From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Christ is the Husband of the Church his Bride   
      
   "This means he alone is the husband of the church (John 3:29), he is   
   the expectation of the nations, and the prophets removed their sandals   
   while offering to him a union of nuptial grace. He is the bridegroom;   
   I am the friend of the bridegroom. I rejoice because he is coming,   
   because I hear the nuptial chant, because now we do not hear the harsh   
   penalties for sinners, the harsh torments of the law, but the   
   forgiveness of offenses, the cry of joy, the sound of cheerfulness,   
   the rejoicing of the nuptial feast."   
   --by Ambrose of Milan,(excerpt from ON THE PATRIARCHS 4.22)   
      
   ==============   
   March 12: - Saint Theophanes the Confessor   
   (also known as Saint Theophanes the Chronicler)   
      
   (759-818)   
   Today, we celebrate the feast of Saint Theophanes the   
   Confessor--Abbot, confessor, and Church historian. Like other saints   
   before and after him, Saint Theophanes left a life of comfort and   
   privilege to serve in the vineyard of the Lord. Afflicted by illness   
   and hardship, Saint Theophanes never strayed from his true faith--a   
   faith that led to persecution and imprisonment.   
      
   Theophanes was born in Constantinople, and belonged to one of the   
   noblest families of the Byzantine Empire. Based upon his lineage, he   
   was entitled to all the finest things in life, which his parents   
   provided to him. Sadly, he was left orphaned at the young age of   
   three, inheriting his family’s luxurious estate. Theophanes was placed   
   under the guardianship of the current emperor, Constantine Copronymus,   
   who personally raised the boy in his court.   
      
   At the young age of 12, Theophanes was coerced into marriage, despite   
   his wish to remain celibate for the Lord. One the day of his wedding,   
   however, Theophanes--filled with the Holy Spirit--eloquently convinced   
   his wife of the brevity of life and the call to serve the Lord.   
   Together, they took a vow of perpetual chastity. This angered the   
   emperor, who wished for Theophanes and his wife to produce heirs to   
   his enormous fortune. As punishment, the young couple was sent to   
   Cyzicus, a port city, and given the title of the Royal Manager of   
   Public Works.   
      
   The emperor’s plan backfired, however, and upon arrival, Theophanes   
   met a monk who instructed him in the ways of contemplation and prayer.   
   So moved by this newfound experience of God, Theophanes abandoned the   
   world, his position, and estate, and joined a monastery. His wife,   
   similarly, entered a convent. Theophanes would go on to build two   
   monasteries in Mysia, becoming Abbot of the monastery referred to as   
   Megal-Agre.   
      
   As abbot, the wisdom and piety of Theophanes were quickly noticed and   
   sought out. He lived a life of austerity, doing daily penance, wearing   
   a hair shirt constantly, and sleeping on the ground with a rock for   
   his pillow. His diet was limited to water and coarse, dry bread.   
   Eventually, he developed significant health problems which plagues him   
   for the remainder of his life, but which he bore cheerfully. As his   
   reputation grew, membership at his monasteries increased quickly, and   
   many came to him with questions and for spiritual guidance. The   
   monastery, under his direction, became known for being virtuous and   
   holy. During this time, Theophanes began writing a history of the   
   Christian world starting with the end of the Diocletian persecution,   
   and continuing to the early ninth century. These “Chronicles” of   
   Christianity earned him the nickname “the Chronicler.”   
      
   Theophanes lived in peace at his monastery, offering spiritual   
   direction to his monks, and writing history for some time. However, in   
   814, Emperor Leo the Armenian renewed the persecution against the   
   Church, specifically citing the use of holy images and icons.   
   Theophanes spoke out against this law, maintaining the importance of   
   iconography, and working to prevent their destruction. The emperor,   
   aware of the great respect that Theophanes held among the faithful,   
   hoped to enlist him in his cause with trickery. He summoned him to   
   Constantinople. Theophanes, for his part, understood the trap he was   
   walking into, but obediently traveled to meet the emperor. There, he   
   received this message:   
      
   “From your mild and obliging disposition, I flatter myself you are   
   come to confirm my opinion on the point in question [the destruction   
   of images] with your support. This is the readiest way to obtain my   
   favor, and, with that, the greatest riches and honors for yourself,   
   your monastery, and your relations, as much as it is in the power of   
   an Emperor to bestow.   
   “But if you refuse to comply with my desires in this affair, you will   
   incur my highest displeasure, and draw misery and disgrace on yourself   
   and your friends.”   
      
   Saint Theophanes returned the message, stating:   
   “Being now far advanced in years and much broken with pains and   
   infirmities, I have neither relish nor inclination for any of those   
   things which, for Christ’s sake, I despised in my youth, when I was in   
   a condition to enjoy the world. As for my monastery and my friends, I   
   place their destiny in the hands of God.   
   “If you think to frighten me into compliance by your threats, as a   
   child is awed by the whip, you only lose your time. For though I am   
   without the strength to walk and subject to many other corporal   
   infirmities, I trust Jesus Christ that, in defense of His cause, He   
   will give me the strength and courage to suffer for His cause the   
   sharpest torments you can inflict on my weak body.”   
      
   Angered that his plan had failed, and that this elderly, ill man had   
   withstood the pressure of the empire, Emperor Leo ordered Theophanes   
   scourged (over 300 strokes!) and thrown into prison. There, in the   
   dungeon, he suffered for nearly two years, his illness worsening based   
   upon the horrid conditions. He was released from prison in 818 and   
   exiled to Samothracia, where he died 17 days later. There, his relics   
   were honored, and numerous miracles were reported at his tomb.   
      
   The life of Saint Theophanes is a perfect example of our Lenten   
   journeys. Not content with comfort and privilege, this holy man sought   
   out the Lord in whatever manner he could, centering his life on Him,   
   and working each day of his life to grow closer to true conversion.   
   Along the way, he suffered persecution and illness, and engaged in   
   personal practices of penance, prayer, and contemplation. How might   
   the life of Saint Theophanes inspire us to improve our focus, our   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)