Month of February

MONTH OF FEBRUARY

THE CONTEST OF THE HOLY AND GLORIOUS HIEROMARTYR BLASIUS, BISHOP OF SEBASTEA

^A I. At the time when the cult of idols prevailed and many men worshipped created images and things, then also the faith of all the saints flourished, along with which flourished the faith of the holy and glorious hieromartyr Blasius. For this holy and venerable man, Blasius, having lived his whole life in a mild manner of conduct—as it is written in Job—was innocent, blameless, truthful, pious, and religious, abstaining from every evil deed. Wherefore, because of his pure and irreproachable life, the faithful who were in the city of Sebastea in Cappadocia chose him as bishop. But Saint Blasius, fearing the impiety and lawlessness of those who then held power, departed to the mountain called Argeus and dwelt in a cave. And the wild beasts would gather to him and be blessed by him; and if it chanced that one of them fell into his meditation, they would wait at the cave as if endowed with reason, and they would not depart from the saint unless he laid his hand upon them, blessing them. ^B II. In those days, the governor Agricolaus ordered all kinds of animals to be hunted down for the wild-beast combat and destruction of the holy martyrs who were then suffering, and the hunters, having gone out into the mountains, came even to this mountain called

Argaeus, where the holy and venerable man and bishop, Blasius, was hiding. And when the hunters approached the cave and saw at its entrance a multitude of wild animals standing by and leaping about, they said to one another, "What could this mean?" And having come closer, they found inside the cave the holy Blasius sitting as if in a bridal chamber, distributing what was needed to each one through blessings and healings, and offering his prayers to God. And immediately, having turned back, they reported to the governor Agricolaus what they had seen. The governor ordered more soldiers to accompany them, so that as many Christians as they might find hiding there, they should bring to him. And the sent soldiers, having gone into the mountain and entered inside the cave, found only the holy Blasius praying and glorifying the Lord, and they said to him, "Come out quickly; the governor calls you." ^B Seeing them, the holy Blasius rejoiced greatly and said, "Come, children, let us go together; for the Lord has remembered me today. For in this night He appeared to me a third time, saying: 'Arise, offer me sacrifices according to the custom of your priesthood.' Now therefore, my children, you have come well; may my Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

III.

not only in Sebastea, but also in Nicopolis; for the martyr was also learned in the science of medicine. ^B

IV. As the holy man was traveling along the road, it happened that a pig belonging to a certain poor woman, who possessed nothing else, was snatched away by a wolf. The woman, being a believer, approached the holy martyr against the beast. The holy priest and martyr of Christ, Blasius, smiling, said to her, “Do not be sad, woman, nor weep; for your pig shall be restored to you alive and unharmed.” And the holy man continued on his journey; and while he was hastening on his way, the wolf, having kept the pig unharmed, returned it to the widowed woman. When the holy Blasius had entered the metropolis of Sebastea, the governor Agricolaus ordered him to be cast into prison. And on the following day, the magistrate, sitting upon the tribunal, ordered the holy Blasius to be brought forward. ^C When he stood before him, the governor, seeing him, began first to use blandishments toward him, and greeted him first, saying, “Hail, most beloved Blasius, friend of the gods and ours.” But holy Blasius said to him, “Hail to you also, excellent governor; but do not call them gods, but rather unclean and wicked demons, which shall be delivered to eternal and unending fire along with those who worship them.” The governor, enraged at these words, ordered him to be beaten with rough cudgels. Being beaten for many hours, the martyr of Christ, Blasius, said to the governor, “O man devoid of sense and deceiver of souls, do you think to draw me away from the confession of my God by your tortures? But you cannot. For I have Jesus Christ, who strengthens me. Do what you will for the rest.”

V. But when the most impious governor could not move him from the faith in Christ, he ordered him to be led back into prison. ^D When that pious old woman and widow learned of the endurance and patience of the holy hieromartyr Blasius and his constancy of faith, she slaughtered the pig she had received back from the beast by the command of the holy martyr; and she cooked its head and feet, and put them in a basket with seeds of the earth and some other things from her poverty along with fruits. Having also lit wax candles, she brought them to the holy martyr in prison, and fell at his feet, begging and entreating him to partake of them. The holy hieromartyr of Christ, Blasius, having given thanks and partaken of them, blessed the woman and then instructed her, saying, “Woman, in this manner perform my memory, and every good thing from my God shall not depart from your house; furthermore, if anyone, imitating you, performs my memory in this way, he shall have the gift and blessing of my God unceasingly all the days of his life.” And that honorable and blessed old woman, having received the command from the holy martyr Blasius, praising God, went away joyfully to her house; and in this blessed widow was fulfilled the Scripture which says, “It shall be said everywhere, she did it, for his memory” (Matt. xxvi, 13).

