October: Day 29: Teaching 1: Holy Martyr Anastasia the Roman

October: Day 29: Teaching 1:
Holy Martyr Anastasia the Roman
 
(Lessons From Her Life:
a. The Vanity of Caring About Women's Clothes and
b. Singing Psalms as a Prayerful Activity)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyr Anastasia the Roman, who is now being blessed, was the pupil of the pious woman Sophia, the head of the society of holy women, founded as a women's monastery not far from Rome. Shining with beauty and virtue, Anastasia, raised by Sophia, rejected noble suitors and, being 20 years old, decided to dedicate herself to God. When the ruler of Rome, Probus, learned of her beauty and piety, he ordered her to be brought to him. The holy women, seeing the Roman soldiers, fled in fear, but Sophia held Anastasia back, saying to her: "My child, do not be afraid: the time for your feat has come." Then Sophia, having learned from the soldiers why they had come, asked them for two hours "to dress the maiden," and they began to wait, thinking that she would adorn her daughter with rich attire. Sophia called her daughter to the church and began to admonish her: “Now the time has come for you,” she said, “to show your love for the Lord. You must prove through suffering that you are worthy of your Bridegroom. Do not listen to flattering words, do not be seduced by wealth and glory. Go with joy to the chamber of the heavenly Bridegroom and adorn yourself with clothing stained with blood, as with a wedding garment. Remember my cares and prayers for you. I prayed that you would be united with the Lord. Do not spare your beauty, do not fear torture and death. The Lord will be with you and will ease your torment.” Anastasia answered: “I am ready to lay down my life for the Lord. I will go to the tormentor and confess my faith before him. Do not be afraid for me, but pray to God that He does not abandon me.” The servants, having learned that she “does not dress in rich clothes, but prays to God,” took her and, having chained her, led her to the governor. To the governor’s question of what lineage, what faith and what her name was, the Saint answered: “I am the daughter of a Roman citizen, raised in Christian piety; my name is Anastasia. It means 'resurrection.' The Lord will resurrect me to tell you the truth and overcome Satan, who inspires evil in you.” “Do not irritate me,” said the governor, “I do not wish your destruction; but listen: why were you seduced by Christian teaching? You are ruining your youth, depriving yourself of the pleasures that the gods have given us. Worship the gods and choose a husband for yourself from a noble and rich family; live with us in joy and honor.” Anastasia, raising her eyes to the governor, calmly said to him: “My bridegroom is the Lord Jesus Christ. I would like to die not just once, but, if possible, a hundred times for His name." When the Saint was subjected to scourging, she glorified God by singing Psalms: "The Lord is my refuge and my protector, in Him is my trust," she sang. One Christian in the crowd, named Cyril, gave water to the exhausted martyr and was punished with death. The tortures of Saint Anastasia were so cruel that even the people, accustomed to such spectacles, began to reproach the ruler with horror. Then the mutilated body of the martyr was beheaded and thrown outside the city. Sophia, having learned of this, took it and buried it.

