 Saint Melangellvirgin c641 – feast day Russian Orthodox commemoration on May 17/30(Wales May 27th ) It is my thinking that we choose a patron saint as a role model, an example of what man/woman can become if only we open our hearts to God and allow Him to work through us. Our wonderful priest of our church often reminds us that 'God can carve the rotted wood and ride the lame horse'. I chose Saint Melangell as my patron saint when I was Chrismated for several reasons. As an animal lover and being of Scottish descent, my father was from Glasgow, the choice seemed natural. Saint Melangell was the daughter of King Jowchel from Ireland who fled her home to escape a forced marriage over 1400 years ago. She found a peaceful place in Britain where she lived as a hermit for some years, spending her days in prayer and peace. At one point, while praying in a field, a hare being chased by a hunter took refuge in the folds of her garment. The hunter, Brochwel, the Prince of Powys came upon her asking what she was doing there. The Prince shouted, "Catch her, catch her!" but the more he urged his hounds the further they retreated while the hare stood defiantly protected in her clothing. Moved by her piety and her serenity the prince gave her land and "built for her a place of sanctuary for the service of God that it may be a ‘perpetual asylum, refuge and defence’, saying unto her: "O most worthy Melangell, I perceive that thou art the handmaiden of the true God. Because it hath pleased Him for thy merits to give protection to this little wild hare from the attack and pursuit of the ravening hounds, I give and present to thee with willing mind these my lands for the service of God, to be a perpetual asylum and refuge. If any men or women flee hither to seek thy protection, provided they do not pollute thy sanctuary, let no prince or chieftain be so rash towards God as to attempt to drag them forth."
Troparion of St Melangell tone 8 It is told that "Melangell passed the rest of her days in this lonely place, sleeping on bare rock. Many were the miracles which she wrought for those who sought refuge in her sanctuary with pure hearts. The little wild hares were ever under her special protection, and that is why they are called "Melangell's lambs." Even now, if a hare is pursued by hounds and someone shouts after it, "God and Melangell be with thee," it will escape." "The iconography of Saint Melangell (or Monacella) of Wales (6th century, Russian Orthodox commemoration on May 17/30) includes an image of a hare saved from hunters. In the reserved area where St. Melangell lived hunt for hares is forbidden, and St. Fevronia protects wildlife preserves “Muromsky” and “Oklandia” – an ecologically pure zone along the river Oka between Murom and Riazan. According to the legend the Wales anchoress called her hare “lamb”, so the hare of St. Melangell looks like a lamb in some icons, and in Wales hare is known as “Melangell’s little lamb” (“Oen bach Melangell”). The likeness of hare with lamb is marked also in the Russian folklore, where the hare is called “wood lamb”. However, in the Murom icon painting the hare of St. Fevronia looks more often like a playing doggy or a dozing cat."
The following was found recorded in the registers of her church in 1723,over a thousand years after her death.
Mil engyl a Melangell You still find her name mentioned in prayers today: We thank you Lord God for the life and prayer of your servant Melangell. May her care and compassion for all your creatures inspire us in our day with the same concern for all You have made. May we with her learn to find Your glory In the world around us and in all that You give us to do. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint Domnika was born in Rome in the late 4th century from wealthy Christian parents. She, like Saint Melangell and other female saints fled a forced marriage. On her way to Alexandria she befriended 4 pagan women and as the trip continued she converted them to Christianity. When they arrived in Constantinople they were all baptized by the Patriarch who blessed Saint Domnika allowing her to become the mother of a monastery. "Under her leadership, the monastery grew strong in Christ. St. Domnika became known for her ability to heal physical infirmities, discern spiritual illnesses and freel those bound by occult influences and superstitious magic. Upon her repose around 474, the monastery was shaken as if by a tremor. The nuns ran outside in fear and saw a crowd of witnesses in the sky, all dressed in radiant white robes, escorting St. Domnika to heaven. A voice was heard resounding from the heavens. 'Thus are the saints glorified in due season.'"
