My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
On the 25th of November, Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates
the holy and glorious Great-Martyr KATHERINE of Alexandria,
together with the 150 ORATORS who died by fire, the Empress
FAUSTINA who was slain by the sword, and PORPHYRIOS with
200 SOLDIERS who were slain by the sword.
Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of Saint Katherine. Plagal of First Tone
LET us praise the all-lauded and noble bride of Christ, the godly
Katherine, the guardian of Sinai and its defence, who is also our
support and succour and our help; for with the Holy Spirit’s sword
she hath silenced brilliantly the clever among the godless; and being
crowned as a Martyr, she now doth ask great mercy for us all.
Kontakion Hymn of Saint Katherine. Second Tone
ROUSE up now a choir, O ye that love the Martyred Saints, august
and inspired, acclaiming the supremely-wise Martyr Katherine,
who hath proclaimed and preached of Christ in the stadium and hath
trampled the serpent down and spat on the knowledge of the eloquent.
KATHERINE, the Glorious Great Martyr of Christ, came from the Metropolis of Alexandria. She struggled during the reigns of the ungodly Emperor Maximian (306-308 A.D.), Maxentius (308-312 A.D.), and Maximinus (308-314 A.D.). The blessed one’s life and martyrdom is so marvelous, sweet, and compunctious that each soul who reads it with care and attention will greatly rejoice and be refreshed by the fruit garnered therefrom.
This ever-memorable daughter of the earthly ruler of Alexandria, Constas (Kestou), was tall in stature, incomparably beautiful, and exceedingly kind. She was instructed in the wisdom of the Greeks, learning all the works of the poets and philosophers, including Homer, Virgil, Aristotle, and Plato. Not only was she well-versed in philosophy, but she also knew the medical writings of Asklepios, Hippocrates, and Galen. Indeed, the maiden was a master of all the nuances of many languages, surpassing all others in rhetoric and logic. All who saw and heard Katherine marvelled at her scholarship. Many of the wealthy and leading men of the Senate besought Katherine’s mother for her daughter’s hand in marriage.
Her mother was a Christian, but a secret one because of the great persecutions brought about by the followers of Maximian. Both the maiden’s relatives and mother counseled her to marry, so that her father’s estate should not fall to another, thus cutting her off altogether. But Katherine, on account of her many philosophical studies, cherished her virginity and protested, giving many excuses; for she had no wish whatsoever to wed. However, when she saw that they troubled her greatly over the matter, she proposed the following–actually to divert them–so as not to be further importuned: "Present unto me a young man who is like unto me in the four virtues in which you claim that I am peerless among women, and I will take him as my husband; for I will not condescend to be yoked to one who is unworthy or inferior. Therefore, search here and abroad for one who is equal to me in rank, wealth, wisdom, and beauty–if such an individual exists. Yes, if he is deficient in any of these areas, he is unsuitable."
Now they knew that it would be quite impossible to find such a qualified suitor. They suggest the son of the Roman Emperor, and other possible candidates of exalted rank and even greater wealth, but they were inferior to her in the categories of erudition and appearance. She stubbornly persisted in her refusal to contract a marriage with an illiterate man. However, her mother had a most holy confessor who was in hiding outside the city limits. She took her daughter to visit the elder to seek his counsel. The ascetic, perceiving Katherine’s modesty and proper deportment, gave close attention to her judicious and well-spoken words. He resolved to bring her to the knowledge of Christ, the Heavenly King, and said: "I am acquainted with a unique Man Who incomparably transcends all those attributes thou has mentioned and countless others. His comeliness eclipses the radiance of the sun; His wisdom governs those things boht perceptible by the senses and the intelligence; the world of His treasures is distributed to the ends of the earth, yet never diminishes, but rather increases; His nobility is indescribable, infinite, inconceivable, and incomprehensible.