II. Let us dwell on some circumstances of the suffering of the Holy Great Martyr Anastasia.

a) When the soldiers came to take Anastasia, Sophia, her tutor, told them “that the girl would dress up,” and meanwhile she went with her to the temple, and after much instruction began to pray. What is this? Was Sophia lying? No, she only let them know about other attire needed by the future martyr, she had in mind not the adornment of the body but of the soul – not material, but spiritual – strengthening her soul with instruction, prayer, patience, devotion to God, trust in Him and love for Him. Do today’s Christian girls know, do they remember about these adornments, about their need? Look how carefully girls nowadays take care of external adornment! How many demands they make on their parents in this matter! How many worries, anxieties, vain griefs, even tears occur because of this! And how early this passion for dress is conceived and manifested in some! Many parents spend almost their last resources on this, denying their family more necessary things in order to dress their young daughter luxuriously. But in reality, what empty, vain worries are these! What is the use of them? What serious person – not to mention frivolous people – was seduced by women’s attire? Who ever judged the spiritual qualities of those who adorn themselves by their attire? Christian virgins need to remember another adornment, which the Apostle inspires in all Christian women: “Let your adornment not be merely outward plaiting of the hair, or wearing gold jewelry, or putting on fine clothing, but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the imperishable beauty of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (Peter 3:3, 4). Hear what the Apostle says: he commands us to take care of imperishable beauty, which can never leave a person, and especially of meekness and modesty in speech, as opposed to empty talk and irritability and anger. “The hidden man of the heart” means we must take care to fill our hearts with love, compassion, purity and other qualities characteristic of the female sex, in a word, we must watch over our hearts, cultivate the field of our hearts, delve into them, penetrate into them. The heart is the source of life, the heart is pure, and all behavior will be pure, blameless, the heart is filled with love, and all actions will be an expression of one love, every word will breathe love. And happy is the maiden who watches over her heart, developing this heart more for pure and holy love. With such a loving and pure heart, even in simple clothing she will surpass all her richly and luxuriously dressed friends, dressed beautifully on the outside, but poor, perhaps, in clothing in their souls.

b) The Holy Martyr Anastasia, loving prayer, prays and sings a verse of a Psalm even in the midst of suffering. She sings the Psalm: "The Lord is my refuge and my protector, in Him is my trust." She knew, she knew these divinely inspired songs of the Holy King David well. She had previously practiced prayer according to them; the Psalms had been on her lips and in her heart before. The same thing happened in the midst of suffering. Now she finds special consolation and support for herself in prayerful singing of them.

Why, beloved brethren, should we not love this God-inspired book? Why should we, at least in moments of sorrow, melancholy, despondency, in moments of evils and temptations that befall us, not repeat one or another Psalm instead of words of murmuring? It seems that none of the Saints suffered or felt as much as King David, and what he felt, he poured out on paper, included in his God-inspired Psalms. And look what a beneficial effect their singing produces on the soul of the grieving! Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, when he lived in retirement in the Zadonsk Monastery, often became despondent, wondering why did he leave the administration of the diocese so early and confine himself within the walls of the monastery. What did he do in such moments of despondency? Walking around his cell, he sang a verse from the Psalm: “It is good for me that you have humbled me.” After repeating this verse several times, he became completely calm and surrendered himself to the will of God, and both sorrow and despondency passed.

Let us listen to what Blessed Augustine says about the effect of the Psalms: “The singing of Psalms adorns the soul, calls angels to help, drives away demons, strengthens the mind of a sinful man, erases sin, adds faith, hope, love, - as the sun enlightens, as water purifies, as fire burns, all anger calms, and anger is crushed, - the praise of God is unceasing, and like honey is the singing of Psalms.” Do you hear how the blessed father praises and describes the effect of the Psalms? But what are we saying about reading and singing Psalms? Are all Christians familiar with these delightful divine songs? Do they consider it their duty to know at least something from the Psalter? At least, does everyone have this book? Far from it. Unfortunately, it must be said that when teaching children, when teaching often many, many things, the Psalter is completely left out, as if unnecessary and unsuitable, and for children, as if completely incomprehensible. And so children in some schools know many fairy tales, fables, poems, even songs, but often not a single Psalm. This is sad, it was not like this before - before, they taught reading from the Psalter, every Christian became familiar with the Psalter in this way in childhood, then he still recognized it, and on occasion knew how to express his feelings before God - both feelings of praise, and gratitude, and supplication, and joy and sorrow. The Psalter taught him all this. Grant, Lord, that literacy, which has so recently entered upon its former path, will bring the fruits it brought before; and most importantly, that it would attract to the church and to prayer.

III. Lord! Through the prayers of the Great Martyr Anastasia, help us to succeed in everything that is necessary for our salvation, and especially in prayer and in praising You.

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