June 12 / May 30

The Venerable Isaac the Confessor, founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople (383)

During the reign of Emperor Valens, the Arians, with the emperor’s assistance, vehemently persecuted the Orthodox. Hearing of this persecution, Isaac, a hermit somewhere in the east, left the wilderness and came to Constantinople to encourage the faithful and denounce the heretics. At the same time, Emperor Valens departed to the north with his army against the Goths, who had come down from the Danube toward Thrace. Isaac came before the emperor and said to him: “O Emperor, open the churches of the Orthodox, and God will bless your path.” The emperor ignored the elder and proceeded on his way. The following day, Isaac ran out again before the emperor, and again he repeated his warning. The emperor almost heeded the elder, but a certain advisor of his, a follower of the Arian heresy, prevented him. Isaac ran out before the emperor on the third day, grabbed the emperor’s horse by the reins, begged the emperor to grant freedom to the Church of God, and threatened him with divine retribution if he acted contrary to his petition. The enraged emperor ordered that the elder be thrown into a chasm of mud and thorns. However, three angels appeared and pulled the elder out of the chasm. On the fourth day, Isaac came before the emperor and prophesied a terrible death for him if he did not grant freedom to the Orthodox: “I am speaking to you, O Emperor. You will lead the army against the barbarians, but you will not be able to endure their attack. You will flee from them, but you will be captured and burned alive.” Thus it happened. The barbarians cut down the Greek army like grass, but the emperor, with his Arian advisor, fled and hid in a basket. The barbarians arrived at that place and, learning where the emperor was, surrounded the basket and set it afire. Both the emperor and his advisor were burned alive. Following this, Theodosius the Great has crowned emperor. Theodosius, who heard about the prophecy of Isaac and its fulfillment, summoned Isaac and prostrated himself before him. Since peace reigned in the Church and the Arians were exiled, Isaac wanted to return to his wilderness, but he was persuaded to remain in Constantinople. An aristocrat, Saturninus by name, built a monastery for Elder Isaac, where he lived a life of asceticism until his death, working many miracles. The monastery overflowed with monks and became a great monastery. Before his death, Isaac appointed his disciple Dalmatus as abbot, after whom this monastery was later named. The God-pleasing Elder Isaac entered into eternity in the year 383, to rejoice in the vision of the face of God.

Saint Macrina (4th c.), grandmother of Sts. Macrina, Basil the Great, Naucratius, Peter of Sebaste, and Gregory of Nyssa.

Macrina was the grandmother of St. Basil the Great. She was exceptional for her intelligence and piety. She was a disciple of St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea. During the reign of Diocletian, Macrina abandoned her home, and she and her husband Basil hid in the forests and wilderness. Their property was confiscated but they did not grieve over it. Deprived of everything except their love for God, they settled in a primeval forest, where they spent seven years. By God’s providence, goats descended from the mountains, providing them with food. They both reposed peacefully in the fourth century, following great suffering for the Christian Faith.

• Venantius of Gaul (374), brother of St. Honoratus of Lerins.
• Hubert, bishop of Liege (727).
• James, monk of Starotorzhok Monastery in Galich (Kostroma) (15th-16th c.).

HYMN OF PRAISE

The Venerable Isaac the Confessor

Isaac, like the Prophet Elias, Shines with virtue like the sun.
He begs the emperor, he warns the evil emperor,
Because the emperor defies the great God:
“O my emperor, against Whom have you risen up?
Your kingdom will be left desolate,
Because you wage war against the Most-high God.
Under His feet, dust and ashes!
You set out with an army against the cruel barbarians;
In your own strength you hope, O Emperor!
Your strength is like that of a tiny ant;
He who is with God has true strength.
Your foot has started out in two wars:
Against men, and against God.
Everything will go easily with poor men,
But make peace with the invincible God.
Hold to Orthodoxy, reject heresy,
For otherwise the cruel fire will burn you.
The fire here, and the fire yonder:
Both worlds you will shamefully forfeit.”
The emperor does not heed the warnings of the saint.
He enters into battle; he does not remember God.
He enters into battle; from which he does not return.
Like a foul smell,
Valens was and passes away.
But God frees His Church,
And Isaac is made worthy of Paradise.

---

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.