The Ven. Met. Andrei Sheptytsky

Andrei Sheptytsky was born July 29, 1865 in Prylbychi Yavoriv County, Galicia and died November 1, 1944 in Lviv. He lived through two world wars and experienced totalitarianism under two different socialist regimes of the Bolsheviks and the Nazis. He was actually baptized as a Roman Catholic but petitioned the Pope for a change of rites which was granted. He would soon become one of the foremost leaders in the Ukrainian-Greek Catholic Church. He was both political and theological and in all things focused on the service of the Church and the Gospel of Christ in Ukraine. He would go on to study at the Jesuit university in Cracow, Poland and would very quickly ascend within the ranks of the Greek Catholic clergy. A fierce traditionalist, he would be deemed with suspicion by his fellow Ukrainians at first who believed he wanted to Latinize the Greek rites, but instead, he went the other direction. He became one of the strongest supporters, if not the strongest supporter, of the Eastern Catholic rites. He was a Uniate and always defended unification with Rome, but he would support the full expression of the Eastern rites in the Catholic faith.

He was known for both his political and his theological activities. In 1914, he would be arrested by the Tsarist government for his activities with the Austro-Hungarian government during World War I. After his release in 1917, he would speak in defense of an independent Ukrainian national state and would support the establishment of the Western Ukrainian National Republic. He would be confined to Lviv for his support of the Ukrainian National Rada by the Polish government. In 1931, he established the Ukrainian Catholic Union in order to further the Church's social teaching and enhance its standing in Ukraine. He would be denounced by pro-Soviet Ukrainians for his criticism of the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933 and his condemnation of the Communist government.

When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, Sheptytsky encouraged obedience to the new occupying state. However, when he realized their persecution of the Jews, he was at the forefront of the Church leaders to defend them. His mistake was one that was made by the Russian Liberation Army, for those familiar with The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Many believed the Nazi government would promise more freedom than the Soviets had, for when one only lives under a totalitarian regime, it is easy to fail to distinguish or discriminate the fact that no totalitarianism is better than another.

Sheptytsky was a learned man, well-regarded for his pastoral and theological discipline. He was an intellectual, a politician, and a Churchman. He aided Pope Pius X in the establishment of the Russian-Greek Catholic Church. The move met with little success as very few became adherents to the new church and it was heavily opposed by the Ukrainian Orthodox, yet Sheptytsky's vision for an Uniate Church in Russia would not be dissuaded so easily. He met many learned philosophers, theologians, and Catholics when he visited the Russian Empire in the late 19th century, including Vladimir Soloviev. His title of Bishop of Komianets-Podilskyi, though an inactive eparchy, gave him full responsibility of all the Eastern Rite Catholics throughout the Russian Empire. It was the Petersburg Synod of Eastern Catholics in 1917-1918 that reversed much of the damage of the Synod of Zamość. The Petersburg Synod also approved the veneration of canonized Orthodox saints in the Eastern Catholic Church. Of course, certain saints who had died in schismatic churches were already venerated such as St. John the Almsgiver, St. Elesbaan, the King of Ethiopia, and St. Isaac of Nineveh.

Sheptytsky wanted to unite all of Ukraine under a united Ukrainian Church. His vision was to establish a Ukrainian Church under the authority of the Pope of Rome. He was heavily Eastern and sought the restoration of Eastern traditions, but he was always a fierce Papist. The Ukrainian Orthodox hated this idea for they would never want an autocephalous church underneath the authority of the Pope of Rome. Sheptytsky was an Hebraist and was well-studied in the Hebrew language. This helped him gain Jewish allies when the Nazi persecutions began. He kept Jews in hiding in the monasteries and instructed his flock to do the same. His brilliance and resilience under persecution earned the respect of the Church and when the Soviets took the Ukraine again, the persecutions of the Church would remain moderate. He stayed in Lviv until his death in 1944.

Many of his works have been published posthumously. The Sheptytsky Institute under the University of St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto is named after him. He had visited Canada in 1912. His disciple, Met. Josyf Slipyj, he consecrated, and was made a Cardinal by Pope Paul VI. Some of his works were published in volumes such as The Works of the Servant of God Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky: Pastoral Letters and The Church and Church Unity: Documents and Materials. He wrote much on topics such as ecumenism, theology, spirituality, history, and philosophy. His vision for an Uniate Church under the full authority of the Pope of Rome would be betrayed at Vatican II when the hierarchy broke for a false ecumenism favoring the Eastern Orthodox Church's role as opposed to the Traditionalist Catholic position, and the Catholic position, of the Church's jurisdictional authority being fully placed under the Pope of Rome. Sheptytsky was nevertheless influential for Eastern Rite Catholics and Ukrainian-Greek Catholics in recovering much of the Eastern Tradition that had been lost and forming us once again back to the Catholic theology of the one Mother Church. We are not Orthodox in Union with Rome. We are Greek Catholics and our theology is Catholic. Met. Andrei Sheptytsky is venerated on November 1 in the Ukrainian Catholic calendar.

Sources:

Confessor Between East and West, Jaroslav Pelikan

"Sheptytsky, Andrei"

"Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky (Andrei Sheptytsky) who was called 'the apostle of Ukrainian Truth'"

Frankenstein, Pt. III

The conclusion of Mary Shelley's novel is the battle between creator and creature. It is the event where the Frankenstein monster shall show how he has ascended to be like his creator, no, greater than his creator. The Frankenstein monster begins to control his own creator. He stalks his creator where he travels, he infects the mind of his creator. Victor is completely given over to his scientific pursuits. When Elizabeth writes to him, it she questions as to whether he has found another love. Indeed he appears to have found another love. It is the endless battle between himself and his monster. It is his passion for the study of science that he has given himself over to. Elizabeth is quite right to presume he has found another love. Every bit of Victor's soul is consumed with his relationship with the monster. He has no way to escape from the monster.

Victor creates not out of love, but out of fear and his desire to control something. Instead, he has become controlled. He is under his monster's servitude yet he thinks himself free. In full imitation of Lucifer, the monster has declared his own creator to be his slave. And because his creator has failed to create out of love, indeed, the creator has become a slave. It is a warped relationship between creature and creator. The creature has coerced his creator to make for him an Eve, a companion whom he can relate to and love, and here, the creator is conflicted. Is it worth it to create another with the hopes that his creation will adhere to the promises that he has made shall he have his companion? Or would he end up creating two demons? Yet the Creator of All who created out of love imbibed his creation with the gift of free will. To create out of love implies risk for love implies risk. Victor continues to create as one who is attached to the idea of control. It was in the remembrance of the death of his mother that he first created, hoping to reverse the despair of losing a loved one. And it is in the effort to exert control over life that Victor chooses to create again.

Yet not knowing if he can actually control the new life form or if his creature will adhere to the promises made, Victor decides to destroy the project he is working on in front of his own creation. The monster is horrified. The monster has emotions. The monster expresses them in front of Victor. Recognizing that Victor is the creator though, the monster, in a pure Satanic act, goes after those Victor loves most. Misery loves company and so misery attempts to drag down those around Victor. Those whom Victor loves. This is the way the monster inflicts anguish upon Victor. This is a form of Satanic revenge. When Satan rebelled against God, he could not defeat even the Archangel Michael yet fell from Heaven. Seeing that he could not defeat his own Creator, Satan went for the Creator's own creation, distorting it and leading it into death.

