The holy monastic martyr Eudoxia was a Samaritan, a native of the city of Heliopolis in Phoenicia. Eudoxia awoke one night at midnight and heard singing from the house of a Christian woman next to hers. A monk was reading from a book which described the Last Judgment, the punishment of sinners, and the reward of the righteous. The grace of God touched Eudoxia’s heart, and she grieved because of her great wealth and for her sinful life. This was a monk named Germanus, returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Places to his own monastery. Eudoxia listened for a long time to the guidance of the Elder, and her soul was filled with joy and love for Christ. The Elder Germanus told her to give away her wealth and to forget her previous life. Eudoxia received holy Baptism from Bishop Theodotus of Heliopolis. She entered a monastery and took upon herself very strict acts of penitence. She was arrested and beheaded for the Faith under the emperor Trajan in the 2nd century.
You bound your soul to love of Christ by purity of heart, and you spurned perishable things as a disciple of the Word. You brought your senses under control by fasting, and then you shamed the enemy by enduring martyrdom. Because of this, Christ gave you a double crown, O glorious Eudoxia; therefore, beg Him to save our souls, O venerable martyr.
You fought a good fight by your sufferings, and you sanctify us after your death by miracles. We come with joy to your heavenly Church to celebrate. We beg you to deliver us from spiritual afflictions and to grace us with your miracles, O venerable Eudoxia.
Cain then left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Cain had intercourse with his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. Cain also became the founder of a city, which he named after his son Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael; Mahujael became the father of Methusael, and Methusael became the father of Lamech. Lamech took two wives; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. Adah gace birth to Jabal, who became the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and keep livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal, who became the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the reed pipe. Zillah, on her part, gave birth to Tubalcain, the ancestor of all who forge instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
Wives of Lamech, listen to my utterance:
I have killed a man for wounding me.
If Cain is avenged seven times,
Then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
Adam again had intercourse with his wife, and she gave birth to a son who she called Seth. “God has granted me another offspring in place of Abel,” she said, “because Cain killed him.” To Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh.
At that time people began to invoke the Lord by name.
Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
Should your water sources be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets?
Let them be yours alone, not shared with outsiders;
Let your fountain be blessed and have joy of the wife of your youth, your lovely hind, your graceful doe. Of whose love you will ever have your fill, and by her ardor always be intoxicated.
Why then, my son, should you be intoxicated with a stranger, and embrace another woman?
Indeed, the ways of each person are plain to the Lord’s sight; all their paths he surveys;
By their own iniquities the wicked will be caught, in the meshes of their own sin they will be held fast;
They will die from lack of discipline, lost because of their great folly.
My son, if you have become surety to your neighbor, given your hand in pledge to another,
You have been snared by the utterance of your lips, caught by the words of your mouth.
So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s power: Go, hurry, rouse your neighbor!
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Tuesday, February 28 –
