Saints o' the Day

Is it true, gentle readers all, that ye are displeased seeing I have posted less concerning the saints of late? The lessening of your visits here would seem to teach me this.

Well, this evening I've opened up my martyrologies, and behold!

To-day is the commemoration of the Seven Sleepers (secondary patrons of the Dormitionists), and of St Symeon Stylites (the Elder - referred to here), doyen of pillar-dwelling ascetics, to name but some of the hallowed men who fell asleep in the Lord on this great day.

Likewise, to-day died St Celestine I, he who defeated proud Nestorius the archheretic by the agency of the Council of Ephesus, declaring Mary Most Holy the true Mother of God (Dignare me laudare te, Virgo sacrata: da mihi virtutem contra hostes tuos; Gaude, Maria Virgo, cunctas hæreses sola interemisti). To-day also reposed in the Lord St Clement of Ochrid, Apostle of the Bulgarians.

To-day died many holy martyrs, such as five slain at Cordoba by the Moors during their fanatical rule in Spain; and five martyrs slain in Spain by the Communists during their fanatical rule in Spain: how times change... I also note a passionbearing nun, St Anthusa, whipped and exiled for her stedfastness in the cult of icons by Constantine Copronymous (aptly so-named: at his baptism, he crapped in the font, foretelling his later treatment of holy things), and two priests martyred (one in England, one in Wales) under wicked Elizabeth I (she who died, paranoid and alone, lying amongst her own ordure: departing thence to the stench of hell).

The white-robed army of martyrs praise thee, O God!

Last but first, comes St Pantaleon, martyr at Nicomedia in Bythinia, one of the holy unmercenaries, who has a commemoration at Lauds in the Breviary to-day:

Grant, prithee, God almighty: that, blessed Pantaleon Thy Martyr interceding, both from all adversities we may be delivered in body, and from depraved thoughts be cleansed in mind. Through our Lord Jesus Christ...

Joshua the Stylite

Apparently there is an ancient chronicle, an important eye-witness account of various affairs, attributed to one Joshua the Stylite, a Syrian monk of the early sixth century: the document is clearly the equivalent of a blog. I imagine him perched on a stool, pen in hand; I sit on a chair, laptop at my fingertips.

Having researched the stylites some more, I have turned up references (but that's all) to such exotic characters as Dionysius the Stylite, Abba Julian the Stylite, even Neilos the Younger, Stylite, whose relics' translation is commemorated in some churches! The Orthodox revere Antony the Stylite, a 6th century Georgian, of Martkob (Martomq'ophi - მართომყოფჰი), but I can't discover if the West accepts him; ditto for the case of Nikita (Nicetas), Stylite of Pereyaslavl (died 1186).

In order to gain yet more approved celestial intercessors, I append the troparia and kontakia of the following pillar-saints, all of whom appear in the present-day Roman Martyrology:

St Luke the Younger, Wonderworker, Stylite, d. 955 (7th February)

Troparion

Let us firmly honour Luke the Godbearer with hymns and chants, the glory of the faithful, the boast of the righteous, bright light of Stirion and its true inhabitant; he brings near to Christ those who cry out in faith: Glory to Him Who has strengthened thee; glory to Him Who has crowned thee; glory to Him Who through thee works healings for all.

Kontakion

God in ineffable judgment chose thee before thou wast fashioned according to His good pleasure; He took thee from thy mother's womb, He sanctified thee as His servant. As the Lover of mankind He guided thee to Himself, before whom thou dost now stand rejoicing, O Luke.

St Symeon the Younger, Stylite of the Wondrous Mountain, 517-592 (24th May)

Troparion

Thou didst shine from the wondrous mountain as a lamp of the gifts of asceticism. Thy pillar has become a ladder from earth to heaven for those who hasten to thy fold, O wonderworking Symeon. Glory to Him Who has strengthened thee; glory to Him Who has crowned thee; glory to Him Who through thee works healings for all.

