By Fr. George Dorbarakis
1. The Great Patrick was accused because of his faith in Christ and was led before the eparch Julius. He attempted to persuade him to change his faith in many ways, presenting to him as an argument the hot waters which came forth from a spring. That is, he said to him that these are heated by the providence of the gods and are poured forth for the benefit of men. The Holy Martyr answered that indeed the hot waters come forth for benefit, but from the power of the Lord Jesus, Who ordained that there should exist two places: one filled with good things where the Righteous rest, and another filled with darkness and fire, where sinners will be condemned after their resurrection from the dead. And further, continued the Saint, God placed fire in the whole creation and mingled it also among its other elements. And there exists above the heavenly firmament fire and water, while the same also exists beneath the earth, from where the springs likewise gush forth. And those springs which approach the fire pour forth hot water, while the others which are distant from the fire pour forth cold. And the Saint emphasized that the fire beneath the earth is the place of punishment for impious souls, while the water lower than all freezes and becomes crystal, which is called Tartarus, where it was allotted for the gods of the idolaters to dwell. And after he said many such and similar things to him, the ruler ordered that he be thrown into the hot waters which were bubbling forth. And instead of the Saint suffering any harm, those who threw him in were harmed more, while he himself came out unharmed. Then the ruler ordered that he be put to death by the sword, whereupon together with Akakios, Menander, and Polyainos their heads were cut off.
2. The conceptions of the Holy Hieromartyr Patrick may perhaps not correspond exactly with what our Church teaches concerning hell and paradise, yet he emphasizes the central truth that hell and paradise do exist and that the criterion which differentiates people for the one or the other condition is their faith in Christ and their manner of life in accordance with His holy commandments. Do you believe in Christ and struggle to conform your life to what He said? Then your relationship with God will be positive, tasting His good presence as Paradise. Do you erase Christ and live according to your passions and demonic influences? Then unfortunately your relationship with God will be negative, not because He does not want you, but because you yourself formed your existence in such a way that you cannot endure Him! What greater tragedy and hell truly exists than to experience the infinity of love of Him Whom you yourself in this life took care to hate to the utmost by your impassioned life?
Saint Patrick and the saints with him, Akakios, Menander, and Polyainos, are honored by our Church and rejoice in the embrace of their Lord, because they adorned the vestment of their priesthood with all the graces of God by struggling in the practice of His commandments, while when the moment of their confession came they made that vestment all-radiant with the blood of their martyrdom, becoming true bulwarks of the Christian faith (Ode 1) — foundations and firm supports of the faith become those who also give their blood for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, following exactly in His footsteps (Ode 4).
And it is unnecessary to note what is true for all the martyrs and saints of our Church: the poetic cause of the whole holy conduct of Patrick and those with him, both while they lived and at the time of their martyr’s end, was their fervent zeal on behalf of the faith and piety. No one ever becomes holy, no one ever progresses according to Christ, if he does not feel within his heart a great longing unto death for Him and for the things of Him. This is the most essential element which the Lord Himself revealed to us: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” The unceasing and eternal motive for the Christian in order to be and remain a Christian is love. Love which inflames the whole existence of man, body and soul, leaving no room for lukewarmness or much more for coldness. The Holy Hymnographer Theophanes records: “The God-speaking Patrick, having been inflamed by the zeal of the faith, withered the flame of delusion” (Ode 3).
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
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