Troparion (Tone 4)
St. Seraphim, born Prohor Moshnin, July 19th 1759 to a merchant family in Kursk. When he was 7 years old his mother took him to a cathedral his father was in the process of constructing before his death, and he fell from the scaffolding around the seven-storey bell tower. He should have been killed, but the Lord preserved the life of the future luminary of the Church. The terrified mother ran to him and found her son unharmed. Young Prokhor, endowed with an excellent memory, soon mastered reading and writing. From his childhood he loved to attend church services, and to read both the Holy Scripture and the Lives of the Saints with his fellow students. Most of all, he loved to pray or to read the Holy Gospel in private. At the age of 10, he became seriously ill. During the course of his illness, he saw the the Mother of God in his sleep, who promised to heal him. Several days later there was a religious procession in Kursk with the locally revered miracle-working icon of the Mother of God. Due to bad weather, the procession took an abbreviated route past the house of the Moshnin family. After his mother put Seraphim up to the miracle-working image, he recovered rapidly. While at a young age, he needed to help his parents with their shop, but business had little appeal for him. Young Seraphim loved to read the lives of the saints, to attend church and to withdraw into seclusion for prayer. At the age of 18, Seraphim firmly decided to become a monk. His mother blessed him with a large copper crucifix, which he wore over his clothing all his life. After this, he entered the Sarov monastery as a novice. His taking of the monastic vows occurred in 1786, when he was 27 years old. He was given the name Seraphim, which in Hebrew means "fiery," or "burning." He was soon made a hierodeacon. He justified his name by his extraordinarily burning prayer. He spent all of his time, save for the very shortest of rests, in church. Through such prayer and the labors of religious services, Seraphim became worthy to see angels, both serving and singing in church. During the liturgy on Holy Thursday, he saw the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in the form of the Son of man, proceeding into the Church with the Heavenly host and blessing those praying. The saint could not speak for a long time after being struck by this vision. In 1793, St. Seraphim was ordained a hieromonk, after which he served every day and received Holy Communion for a year. St. Seraphim then began to withdraw into the forest wilderness about five kilometers from Sarov Monastery. He achieved great perfection at this time. Wild animals” bears, rabbits, wolves, foxes and others” came to the hut of the ascetic. While living in this little hermitage of his, St. Seraphim once suffered greatly at the hands of robbers. Although he was physically very strong and was holding an axe at the time, St. Seraphim did not resist them. In answer to their threats and their demands for money, he lay his axe down on the ground, crossed his arms on his chest and obediently gave himself up to them. They began to beat him on the head with the handle of his own axe. Blood began to pour out of his mouth and ears, and he fell unconscious. They stopped beating him only when they had decided that he had died. The only treasure which the robbers found in his cell was the icon of the Mother of God of Deep Emotion, before which he always prayed. When, after some time, the robbers were caught and brought to justice, the holy monk interceded on their behalf before the judge. After the beating, St. Seraphim remained hunched over for the rest of his life. St. Seraphim took upon himself the feat of becoming an elder after a special vision of the Mother of God. He began to admit everyone who came to him for advice and direction. Many thousands of people from all walks of life and conditions began to visit the elder now, who enriched them from his spiritual treasures, which he had acquired by many years of efforts. Everyone saw St. Seraphim as meek, joyful, and pensively sincere. He greeted all with the words: "My joy!" To many he advised: "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved." No matter who came to him, he bowed to the ground before all, and, in blessing, kissed their hands. He did not need the visitors to tell about themselves, as he could see what each had on their soul. He also said, "Cheerfulness is not a sin. It drives away weariness, for from weariness there is sometimes dejection, and there is nothing worse than that."
Troparion of St. Seraphim, Tone 4
Saint Ephraim the Syrian, a teacher of repentance, was born at the beginning of the fourth century in the city of Nisibis (Mesopotamia) into the family of impoverished toilers of the soil. His parents raised their son in piety, but from his childhood he was known for his quick temper and impetuous character. He often had fights, acted thoughtlessly, and even doubted God's Providence. He finally recovered his senses by the grace of God, and embarked on the path of repentance and salvation. Once, he was unjustly accused of stealing a sheep and was thrown into prison. He heard a voice in a dream calling him to repent and correct his life. After this, he was acquitted of the charges and set free. The young man ran off to the mountains to join the hermits. This form of Christian asceticism had been introduced by a disciple of St. Anthony the Great, the Egyptian desert dweller Eugenius. St. James of Nisibis (January 13) was a noted ascetic, a preacher of Christianity and denouncer of the Arians. St. Ephraim became one of his disciples. Under the direction of the holy hierarch, St. Ephraim attained Christian meekness, humility, submission to God's will, and the strength to undergo various temptations without complaint. St. James transformed the wayward youth into a humble and conrite monk. Realizing the great worth of his disciple, he made use of his talents. He trusted him to preach sermons, to instruct children in school, and he took Ephraim with him to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea (in the year 325). St. Ephraim was