Kontakion

Thou didst long for things on high and renounce things below; thou didst make thy pillar another heaven and shine with radiant miracles; O Symeon, ever interceding with Christ our God for us all.

St Symeon Stylites the Elder, d.459 (1st September) [Western date: 27th July]

Troparion

O Symeon, righteous father, thou didst become a pillar of patience, and excel like the forefathers: Job in his sufferings, Joseph in temptation, and in the flesh wert like the bodiless ones. Intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls.

Kontakion

While seeking the kingdom of heaven thou wast united to mankind on earth. Thy pillar was a chariot of fire and thou a companion of angels. O righteous Symeon, intercede with Christ our God for us all.

St Lazarus the Stylite of Mount Galesius, d. 1054 (7 November)

Troparion

Thou didst drench thy pillar with tears in thy vigils, and in labours bear fruit an hundredfold. As a shepherd thou didst grant forgiveness to all who came to thee, Father Lazarus. Intercede with Christ our God that our souls may saved.

Kontakion

The Church is singing to thee in gladness since thou art a great light, O Lazarus. Cease not to intercede with Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.

St Alypius the Stylite of Adrianople in Paphlagonia, fl. 6th C. (26th November)

Troparion

Thou wast a pillar of patient endurance,having having imitated the forefathers, O Venerable One: Job in suffering, and Joseph in temptations. Thou didst live like the Bodiless Ones while yet in the flesh, O Alypius, our Father. Beseech Christ God that our souls may be saved.

Kontakion

The Church glorifies and praises thee today, Alypius, as a perfect example of virtue and the boast of ascetics. Through thy prayers, grant remission of sins to all who venerate thy life and thy struggles.

St Daniel the Stylite, 409-493 (11th December)

Troparion

O Daniel, righteous Father, thou didst become a pillar of patience, and excel like the forefathers: Job in his sufferings, Joseph in temptation, and in the flesh wast like the bodiless ones. Intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls.

Kontakion

Thou didst ascend thy pillar and enlighten the world like a brilliantly shining star; and thou didst dispel the darkness of error, O blessed Father Daniel. Therefore we pray thee, illumine the hearts of thy servants with the true Eternal Light.

And if one wishes to invoke the synaxis of all the sainted stylites, use the common troparion in the plural:

Ye became columns of endurance and rivalled the forefathers, O Holy Ones, becoming like Job in your sufferings, like Joseph in your trials, like the bodiless angels though still alive. O Stylites, our Holy Fathers, intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls!

Be Styli(ti)sh

Further musings on the pillar-saints... apparently they never took off in the West, though in the East the tradition continued down to the 12th C., in Russia, till 1461, among the Ruthenians, even after that. I think the world today could do with hardy ascetics, true holy athletes, preaching, fasting and praying out in the open, not dissimilar to the cranks in Hyde Park, but supernaturalized.

As we know, the Church is the pillar and bulwark of the truth (I Tim. iii, 15), the chief apostles, that is, those who were ambassadors-of-Christ, were styled pillars (Gal. iii, 9), and Our Lord promises to make him who overcomes all, by winning the mortal combat of this life by grace, a living pillar in God's temple (Apoc. iii, 12). How fitting, then, to image in one's fixed mode of existence these truths!

Are we not called to seek the things which are above, and not to mind the things which are on earth (Col. iii, 1-2)? Therefore ought we mortify our members which are upon the earth (Col. iii, 5). Christ said, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, shall draw all men to Myself" (St John xii, 32, and His painful Cross is also His - and His redeemed people's - royal Exaltation: so therefore should His would-be followers by penance in their lowliness be lifted up and spiritually crucified, after the Model of their Master, that they might be models also to others, evangelists of His love, and co-redeemers with Him, filling up - in St Paul's mysterious, paradoxical words - in our bodies whatsoever is 'wanting' in His all-redeeming Passion (cf. Col. i, 24). All this and more the Stylites sought, mounting on their severe columns toward their heart's goal, heaven - but not as proud Babel did in the imagination of its heart ensnared by power, rather as their humble Lord and Master willed to endure the weakness and scandal of the Cross.