The monster vows to be present on Victor's wedding day. Soon, Victor finds his friend Henry Clerval has been murdered by the monster. He finds himself on trial just as Justine has found herself on trial. Yet instead of being blamed for his monster's crime, his father comes to testify on his behalf and the judge sympathizes with him. Victor goes free for what his creation has done yet Justine died. He is given Elizabeth's letter which questions him on who it is he really loves. Victor has been trapped by his scientific explorations. Victor has been playing God. Victor has not been giving any love and he does not seem to desire to be loved. There are those who are willing to love yet refuse to be loved. They are without love. There are those who never give love and they also refuse to receive love. These men are the most unhappy. Victor finds himself among those men. The monster has become representative of Victor. Victor's life is identified by the monster and Victor finds himself identifying his own life with that of the monster more and more.

The monster will eventually be the one responsible for killing and destroying everything near to Victor yet it is Victor who has already held that responsibility. The creature is in many ways a metaphor for Victor. Much like the portrait of Dorian Gray becomes a metaphor for Mr. Gray's deterioration, the monster gradually kills everyone dear to Victor Frankenstein until there is just Victor left. Then, Victor, upon dying, is seen by the monster, and here begins the monster's own repentance. The monster, in many intents and purposes, is a model of who Victor Frankenstein is at his very core. Victor runs from himself and from others and isolates himself from others. Victor has put himself at enmity with himself and others. The monster only materializes what it is Victor has already done inwardly. The monster is an outward manifestation of who Victor is interiorly.

Frankenstein, Part II

In the second part of Shelley's work, we are confronted with the monster yet again. But the monster doesn't seem so monstrous when it first explains its narratives. Often times, a victim of abuse takes the eventual form of its own abuser. In the first part, we see how a materialistic worldview drives a man into the overarching realm of attempting to create life and bestow upon things gifts that he cannot rightfully bestow upon anyone. In the second part, we see him forced to confront the hideous beast that he created out of his desire to control what he could not possibly control. But the beast doesn't seem so hideous. The beast asks and demands a defense. The beast is in a situation where it is not monster, but abused by another monster. One wonders who the real beast is when the monster begins giving his narrative which leads to the death of William that Justine is unfortunately blamed for and executed for. Is the real monster the abusive creator, Victor Frankenstein, who scorns his own creation or is the real monster the creation? Is the real monster that which shows sympathy and affection for this family he finds in the woods, or is the real monster the family which will scorn him and run him out because he doesn't look like them?

The beast tells his story of how he comes across a family living a small house in the woods. How he acquires knowledge of both the language and the behavior of humans from studying their movements, their tongue, and their way of life. The beast realizes the father of this family is blind and cannot see. The beast has been discriminated against in his early life for how he appears to other people. In secret, he provides help to the children of this blind man in their daily tasks. The beast is successful in the first part of his story in earning one's sympathies for him. As his story continues, one is drawn to show compassion for the beast in his circumstances. How could his creator have left him in such a condition? Then, when he decides to finally reveal himself, he shows himself to the blind father. Lady Justice always wears a blindfold. It can only be a blind man who can adequately judge the character of the individual heart, and so the beast shows himself to the blind man, hoping that his character can be judged and not his appearance. But the children see him and the son of the blind man begins attacking him and beating him. The monster can do nothing but bear the punishment. It is too great. They care nothing for how he has assisted them during his time in the woods. They care only about his appearance.

In this time, he finds many works to read including the notes of Victor Frankenstein regarding his creation and the work Paradise Lost by John Milton. It is Paradise Lost that catches the beast's attention the most. He finds himself like Adam in that he has been created for a unique purpose. But he finds himself like Satan in bringing liberty to people, suffering from an oppressive Creator. Frankenstein's notes regarding this monstrous creation of his only serves to convince him more about this. Frankenstein has a rejection for his creation. Unlike God, who declares His creation good, Frankenstein declares his creation in the most downcast terms as possible. One wonders if the creation of a monster has more to do with what is felt in the creation of it or in the actual heart of the monster itself. Should Frankenstein have called his creation "good", would his creation have been "good" in appearance and in heart? It seems as if the creation here is "good" in heart, but not in appearance. Frankenstein constantly attacks the nature of the appearance of the beast over and above all other things.

But more importantly, the monster feels alone. The monster sees in Paradise Lost how God created for Adam a mate, Eve. The monster finds himself more like Lucifer because he has been abandoned by his own creator, dejected, and does not know his own creator. The monster wants to be Adam. The monster compares himself to be a monster but the monster desires himself to be a human. The monster has human emotions. This is the creation of Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein has created "life" through a means of perversion and has abused his own creation throughout its making. As a result, he has ended up with a perversion that desires revenge on his creator. But the monster does not want that revenge. The monster wants to be given a chance to be a creation. The monster desires accompaniment because he knows it is not good to be alone.

Shelley attacks a commonly held view of God here that is found in certain strands of Protestant theology. Unironically, this strand of Protestant theology originated in Geneva where Frankenstein's hometown location is. In studying and comparing Victor Frankenstein to the God of Genesis, one sees in Frankenstein, aspects that are much more like that of the Calvinist Deity than the true God. The Gods are quite different in both nature and reason, actually. The God of the Scriptures is a God of compassion, co-suffering, seeks to benefit and know His creations, calls His creations good, and desires relation. That is a God who is Love. But the God of the Calvinists is much more like Victor Frankenstein. The God of the Calvinists despises his creations, does not desire intimacy, picks and chooses where ultimately they end up, does not view all of his creations as good, and does not care if certain creations are left alone. The God of the Calvinists is incapable of desiring an individual soul because the God of the Calvinists loves only communally. The God of the Scriptures loves according to the individual heart. The Calvinist Deity is a sharp contrast to the True God, for while God is Love, the Calvinist Deity despises certain men and blesses other men. The Calvinist Deity creates certain humans directly for the Hellfire. The Calvinist Deity is incapable of stepping outside himself and stretching down to love each unique human individual or providing for their needs.

The beast starts his mission in seeking out Victor Frankenstein in order to enact revenge on the maker for detesting him. When one is bound to the Calvinist Deity, this is only a natural act of regression. The Calvinist Deity creates to oppress. It does not matter what the creation does, everything is fixed for the creation. There can be no chance of intimacy. Thus, the beast, seeing himself rejected by both creator and man, burns down the house of the family he claimed and thought of as his friends, then he seeks to carry out vengeance upon the very one who made him. The beast seeks out Frankenstein in his hometown of Geneva and seeing the innocent William, realizes this is a Frankenstein, and has no sympathy upon the relation of Victor. But seeing the woman's picture, he begins to think of Adam and Eve again and he begins to desire that intimacy that Adam and Eve were given. He demands that Victor create for him an Eve. It is unknown whether the monster will carry out his promise after Eve is created, to leave the town alone, but Victor must comply with the demand.

Frankenstein vol. 1

Mary Shelley's classic horror novel, Frankenstein, begins with Victor Frankenstein aboard Walton's ship, explaining the creature he references as a daemon. He begins the narration of his events by focusing on his childhood and growth to the point where he would be pushed into the natural philosophies by his father. His mother's death has a very grand impact on him and he references it again once the creature he creates is resurrected. It is shortly into his studies that he begins his alchemical work on the monster. Being sucked into such work, he condemns himself for the loss of relations he suffers in its making.

"If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind."

