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THE FIFTH MONTH IN THE NAME
OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, On this day is commemorated the miracle which our Lord wrought at the marriage at Cana of Galilee, even as saith the Holy Gospel; this miracle was the first which the Lord wrought in Galilee. And by His Divine command He changed water and made it into sweet wine, and not thin wine, but wine sound and good to the taste, and of pleasant perfume. To this fact the master of the feast testified, when he called the bridegroom, and said unto him, “Every man maketh the wine which is good to be drunk first of all, and when [the priests] have drunk freely, he giveth them wine which is inferior to drink; but thou hast kept back the good till the last, even unto this moment.” And in that place His glory appeared, and His disciples believed on Him. And on this day the Seven Children whose names are ‘Arsalidas, Duamedos (Diomedis), Eugenius, Demetrius, Bernatius, Stephen and Irakos (Cyriacus); these men were sons of nobles of the city who were strong in the Faith of Christ. And it was reported unto the wicked Emperor Decius that they were Christians, and he had them brought to him, and he pressed them to worship his idols; and when they refused to do so he appointed them a time wherein they could take counsel together about the matter, and Decius went to his palace. And these Seven blessed Children went to their houses, and they distributed all their goods among the poor and needy, and the dinars which were left they took with them for their necessities, and they [went and] hid themselves in a cave to the east of the city. And Duameyosis, a young man of wisdom and understanding, used to go on errands for them in the city, and buy their food for them, and he told them the talk which he heard. When the Emperor Decius returned to the city he sought the Seven Children, and when the people told him that they were in a cave, he commanded the soldiers to block up the mouth of the cave with stones. And when these holy Children fell asleep in the evening God took their souls and made them to rest in the Garden, and they slept for three hundred and seventy-two years. And there were two faithful servants of the emperor whose names were Therodore and Macedonius, and they took two tablets of lead and wrote upon them the memorial of the saints, and placed them at the mouth of the cave. And after the Emperor Decius died, many emperors reigned. And in the days of Theodosius, the spiritual emperor, there rose up certain heretical men who denied the resurrection of the dead. And there was a certain nobleman whose name was Aldius, and he wanted to build a pen for his sheep, and he commanded the workmen to bring stones for this purpose. And they opened the cave, and those saints woke up, and they sent Duamedos (Diomedis) to buy food for them. And when the men of the city saw that the dinar was inscribed with the name of Decius, they seized Duamedos (Diomedis), thinking that he had found a buried treasure. And they brought him before the magistrates and the bishop, and when they examined him he told them about the young men; and when they had gone there they found them seated and sending forth rays of light like the sun. And the bishop took the lead tablets and read their history which was written upon them, and when [the magistrates] heard that they had fallen asleep in the days of Decius they marveled and glorified God. And they sent a message to Theodosius the emperor, and when he arrived he saluted the saints, and was blessed by them. And having conversed with him, and blessed him, they fell asleep on the ground and delivered up their souls to God; and the Emperor Theodosius wept over them and buried them in that place. Salutation to the Seven Sleepers. And on this day also are commemorated Karnos (Carinus) the martyr, and Minas of the cell (i.e. the anchorite). And on this day also died Abba Nakaro. This holy man was a spiritual fighter, but no man knew it. He used to put thorns under his shirt so that he might not sleep soundly, and he kept vigil by day and by night, and because of his excessive humility they made him a doorkeeper. And there was in that monastery a certain monk, an anchorite, who was able to see hidden things by the spirit. One night in his sleep he saw that he was standing on a high place, and below him was a garden [filled with] fruits of all kinds, and streams of water ran round about through it, and in the midst of them was Abba Nakaro, watering this plot and that. And that monk said unto him, “O my brother Nakaro, Unto whom belongeth this garden?” And Nakaro said unto him, “I planted it.” And the monk said unto Nakaro, “I wish thee to give me some of the fruits thereof.” Then Nakaro cut off three pomegranates, and gave them to him, and he tied them up in his garment; and when he awoke from his sleep he found the fruit. And he went to Abba Nakaro and he found him standing in the doorway, and he said unto him, “O my brother, hast thou seen me this [past] night?” And Nakaro said unto him, “Yea, I saw thee, and I gave thee three pomegranates.” And when the monk went into the monastery he told the monks and the abbot everything which had happened, and he showed them the pomegranates, and the brethren marveled at the holiness of Abba Nakaro, for it was then summer time, and not the season for pomegranates. And the monks were sorry that they had appointed Abba Nakaro to such a lowly position as that of doorkeeper, and they wanted to give him a higher position; but when they went to him they could not find him, and they sorrowed for him with a great sorrow. And the pilgrims told them that he died as on this day. Salutation to the blessed Abba Nakaro. Glory
be to God Who is glorified in His Saints.
Amen. |
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