June: Day 5: Holy Hieromartyr Dorotheos of Tyre

June: Day 5:
Holy Hieromartyr Dorotheos of Tyre
 
(Christians Are Allowed To Avoid Persecution)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Holy Hieromartyr Dorotheos, whose memory is celebrated today, ruled the church in the city of Tyre for 50 years. Having retired to uninhabited and hidden places during the persecution of Diocletian, Dorotheos returned to the see during the reign of Constantine the Great and converted many pagans to Christ. Under Julian the Apostate he accepted a martyr's death in the city of Odessos (now Varna), in 361. He is credited with telling very important stories about the prophets, apostles and 72 disciples of the Savior.

II. The life of the Holy Hieromartyr Dorotheos, who hid from the persecution of Christians that raged during the reign of Diocletian, presents to us, brethren, the following instructive lesson: it is permissible for a Christian to avoid persecution for the faith. It is permissible to avoid persecution for three reasons:

a) The first is that there is a direct commandment from the Savior on this: “When they persecute you in one city," the Lord said to His disciples, and through them to all His faithful followers, "flee to another” (Matthew 10:23).

b) The second reason is that by avoiding persecution, Christians thereby express their love for their persecutors, saving them from the terrible responsibility for the shedding of innocent blood. Saint Gregory the Theologian, deciding the question of whether Christians are allowed to avoid persecution, answers in the affirmative, because “Christians, with all their courage and readiness for patience, must not only keep in mind their own benefit, but also spare their persecutors, so as not to increase in any way the danger in which their enemies find themselves, as much as possible.”

c) The third reason why one should avoid persecution is that it expresses a humble awareness of one’s weaknesses, the absence of proud self-confidence, and hope for God’s help, for "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," said the Savior. And indeed, no matter how tempted a person is by life’s experience, no matter how perfect he has achieved, he can never be free from temptations, he can never vouch for his steadfastness and safety from a sinful fall. In the life of Saint Pachomios the Great (May 15) the following example is given of how destructive self-confidence is. 

One monk of high spiritual life, striving for the highest degree of perfection, wanted to be a martyr for Christ, but since the Church was enjoying peace at that time, he did not know how to satisfy the desire of his heart. Seeing in Saint Pachomios' gift of miracles and recognizing him as a saint of God, the self-deluded monk came to him many times and asked him to pray to God for him, so that the Lord would honor him with the crown of martyrdom. No matter how much the Saint of God advised him that the monk should not harbor such proud thoughts in his heart, but should courageously endure the feat of monasticism and he would have a share in heaven with the martyrs, all the admonitions of Saint Pachomios were in vain. The Elder did not cease to beg him with tears. Finally, the Saint said to him: "I will pray for you to the Savior of the world, that He will give you an opportunity to suffer, but you, as much as possible, beware lest, instead of confessing the name of Christ, you reject Him in the fierce hour of torment. You are mistaken, wishing to undergo misfortune, when the Lord Himself teaches us to pray, lest we be led into temptation; but if your desire is so strong, then let it be as you wish." Two years later, it happened that some of the brethren were in a remote place gathering reeds. Since they had lingered there for a long time, Saint Pachomios called this monk and said to him: "Go visit the brethren and bring them food." The monk set out on his journey, but while passing through the desert, he fell into the hands of barbarian pagans who lived in the inaccessible mountains. They took the monk captive and led him to their dwellings. There they approached him and said: "Come, worship our gods." For a long time the monk refused to offer sacrifice to the idols, but the fear of torture and death forced the unfortunate man to make a treacherous kneel and renounce Christ. After this, he was set free as their co-religionist, but what could replace the destruction of his soul? Thus, through his self-confidence, the monk suffered a grave fall and ruined the labor of his many years of asceticism.

If this happened to an ascetic experienced in the spiritual life, then what can we say about us, still inexperienced babes in the exploits of piety? Can we be self-confident and careless in view of the constant temptations and seductions of this world? Can we now safely desire and seek martyrdom, or at least sorrows, for confessing the name of Jesus Christ? Is it not better and safer to avoid temptations and dangers and earnestly pray to the Lord to deliver us from temptations? He who behaves cautiously, avoids bad company, does not treat human customs frivolously, does not indulge his whims, but lives modestly and fearing God, he stands on the straight path of salvation, and the Lord Himself will strengthen him and preserve him from the misfortunes and falls of sin. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble, which even in weakness shows great power.

III. Therefore, brethren, let us not be high-minded, nor wise in our own opinion (Rom. 12:16), but humbly ask God for help in everything and seek in Him alone the all-powerful protection from the attacks of temptations from our sin-loving flesh, the world that lies in evil, and the devil, the original and implacable enemy of our salvation. 

 

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