Consumed by the task of the creation of life, he is ecstatic when he finally has completed his project. But he describes vividly in his dream how he embraces his cousin Elizabeth, only to witness her form turn into that of the corpse of his own deceased mother. There seems to be a reflection in this of the loss of life and the desire to create new life after witnessing such death and decay. People, I have noticed, seem to always want to control the things they cannot control. They try to accumulate control over these things when they've seen the moments of their own weaknesses. Hence, the death of one's mother leads Victor to begin creating life.

But he begins to see how his resistance to affections has poisoned even his own creation. When he travels with his friend Clerval, he receives a notice from his father that his younger brother William has been murdered. How dreadful that such a young one has been murdered. In Shelley's nihilism, she views death is something that severs one from the eternal presence of their loved one. There is nothing after death, this life is all there is. Thus, Clerval reflects on the Stoic position but then promptly rejects it.

"His friends mourn and weep, but he is at rest: he does not now feel the murderer's grasp; a sod covers his gentle form, and he knows no pain. ... Those maxims of the Stoics, that death was no evil, and that the mind of man ought to be superior to despair on the eternal absence of a beloved object, ought not to be urged. Even Cato wept over the dead body of his brother."

The dead may be at rest, but they are eternally apart from us. This is the emptiness that the Stoic philosophy leads. There can never be an eternity so any death must naturally perpetuate an eternal absence from our loved ones, even if they may now be in a state where there is no pain. A contrast to this is seen in Justine's response to her own death.

Realizing that the murderer of his brother had been his own creation, Victor seeks out to defend as innocent the accused Justine. But it is to no avail. The jury has been rigged against her. She is to be sentenced to death for a murder she had not committed. She confesses to the crime knowing full-well she did not commit the crime. But there is circumstantial evidence and a confession nevertheless. This is all there is needed for the jury to irk themselves to ire over what has happened to William. They seek a scapegoat, and it is Justine who is penalized. Justine is to be put to death. Elizabeth cannot fathom how her dear friend could have betrayed her so much. It is the betrayal that hurts her more than the fact that her friend has been unjustly tried. But Justine embraces a different metaphysic of the other world. It is one that acknowledges that this unjust death she will suffer will be for her sanctification.

"Dear, sweet Elizabeth, do not weep. You ought to raise me with thoughts of a better life, and elevate me from the petty cares of this world of injustice and strife. Do not you, excellent friend, drive me to despair."

It is sharp contrast to the thoughts of Clerval which are more echoing of Shelley's than Justine's are. Justine welcomes the death for this unjust cause because she acknowledges that there is an eternity to fly to. But Clerval has no knowledge of that. He rejects it. This sharp contrast between nihilism and eternity shows how the characters and the storyline plays out in the acceptance of death both in our own world and in Frankenstein. We see this even today in our own world. There is a population of people that looks forward to eternity and has no fear of death. These people are currently feared by those who fear death. The people who fear death the most are the people who try to prolong life, even by trying to create life and perform experimentations to extend and prolong the natural span of life. But such experimentations lead to evil ends and are based on evil means.

Victor, upon seeing the condemned Justine, reflects upon his own guilt. He knows that he should have been condemned, not the innocent Justine. But he refused to stand up for her. The blood-guilt of two murder victims must then be on his head for he has allowed this to happen to Justine.

"Thus the poor sufferer tried to comfort others and herself. She indeed gained the resignation she desired. But I, the murderer, felt the never-dying worm alive in my bosom, which allowed of no hope or consolation."

But one wonders why he does not confess his guilt. He knows yet another innocent will die because of him. Yet he keeps silent. He fears his testimony will not be believed. But perhaps he also takes a nihilistic approach. For is death ends all things, then there can be no repentance. If all of this life is the material, repentance is futile. There can be no more hope for man than what he can make in this life. Thus, the Hell he feels is only temporary, though he knows he is responsible for the murder of two innocent victims.

St. Demetrios the Great Martyr

"O emperor, I esteem thy monarchy; however, I honor, above thee, much more, the God of heaven and earth, Who is King of the cosmos."

St. Demetrios had been raised Christian by his parents and adhered to the Faith from his earliest age. He pursued a military career as all strong young men of age tend to lean toward, especially in the Roman Empire. He found favor with the Emperor Maximian Gelerius, the Pagan and persecutor of Christians, though the Emperor was unaware that this Demetrios was in fact a devout and pious Christian. St. Demetrios was vested with significant honors by the Emperor and made military commander over the city of Thessalonike.

He protected this city for his life and faithfully served the Empire. But he also used his position to spread the Gospel of Christ, teaching his men the doctrines and teachings of Christianity. The Devil was furious for many men were converting to Christianity through the saint's pious teachings and some of the imperial guard decided to report the saint to the Emperor. The Emperor was at first grieved for St. Demetrios was such a proven military commander, yet he forgot that grief for the Emperor was more enraged with the spread of Christianity and the abandonment of the Pagan idol worship. He sought to convince St. Demetrios but it was to no avail. Demetrios was dedicated to Christ. For the Roman Emperor had now given himself in opposition to Christ and no man can serve two masters.

St. Demetrios was thrown into the bathhouse. During the games, that year, one of those who was catechized by Demetrios, St. Nestor, was pitted against the gladiator Lyaios. Lyaios was a Scythian who had killed many Christians in the gladiatorial ring. Nestor wanted to prove the triumph of God to all witnessing so he sought Demetrios's intercession. He came to the bathhouse before his combat and asked for Demetrios's blessing. Then, when Nestor was thrown into combat, Nestor cried out to the God of St. Demetrios and he pierced the gladiator Lyaios through the heart. The Emperor was furious that his friend Lyaios was killed, his friend who had killed so many Christians. He ordered that Nestor be beheaded.

Seeing that St. Demetrios's name was called upon, the Emperor accused the Holy Martyr of witchcraft and ordered his soldiers to thrust their lances through the saint. The saint gave up his soul to God and received the crown of martyrdom.

St. Demetrios is a well-renowned protector of Thessalonike and though there are many miracles, one great miracle features his defense of the city of Thessalonike from the Avars during the Emperor Phokas. The Avars had captured two young maidens and having been defeated by the miracles of St. Demetrios already, the believed Demetrios to be a god. They ordered the maidens to embroider a cloth with the image of Demetrios on it. Fearing the Avars would abuse this cloth and mock the image of Demetrios, they refused. But the saint appeared to them and instructed them to do so. They began embroidering. They completed their project by October 26th, the Feast Day of the saint. Having completed their project, they fell asleep exhausted. In their sleep, the saint showed up and whisked them away to the Church in Thessalonike. When they woke up, they did not realize where they were, the Thessalonians were amazed. Because of his defense of the city from the Hagarenes, Lyaios is sometimes depicted as a Turk in iconography.

St. Alfred, the Great King of England

Alfred was the youngest of five children and not expected to become the King of England. Because of this, his education was not largely focused on. He was not expected to become a King. He even desired to become a monastic and sought after a monastic life from an early age because his succession to the throne seemed unlikely. Yet at the age of five, Alfred was sent to the Pope of Rome where he was received with royal dignity and given the vestment of the Roman consulate. Alfred, living after the time of Charlemagne, would have been considered a resident of the Western Roman Empire through England's alliance with the Franks. It was not until he was twelve that he taught himself to read. His mother presented a book of English poetry to her sons and promised to give it to the first person who could learn to read it. Alfred was attracted to the beauty of the book so much that he began studying its contents and, learning from his teacher, began to learn to read. When one considers how intellectually influential the King became in England, this detail of his life, that he was unable to read for so long a period, seems almost remarkable. Especially given his overall resume of works that he translated!

