Our venerable mother Euphrosyna was born to parents long childless, who brought her up in the Christian faith. She presented herself, in man’s clothing, to the abbot of a local monastery, who admitted her and placed her in the spiritual care of the monk Agapetus. After thirty-eight years of living the monastic life, her father visited the monastery. Just before her death, she identified herself to him. She fell asleep in the Lord and was buried in the monastery in the year 479.
In you, O mother, the divine image was strictly preserved; taking up your cross, you followed Christ. You taught us by example how to spurn the flesh, for it passes away, and how to care for the soul, which is immortal. Therefore, O venerable Euphrosyna, your soul rejoices with the angels.
When you longed for life in the highest, you turned away from the longest delight of the world. You put on the clothing of a man, all beautiful one, and abandoned your earthly betrothed for Christ your Bridegroom before the time.
Ephesians 5: 25-33
Brothers and sisters: Love your wives, as Christ loved the church. He gave himself up for her to make her holy, purifying her in the bath of water by the power of the word, to present to himself a glorious church, holy and immaculate, without stain or wrinkle or anything of that sort. Husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Observe that no one ever hates his own flesh; no, he nourishes it and takes care of it as Christ cares for the church–for we are members of his body. [Scripture says:] “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cling to his wife; and the two shall be made into one.” This is a great foreshadowing; I mean that it refers to Christ and the Church. In any case, each one should love his wife as he loves himself, the wife for her part showing respect for her husband.
Luke 4: 1-15
At that time Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was conducted by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, where he was tempted by the devil. During that time he ate nothing, and at the end of it he was hungry. The devil said to him, “ If you are the Son of God, command this stone to turn into bread.” Jesus answered him, “Scripture has it, ‘Not on bread alone shall man live.’”
Then the devil took Jesus up higher and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to Jesus, “I will give you all this power and glory of these kingdoms; the power has been given to me and I give it to whomever I wish. Prostrate yourself in homage before me, and it shall all be yours.” In reply, Jesus said to him, “Scripture has it, ‘You shall do homage to the Lord your God; him alone shall you adore.’”
Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem, set him on a parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for Scripture has it, ‘He will bid his angels watch over you’; and again [it says] ‘With their hands they will support you, that you may never stumble on a stone.’”
Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
When the devil had finished all the tempting he left him, to await another opportunity. Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and his reputation spread throughout the region. He was teaching in their synagogues, and all were loud in his praise.
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Tuesday, September 24 –