THE CONTEST OF ST. BLASIUS AND HIS COMPANIONS

^A VI. The tyrant, having sat down a second time in the tribunal, ordered the martyr of God to be brought forward. When he was brought, the governor said to him, "Blasius, do you sacrifice to the gods, or do you wish to perish miserably?" Saint Blasius said, "Let the gods who did not make the heaven and the earth perish. The death which you threaten me with, O tyrant, will be to me the procurer of eternal life." The governor, seeing the immutability of his faith, ordered him to be hung upon a stake and lacerated severely. While the martyr of God, Blasius, was being lacerated for a long time, he said to the governor, "O most impious and lawless man, do you think to frighten me with blows? I have Jesus Christ who strengthens me, and I do not fear your visible torments, looking instead toward the expected goods which are promised to those who seek Him." Then the governor ordered him to be taken down from the stake. When he had been taken down, he ordered him to be cast into prison again. While the holy martyr Blasius was being led away to prison, behold, seven women, pious and fearing God, followed him, receiving the blood that was dripping from him and anointing themselves. The jailers, having seen these women, seized and led them to the governor, saying to him that "These also are Christians." ^B Having seen them, the governor himself said to them, "Be persuaded and sacrifice to the gods, that you may be judged worthy of both glory and great honors from me; otherwise, you are about to die bitterly." Those venerable and holy women, answering, said to him, "If you wish, O governor, that we should sacrifice to your gods, let us go together to the edge of the lake, and do you put your gods into a sack and seal them with lead, while we, having washed our faces in the lake, will approach and sacrifice to them." Having heard this, the governor, becoming overjoyed, brought his gods to them. But they, having received them, cast them in and sank them into the depths of the lake. ^C VII. Having seen these things, the governor changed his expression, and becoming enraged, he roared like a lion, and clapping his hands, he was very angry at the soldiers and said, "O most wicked and terrible servants, why did you not hold the gods so they would not be thrown into the depths of the lake?" The soldiers, answering, said to the governor, "O most powerful governor, these women spoke a lie to you and sank your gods. We, not knowing this, did not hold them." But those venerable and holy women said, "The true God does not suffer a lie, but deaf wood and stones and gold and silver do, and all who trust in them." Then the governor, becoming enraged, ordered a very intense furnace to be ignited, and lead to be melted, and iron combs to be brought, and seven bronze combs to be heated, and a bright linen shroud to be spread in another place; and he said to the holy women, "Choose one of the two: either to worship and sacrifice to the gods, and save your souls, walking on the linen, or, if you do not wish, to experience the torments which are prepared for you." One of the ^D

them, having two children, snatched up the linen, cast it into the furnace, and burned it. The children said to their mother, "O our venerable mother, do not let us perish on this earth; but as you have filled us with the beautiful, pure, and most sweet milk of your breast, so fill us also with the kingdom of heaven."

^A VIII. The governor ordered them to be suspended and their flesh to be torn with iron combs. The soldiers observed that instead of blood, milk flowed from their flesh. Moreover, their flesh appeared bright as snow, because the angels of the Lord, having descended and healed them, said to them, "Do not fear. For the good laborer, having begun in summer and finished, and being blessed by the master of the work, and having received his reward, goes joyfully to his house. So you too, strive, that you may receive from our Savior Jesus Christ life eternal and never-ending." Then the governor ordered them to be taken down and cast into the furnace. And as they were cast in, the fire was immediately extinguished, and the holy women were cast out of the furnace, preserved unhurt by the grace of the Lord. The governor then said to them, "Cast away your sorceries, and come and sacrifice to my gods." But the seven holy women said to him with one voice, "May this not happen to you, O blood-drinking dog, that we should abandon our Lord Jesus Christ and worship stones and wood, which like you are deaf and without perception. Therefore, do to us whatever you wish; for we have been called into the kingdom of heaven." Then the governor, full of wrath, gave the sentence against them, and the executioners took them and led them away to the place appointed for them.