Alfred was born to King Aethelwulf and his wife Queen Judith. In the year 855 A.D., his older brother Aethelbald seized the throne of England as Absalom once did the throne of Israel from his father David. Though the people would have been more than happy to see Aethelwulf restored to the throne when he had finally returned from visiting Rome, it was not the wish of Aethelwulf to see his son punished so. Aethelwulf allowed the King Aethelbald to continue ruling though the people would never refer to Judith as the Queen for the scandalous nature in which Aethelbald had proclaimed his own mother as his wife. Instead, the people referred to her as the "King's wife". Aethelwulf would repose two years after his return from Rome and Aethelbald would repose in 860 A.D., in the twelfth year of Alfred's life. Aethelbehrt succeeded his brother and it was then that England would experience numerous raids from Viking armies. These raids would end up changing the course of the young Alfred's life forever.

Aethelbehrt would crush the Viking forces, causing them to flee. But after five years, Aethelbehrt would go the way of all flesh. Alfred's brother Aethelstan had reposed some time in between. Aethelred would assume the Kingdom and Alfred would find himself second in line for the throne as more Vikings would raid England. He would fight alongside his brother, Aethelred, pushing the Vikings back, sometimes losing battles. But Alfred's life was now fully occupied by military campaigns against the Vikings as they ravaged the various parts of England. It was in 871, after Easter, that Aethelred would repose and Alfred would assume full reign over the English government. Alfred pushed the Vikings back but the fighting with the Danish Pagans would resume in 875. In 878, the Danish King Gunthram amassed a large assault upon Wessex. Alfred and his men were cornered. It was at this time, before the Great Battle of Edington, that St. Neot would appear in a dream to St. Alfred promising him victory. So likewise, a strange figure showed up at the fortress of St. Alfred. A beggar, asking for rations, St. Alfred retained full generosity not knowing who the beggar was. He gave the last supply of rations to this beggar. The next day, the rations were restored. The beggar, being none other than St. Cuthbert himself. The Battle of Edington was a decisive victory for the Anglo-Saxons and Gunthram embraced Christianity, being baptized with St. Alfred as his godfather.

From this point on, the Danish occupation of England was broken and Danish military forces would begin to be slowly driven out from England. St. Alfred would unify all of England through their common Christian creed and he would begin to set up institutions of education throughout all of England. Alfred, having regretted his lack of education growing up, sought to build up the university system in England and founded the University of Oxford. He also compiled different translations of the Psalms, he translated Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, different parts of Pope Gregory I's Book of Pastoral Care and Dialogues, and St. Augustine's Solioquies. In a compilation of religious and classical works that the saint made known as Blooms, he wrote:

"Therefore he seems to me a very foolish man, and very wretched, who will not increase his understanding while he is in the world, and ever wish and long to reach that endless life, where all shall be made clear."

He commissioned the writing of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and The Anglo-Saxon Martyrology. He also wrote many numerous laws for his country, much like St. Justinian was a lawgiver for the Romans, St. Alfred was a lawgiver for the English.

St. Alfred was a pious, righteous, and devout King. One area of his life that he struggled with was his burning sexual passion. In order to fight these carnal desires, he would get up early from his sleep and visit the sites of churches, relics, and would venerate the holy icons of numerous saints and martyrs, until these desires finally would cease. Though on his wedding day, he would be inflicted with yet another illness of the flesh. St. Alfred would continue to be inflicted with illnesses throughout his life, but he bore all with humility and penitence. He built England up from ruin, uniting all under one ruler, drove out the Vikings, converted Pagans, and established learning in England. St. Alfred is the only English King to have been given the epithet, "the Great", and he truly was a great King.

His concluding prayer of his translation of Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, is the appropriate place to end.

"Lord God Almighty, maker and ruler of all creatures, I beseech You on behalf of Your mighty mercy, and through the sign of the Holy Cross, and through St. Mary's maidenhood, and through St. Michael's obedience, and through the love and merits of all Your saints, that You guide me better than I have done towards You; and direct me according to Your will and my soul's need better than I myself am able; and strengthen my mind to Your will and to my soul's need, and confirm me against the devil's temptations; and keep far from me foul lust and all iniquity; and protect me from my enemies visible and invisible; and teach me to perform Your will, that I may inwardly love You before all things with pure thought and clean body, for You are my Creator and Redeemer, my sustenance, my consolation, my trust and my hope. Praise and Glory be to You now and forever, world without end. Amen."

Alfred reposed October 26, 899, entering into eternal glory.

See also:

James Thornton, Pious Kings and Right-Believing Queens

Asser, Life of King Alfred

St. Hedwig, Duchess of Silesia

St. Hedwig,
Duchess and widow

Hedwig was born to Bertold III and his wife Agnes. These were the grandparents of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Hedwig was therefore the Aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She had three sisters and four brothers. Her sister Agnes was married to Philip Augustus, King of France; her sister Gertrude was married to Andrew, King of Hungary, and her third sister was the Abbess of Lutzingen in Franconia. Her brothers Bertold and Elebert were bishops of Aquileia and Bamberg respectively, and her brothers Henry and Otho divided up their father's principalities and became renowned generals. Hedwig was placed in the monastery of Lutzingen at a very young age where she would begin her studies. At age 12, she would be married to Henry, Duke of Silesia. Hedwig bore him six children: sons Henry, Conrad, and Boleslas, and daughters Agnes, Sophia, and Gertrude.

In 1233, the nobility of Poland expelled their Duke Ladislas, and conferred upon Henry the principalities. Always bearing in humility, Hedwig pleaded to her husband not to accept the offer, but it was to no avail and Henry gathered an army and took possession of the lands. From that point on, he was known as the Duke of Poland. He desired to leave his dominions to his second son, Conrad, but Hedwig supported that the oldest should hold the inheritance. This unfortunate disagreement between the Duchess and her husband led to the two sons clashing in military combat. Henry would prevail and Conrad would perish. This became one of the crosses that the Duchess would have to bear throughout her life.

She and her husband founded numerous monasteries including the Augustinian nunnery of Naumberg on the Bober which was later transferred to Sagan, the Cistercian monastery of Heinrichau, the priory of the Augustinian Canons at Kamenz, the Dominicans were brought to Bunzlau and Breslau, the Franciscans to Goldberg and later to Krossen, and the Templars would establish a house at Klein-Oels. In addition, she and her husband founded the monastery of the Cistercian nuns at Trebnitz where she spent most of her time doing many penances. The Hospital of the Holy Ghost at Breslau was founded by her husband and she would spend much time serving the leper women in the hospital in Neumarkt.

Her daughters Agnes and Sophia would die in infancy. Her son Boleslas would also die at an early age as well. She would carry the burden of child loss for most of her life but in all things, she looked to God and she desired to fulfill what was pleasing to God. Even in her marriage, she only carried out her penances to the extent that her husband would allow as she believed that the marital life was what God had called her to and wives are to honor their husbands. Seeing his wife so pious and devout, Henry would be more than willing to allow her to carry out her penances, and he too would find himself attired as a monastic within his royal courts. The two would make a pledge of virginity after their sixth child, and after being tonsured, Henry never once shaved his beard. For this, he was known as Henry the Bearded.