According to one tale of St Simeon (Συμεων, also transliterated Symeon), the Devil, that ancient serpent, appeared to the Stylite as an angel of light riding a fiery chariot, which he besought him to board, for, he lied, God wished to translate him straight to heaven as meet reward for his superhuman labours. As Simeon put forth his foot to step into the apparent vehicle, he checked himself, realizing that this was a temptation of the Enemy, and repented of his presumption in imagining the Lord would grant him so extraordinary a favour - recalling that Our Lord had ascended, Our Lady had been assumed, and Enoch and Elijah carried off in wondrous wise, these four alone among all mankind - and he regained his proper humility, no doubt making the sign of the cross. Discovered, Satan disappeared in disorder, presumably leaving his trademark mephitic stench; but St Simeon's foot developed a degrading ulcer, as Divine rebuke of his prideful movement. Simeon accepted this in humility, and sought not to treat this wound sent to remind him of his weakness. Much later, an Arab chieftain, who had ridden out of the desert to seek the saint's godly counsel, begged a souvenir of Simeon at the end of their interview. While explaining in all honesty that atop his pillar he had nothing to give him, a worm eating at his ulcer fell out and was caught by the Arab, who, holding his palm closed, exclaimed, "It is a pearl, a pearl!" - and upon opening his hand indeed found therein the maggot become a lustrous pearl, testifying to the sanctity of the humble and penitent Simeon.

Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem on St Simeon may be of interest.

Behold in this (rather lengthy) vision the enormous ruins (ravaged by those of the religion 'of peace') of the complex of buildings that grew up around St Simeon's pillar:


St Simeon Stylites the Elder, pray for us.
St Daniel the Stylite, pray for us.
St Simeon Stylites the Younger, pray for us.
St Alypius the Stylite, pray for us.
St Luke the Wonderworker, Stylite, pray for us.
St Lazarus the Stylite, pray for us.
All ye holy pillar-saints, pray ye for us.

Leap Day: Stations, the Samaritana, and Stylites

Phwoar, it was hot in the Pro. this afternoon! I was so running with sweat I was mopping my face with a handkerchief all the way through Stations (which began at 5.30pm) and the Mass following (6.10-6.40pm). I have been so very slothful and indevout this Lent - today was the first day I've bothered to follow the Stations of the Cross! The Gospel at Mass was of course the incomparable account of the Samaritan woman, concerning which and whom I've earlier blogged at length.

Amusingly, when I at last walked outside after saying my prayers it turned out to be pleasantly breezy, and I suggested to Fr and others that really he should have stayed inside at God's board, while we the faithful could have knelt devoutly outside the open doors, the better to bear witness and humbly withdraw from such awefilled mysteries, until we would have processed in for communion!

Joking with one of my housemates after tea, I encouraged him or at least his brother to revive the ancient order of stylites - those holy athletes of the Lord who immured themselves atop pillars, the better to test their mettle and make themselves available to edify such of the faithful as from time to time gathered below. Steve seemed unwilling to stand on the kitchen stool (cognate, after all, with στυλος) as preparation for his new vocation, but I trust his hard heart will yield to suasion once he allows me to discern God's will for him in this... ;-)

Jokes aside, here is a link to a Canon in honour of St Simeon Stylites, first of the pillar-saints. (He is painted at the right; under obedience he was commanded to come down off his pillar, and hastened to do so, but his rightful superiors, satisfied by this, retracted their testing order.)

I salute today, the quadrennial leap day; I seem to have escaped the tradition-minded maidens who by custom may ask for the hand of their chosen man this day! With St Paul's advice in mind, I cheer on those happily married, while for the moment content as a young bachelor. And, please, no jokes about this being in technical terms a bissextile year!