October: Day 28: Teaching 1: Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi of Iconium

 

October: Day 28: Teaching 1:
Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi of Iconium
 
(Consolations For Those Persecuted For the Sake of Righteousness)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Paraskevi (3rd century), whose memory is celebrated today, was the daughter of pious parents who lived in the city of Iconium (in Asia Minor). They died when Paraskevi was still very young. Paraskevi used the rich inheritance left by her parents for charitable works, helped the poor and took in strangers. She also tried to spread the word of God among the pagans. At that time, the Emperor Diocletian was cruelly persecuting Christians. An imperial dignitary, having arrived in Iconium and having learned that Paraskevi professed Christianity, threw her into prison and then demanded her to stand trial. When the Saint courageously rejected the offer to sacrifice to idols and denounced the judges, the governor became angry and ordered that she be tortured. Wounded and barely breathing, Paraskevi was thrown into prison. But the tormentors were greatly surprised when, on entering the prison the next day, they found Paraskevi calmly praying, and her body bore no traces of suffering. God had healed her through her prayer. But the governor thought otherwise. “You see,” he said, “our gods have had mercy on you and returned you to life; give them thanks.” They led the Saint into the temple; but as soon as she entered, the idols fell from their places with a loud noise. The embittered pagans then began to ask the governor to punish Paraskevi even more severely than the day before for insulting the idols: to burn her over a slow fire. “Lord God,” the Saint prayed during her torture, “You cooled the hot furnace for the three youths, You delivered the martyr Thekla from the fire; save me also from the hands of my tormentors.” Paraskevi’s prayer was heard: the fire did her no harm. Many pagans, seeing this miracle, believed in God and exclaimed: "Great is the God of the Christians." The unrest among the people frightened the ruler and he ordered that Paraskevi's torture be stopped by killing her with a sword. Thus did the holy confessor suffer for the faith of Christ.

II. It is impossible, brethren, to enumerate all those persecuted for the sake of truth; it is impossible to notice all the forms of human malice, which from time immemorial has been poured out upon the righteous. It is enough to recall the hard times of persecution, once raised against the young Church of Christ, to see thousands of examples of suffering innocence and thousands of forms of raging unbelief. Whose way of thinking was purer, whose life was more blameless than the Christians who were persecuted at that time? Who knew God better than they and worshiped Him? Who served the emperor and the authorities appointed by him more zealously than they? Who helped their neighbors more selflessly than they and sincerely desired universal brotherhood? Who was more compassionate, who was more peace-loving, who was more indulgent, who was more obliging, who was more moral? And despite such perfect innocence, they, like the greatest criminals, were subjected to scourging, scraped with iron, hunted by wild beasts, burned, starved, crucified. For what? For what crime? None of the persecutors would have said this. And the judges did not ask what anyone was accused of, or whether the accusation was just; if the accused said, "I am a Christian," this was enough to determine the death penalty; in their language this meant the same as saying, "I am a villain!" So much was the name of "Christian" hateful to them! So mortal enmity against Jesus Christ boiled within them! And what can we say about the long-past times of persecution? Until one truth reigns on earth; until the open temples and hidden nests of iniquity are destroyed, until then and everywhere there will always be persecutors and persecuted for the sake of truth. The Holy Apostle Paul means all Christians without exception, and therefore each of us, when he predicts that “all who want to live godly will be persecuted.”

If the lot of a Christian in this life is to suffer persecution, and to suffer it without fail; for persecution is his cross, which he must certainly bear (Matt. 16:24); then should we not complain of our lot? Should we not murmur against God that He makes us drink the bitter cup? No. He has no idea of the infinite love of the heavenly Father for us, who dares to reproach Him with cruelty; he has never suffered for the truth, who does not comprehend the ineffable sweetness in this very suffering.

a) From whom does a Christian suffer persecution? From wicked people. This is the first consolation in persecution for the sake of truth! It is hard to suffer at the hands of a friend whom we loved, of whose virtue we had a high idea. It seems to us then that he noticed something bad in us, was offended by some action of ours, had an unfavorable opinion of our character. Such thoughts darken the best properties of the soul and do not allow it to rest in the consciousness of its innocence. But when an enemy persecutes, the enemy of the true and good, then completely opposite feelings must arise in us. Persecution is a moral struggle; and a struggle presupposes two opposite forces. So, if false teachers rise up against me, preaching lies and slander, this testifies to my sincere love for the truth and unwavering zeal in the affirmation of Orthodoxy. If bribe-takers, who sell their honor, truth, and conscience for money, take up arms against me, this testifies to my disinterestedness and lack of covetousness. If depraved people, leading a base, bestial life, hate me, this testifies to my chastity, abstinence, and purity. In short, every special vice that takes up arms in the persecutors serves as an incontrovertible testimony to the special virtue persecuted in the persecuted. Thus, persecution for truth, always raised by evil people, is accompanied by that first and sweet consolation that it gives the persecuted the opportunity to clearly recognize and with all his strength feel his innocence.