She would fast regularly throughout the year, only breaking such fasts on Sundays and Holy Days. She would kneel in Church on the stone floor without any mat between her knees and the ground. She would wear a hair cloth underneath her dress and would wear simple clothes. She taught her husband and her maids many prayers. She would even walk barefoot in the Winter to the Church, her feet bleeding on the way, yet the saint seemed unaffected by the cold while her maids, who were dressed more fittingly for the weather, would suffer greatly from the harsh weather as they made their way to Mass.

She would serve the poor and needy, and made the monastery of Trebnitz a place for orphans and young girls to receive their dowries. She had with her 13 impoverished people who would symbolize Christ and His Apostles for her. She would make certain they were fed with all sorts of meats and foods before she even gave herself her own refection. She did all of this out of her pure love for God and nothing falling short. She even showed sympathy for prisoners asking their sentences to be commuted. When the Lesko the White had died, he would be succeeded by his infant son, Boleslas V with his mother Grzymislawa as regent. Boleslas V would later marry St. Cunegund but he and his mother and his sister Salome would be taken into captivity by Conrad, Duke of Masovia, and brother of the late King. Henry wished to settle this with Conrad but Conrad took him captive. Hedwig expressed her desire to Conrad to see her husband in good health again. Conrad refused. And as her son Henry was about to assemble an army, Hedwig took matters into her own hands and traversed all the way to see the Duke. The Duke, upon seeing her, relented immediately and gave up her husband. In 1233, the people of Cracow and Sadomir would revolt against the tyranny of the Duke and Grzymislawa and her son entrusted themselves to the care of the Duke and Duchess of Silesia.

In 1238, Henry fell ill and died. All of the people mourned the Duke's repose but the widow remained the only one with a dry eye. Hedwig proclaimed, "Would you oppose the will of God? Our lives are his. We ought to find our comfort in whatever he is pleased to ordain, whether as to our own death, or as to that of our friends." All of her life, she always sought the will of God. Whether in marriage or in the loss of her children, or now in widowhood. She embraced all things as being wholly intended by the will of God and gave herself up to where God had placed her. She would now take the habit at the Cistercian Abbey of Trebnitz which she herself had built and live the remainder of her days in subjection to her daughter.

Anne of Bohemia,
widow of Henry II

She would witness the death of her son, Henry II, not long after. The Tartars were on the move through Russia and Bulgaria, and were now coming into Hungary and Poland. They had destroyed the city of Cracow, leaving only the Church of St. Andrew standing. They laid siege on Silesia which was protected by its walls and the prayers of St. Ceslas. The Duke raised an army and pushed them back but he was killed in the battle. His corpse was carried back to be interred in the convent of the Franciscans in Legnitz. His wife Anne and had retired with her mother-in-law at the fortress of Chrosne. Hedwig, seeing her daughter-in-law distraught, counseled her to accept the will of God.

“God hath disposed of my son as it hath pleased him. We ought to have no other will than his.” Then, lifting up her eyes to heaven, she prayed as follows: “I thank you, my God, for having given me such a son, who always loved and honored me, and never gave me the least occasion of displeasure. To see him alive was my great joy; yet I feel a still greater pleasure in seeing him, by such a death, deserve to be forever united to you in the kingdom of your glory. Oh, my God, with my whole heart, I commend to you his dear soul.” (St. Hedwiges, or Avoice, Duchess of Poland, W.)

Hedwig would teach her daughter-in-law much in the areas of humility and Anne would learn from her mother-in-law's sufferings to accept and grow in the will of God, putting all things into the hands of the Lord. God honored Hedwig with the gift of miracles and she would even cure a blind nun of Trebnitz. Her daughter-in-law was venerated as a saint in Poland too but never formally canonized. St. Hedwig's Feast Day is October 17.*

See also,

A.B.C. Dunbar, Dictionary of Saintly Women

*I rarely write about Western Saints after the first millennium because I am canonically Melkite but if I see an interesting royal saint or even just an interesting Western Saint, I'll definitely try to write about them.

The Law of Emperor Justinian

The Justianianic Code, which establishes the principles of equality under the law and the presumption of innocence, forms the basis of many of the legal codes today. It had tremendous influence on Napoleon Bonaparte who included many of its principles in his own Napoleonic Code. The legal legacy of Justinian the Great is so tremendous that if one walks into the Halls of U.S. Congress, they will see, in the House of Representatives, images of the great influencers and legal thinkers of American law. Among these are Pope Innocent III, Louis IX, and Justinian the Great. Justinian is considered the founder of Roman law though what he really did was right Roman law down into written format, giving it a more explicitly Christian emphasis.

Justinian practiced this law and governed as was due. During the Nika riots, of which the Blue faction of the chariot fanatics would often persecute relentlessly other factions, burning their homes down, murdering, and looting. Justinian did not lean himself in the governance to be in favor of one faction over another despite whatever perceived leanings he had toward the chariot factions. He ministered due justice, putting to death whoever caused harm, even if it was the Blue faction that he may have been sympathetic toward (Evagrius Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, Bk. 4, ch. XXXII). According to John Malalas, Justinian would cut the genitals off of clerics who practiced pederasty causing the deaths of many priests caught in pederasty (Chronicle, Bk. 18.18) and he ended the Gothic wood and oil taxes (Bk. 18.20). The Empress Theodora, his consort, also punished severely brothel keepers (Bk. 18.24).

Justinian was a proponent of federalism, as explained by Paul the Deacon. He divided up his laws into different rubrics, reducing the amount of laws to fifty for special magistrates or judges in a work called  "Digests", and one book he called "The Institutes" in which he further explained and expounded on his own laws (History of the Langobards, Bk. 1, XXV). These laws were further reduced to one volume called the "New Code". Despite his more despotic leanings and sub-Christian thought, the philosopher Thomas Hobbes can be cited here as an exponent of the legal code of the Holy Emperor. He elaborates on the essential seven characteristics of the civil code of Justinian the Great. Justinian the Great had seven sorts of Civil Laws.

1. Those that were edicts, constitutions, and epistles of the Emperor himself.

2. The decrees of the whole people of Rome when put to question by the Senate.

3. The decrees of the common people, excluding the Senate.

4. The orders of the Senate.

5. The edicts of the Praetors, which were comparable to the Chief Justices in England.

6. The sentences and opinions of lawyers to whom the Emperor gave authority to interpret the Law.

7. The unwritten customs, which by the tacit consent of the Emperor, were not contrary to the Law of Nature and were very Laws. (Leviathan, ch. XXVI)

One reading this will recognize a very common theme between our current system of presidential parliamentary republics and constitutional monarchies. These systems of government, in general, respect the two-fold aspect of Catholic social doctrine regarding the subsidiarian and the solidaritarian nature of relationship. Federalism is respected. The individual is respected. Yet all are in solidarity with each other through the common rule and governance of one Emperor. The concept of full equality under the law also has its roots in Galatians 3 where St. Paul declares that there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for all have been baptized into Christ. Under the law of Christ, all will have the same hearing at Judgment Day, so also in the civil government, all shall have a fair and equal hearing under the law, regardless of political ideology or political alignment with the civil authorities. The Blue Faction may have been favored by the Emperor, but the rioters were still rioters and they were put to death as a consequence for their actions. A rioter is still a rioter regardless of their political views and if one rioter is locked away in jail but another rioter is let out back onto the streets because of the "cause" they fought for, then the law has no equal application: it is tyranny.