in obedience to St. James for fourteen years, until the bishop's death in 338. After the capture of Nisibis by the Persians in 363, St. Ephraim went to a monastery near the city of Edessa. Here he saw many great ascetics, passing their lives in prayer and psalmody. Their caves were solitary shelters, and they fed themselves with a certain plant. He became especially close to the ascetic Julian (October 18), who was of one mind with him. St. Ephraim combined asceticism with a ceaseless study of the Word of God, taking from it both solace and wisdom for his soul. The Lord gave him a gift of teaching, and people began to come to him, wanting to hear his counsel, which produced compunction in the soul, since he began with self-accusation. Both verbally and in writing, St. Ephraim instructed everyone in repentance, faith and piety, and he denounced the Arian heresy, which at that time was causing great turmoil. Pagans who heard the preaching of the saint were converted to Christianity. He also wrote the first Syriac commentary on the Pentateuch (i.e. "Five Books") of Moses. He wrote many prayers and hymns, thereby enriching the Church's liturgical services. Famous prayers of St. Ephraim are to the Most Holy Trinity, to the Son of God, and to the Most Holy Theotokos. He composed hymns for the Twelve Great Feasts of the Lord (the Nativity of Christ, the Baptism, the Resurrection), and funeral hymns. St. Ephraim's Prayer of Repentance, "O Lord and Master of my life...", is recited during Great Lent, and it summons Christians to spiritual renewal. From ancient times the Church has valued the works of St. Ephraim. His works were read publicly in certain churches after the Holy Scripture, as St. Jerome tells us. At present, the Church Typikon prescribes certain of his instructions to be read on the days of Lent. Among the prophets, St. David is the preeminent psalmodist; among the Fathers of the Church, St. Ephraim the Syrian is the preeminent man of prayer. His spiritual experience made him a guide for monastics and a help to the pastors of Edessa. St. Ephraim wrote in Syriac, but his works were very early translated into Greek and Armenian. Translations into Latin and Slavonic were made from the Greek text. In many of St. Ephraim's works we catch glimpses of the life of the Syrian ascetics, which was centered on prayer and working in various obediences for the common good of the brethren. The outlook of all the Syrian ascetics was the same. The monks believed that the goal of their efforts was communion with God and the acquisition of divine grace. For them, the present life was a time of tears, fasting and toil. "If the Son of God is within you, then His Kingdom is also within you. Thus, the Kingdom of God is within you, a sinner. Enter into yourself, search diligently and without toil you shall find it. Outside of you is death, and the door to it is sin. Enter into yourself, dwell within your heart, for God is there." Constant spiritual sobriety, the developing of good within man's soul gives him the possibility to take upon himself a task like blessedness, and a self-constraint like sanctity. The requital is presupposed in the earthly life of man, it is an undertaking of spiritual perfection by degrees. Whoever grows himself wings upon the earth, says St. Ephraim, is one who soars up into the heights; whoever purifies his mind here below, there glimpses the Glory of God. In whatever measure each one loves God, he is, by God's love,satiated to fullness according to that measure. Man, cleansing himself and attaining the grace of the Holy Spirit while still here on earth, has a foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven. To attain to life eternal, in the teachings of St. Ephraim, does not mean to pass over from one realm of being into another, but rather to discover "the heavenly," spiritual condition of being. Eternal life is not bestown on man through God's one-sided efforts, but rather, it constantly grows like a seed within him by his efforts, toils and struggles. The pledge within us of "theosis" (or "deification") is the Baptism of Christ, and the main force that drives the Christian life is repentance. St. Ephraim was a great teacher of repentance. The forgiveness of sins in the Mystery of Repentance, according to his teaching, is not an external exoneration, not a forgetting of the sins, but rather their complete undoing, their annihilation. The tears of repentance wash away and burn away the sin. Moreover, they (i.e. the tears) enliven, they transfigure sinful nature, they give the strength "to walk in the way of the the Lord's commandments," encouraging hope in God. In the fiery font of repentance, the saint wrote, "you sail yourself across, O sinner, you resurrect yourself from the dead." St. Ephraim, accounting himself as the least and worst of all, went to Egypt at the end of his life to see the efforts of the great ascetics. He was accepted there as a welcome guest and received great solace from conversing with them. On his return journey he visited at Caesarea in Cappadocia with St. Basil the Great (January 1), who wanted to ordain him a priest, but he considered himself unworthy of the priesthood. At the insistence of St. Basil, he consented only to be ordained as a deacon, in which rank he remained until his death. Later on, St. Basil invited St. Ephraim to accept a bishop's throne, but the saint feigned madness in order to avoid this honor, humbly regarding himself as unworthy of it. After his return to his own Edessa wilderness, St. Ephraim hoped to spend the rest of his life in solitude, but divine Providence again summoned him to serve his neighbor. The inhabitants of Edessa were suffering from a devastating famine. By the influence of his word, the saint persuaded the wealthy to render aid to those in need. From the offerings of believers he built a poor-house for the poor and sick. St. Ephraim then withdrew to a cave near Edessa, where he remained to the end of his days.
Troparion (Tone 8)
Prayer of St. Ehraim Prayed daily during the Lenten Season Lord and Master of my life |
Saint Domnika
Saint Seraphim
Saint Ephraim of Syria
