Orthodox Feast of The Holy Martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria and those with them at Rome, March 19

Let us honor the like–minded pair of martyrs, Chrysanthus scion of purity and supremely modest Daria! United in holiness of faith, They shone forth as communicants of God the Word. They fought lawfully for him and now save those who sing: Glory to him who has strengthened you! Glory to him who has crowned you! Glory to him who through you works healings for all!

O Chrysanthus, in the sweet fragrance of holiness You drew Daria to saving knowledge. Together in contest you routed the serpent, the author of all evil, And were worthily received into the heavenly realms

Chrysanthus was the only son of a great noble, Polemon, who moved from Alexandria to Rome. As the son of rich parents, Chrysanthus studied all the secular disciplines, having the most learned men as his teachers. But worldly wisdom confused him, and he was left ignorant of the truth. And he grieved over this. But God, who provides for each and all, assuaged the grief of the young Chrysanthus by putting copies of the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles into his hands. The truth was revealed to him in the reading of these. But he wanted a teacher, and found one in the person of Carpophorus, a priest, who instructed and baptised him. But this did not please his father, who did all in his power to turn him back from the Christian faith. Then, in no way succeeding, the wicked father tried to corrupt him by shutting him up alone with shameless girls, but Chrysanthus gained the victory over himself in that, and preserved his virginity. Then his father compelled him to marry the pagan Daria, but Chrysanthus persuaded Daria to receive the Christian faith and to live with him as his sister although appearing to be married. When his father died, Chrysanthus began openly to confess Christ and to live as a Christian, both he and his whole house. In the time of the Emperor Numerian, both he and Daria were terribly tortured for their faith. The torturer Claudius himself, though, seeing the endurance of these martyrs and the wonders that were revealed at their martyrdom, embraced the Christian faith with all his house. For this, Claudius was drowned, both his sons were beheaded and his wife died on the gallows with prayer on her lips. Daria showed such endurance under martyrdom that the pagans cried out: 'Daria is a goddess!' Finally it was decreed that Chrysanthus and Daria be buried in a deep pit and covered with stones. A church was later built on the site. Near this pit was a cave, in which some Christians at one time met together for prayer and communion in memory of the holy martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria. Discovering this, the pagans rolled a stone across the entrance to the cave, and thus by death drove those Christians from this world into that better world where Christ the Lord reigns in eternity. These glorious martyrs, Chrysanthus and Daria and the others with them, among whom are Diodorus the priest and Marianus the deacon, suffered for Christ in Rome in 283 and 284. (From the Prologue of Ochrid by + Nikolai Velimirovich)

This is a beautiful icon of these saints. One Greek variation of the story is that after first failing to cause Chyrsanthus to fall by sending some (ahem) women of ill repute to tempt him, they decided to use Daria, a beautiful and highborn pagan girl,to try to tempt Chrysanthus to renounce Christ. This version of the story is that during their time alone, he converted her to Christianity, and that they together came up with the plan to marry. Since Daria was still a secret Christian, this would give the pagans the idea that they had succeeded, and would "buy them some time."

They used that time to witness to the faith and converted many before they could finally not hide their faith any more, but rather began teaching and preaching openly, leading to their martyrdom.

Also today was the commemoration of the miracle of the "koliva," wrought through the intercessions of St. Theodore the Tyro during the time of Julian the Apostate in 362 AD. The Emperor had the food in the market sprinkled with the blood of animals sacrificed to pagan gods in order to defile the first week of the Great Fast. The saint appeared in a dream to Patriarch Aphdoxios of Constantinople warning him of the emperor's scheme. The Patriarch was concerned, because he did not believe that many people would have enough food to sustain themselves.

St. Theodore told the people to cook plain wheat, the supplies of which Julian had not thought necessary to contaminate. Thus, they did not buy anything in the market and avoided the tainted food. When Julian discovered that his plan had failed, he allowed the markets to go back to normal business after a week. Thus, at the end of the week, St. Theodore was greatly glorified, and to this day, we commemorate him and this miracle on the Saturday at the end of the first week of Great Lent.

This is also a day of commemoration for the departed, and from this making of koliva for the day commemorating St. Theodore's miracle, the practice spread to make koliva on the days of other memorial services and Saturday memorial liturgies for the departed.

If you ever go to an Orthodox memorial service for the departed (not at a funeral, though, usually), you will often be offered a small cup or dish of koliva -- it is very tasty!

And tomorrow, we have the Sunday of Orthodoxy. Around this time of year, there are always lots of saints commemorated who were involved in fighting the iconoclastic heresy. This is the biggest commemoration of this event -- we will process around our churches (either outside or inside, depending on weather and local tradition) holding icons. This is in commemoration of the glorious return of the holy icons to the churches of the cities of the empire, brought from their places of hiding.

Yes! That is what makes Mediterranean koliva a cut above the Russian (which is still very tasty in its own way) -- those yummy bits of pomegranate!

The sisters at the Serbian women's monastery down in AZ raise pomegranates, and recently sent me a little jar of pomegranate jelly. Ambrosia!

They also are one of the few monasteries that keeps the tradition of the "unsleeping Psalter." There is never a break in prayer in the chapel -- between the usual services of the monastic cycle, the Psalter is read continuously around the clock by the sisters working in shifts, with petitions for the living and prayers for the departed that have been sent to them being prayed in between the sections of the Psalter.

I have an idea that the unceasing prayer probably made the jelly taste even better...

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.