Justinian also recognized the concept of symphony, and acknowledged the harmony between the Church and State. He accepted that the two needed cooperation together. In the Preamble to the Edict of April 17, 535, he writes:

"The greatest gifts which God in His heavenly clemency bestows upon men are the priesthood and the Imperial authority. The former ministers to Divine things, the later presides and watches over human affairs; both proceed from one and the same source and together they are the ornaments of human life. Therefore nothing is so close to the hearts of Emperors as the moral wellbeing of the priesthood since priests have the task of perpetual prayer to God on behalf of Emperors themselves. For if the priesthood is in all matters free from vice and filled with faith in God, and if the Imperial authority with justice and efficiency sets in order the commonwealth committed to its charge, there shall be an ideal harmony to provide whatever is useful for the human race. We therefore have the greatest anxiety for the true doctrines of God and for the moral wellbeing of the priesthood by which, if it is preserved, we believe that the greatest gifts will be given to us by God and we shall preserve undisturbed those things which we have and in addition acquire benefits which are at present lacking to us. But all things are done rightly and efficiently if a beginning is made which is fitting and agreeable to God. We believe that this will come about if there is due care for the observance of the holy canons, which the justly praised Apostles and venerated eyewitnesses and servants of the word of God handed down and which the holy Fathers preserved and interpreted." (in Thornton, Pious Kings and Right-Believing Queens, 255)

The Codes of Justinian became foundational in Roman law and legal theory. It was Roman law that led to the birth of the Medieval system of feudalism, especially in the Frankish law. Roman law influenced the great Pope Innocent III and the philosopher Thomas Hobbes also recognizes the impact of Roman law in the English common law. Roman law was also a strong component and inspiration of the Napoleonic Code which forms the basis of all modern day presidential parliamentary republics and constitutional monarchies. As mentioned, Justinian does not go unrecognized in the United States of America. In the House of Representatives, an icon of the Holy Emperor is raised up among the chief influencers of the legal system of the United States. If only we could commit ourselves to following the influence of this Holy Emperor once again. St. Justinian, pray for our nation!

Holy Angels

What is an angel? What are angels? These are questions that Mother Alexandra addresses in her work, The Holy Angels. We turn to the Scriptures first to explain the angels. "If we are so little aware of [angels], it is because we do not as a rule see them with our mortal eyes, and our spiritual perception is either dulled or underdeveloped." (24) According to St. Basil, they become visible to those who are worthy to see them. The angels stand in the presence of God and "[t]heir being is sustained by God's goodness, and they participate in his might, wisdom, and love." (25)

The angels are typically divided into the nine categories of Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. These nine categories of angelic beings, from earliest times, were divided into three hierarchies. According to St. Dionysius the Aeropagite, they are to be called choirs. The first of these choirs are the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones who have no direct relation to man but are always, constantly beholding the presence of God. They are absorbed in unending love and adoration of God, "[n]o other creature is so intensely capable of loving God." (26) The Dominions, Virtues, and Powers govern the stars in our universe, our orb, and our galaxy, but otherwise, we have no direct connection to these beings. It is the Principalities, Archangels, and Angels that we come into  contact with the most. They execute the will of God and it is their joy to do the will of God.

Four Archangels have been given names. Michael, who is like unto God. Gabriel, man of God. Raphael, healer of God. And Uriel, the fire of God. "Here in the utter simplicity of the interpretations of the archangelic names, we get momentary glimpses of their personalities, through which their relationship to God becomes more apparent, as does their power and influence." (27) The names of angels reveal to us their personality, their characteristics that God has given them, and their very nature. Michael's name is a challenge to Lucifer. Lucifer, the light-bearer, who was of the most beautiful of Seraphim, defied God in his rebellion, proclaiming himself to be like the Most High, and Michael challenged the claim of Lucifer. The question is a dare. "Who is like unto God? Dost thou thinkest thyself so highly that thou canst not see thyself for what thou art? A creature. Who is like unto God?"

"We cannot fully comprehend [the angels'] role in man's destiny unless we are familiar with the role of Satan, the 'prince of this world,' and his angels, the angels of darkness." (27) In the fall of Lucifer, we see the role of angels at play. Lucifer defies his role. As a Seraph, he was supposed to be of the highest ranking, looking ever longingly toward his maker, but in defiance, he tried to the ascend to the heights and make himself out to be his creator. And thus, Michael, "Who is Like Unto God?" challenges Lucifer and his angels. War in Heaven breaks out, not between God and the angels of Lucifer, but between the Devil and his angels, and Michael and his angels.

It is this battle that man finds himself caught up in. For it is after the fall of Lucifer that men are led astray by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. It is interesting to note that Mother Alexandra fortifies her position that man is not at war with God but at war amongst the angels. The angels did not break out into war against God but with each other. God wars with no one for all is His creation. Thus, the spiritual warfare that man finds himself caught up in is not a war between us and God or us and the Devil or the Devil and God. It is a war that is being carried out between the fallen Lucifer and his emissaries, both human and angelic, and the angels and their emissaries, both human and angelic. Those who do the will of God are fighting with the angels. Those who disobey the will of God and follow the will of self, are on the side of the Devil. This is the war that humanity has been thrust into. That is why our community with the angels is so fundamentally important to the Gospels.

The Classics of Western Spirituality: Celtic Spirituality

I normally don't recommend anything from Paulist Press, and for the most part, Their Classics of Western Spirituality is largely a hit-or-miss with quality texts that you may not be able to get any where else but problematic introductions containing large amounts of heresy throughout. But Celtic Spirituality was a stand-out. It is organized very neatly. The introduction is actually of high quality. And the texts introduced are so unique, that there are very few places one can even find them. I was brought to Catholicism largely through two Irishmen...err...one was technically a woman. There is a heavy passion for the Catholic faith in its most ancient forms among the Irish Catholics still. Having read more in Eastern Christian spirituality lately, I wanted to go back to the early texts of the Western Christian world. There is much to be appreciated among the Western texts, especially being a former Anglican.

The book itself is divided into sections consisting of hagiography, monastic texts, poetry, devotion, liturgy, homilies, and theology. Though homilies sometimes overlap with theology and there is certainly no hagiography bereft of theology. The hagiographies are some of the most exotic to ever come across, and yet still, this is the Western world we are in. They show a movement of the Celtic peoples from Paganism to Christianity. The poetry heavily focuses on the saints and specifically the angels. It also shows a seasonal cycle reflecting the nature of the seasons in Celtic worship.

The hagiographical texts are wonderfully organized and very entertaining to read. They also display a Christian conquest of Paganism. Many Christians are given holy names when they enter into the Faith, but the Celtic Christians were given the names of the Celtic deities. St. Ite was baptized as Deirdre, the name of a Pagan Celtic god. St. Brigit of Kildare, whom I am quite fond of, beholds the name of the Celtic deity Brigid. The deity has found itself replaced with a holy figure. This is a rare practice in Christianity, yet it seems that the Celts did it regularly. The hagiographical texts contain the Patrick tradition, the Brigittine tradition, the narrative of St. Brendan's voyage, St. David, St. Beuno, and St. Melangell. Almost mythic at times, and in many instances adventurous. St. Patrick's dispute with the King Coroticus is narrated in these texts in which St. Patrick, by the power of God, commands the King to be turned into a fox. St. Brigit also has her own narrative with a fox where she saves a man from death. St. Brendan's voyage is a true seafarer's tale filled with sea monsters, an unknown island as the goal, temptations distracting the brothers as they sail forth, and various other dangers. St. David, St. Beuno, and St. Melangell read more like biographies, though some heathens will mock the miracles that are recorded to their own damnations.

