4TH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST
ABSTAIN FROM MEAT, DAIRY, EGGS
Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata, Zenon the Martyr & his servant Zenas of Philadelphia, Anastasia the Serbian, Alban the Protomartyr of Britain
ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE ROMANS 9:18-33
Brethren, God has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens the heart of whomever he wills. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, a man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me thus?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for menial use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people, ‘ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘my beloved.'” “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people, ‘ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.'” And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved; for the Lord will execute his sentence upon the earth with rigor and dispatch.” And as Isaiah predicted, “if the Lord of hosts had not left us children, we would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah.” What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, righteousness through faith; but that Israel who pursued the righteousness which is based on law did not succeed in fulfilling that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it through faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall; and he who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
MATTHEW 11:2-15
At that time, when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those who wear soft raiment are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you.’ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been coming violently and men of violence take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Hieromartyr Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata
The Hieromartyr Eusebios (his name means pious) the Bishop of Samosata, stood firmly for the Orthodox Confession of Faith, proclaimed at the First Ecumenical Synod at Nicea in the year 325. Therefore, he suffered persecution by the Arians, and was repeatedly deprived of his See and banished. Emperor Constantius (337-361), who supported the Arians, learned that Saint Eusebios kept a conciliar decree regarding the election of the Orthodox Archbishop Meletios (February 12) to the See of Antioch. He was ordered to surrender the decree, but the Saint boldly refused to obey him. The enraged Emperor sent a message that if he did not surrender the decree, then his right hand would be cut off. Saint Eusebios stretched forth both hands to the emissary saying, “Cut them off, but I will not give up the conciliar decree, which denounces the wickedness and iniquity of the Arians.”
Emperor Constantius marveled at the hierarch's audacity, but did not harm him.
During the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), even more difficult times ensued, and an open persecution against Christians began. Saint Eusebios concealed his identity and went about in the garb of a soldier all across Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine, urging Christians not to abandon the Orthodox Faith. He ordained priests and deacons for the desolated churches, and he consecrated hierarchs who renounced the Arian heresy. After Julian the Apostate’s death, he was succeeded by the devout Emperor Jovian (363-364), during whose reign the persecutions stopped. Returning from exile, Saint Meletios convened a local Council at Antioch in the year 379 on the advice of Saint Eusebios. Twenty-seven hierarchs participated, and the Council reaffirmed the Orthodox teaching of the First Ecumenical Council. The Arians signed the conciliar decree, fearing the steadfast defenders of Orthodoxy: the holy hierarchs Meletios, Eusebios and Pelagios, who had great influence with the Emperor. After Jovian's death, the Arian Valentinian (364-378) came to power.
The Orthodox were again subjected to persecution. Saint Meletios was banished to Armenia, Saint Pelagios to Arabia, and Saint Eusebios was condemned to exile in Thrace. After receiving the imperial decree, Saint Eusebios left Samosata by night, in order to prevent tumult among the people who esteemed him. When they learned of the hierarch's departure, the faithful followed after him with tears and begged him to return. The Saint refused the entreaty of those who had come, saying that he had to obey the authorities. The Saint urged his flock to hold fast to Orthodoxy, then blessed them and went to the place of his exile. The Arian Eunomios became Bishop of Samosata, but the people did not accept this heretic. The Orthodox would not go to his church and avoided meeting with him. The heretical Arian perceived that it was impossible to induce the Orthodox flock to follow him.
Emperor Gratian (375-383) succeeded to the throne, and all the Orthodox hierarchs who had been banished under the Arians were brought back from exile. Saint Eusebios also returned to Samosata and continued with the task of building up the Church. Along with Saint Meletios, he appointed Orthodox hierarchs and clergy to the Arian parishes. In the year 380 he arrived in the Arian city of Dolikhina to establish the Orthodox Bishop Marinus there. An Arian woman threw a roof tile at the holy hierarch’s head. As he lay dying, Saint Eusebios asked her for wine and begged those around not to harm her. The Saint's body was taken to Samosata and was buried by his flock. The Saint’s nephew Antiokhos succeeded him and the Church of Samosata continued to confess the Orthodox Faith, which was firmly spread by the efforts of the holy Hieromartyr Eusebios
Martyrs Zeno and his servant, Zenas, of Philadelphia
The Holy Martyrs Zeno and Zenas lived in the Arabian city of Philadelphia, and led a pious life. Saint Zeno possessed a large fortune, but he distributed his substance to the poor and manumitted slaves. Together with his devoted servant Zenas, he went to the governor and urged him to give up idolatry and accept Christ. They were tied to pillars, struck with iron hooks, and their wounds were rubbed with vinegar and salt.
