December: Day 30: Teaching 2: Holy Martyr Anysia

 

December: Day 30: Teaching 2:
Holy Martyr Anysia
 
(On the Spiritual Joy of a Christian During His Life and at Death)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the feast day of the Holy Martyr Anysia, who voluntarily, out of love for God and her neighbors, renounced wealth and all earthly pleasures, dedicating herself to serving all the poor and unfortunate, and yet was truly happy in the Christian sense of the word due to the spiritual joy she experienced in her heart, it is fitting to speak with you, beloved brethren, about the spiritual joy of a Christian during his life and at death. Without a doubt, a Christian has an inexhaustible source of spiritual joy, which has nothing in common with earthly, worldly joy, which for the vast majority of people is inextricably linked with wealth, honors, and various worldly pleasures, often vain and even impure. A Christian's spiritual joy comes from the grace of the Holy Spirit, communicated through fervent prayer, the Mysteries of the Church, and a pious life in the spirit of Christian faith, hope, and love for God and neighbor. No sorrows or calamities, persecutions, sufferings, or even death itself can take away that gracious consolation of Christ, of which the Apostle Paul speaks: "As the sufferings of Christ abound, so our consolation also abounds through Christ" (2 Cor. 1:5). Not only is the natural man, who does not accept what is of the Spirit of God, incapable of understanding the greatness of spiritual joy, but even spiritual people, who have experienced its effects themselves, have difficulty finding the words to explain it to the ignorant.

II. a) Let us listen to how Venerable Makarios of Egypt, based, of course, on his own experience, depicts the spiritual joy that holy Christians, partakers of the grace of the Holy Spirit, experience during life. “Let us borrow images from the visible pleasures of the world, so that by these likenesses we may partly show how grace acts in the souls of such (the righteous). Sometimes they are joyful, as if at a royal supper, and rejoice with joy and gladness inexpressible. At another hour they are like a bride, resting in divine peace in the company of her bridegroom. Sometimes, like bodiless angels, while still in the body, they feel within themselves the same lightness and wingedness. Sometimes they are as if intoxicated by drink, gladdened by the Spirit, intoxicated by divine spiritual mysteries” ("On the Treasure of Christ," Chapter 7). 

Another divinely wise man speaks thus of the soul in a state of spiritual joy: "The soul is ablaze in this state and with inexpressible joy and love it then strives to leave the body and depart to the Lord and, as it were, not know this temporary life" ((Diadochos of Photike)). To these features, depicting the exalted state of spiritual joy of God's chosen ones, it should be added that, being in this state, they become not only indifferent to the blessings and pleasures of the world, but also inaccessible to the fear of external sorrows, deprivations, and suffering. What, for example, was not done with Christian martyrs? They were separated from their families, deprived of civil rights, dishonored, tormented by thousands of tortures, and killed in the most terrible and shameful manner. But the deeper, so to speak, they plunged into suffering for the Lord, the more abundantly they partook of the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, the more perfect was their joy in the Lord. Each of them could say of himself with the Apostle: "As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ" (2 Cor. 1:5). The martyrs' joy, elevating them above all the horrors of torment and shame, was expressed in exclamations, in hymns of praise to God, and in their blossoming countenances. It filled them with such inspiration that it was as if they were suffering in someone else's body, not their own.

Such is the exalted state of joy in the Lord, characteristic of God's chosen ones. But God's grace is ready to make all who love the Lord partakers of its joys to the extent that each can bear it: "Let all who seek You, O God, rejoice and be glad in You" (Ps. 69:4). 

Let us only pray for the gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit, let us live holy lives, let us be worthy to approach the Holy Mysteries, let us kindle within ourselves this spirit of faith, hope and Christian love – and we will experience the same spiritual joy that all the holy martyrs and righteous people experienced, who rejoiced even at the hour of death.

b) Now, brethren, let us look at a holy Christian before his death, to see how that spiritual joy, a clear sign of the grace of the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, which was present in his soul throughout his life, does not abandon him even here, inspiring him to all the great deeds of Christian love and comforting him in all the sorrows of his earthly life. Let us look at the holy saints of God at the moment of their death.

Saint Ignatius the God-bearer, condemned to suffering, says: "It is delightful for me to depart from the world to God, so that in Him I may shine... Allow me to go to the pure light; having arrived there, I will be a man of God."

Venerable Sisoes lived in the desert for sixty years. The following is the story of his death: Lying on his deathbed, the Saint was suddenly illuminated by a special light and said, "Behold, Abba Anthony has appeared." After some time, he added, "Behold, the face of the prophets, the face of the apostles." His face grew brighter and brighter. Finally, he said, "Behold, Jesus Christ has appeared and says, 'Bring Me from the desert the chosen vessel.'" With these words, the Saint died. This occurred around the year 429.

Venerable Paphnutius of Borovsk lay on his deathbed and, awaiting a blessed end, sang funeral hymns until the very moment death closed his lips.

It was joyful for Venerable Athanasios of Athos to close his eyes with the last words of joy: “Glory to You, O God, glory to You, O God.” 

It was a joy for Venerable Daniel the Stylite to greet the prophets, apostles, martyrs, and other saints who had come to him, and for Venerable Nephon to behold at the moment of death not only all the celestial beings, but also the Most Pure Mother of God herself.

It was also joyful for Venerable Makarios of Egypt to part this life in the presence of angels and say: “Lord! into Your hands I commend my spirit.” 

How could they not rejoice? .. The days in the vale of tears and sighs were over for them, and the abode of light and joy was opening; time was over, eternity was coming; the exploits and labors were over, crowns and rewards were waiting; the battle was over, peace was coming... It is remarkable: many sick people before death, being in an unconscious or semi-conscious state, hastily get ready as if they were going somewhere: they either pulled on their clothes, trying as if to get out of bed and go somewhere, or in delirium they simply asked and rushed to go somewhere “home.” (See the book “Consolation in Death”, Bishop Hermogen, 7th ed., p. 30).

III. May the Lord, in His ineffable mercy, grant us this spiritual joy both in life and at the hour of death.

 

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