January: Day 12: Holy Martyr Tatiana

January: Day 12:
Holy Martyr Tatiana
 
(On the Existence of Angels)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Tatiana, whose memory is now celebrated, was a young maiden, brought up by high-born pious parents in the Christian law, who preferred virginity to an advantageous marriage and accepted the title of Deaconess of the Roman Church, during the reign of Alexander Severus. Despite all the kindness of this sovereign, under him the Christians did not have a peaceful life, even in Rome itself: among the courtiers even then there were those who secretly shed Christian blood like water. Deaconess Tatiana, too, was brought to trial as a Christian. When she refused to worship the idol in the temple of Apollo, she was subjected to torture. The Saint did not waver at all from the sufferings she endured; around her, invisibly to others, stood four angels and encouraged her, at the same time striking the tormentors. Then they locked the Saint in prison; and here light-bearing angels appeared to her for her consolation and encouragement. The Saint was again subjected to torture, and again thrown into prison, and again light-bearing angels of God appeared to her, healed her of her wounds and glorified her sufferings. Finally, they locked the sufferer in the temple of Mercury, cut off her hair beforehand, imagining that the healing power of magic was contained in her hair, and here light-bearing angels appeared to her, consoling her in her sufferings and proclaiming her imminent release from the mortal body. The Saint was beheaded with a sword together with her own father, who about that time was also tried for accepting the Christian faith. Thus, the holy soul of Tatiana settled in the world of spirits, with the chorus of light-bearing angels.

II. The life of Saint Tatiana teaches us the comforting truth that there is a higher world of angels who, by the will of God, are sent to serve man, protect him from evil and comfort him in the midst of misfortunes.

It is surprising that the disregard of the heavenly powers in some Christians extends to the point that they even doubt the existence of the invisible world.

a) If we had no testimony of the existence of the spiritual world in the book of revelation, we might find it in the book of nature. On everything visible is written the testimony of the invisible. The Apostle Paul says that "the invisible things of God, even His everlasting power and Godhead, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood by the things that are made" (Rom. 1:20). Look at a tree or a blade of grass: what you see can only wither, dry up, and be destroyed; but what produces greenery, growth, blossom, and fruit, is it not invisible? Look at yourselves: what in you feels, desires, thinks, is it not invisible? Observe the ladder-like gradation of creatures, which are so much more perfect one than another, as the action of the invisible is more revealed in them; begin with the earth and the stone, in which the invisible is completely buried; ascend the ladder of visible creatures to man, in whom the invisible can already dominate: is it not natural to suppose above this level creatures in whom the visible is completely absorbed - purely invisible, spiritual beings?

b) It is true that in the present darkened state of man and the world, the light of the invisible world dimly glimmers through the letters of visible things. But in the book of revelation the eye purified by faith clearly discerns not only the existence of the invisible world, but also its nearness and its close union with the visible. There the cherubim guard the path of the tree of life (Gen. 3:24); there an angel comforts the despairing Hagar (Gen. 16:7-12); in another place the angels, together with the Lord, are guests of Abraham (Gen. 18); the angels save Lot from perishing Sodom (Gen. 19); Jacob, while sleeping, sees a multitude of angels ascending to heaven by a ladder and descending to earth (Gen. 28:12); there Jacob meets with regiments of angels (Gen. 32:1). An angel appears to Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:2), to prepare him for the expulsion of the Israelites from Egypt. Isaiah sees seraphim surrounding the throne of the Lord, and from one of them receives fiery purification (Is. 6).

Let us open the New Testament. Behold, the Sun of spirits rises; the King of revelations, Jesus Christ, appears. What then? The King Himself proclaims: “Henceforth you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:51). And indeed, we see an angel announcing the barren conception of the Forerunner (Luke 1:11) and the seedless conception of the Savior (Luke 1:26), a whole host of angels singing the glory of the Savior’s birth (Luke 11:13), an angel resolving Joseph’s perplexity (Matt. 1:20) and arranging for the safety of the Infant Jesus from those seeking His life (Matt. 2:13), angels serving Jesus after His temptation in the desert (Matt. 4:11), an angel appearing to strengthen Him in the agony in Gethsemane (Luke 22:43), angels “opening His grave” (Matt. 28:2), announcing His resurrection (John 20:12), angels accompanying His ascension and announcing His coming again (Acts 1:10, 11).

Christians! Jesus Christ, according to the saying of John the Theologian, is "He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens" (Rev. 3:7). If then He opened heaven, who dares shut it? Or who dares say that now is not the time to see the angels of God ascending and descending according to the will of the Son of man? "Are not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them that shall inherit salvation?" Who then can now assert that they are without work, and we without help?

c) But the more we are assured of the closeness of the holy angels to us and of their readiness to help us, the more carefully we must think about why in our days so little is heard about this help, and even less is believed in what is heard about it?

Just as in their visible manifestations the holy angels have often been taken by men for similar men, so it can easily happen that a man will take their invisible actions for his own human or ordinary natural actions. Does it not happen, for example, that in the midst of perplexity or some inactivity of the mind, suddenly, like lightning, a pure, holy, and saving thought shines forth; that in a tormented or cold heart, silence is instantly restored, or the heavenly flame of love for God is kindled? If every phenomenon by its nature testifies to the presence of an active force, then do not these internal manifestations of our soul testify to the presence of heavenly powers, who, out of love for mankind, cast their rays into our minds and sparks into our hearts? Are these not the actions of angels, according to the saying of the Prophet Zechariah, "speaking in us?" How pitiable it is if we do not notice this angelic help! For, not noticing it, we do not receive it as we should, and do not make use of it. By not taking advantage, we remain ungrateful and guilty, we do not prepare ourselves for other similar visits and thus even remove our guardians from ourselves.

If we, men, withdraw from men whose dispositions are contrary to our dispositions; if a teacher finally renounces a disciple who does not heed his instructions, or a tutor from a pupil who rejects his guidance; if a father removes from himself a disobedient son: then how can the holy angels not finally withdraw from us, when we do not follow their saving suggestions, and leave their service fruitless for us? How can the heavenly powers not withdraw from us, when we devote ourselves only to earthly things? How can pure spirits not withdraw, when we live in the impurities of the flesh? How can the angels of God not withdraw, when we constantly have in our thoughts and desires not God and His Christ, but the world and ourselves?

III. Children of the Church! Children of God! Let us walk as children of obedience. Do we not hear how our Mother daily ask our Lord and Father for “an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies?” Let us drive out of our soul carnal desires and vain thoughts, and then the bodiless powers will visit it and lead us with them “from strength to strength,” until finally the Lord God Himself “shall appear in Zion” of our spirit (Psalm 83:8), and “create” in it Himself “an abode” (John 14:23). Amen.

 

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