Their sides and chests were scorched with fire, they were thrown in a pit, and boiling oil was poured over the sufferers. The saints endured all the tortures with forbearance and by the power of God they remained alive. Finally, the martyrs were beheaded with a sword (+ 304).
Martyrs Galacteon, Juliana, and Saturninus, of Constantinople
Saint Galacteon was drowned in the sea for confessing faith in Christ. Saint Juliana was burned together with her son Saturninus because they were Christians.
Saint Alban, Protomartyr of Britain
Saint Alban (or Albanus), the protomartyr of Britain, was a Roman citizen who lived at Verulamium (modern Saint Albans), a few miles northwest of London, during a time of persecution. Nothing is known about his family or his occupation.
The chief magistrate of the city had orders to arrest all Christian clergy. One of them, a priest named Amphibalus, fled to Alban’s home in order to hide from the soldiers who wished to kill him. Alban was impressed by the priest’s constant prayer and vigil, and so he questioned Amphibalus about his beliefs. As a result, Alban came to believe in Christ and asked to be baptized.
Eventually, Amphibalus was forced to move on, and Alban changed clothes with him so that he could get away. The soldiers heard there was a priest hiding in Alban’s house, so they came to search it. Seeing Alban dressed in the priest’s clothes, they arrested him and brought him before the judge.
The magistrate was offering sacrifice to idols when Saint Alban appeared before him. After questioning him, he discovered how Alban and the priest had switched clothes. Furious because Alban had allowed a fugitive to escape, the magistrate threatened him with death unless he returned to paganism and revealed where Amphibalus had gone. Saint Alban replied, “I am also a Christian, and I worship the true God.”
After having the saint beaten and tortured, the magistrate threatened him with execution. Saint Alban rejoiced and glorified God. The magistrate ordered the soldiers to take Saint Alban to the Holmhurst Hill to be beheaded. When they came to the river Ver, they saw that the bridge was crowded with people who had come to witness Alban’s martyrdom. Since they could not proceed because of the multitude of people, Saint Alban prayed and made the Sign of the Cross over the river. At once, the waters parted so that they were able to cross over to the other side.
The executioner was so astonished by the miracle that he threw down his sword and refused to behead the saint. He was arrested, and another man was found to behead them both. There is a tradition that Saint Alban became thirsty while climbing the hill and asked for water. A small spring gushed forth near the top of the hill, and he was able to drink from it. Pilgrims used to come and drink from Saint Alban’s well, but it is now dry.
The date of Saint Alban’s martyrdom is uncertain, but it is believed that it took place during the reign of Decius (ca. 251) or Valerian (ca. 257). The eighteenth century Turin manuscript (which may be based on a fifth century source) suggests that Saint Alban may have been executed as early as 209, when the emperor Septimus Severus and his two sons were in Britain. The name of the executioner who was converted has not been preserved. The priest Amphibalus was ultimately caught and put to death at a place called Redbourn, four miles from Verulamium.
When people began to cry out against the magistrate, he put an end to the persecution. In later years a cathedral was built on the site of the martyrdom, and the relics of Saint Alban, the priest Amphibalus, and perhaps even the executioner were enshrined within. Saint Bede (May 27) tells us that miracles frequently took place at Saint Alban’s tomb. When the Danes invaded England in 860, the relics were removed for safekeeping, then later returned.
A new chapel and shrine were built for the relics in the early fourteenth century. Two hundred years later, during the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, the marble shrine was destroyed. Much later, the fragments of the shrine were reassembled on its former site. What happened to the relics is uncertain, but it is probable that they were either destroyed or buried in an unmarked spot.
Although Saint Alban is sometimes depicted in military garb, there is no evidence that he was a soldier. After all, he was living in a private home when he was arrested, and not in a barracks. There is a medieval painting in the south aisle beside the Choir in the Abbey which depicts Saint Alban with red hair. A medieval seal, now in the Durham Cathedral Chapter Library, shows him with a thick beard. He is stocky, with a high, round and balding forehead, and a cloak covers his left side and right shoulder.
Hieromartyr Nikḗtas of Remesiana
No information on the life of this saint is available at this time.
Martyr Nikḗtas the Dacian
No information on the life of this saint is available at this time.
Saint Gregory, Metropolitan of Wallachia
Saint Gregory (Dascalu) was Metropolitan of Wallachia.
St Gregory was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2005, and is commemorated on June 22.