The holy martyr Glyceria was orphaned at an early age and became Christian. During the persecutions of Christians under the emperor Antoninus (138-161), an edict was issued that all Christians had to offer sacrifice to the idols. St. Glyceria was determined to suffer for Christ. On the appointed day, she drew a Sign of the Cross on her forehead and went to the pagan temple. When she removed her veil and revealed the holy Cross, she prayed to God to bring the pagans to their senses, thunder rumbled and the idol statue crashed to the floor smashing to pieces. The pagan priests order Glyceria to be pelted with stones, but the thrown stones did not touch her. She was thrown into prison. When her tortures started the next day, an angel appeared and frightened the torturers who could not continue. Angels brought St. Glyceria food and drink while she was in prison. Attempts to torture her were thwarted by her incessant prayers and Angels of the Lord who came to heal her and protect her. St. Glyceria was sentenced to be eaten by wild beasts. She went to her execution with great joy, but the lioness meekly crawled up to the saint and lay at her feet. Finally, St. Glyceria prayed to the Lord, imploring that He take her unto Himself. In answer she heard a Voice from Heaven, summoning her to heavenly bliss. At that moment, another lioness was set loose upon the saint. It pounced upon the martyr and killed her, but did not tear her apart. Her body was retrieved and reverently buried by Christians in the year 177.
O Jesus, your lamb Glyceria cries out to You with great love: O 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.
O Glyceria, you loved the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and consecrated your virginity to Christ. Aflame with love for the Lord, you fought the good fight until death. For this, O martyred virgin, Christ our God crowns you with a double crown.
Acts 21: 8-14
In those days, Paul and Luke came to Caesarea. There they entered the home of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven, with whom they stayed. This man had four unmarried daughters gifted with prophecy. During their few days’ stay, a prophet named Agabus arrived from Judea. He came up to them, and taking Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it. Then he said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit: ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’” Upon hearing this, both we ourselves and the people of Caesarea urged Paul not to proceed to Jerusalem. He answered with a question: “Why are you crying and breaking my heart in this way? For the name of the Lord Jesus I am prepared, not only for imprisonment, but for death, in Jerusalem.” Since he would not be dissuaded, we said nothing further except, “The Lord’s will be done.”
John 14: 27-31, 15: 1-7
The Lord said to his disciples: “Do not be distressed or fearful. You have heard me say, ‘I go away for a while, and I come back to you.’ If you truly loved me you would rejoice to have me go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I tell you this now, before it takes place, so that when it takes place you may believe. I shall not go on speaking to you longer; the Prince of this world must know that I love the Father and do as the Father has commanded me. Come, then! Let us be on our way.
“I am the true vine and my Father is the vinegrower. He prunes away every barren branch, but the fruitful ones he trims clean to increase their yield. You are clean already thanks to the words I have spoken to you. Live on in me, as I do in you. No more than a branch can bear fruit of itself apart from the vine, can you bear fruit apart from me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who lives in me and I in him, will produce abundantly, for apart from me you do nothing. A man who does not live in me is like a withered, rejected branch, picked up to be thrown in the fire and burnt. If you live in me, and my words stay part of you then you may ask what you will – it will be done for you.”
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Sunday, May 12 –
