May: Day 4: Holy Venerable Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus

May: Day 4:
Holy Venerable Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus
 
(On the Reverence for Spiritual Shepherds)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyr Pelagia, who is commemorated today, lived in the third century A.D. She lived in the city of Tarsus, in the region of Asia Minor, with a rich and noble family. Although she was a pagan, she nevertheless had a kind and sympathetic heart. At that time, Diocletian’s terrible persecution of Christians was continuing. Pelagia heard about how Christians were tortured, asked for what crime they were tortured, heard about Christians imprisoned, heard also about the honorable representative of the Tarsian Christians, their Bishop Linus, and for some reason her heart was inclined toward the Christians and especially inclined toward their representative, the Bishop, and with all her soul she wanted to see him. And how glad she was when she once saw in a dream a venerable old man, who, according to her description, was none other than Bishop Linus, who was hiding at that time from persecution. She was even more glad when one day, by chance, on the road she met the old man himself, whom her companions had pointed out to her.

“I greet you, servant of Christ,” Pelagia said to Linus, bowing low to him.

“May the peace of my Christ be with you, young maiden,” answered Linus.

“Forgive my immodest question: are you Linus, a Christian bishop?”

“I am Linus, the shepherd of the rational sheep of Christ,” he answered.

“Yes, it is you, you!” continued the young maiden, as if recalling something that had happened to her. “Blessed be God, who showed you to me in a dream and sent you for the salvation of my soul. Tell me, what do you teach those who want to receive eternal life?”

The good shepherd told her how Christians are saved. "Be baptized, my daughter, and you will be saved," the Saint concluded his words of instruction.

The words of the Christian shepherd had such an effect on the good soul of the maiden that she immediately asked for baptism. From that time on, she devoted herself with all her soul to Christianity, renounced both the rich inheritance that was to remain for her after her widowed mother passed, and a brilliant marriage with a noble youth, adopted by the Emperor Diocletian. The young virgin despised everything, everything, and died a martyr for the name of Christ, having been strengthened for the feat of martyrdom by the same elder Linus, to whom she was devoted with all her soul from the very first meeting with him until the end of her life.

II. Here, brethren, let me present to you, in the figure of Saint Pelagia, both a pagan and a Christian, an example of how one should relate to spiritual shepherds. Do not insist that we have unworthy shepherds; indeed, we acknowledge that there are such, much to our sorrow. God is their judge and rewarder. Nevertheless, you should still respect their pastoral role and the grace of the priesthood that flows freely through them to the believers, according to Christ's promise.

a) Saint John Chrysostom calls it madness to disrespect bishops and priests, exclaiming: "Flee, madness, for it is indeed madness not to have respect for such dignity, without which one cannot attain salvation and the promised blessings... If one who is not reborn of water and the Spirit cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (John 3:5), and he who does not eat the Body of the Lord and drink His Blood is rejected from eternal life (6:53); and all this (Baptism and Eucharist) is performed only by consecrated hands, that is, the hands of priests: how then can anyone avoid the fire of Gehenna or receive the prepared crowns without their mediation? They are indeed the ones entrusted with spiritual birth and rebirth through Baptism. Through them we are clothed in Christ, united with the Son of God, made members of this blessed Head. So, in fairness, we should not only fear them more than the worldly authorities, but also honor our fathers more: the latter gave birth to us from blood and from the lust of the flesh, but they give birth from God, grant us holy rebirth, true freedom and gracious adoption." (From "On the Priesthood").

b) It is necessary to respect spiritual shepherds even when they are not distinguished by high virtues. Saint John Chrysostom says in another place about this: “Tell me: if you, having received a wound, come to the hospital, then do you really, instead of applying medicine and treating the wound, inquire about the doctor whether he has a wound or not? And if he does, do you care about this? And because he has a wound, do you leave your wound untreated, and do you say: 'He, as a doctor, should have been healthy, but since he himself is not healthy, then I will leave my wound untreated?' So here, if the priest is not good, will this be a consolation for the subordinate? Not at all. He will receive a certain punishment; you will also receive what is due and deserved. Let us not, I exhort you, speak ill of shepherds and teachers, let us not reason about them, lest we harm ourselves; let us examine our own deeds and speak ill of no one. Let us be ashamed of the day on which he enlightened us with baptism. In the father, even if he had an innumerable multitude of weaknesses, the son covers everything. 'Do not glory,' says the Wise One, 'in the dishonor of your father, for the father’s dishonor is not for you glory: even if he fails in understanding, have forgiveness' (Sir. 3:10, 13). If this is said of carnal fathers, then all the more must it be said of spiritual fathers. Be ashamed: he serves you every day, offers the reading of Scripture, adorns the house of God for you, watches for you, prays for you, stands before God for you and intercedes for you, makes requests for you, performs all his service for you. Be ashamed of this, imagine this and approach him with all reverence. Is he not good? But tell me, what of it? And does the good man himself communicate great blessings to you? No, everything is accomplished according to your faith. And the righteous will not bring you any benefit if you are not a believer; and the wicked will not harm you at all if you are a believer. God acted even through the oxen at the ark, when he wanted to save his people (1 Kings 4). Can the life of a priest or his virtue accomplish anything like that?" In conclusion, the same golden-tongued teacher of the Church says: "The gifts of God are not such that they depend on priestly virtue: everything comes from grace; the work of the priest is only to open his mouth, but God accomplishes everything." (Discourse 2 on the 2nd Epistle to Timothy).

III. May God, through the prayers of the Venerable Martyr Pelagia, deliver us from the sin of disrespecting our spiritual shepherds, who to insult is the same as insulting Jesus Christ Himself, who sent them to serve His Holy Church.

 

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