The holy martyr Pelagia of Tarsus in Cilicia (southeastern Asia Minor) lived in the third century during the reign of Diocletian (284-305), and was the daughter of illustrious pagans. When she heard about Jesus Christ from her Christian friends, she believed in Him and desired to preserve her virginity, dedicating her whole life to the Lord. Diocletian sentenced Pelagia to be burned in a red-hot bronze bull. Not permitting the executioners to touch her body, the holy martyr signed herself with the Sign of the Cross, and went into the bronze bull and her flesh melted like myrrh, filling the whole city with fragrance. St. Pelagia’s bones remained unharmed and were removed by the pagans to a place outside the city. Four lions came out of the wilderness and sat around the bones letting neither bird nor wild beast get at them. The lions protected the relics of the saint until Bishop Linus came to that place and gathered them all up and buried the relics with honor. Later, a church was built over her holy relics.
O Jesus, your lamb Pelagia cries out to You with great love: O my Bridegroom, I long for You in great pain. I am crucified with You, and in baptism I am buried with You. I suffer for your sake in order to reign with You. I die for You in order to live in You. Accept me as an immaculate victim since I am immolated for your love. Through her intercession, O merciful One, save our souls.
Having inflamed your soul with love of Christ, you entered the boiling pot with courage. You became a sacrifice of pleasing aroma to the Lord. Today we remember you, O wise Pelagia, and we sing to you.
Acts 12: 12-17
In those days [after Peter had been miraculously freed from prison], he went to the house of Mary the mother of John (also known as Mark), where many others gathered in prayer. Peter knocked at the door and a maid named Rhoda came to answer it. On recognizing his voice she was so overjoyed that she did not stop to open the door, but ran in and announced that Peter was outside. “You’re out of your wits,” they said to her, but she insisted it was true. All they could say was, “It must be his angel.” Through all this, Peter kept on knocking. They finally opened the door and were astonished to see him. He motioned to them to be quiet, and explained how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Report this to James and the brothers,” he said, then left them to go off to another place.
John 8: 42-51
The Lord said to the people coming to him: “Were God your father you would love me, for I came forth from God, and am here. I did not come of my own will; it was he who sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. The father you spring from is the devil, and willingly you carry out his wishes. He brought death to man from the beginning, and has never based himself on truth; the truth is not in him. Lying speech is his native tongue; he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I deal in the truth, you give me no credence. Can any one of you convict me of sin? If I am telling the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears every word God speaks. The reason you do not hear is that you are not of God.”
The Jews answered, “Are we not right, after all, in saying you are a Samaritan, and possessed besides?” Jesus replied: “I am not possessed. However, I revere my Father, while you fail to respect me. I seek no glory for myself; there is one who seeks it, and it is he who judges. I solemnly assure you, if a man is true to my word he shall never see death.”
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Monday, May 4 –