The Venerable elder (geronda) expounded on this and many other salutary virtues. Nwo the maiden presumed all the while tha he referred to an earthly prince; whereupon, her expression changed, and she questioned him in detail if all the commendations and praises were indeed true concerning this Man. He reinforced his praises further, extolling His other attributes. The maiden asked, "Whose Son is this Man Whom thou dost laud?" He asserted "He has no father on earth; but He was born of a noble and holy grace-filled virgin in a manner surpassing our understanding and transcending the nature of generation; she was deemed worthy by her sublime sanctity to abide both in soul and body, being taken up into the highest heavens, wherein our Lady is venerated by the Holy Angels as Queen of all creation." Further interested, Katherine continued, "Is it possible to see the Youth?" The old man responded, "If thou wilt do as I say, thou shalt be deemed worthy to behold the radiant splendor of His splendid countenance!" The ascetic gave her an icon depicting the Most Holy Theotokos holding the Divine Child. He then called Katherine’s attention to it, and said, "This is the Ever-virgin Mother of the One Whose Wonders I have extolled. Take this sacred image and close the door of the bedchamber; pray all night with profound reverence to her whose name is Mary. Implore her to condescend to reveal her Son; and, I believe, if thou wilt pray with faith, she will hearken and show thee Him Whom thy soul desires."
The iniquitous Emperor,obsessed for the lifeless pagan gods, issued a decree that without delay, that all people were to render tribute to the supreme gods, in a fitting manner…Each one will offer according to his resources. Whoever disregards this edict and dares to worship any other gods, will be subject to disciplinary action and punishment. Katherine, devout and beautiful, witnessed the shipwreck of souls who were compelled to commit sacrilege, thereby escaping temporal dath, only to betray their souls to everlasting condemnation.
The all-beautiful Katherine approached the Emperor, first bowing, and then boldly and fearlessly declaring, "O Emperor, thou shouldest be the first to know that thou are deceived in worshipping perishable and lifeless idols as gods. It is an absolute disgrace to be so manifestly blind, as fools, to the truth, in thy worship of such abominations. The licentious Emperor was greatly angered and remained speechless for hours, for he was at a loss how to counter her words. "I am the daughter of King Constas. My name is Katherine, I have been instructed in all scientific knowledge and literary works, including rhetoric, philosophy, geometry, and the rest. Nevertheless, I consider all of this vain and unprofitable, and have become the bride of the Master Christ, for as it is written by the Prophet Isaiah, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will hide the understanding of the prudent.’ The Emperor was astonished by her knowledge and beauty and felt that he was speaking with one of the goddesses whom he revered, only in human form.
The Emperor, noting her free manner, and speech, did not wish to debate her, fearing defeat and shame by her arguments. He made the following pretext: "It is not appropriate for the Emperor to debate with a woman; nevertheless, I will bring together my rhetoricians." One hundred and fifty elite and scholarly men, who had keen minds and were seasoned orators, responded and assembled. The Emperor spoke to them and said: "Approach her as a worthy opponent and exercise diligence and careful attention. If you overcome her, I will bestow great gifts upon you. However, if you do not succeed, expect untold shame and a painful demise!"
The guards brought the Saint forward. Many, by then, had filled the amphitheater to see and hear the outcome. Yet, before they commenced, the Archangel Michael appeared to Katherine, encouraging her, and saying, "O child of the Lord, be not afraid, for the Lord will add more wisdom to thine own, to vanquish the one hundred and fifty philosophers, and not only they, but many others also will come to believe through they testimony and will receive martyr’s crowns."
The Saint was eloquent and convincing in her arguments and defeated the one hundred and fifty orators. Overwhelmed, the philosophers were rendered speechless. The Emperor directed them to refute the martyr in bebutal but they all declined, saying, "We cannot oppose the truth, in view of the fact that our superior has been defeated." The Emperor’ anger was inflamed, and ordered that a fire be kindled in the midst of the city and the orators be cast therein." As they heard this, they fell at the feet of the Saint, begging that the Lord might forgive them. The Saint was elated and addressed them, "You are blessed and fortunate, for you have left darkness and come to the light of the truth…" With these words Saint Katherine encouraged them, sealing them individually on the forehead with the sign of the Cross, and sent them to their martyrdom in thanksgiving and rejoicing. The soldiers cast them into the flames, jubilant as they were, one the 17th of November.
The Emperor now concentrated all his attention on the holy Katherine, He ordered that she be stripped of the royal manle and lashed without pity with whips of rawhide. After this, they scourged her about the stomach and back for two hours. Her virginal body, once fair, became lacerated and unsightly from the welts. So much blood flowed that the ground was dyed red. Yet, the holy one withstood all with much courage, to the amazement of the bystanders. After sunset, the savage beast ordered that she be cast into prison and not be given food or water for twelve days, until he might devise a method to put her to death. [Resources: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church]
(To be continued)
_________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 