b) For whom does a Christian suffer persecution? For Jesus Christ. This is the second consolation in persecution for the sake of truth! He who has a soft heart and a tender soul will not find this incomprehensible. He knows that it is not so pleasant to rejoice with a person dear to us, as it is pleasant to share his grief, not so sweet to do him good, as it is sweet to suffer for him. There are examples in the history of mankind that many out of love willingly endured great misfortunes for another and sacrificed their very lives for a loved one. We read these examples, and agreeing with our own hearts, we believe: will it really seem incredible that a Christian would find great pleasure in suffering for Jesus Christ, that he would not only not avoid, but even desire frequent opportunities to endure for Him, as pleasant and desirable opportunities? Whom we love more, for him we suffer more willingly; and what love can compare with the love of a Christian for Jesus Christ? He who testified about Christians that nothing can separate them from the love of God, neither “tribulation” , nor “ trouble ” , nor “persecution” , nor “famine” , nor “nakedness” , nor “trouble” , nor “sword” , undoubtedly did not find suffering for Jesus Christ inconsolable for them. For he immediately after this testimony sets himself and other Christians as an example to the contrary. Our sufferings, he says, for Jesus Christ are the longest and most grievous: “For Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.” But what then? Do we become despondent because of this? Do we lose courage? Do we fall into despair? No; “but in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

And even if not all Christians are able to overcome persecution for Jesus Christ out of pure love for Him, at least each of them can and should endure it out of pure gratitude to Him. If love sweetens the sorrow in suffering for a friend, then gratitude should lighten the burden in suffering for a benefactor. What did Jesus Christ not do for us? What did He not endure for our redemption? Christian! When the world hates and persecutes you, when, pressed and struck on all sides, you find neither refuge nor consolation for yourself anywhere, hasten in your thoughts to Golgotha, stand at the foot of the cross of Jesus, look at the head of the Crucified One wounded by thorns, at His hands and feet pierced by nails, at His side pierced by a spear, remember that He suffers all this solely for your salvation: and if this memory does not immediately console your mental illness, does not heal your wounds and does not make you forget your misfortunes, then you are truly unhappy; for you have the most insensitive and most ungrateful heart.

Not so did the Holy Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors and other Christians of the first centuries feel when they suffered cruel persecutions. They rejoiced in their sufferings, thanked God for them and even prayed that He would grant them greater torments. Amidst worldly amusements, riches and honours, which constitute earthly happiness, they were bored and tormented in soul; but amidst persecutions – in dungeons, under the blows of executioners, at the stake, on the crosses – they felt blessed. Leave your palaces, you hard-hearted persecutors of truth! and for your own testimony how weak and harmless are the blows inflicted on the victims of your hard-heartedness, go and look at the most majestic and touching spectacle in the world, look at the righteous man dying in prison. There he is, burdened with chains, with a calm gaze and a quiet smile! Do not be afraid to hear complaints, reproaches, curses from him, although, however, you deserve them; he is very far from this base revenge, characteristic of cowardice. Tearing himself away from the vain thoughts and vain desires that have hitherto bound him to the earth, he is lifted up in spirit to grief and, like an eagle, soars over the objects of the lower world; from this he sees all the futility of human vengeance, all the vanity of earthly goods, all the insignificance of existing in time; he comes to know the greatness of his nature, feels the power of his spirit, sees his high destiny towards immortality, forgets the malice of the persecutors, excusing it with their ignorance, and in a sweet ecstasy of delight says: "I forgive you, the perpetrators of my misfortune, I forgive you with all my heart; you wanted to do me the utmost evil, but you did the greatest good. Oh, if you only knew how sweet it is for the innocent to suffer, and how sweet it is to forgive the guilty!"

III. Thus, beloved brethren in Christ, blessed, a hundred times blessed is he who is persecuted for righteousness' sake. His life of suffering and his end serve as preludes to eternal joy and peace; he walks the earth as a hero, and as a conqueror enters the gates of heaven; the multitude of persecutors complete his triumph with their vain pursuit. Amen.

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.