The monastic texts shows how consistent the Celtic Christians were with the Egyptian world. Many scholars have also made the conclusion that the Celtic monastic tradition was heavily influenced by the Egyptian movement of the Desert Fathers. The monastic texts contain practical guides of spirituality for both laity and monastics. Though the different groups of laity and monastics are judged quite differently. The monastic rule of Cummean, Gildas, and Columbanus are all included in this work.

The poetry is mostly of two different traditions, that of the Welsh and that of the Irish. There are thirty poems in all. The poems elaborate on the nature of the Trinity, the nature of angels, and the Virgin Mary. They are quite beautiful reads. One such poem lists the seven archangels by name and is a prayerful plea for all the angels to be with him every single day of the week. I especially loved this poem. But the poems on the Trinity were also quite beautiful. St. Columba also has a poem in the devotional texts. In fact, some of the devotional texts may have been better listed under the poetical texts. The texts on the liturgy show how the Celts carried out their liturgical devotions. Though there is also certain clues hinted at in liturgical practice within the Brigittine narratives.

Next, we move into the homilies and the theological texts. Columbanus's sermons are included in here, as well as homilies of different Celtic traditions, an old Cambrai homily, and a Celtic catechesis. Not all of the authors appear to be known. Striking is the inclusion of the British monk Pelagius's text on The Christian Life. Some might want to skip this text, though it is important to note that just because a man falls into heresy, doesn't necessarily mean his entire life's work is invalidated. There does not seem to be dismissal or an argument made against any orthodox Christian doctrine on sin within the pages written by Pelagius that were included in this text. More of St. Columba's beautiful poetry is included among the theological texts. The work finishes off with a piece of John Scotus Eriugena's The Food of the Soul, which has a practical guide to Christian morality, a definition of the seven deadly sins, and their counterparts in the virtues.

It is rare that I can recommend unequivocally a work published by Paulist Press, yet I do so for this book, particularly because of my own enrichment by Irish Christians over the years. I am very fond of the Celtic Christians and their spirituality. There is a connection between East and West through the pages of these Christians and their spirituality is among the most adventurous. Excluding St. George's slaying of the dragon, there may not be a more adventurous and imaginative spirituality. Their spirituality is needed to be reflected on more-so than ever as a war is waged against the spirits of imagination and creation by many living among us today. It is important to recover this aspect of the Celtic spirituality. I highly recommend Celtic Spirituality, especially to my Irish-Scotch friends out there!

The Campaigns of Justinian the Great

Part of his effort to rebuild the Roman Empire included the seizing of lands that once belonged to the Roman Empire. This Emperor was glorified for his adherence to orthodoxy and his zeal for the Christian faith. God granted him many victories through his general Belisarius and afterward his general Narses. According to St. Robert Cardinal Bellarmine, "Justinian the Elder, while he was Catholic, most happily conquered, so that Italy, Africa and many other provinces were restored to the Roman Empire" (On the Church, Bk. IV). Though Bellarmine cites Evagrius Scholasticus who is in error on the status of this Holy Emperor at death, we can see that God blesses his saints and the rulers who faithfully serve him, but of those who reject the will of God, God shall smite and stall.

"Saint Justinian's thoughts hearkened back to the time of Saints Constantine I and Theodosius I, when the Empire stretched from the British Isles to the Euphrates: '[H]e believed the Roman Empire to be one and indivisible, the political manifestation of Christendom." (Thornton, 251) It was an affront to the Will of God that these lands should fall into the hands of the barbarians and the heretics. There was also a sense of thinking in the Byzantine mindset that the lands never actually ceased to belong to the Roman Empire but were only merely occupied by vassals of the Roman Empire that could be rightfully seized once more should the Empire will it. According to Evagrius Scholasticus, the Vandal king Huneric was viciously persecuting Christians. Huneric was a fierce supporter of Arianism. The Arians, as recorded by St. Gregory of Tours, subjected Christians to tortures more heavy than the Pagan Emperors of old. Disturbed by this, Justinian ordered Belisarius to seize the territory of the Vandals and bring it back under the authority of the Empire. And in 533, the Patrician Belisarius began a campaign through Africa which would subdue nearly the entirety of Northern Africa underneath the Roman Empire.

The Emperor Justinian began his campaign in Italy after discoursing with the Gothic Queen Amalasuntha, who, ruling on behalf of her son Atlaric, had granted passage for the Emperor's armies through Italy as he campaigned against the Vandals. However, Atlaric began to wither away from a disease and Theodatus seized the throne of the Goths in Italy and began a reign contrary to the wishes of Amalasuntha (Procopius, History of the Wars). Belisarius was able to compel the Franks into taking up arms against the Goths in Italy as the Goths had embraced Arianism and were persecuting Christians. As mentioned, Childebert, Lothar, and Theudebert were enraged at Theodatus for having killed their cousin. So it was easy for Belisarius to persuade these men to wage a war against the Gothic King. Belisarius was able to take Italy under his control very easily. However, Theudebert wanted to regain control of Italy for Frankish rule and his general Buccelin would drive out Belisarius, winning many campaigns against him (History of the Franks, Bk. III, ch. 32). Justinian would demote Belisarius and replace the Patrician with the general Narses. Narses would be pushed back by Buccelin, but after long heated battles against the Frankish general, Narses would eventually kill Buccelin. That was the turning point, and in 555 A.D., Narses would have the whole of Italy subjected under the Roman Empire (Bk. IV, ch. 9).

Justinian's campaigns against the Vandals would also stretch all the way into Spain. His goal was to remove the tyrant Agila who was persecuting the Christians. Spain, unlike Africa, was under the rule of both the orthodox faithful and the heretics. During Justinian's campaigns against Agila, he seized the entirety of Spain under his control. But when Athanagild assassinated Agila, Athanagild had to also seize back territory for Spain that was wrongly conquered and subdued by the Imperial Army.

These great military accomplishments of Justinian the Great through his general Belisarius and his general Narses has earned him a reputation as a rebuilder of the Roman Empire. Justinian was elevated to the Throne when the Empire was at its weakest, ravaged by barbarians and heretics on all sides. Justinian's campaigns asserted the dominance of Christian orthodoxy in the Roman Empire, freed Christians abroad from the persecutions they suffered under heretic kings, and re-established Roman dominance over the Mediterranean. Because Justinian was building up the Empire for the purpose of the Kingdom of God on Earth, he was blessed with many victories and many territorial gains. From out of nowhere, Justinian revived an Empire that found itself near death.

St. Justinian, pray for us!

Saints Tertiana, Mygdonia and the Holy Apostle Thomas in India

Saint Tertiana was the wife of the Indian King, Mazdai. Her sister Mygdonia was the wife of a kinsman of the King, Prince Karizius. It was when Saint Thomas the Apostle, of whom holy tradition upholds as having had missionary work in India after the dispersement of the apostles, that the Queen's sister Mygdonia became attracted to the teachings of this Holy Apostle. Mygdonia disguised herself as a beggar and would venture out to hear the words of the Holy Apostle. Mygdonia would convert to Christianity. Upon her conversion, it was observed that she refused to submit to her husband. The Queen began to probe her on this, asking as to why Mygdonia refused to submit in good-manner to her husband to which Mygdonia revealed she had become a Christian by the preaching of the Holy Apostle Thomas. As her husband was a Pagan, she could no longer submit to him for his was a false faith.