^B IX. The seven holy women, having come to the place where they were to be perfected, besought the executioners, saying, "Allow us to pray for a little while." And having bent their knees upon the ground, they said thus: "Glory to You, our great and glorified God; glory to You, Jesus Christ, who reigns unto the ages; glory to You, who called us in the way of Your goodness. For what god is great as You, our God, who led us away from darkness and called us to the true and most sweet light? Wherefore we beseech You, O Lord, count us also in the number with Your holy first-martyr Thecla, accepting the intercession of our most holy father and shepherd Blasius, who led us to this contest and to the enjoyment of Your eternal life." Having prayed these things, then, the holy women arose from the ground, stretched out their hands, and lifted their eyes to heaven, and with a pure heart and one soul they said to God, "Glory to You, O Lord our God, who deemed us worthy to stand at this altar of Yours as spotless and rational lambs. Receive, therefore, O Master, and our souls into Your ^C heavenly altar as good and lover of mankind." And the children, approaching their mother, said to her, "Mother, the crowns for us are

^A ready beside the heavenly God. Entrust us therefore to the most holy and noble athlete of Christ, to our bishop and good shepherd, the renowned Blasius." Then the executioner cut off the heads of the seven holy women, and they were perfected in the Lord in the month of February.

X. After this, the governor ordered Saint Blasius to be brought from prison. When he was brought, he said to him, "Do you even now sacrifice to the gods or not?" Saint Blasius said to him, "Wretch, being blind, you do not see the true light of God. For what man, having once known the living God, sacrifices to or worships dead idols? You, therefore, darkened and lawless one, know that you have abandoned the living God and worship senseless stones. But I will not fear your threats. As you wish, therefore, so torture me. I surrender my flesh to you; but God has authority over my soul." The governor says to the saint, "If I cast you into the lake, what will the One you call Christ, whom you also worship, profit you on the water?" Saint Blasius said, "Blind and senseless one, you worship counterfeit, soulless things, and think you will be saved; but I, serving the living God, shall I not show you the powers of my God ^B in the water?" Then the governor ordered him to be cast into the lake. But the saint, having gone before, marked the water with the sign of the cross; and this having happened, it stood as if it were a bridge, and the blessed Blasius, sitting in the midst of the lake, said to the executioners, "If you have gods, show their powers and come yourselves here to me." And immediately, sixty-eight men entering were drowned in the depth of the water. Then an angel of the Lord, descending to the saint, said to him, "Full of grace and bright soul, priest of God, come out of the water and receive the eternal crown prepared for you by God."

XI. Saint Blasius, having risen from the water, walking as if upon land, came out unharmed, and his face shone like light, so that all who saw him wondered. The governor then said to him, "Have you so decided, wretch, to not sacrifice to the gods?" Saint Blasius said, "Know, tyrant and blood-drinker, that I am a servant of Christ and never sacrifice to demons." Then the governor, angered, gave sentence against him, ^C saying, "Blasius, who has disobeyed me and scorned the sovereign king and most dishonored the gods and destroyed sixty-eight men in the depth of the lake, let him be beheaded by the sword together with the two children." Receiving the sentence, the blessed one came to the place, and standing there, the saint prayed to the Lord, saying, "O Lord God of hosts, who delivered me from idols, who made darkness into light and error into truth, who sits above the cherubim, and opens the cataracts of the heavens, who has stretched out your bow in your hand, who has humbled the devil and shackled the dragon, be a listener to me, your servant; and whoever shall approach your altar, to him, ^D and any thorn or bone

or may fall into various diseases, or be in tribulation, or in the necessity of persecution, fulfill the heart's petition of each, O Master, as good and man-loving; and to those who year by year perform my memorial in psalms and hymns, and who remember your poor, grant a heavenly reward and eternal life; for you are to be glorified always, now and unto the ages of ages. Amen. ^A And when he had prayed these things, Christ descended from heaven like a cloud and overshadowed him, and the Savior says to him: "My beloved athlete, Blaise, I will fulfill all their petitions for your sake; and not only these, but I shall do even as you requested for the widow, and I will bless every house that performs your memorial, and I will fill their storehouses with every good thing because of your beautiful confession and the faith which you have in me; and having forgiven their sins, I will grant them eternal life." When the Lord had spoken these things to the holy hieromartyr Blaise, the executioner brought him out with the two infants from the praetorium, and beheaded them in the city of Sebastia, inside the wall upon a rock, on the eleventh of the month of February. But faithful and pious men laid him to rest, burying him in that same place with great care; where even until now many powers and healings are performed to the glory of God. ^B

XII.