMN OF PRAISE
Venerable John the Clairvoyant on Humility
John the Clairvoyant, teacher of humility,
Spoke of humility with tears of joy:
“O beloved children, right-believing children,
The humbler you are, the more dear to God.
Asceticism without humility helps not at all;
The arrogant one offers his soul to the devil.
If you empty your soul of self,
The Living God will fill you.
Who is more humble than God Himself?
Nowhere does He emphasize His precedence.
In secret, without clamor,
He directs the world.
Therefore the feeble-minded think He does not even exist.
If the wind would not blow, or shriek, or howl,
The feeble-minded would also deny it exists!
He who has humility reproves himself;
He easily succeeds in every virtue.
Humility is nothing more than poverty of spirit;
That is the Savior’s blessed teaching:
Have no hope in yourself,
And place all your hope in God.
That is holy humility.
Whoever violates it Prepares the darkest destruction for his soul.
The thoughts of all the saints are strict in this:
Without great humility, no one is saved!
Joyous is the humble one, for God rules with him.
O beloved children, being humble is akin to being saved!”
To read the Reflection, Contemplation, and Homily for this day,
you can purchase your copy of the Prologue of Ohrid at our St. Sebastian Bookstore
or download our Kindle E-Book version at Amazon.com.