The Queen's interest was piqued by the words of her sister and she asked if she could meet this Holy Apostle. So her sister took her to the Holy Apostle Thomas who taught her the faith. Convinced, the sisters were both baptized by the Holy Apostle Thomas. Tertiana, upon her baptism, also refused conjugal relations with the King for he was still a Pagan. When he learned that it was through the Holy Apostle Thomas that the sisters were refusing conjugal relations with their husbands, he ordered the Holy Apostle to be put to death. The abuse of these two sisters continued for some time after but they lived godly lives until their deaths. Many years later, the King saw the error of his ways. Mygdonia is honored on March 27 and Tertiana is honored on October 6.

According to The Consummation of the Apostle Thomas, the King Mazdai (Misdeus) had the Holy Apostle locked up in prison when Tertiana, Mygdonia, his son Juzanes, and Markia had all become believers yet were not deemed worthy of baptism. They visited Saint Thomas while he was locked behind the bars of the prison cell, at which a miracle occurred where a young man, leading them by a light, unlocked the doors and the Holy Apostle was allowed to commune them with the Holy Eucharist and confirm them in the orthodox faith. Saint Thomas then returned to his prison cell. The King's men believed this to be a work more akin to that of a sorcerer rather than a fisherman.

The King questioned the Apostle and the Apostle proclaimed the faith of the Gospel. He was a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ who was also the Lord of Misdeus. Misdeus accused the Apostle of sorceries. Saint Thomas prophesied that the things that had followed him which the King referred to as sorceries shall always remain with the people of India. And as the soldiers surrounded the Apostle, he cried out, 

"O the hidden mysteries of You, O Lord! For even to the close of life is fulfilled in us the riches of Your grace, which does not allow us to be without feeling as to the body. For, behold, four have laid hold of me, and one leads me, since I belong to One, to whom I am going always invisibly. But now I learn that my Lord also, since He was a stranger, to whom I am going, who also is always present with me invisibly, was struck by one; but I am struck by four."

And he prayed that those spearing him to death would have their eyes open to the light and that they would see the faith of Christ. And he called out to the King's son Juzanes that he ought to give what is due to those who are to fulfill the will of Misdeus.

Saint Thomas would appear after his martyrdom to Syphorus and Juzanius, making them Syphorus a presbyter and Juzanius a deacon in the service of the Lord. He also appeared to Tertiana and Mygdonia to endure the sufferings they faced at the hands of their abusers, Misdeus and Karizius (Charisius). It was when Misdeus and Charisius saw they could not persuade the two saintly women to repudiate their newly held Christian views that they would relent. The brethren assembled together under Syphorus and Juzanius and the Lord blessed the helped his people, increasing their faith.

Much later, it happened that one of the sons of Misdeus was a demoniac. Misdeus was determined to heal his son and he sought out the tomb of the Holy Apostle for one of his bones to heal his son with. But the Holy Apostle appeared to Misdeus, rebuking him for not believing him when he was alive, how shall he believe the Apostle when he is dead! But the Apostle also informed Misdeus that the Lord Jesus Christ was kindly deposed to the King and while Misdeus could find no bones for no body remained there, he did bring home dust to his ailing son. Taking home the dust, Misdeus submitted himself to the faith of Christ and entreated the rest of the brethren, with Syphorus who ruled them, to pray for him that he might obtain the mercy from Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever!

The Apostle Thomas's Feast Day is celebrated on October 6 in the Eastern calendar and he also holds a Feast Day the First Sunday After Pascha, called Thomas Sunday.

Sources:

Thornton: Pious Kings and Right-Believing Queens

The Consummation of the Apostle Thomas

Saint Helena-Elizabeth and Saint Stephen Štiljanović

St. Stephen Štiljanović, the Prince of Serbia, ruled Serbia during a most difficult time Serbia was ravaged by famine and their people were in struggle against both the Turks and the Latins. During the famine caused by the war against the Turks, he opened his barns and distributed corn freely to the people. He was even captured by the Turks who released him on account of his bravery and nobility. He is also credited with the founding of the monastery of Kuvedžin. He reposed in 1543 and was buried atop a mountain in called "Djuntir". The Turks, seeing his grave surrounded by a heavenly light, thought there might be a treasure hidden there and opened up the grave. Indeed, they found the Saint's body incorrupt and giving off a sweet fragrance.

The Turkish commander allowed Orthodox monks to retrieve the holy relics and they were translated to the monastery of Šišatovac, which his wife, Helena-Elizabeth, had founded. Helena-Elizabeth, viewed the relics and said to her deceased husband: "Do thou remember me who would speak with thee in time past of holy things, that I too may receive some portion of that which thou hast in the Lord." Soon thereafter, she was tonsured a nun and gave herself to a life of asceticism. They are honored together on October 4. His relics remained at the monastery of Šišatovac until the breakout of World War II.

St. Anna of Kashin

Saint Anna of Kashin, Duchess of Kver and Princess of Russia was born to Dmitry Borisovich of Rostov. She was educated under Saint Ignatii, the Bishop of Rostov. This education in the faith would prepare her for the earthly losses that would befall her later in life. In 1294, she married the Grand Prince St. Michael of Tver and bore five children to him. Then in 1295, a fire destroyed the city of Tver. Not long afterward, her infant daughter Theodora died. Then in 1296, their palace was burned to the ground and the family barely escaped with their lives.

Her husband contended with Yuri Danilovich of Moscow over the Principality of Vladimir. Michael of Tver refused to fight for fear of bloodshed and he relinquished the title of Grand Prince to Yuri. But Yuri continued to threaten Tver and Saint Michael went to war with him. It was during this conflict that the Princess Agatha, the wife of Yuri, was captured by Michael. She died accidentally in captivity and Yuri accused Michael of having poisoned her. Though the charge was false, the slander gained Yuri victory over his enemy. The Saint would either have to face an attack against Tver brought on by the overwhelming forces of the Horde or be brought before the Khan and be judged by him. Choosing to protect his people, Michael appeared before the Khan. The Khan ruled against him and Michael would be executed on November 22, 1318.

Anna, having already lost an infant daughter to illness, now saw her husband slandered and murdered for a crime he had not committed. She also witnessed two of her sons, Dmitry and Alexander, killed by the Horde. After her husband's death, she entered into a convent and took the name Evrosinya. She would die of old age on October 2, 1368.

Her grave passed into complete oblivion, having lied in the Dormition Cathedral for over 200 years. In 1611, she appeared in a dream to the sacristan George and promised him healing. But she said to him, "You do not regard my tomb as anything and consider it to be ordinary and me you despise. People place their hats on my tomb, they sit on it, and no one forbids them. I am uncared for and insulted by you. Surely among you there is an intelligent man, and, until now, none of you understands this. And how far will you trample me underfoot? Perhaps you do not understand that I pray to the all-merciful God and the Theotokos that your city not be handed over into the hands of your enemies and that I preserve you from misfortunes?!" She ordered the clergy to keep her tomb honorably and to light a candle before the icon Made Not By Hands. This dream led to the discovery of St. Anna's incorrupt remains. Her Feast Day is kept October 2.

Additional Sources:

Pious Kings and Right-Believing Queens, Protopresbyter James Thornton