December: Day 10: Holy Martyr Menas the Kallikelados

December: Day 10:
Holy Martyr Menas the Kallikelados
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. On the Reconciliation of Quarreling People, and
b. On the Virtue of Patience)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today we commemorate the Holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes and Eugraphos. Menas, an educated and eloquent Athenian who secretly professed the faith of Christ, was sent as a commander by the Emperor Maximinus to Alexandria to pacify the unrest that had arisen between Christians and pagans. He managed to "reconcile and calm" the warring parties, but at the same time took advantage of this opportunity to openly preach the truth of the Christian faith.

Having learned of this, Maximinus sent the eparch Hermogenes to Alexandria to judge his former confidant, the commander Menas, and with the strictest order to clear the city of Christians.

Hermogenes, also an Athenian and although a pagan, but gifted with an exalted soul, which was characterized by Christian feelings and concepts, having begun to conduct a trial over Menas, was so struck by his answers and then by the “patience” with which Menas endured the tortures to which he, according to his duty, subjected him, that he himself understood the truth and dignity of the Christian faith, was finally enlightened by the Martyr Menas and, having received baptism from him together with a multitude of people, was appointed Bishop of Alexandria.

Then Maximinus himself arrived in Alexandria (c. 311) and, despite the amazing miracles displayed during the cruel tortures to which Menas and Hermogenes were subjected, he did not understand the truth, did not soften in his cruelty, and even with his own hands killed one pagan named Eugraphos, who believed in the Christian God during these miracles, then began to publicly glorify the name of the Lord who works miracles. The Holy Martyrs Menas and Hermogenes were beheaded with the sword.

The relics of these Holy Martyrs were later transferred to Constantinople.

II. The Holy Martyr Menas, now remembered by the Church for our spiritual benefit together with other Holy Martyrs, teaches us two lessons.

a) The first is that Christians, following the example of the Holy Martyr Menas, should reconcile those who are at odds and stop quarrels. Saint John Chrysostom, with great persuasiveness and eloquence, speaks of this virtue thus: “When we see others quarreling and fighting among themselves, we stand quietly, amused by the shamelessness of others, and surround this devilish spectacle: can there be anything more inhuman? We see that they are quarrelling, fighting, tearing each other’s clothes, disfiguring each other’s faces, and we continue to stand quietly? Is the one who he is fighting really a bear? Really a beast? Really a serpent? This is a man, your constant companion; he is your brother, he is your member! Therefore do not look at, but stop strife; do not be amused by it, but tame it. Do not encourage others to such shamelessness, but separate and calm those who fight; because only shameless, indecent and insane people are likely to rejoice at such events. You look at a man acting shamelessly, and do not notice that you yourself are doing the same? And you do not intervene to disperse the devil's gathering and stop human malice!"

Anticipating that some Christians will say that they may be subjected to insults and beatings in connection with this advice to reconcile warring parties, he continues: "You will not receive them; and if you do, it will be for you instead a martyrdom, because you will endure it for God's sake. But if you do not want to accept beatings, then consider: the Lord Himself wanted to endure the cross for you. Both the one who offends and the one who is offended, from the strong anger that prevails between them, are like drunkards and those who have lost their minds; therefore they need a sane person who would help them - the first, so that he will stop offending, and the second, so that he will be freed from beatings. So go and lend a helping hand - a sober person to a drunken person, for the intoxication that comes from anger is much worse than the intoxication of wine! Consider the sailors: as soon as they see a shipwreck somewhere, they immediately set sail and hasten to rescue their fellow craftsmen from the waves. If those who are of the same craft help each other in this way, then all the more should those who are of the same nature help each other, for here a shipwreck is much more disastrous. For during a quarrel they either swear, and thus lose all their former good deeds; or in great anger they swear falsely, and thus fall into Gehenna; or they beat and commit murder, and again they will be subjected to the same shipwreck.

So go, put an end to the evil, go down into this stormy sea and rescue the drowning, and having destroyed the devil's spectacle, persuade each one separately, extinguish the flame and calm the waves. If the fire spreads, the fire increases, do not be afraid; for many will lend you a helping hand, just begin, and the God of peace will help.

And if you are the first to begin to extinguish the flames, then, although many others will help you, you alone will receive a reward for everything. Listen to what God says to the Jews who grovel on the ground: If you see, He says, the donkey of your enemy fallen, do not pass by it, but lift it up. But it is much easier to separate those who quarrel among themselves than to lift up fallen cattle. If it is necessary to lift up the donkey of enemies, then how much more the souls of friends, especially when the latter fall is much more disastrous; for souls fall not into the mud, but into the fiery Gehenna, from the weight of anger. But you, cruel and inhuman, seeing your brother lying under a heavy burden and the devil standing by and kindling the flames of anger, pass by! And it is not safe to leave the cattle without help. The Samaritan, when he saw a wounded man, a complete stranger to him, and one who had no relationship with him, stopped, put him on his donkey, brought him to an inn, hired a doctor and paid the inn part of the money, and promised to pay the other part after. But you, seeing a man who has fallen not to robbers, but to a horde of demons and the fury of the enemy, not in the desert, but in the middle of the marketplace - when you do not need to pay money, or hire a donkey, or go far, but only to say a few words - you, cruel and inhuman one, do not want to help, but run past! How then do you hope to ever receive mercy from God yourself?"

b) The second instruction received from the life of the Holy Martyr Menas is that a Christian must endure with great patience and without any murmuring the misfortunes and even sufferings that befall him, as did the Holy Martyr Menas and all the other Holy Martyrs. Saint Gregory the Dialogist, exhorting patience, says: “The virtue of patience is usually practiced in three ways, for we suffer one thing from God, another from the ancient enemy, and another from our neighbor. From our neighbor we suffer persecution, harm and reproach, and from the ancient enemy - temptations; from God - admonitions. But in all these three ways the mind must carefully examine itself, lest, in the face of offenses from our neighbor, it be carried away by the desire to repay evil with evil; lest, in the face of the enemy's temptations, it be inclined to pleasure, or to consent to iniquity; so as not to fall into murmuring against the admonitions of the Creator. For the enemy suffers complete defeat when our soul, even in the midst of temptations, is not carried away by pleasure and agreement, and in the midst of reproaches from our neighbor, guards against hatred, and in the midst of God's admonitions refrains from murmuring.

In doing this, we should not wish for ourselves a reward in the form of present blessings; for the feat of patience we must expect the blessings of the future life, so that the reward for our feat will begin when the whole feat will have decisively ended. Therefore, through the Psalmist it is said: 'For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever' (Psalm 9:19). For the patience of the needy seems to be 'forgotten' when nothing is rewarded for it in this life. But the patience of the needy 'shall not perish forever,' because glory for it is received when all that is difficult ends at the same time.

Therefore, brethren, keep patience in your soul, and express it in deeds when circumstances require it. Let no reproachful words move any of you to hate your neighbor; let no losses in temporary things disturb you. For if you desire the glory of eternal retribution, then do not regret that you have suffered a temporary offense. Therefore, be patient with your enemies, but love as brothers those from whom you suffer. For temporary offenses seek eternal rewards. However, none of you should have self-confidence, as if he could fulfill this with his own strength, but pray earnestly that He Himself Who commands may accomplish this in you. And we know that He willingly listens to those who pray when they pray for the granting of what He commands."

III. Through the prayers of the Holy Martyr Menas, may the Lord grant us saving patience in enduring calamities and holy boldness to reconcile those at odds. Amen.

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