May: Day 13: Holy Martyr Glykeria

May: Day 13:
Holy Martyr Glykeria
 
(On How One Should Pray)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyr Glykeria, whose memory is celebrated today, suffered around the year 177, during the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Antoninus. She was the daughter of a governor and a Christian. A pagan festival was appointed, during which all the inhabitants of the city (of Thracian Heraclea) were to participate in a sacrifice to the gods; Glykeria, as the most noble by birth, was proposed to be the head of the celebration.

Appearing there and standing on an elevated place so that the people could see her, Glykeria uncovered her face, and everyone saw the sign of the cross inscribed on her forehead.

"Lord!" she cried, raising her hands to heaven, "You, who appeared to the youths in the Babylonian furnace and delivered them from the fire, and stopped the mouths of the lions, and showed Your servant Daniel as the victor; Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, come to the aid of Your servant! Crush this idol and destroy the sacrifices to it."

A sudden thunder sounded in response to the faith of the praying woman. The stone idol fell and broke into small pieces. The priests became indignant, the people in a rage began to throw stones at the Christian, but the stones did not reach her and formed a heap around her. Not recognizing the miraculous power of God in this, the pagans shouted that this was magic. Glykeria was ordered to be taken to prison.

They did not delay the trials and tortures of her who crushed the idols through the help of God; but they did not overcome the marvelous strength of the struggle for the sake of Christ.

After terrible tortures, Glykeria was thrown back into prison. Laodikos, the prison guard, amazed by her patience in torment, believed in Christ. He was immediately condemned to beheading with the sword.

Soon after, after various torments, peacefully, in the midst of prayer, Glykeria also gave up her soul to God. Bishop Dometios buried the remains of the Martyr in a picturesque place outside the city.

II. The Holy Martyr Glykeria, who by prayer destroyed the idols for the glorification of the name of God, teaches us, brethren, the truth that prayer is a great and sacred work, which must be performed, firstly, with attention, secondly, with humility, thirdly, with faith and firm hope to receive what is asked for, as Saint Glykeria hoped for God's help and received it.

a) We must pray with attention. Inattention in conversation is a sign of lack of respect for the one with whom we are conversing. On the contrary, where there is sincere respect, where there is reverence for the person with whom we are conversing, there the attention to the conversation is both strong and willing. After this, it is obvious why we must pray with attention. The greatness of God demands this, our duty to be reverent before God demands this.

Who of those who pray does not know how difficult it is to keep thoughts from wandering during prayer? Despite this difficulty, one must certainly be attentive during prayer. Here are some means for this:

1) One must remember that by inattentive prayer we do not propitiate God, but anger Him, and, moreover, please Satan, the enemy of God and us.

2) One must not lose sight of the fact that, standing in prayer, we stand with angels, archangels, cherubim, seraphim, and converse with God, as Saint Chrysostom notes.

3) At every deviation of the mind from prayer, one must immediately return it to prayer, repent before God and ask Him for help, that He may strengthen our mind in attention to prayer.

b) However, attention to prayer alone is not enough. Humility must be added to attention. Without humility, even attentive prayer is vile before God. To approach God without humility is a sign of ignorance and insolence. To enter the inner temple of prayer without humility is the same as to enter the king’s palace naked, in filth, with carelessness. This can only irritate the Lord. On the contrary, humility attracts God’s favor. It covers our sins and makes us not disgusting to God, despite all our abominations. God Himself testifies that He listens only to the humble. “To whom will I look, but to the meek and quiet, and who trembles at My words” (Isaiah 66:2). Let us recall the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, and we will be convinced that humility attracts God’s favor. The Pharisee prayed and said: “O God! I thank You that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this publican. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess." But the humble publican did not dare to lift up his eyes to heaven, but only said: "God, make atonement for me, a sinner!" (Luke 18:11, 13). What are the consequences of the pride of the Pharisee and the humility of the publican? The Pharisee was put to shame, but the publican was justified.

How can we acquire this humility? For this we must enter into ourselves, see and feel that we are sinners, worthy of divine and human aversion, that we are, in our souls, naked, blind, poor, weak and vile. But if these thoughts about our insignificance and about God's greatness do not humble us, then we must ask the Lord for humility. He knows how to humble our pride.

c) Moreover, to humility in prayer we must also add the undoubting confidence that God can do what we ask for. Undoubting hope to receive from God what we ask for is a sign of our heartfelt assurance that God hears our prayers, that in His omnipotence and goodness He will grant us what we ask for, and such assurance, in the eyes of God, is of great value. This means having firm faith, and firm faith is effective in receiving what we ask for. Jesus Christ says: “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24). Thus it pleases the Most High that faith and undoubting hope in Him should not remain fruitless and put to shame. “Who has believed the Lord, and was ashamed?” (Proverbs 2:10 ), says the word of God, i.e. who with undoubting hope asked of the Lord and did not receive what he asked for? The Prophet David asked for deliverance from enemies, and received. Hezekiah asked for recovery from illness, and received. Elijah asked for rain, and received.

But it goes without saying that in order for faith in receiving what is asked for not to be fruitless, what is asked for must be in accordance with the will of God and not be related to our destruction. There are also cases when neither humility nor faith are strong enough to entreat God to grant us what we ask for. The Apostle James explains such cases: “You ask,” he says, “and do not receive, because you ask wickedly, that you may spend it in your pleasures.”

III. Let us, beloved brethren, pray to God with attention, humility, faith, choosing for prayer objects worthy of God. Such prayer will be pleasing to the Lord and saving for us. Amen. 

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