From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Prudence in Action   
      
   DO NOT yield to every impulse and suggestion but consider things   
   carefully and patiently in the light of God's will. For very often,   
   sad to say, we are so weak that we believe and speak evil of others   
   rather than good. Perfect men, however, do not readily believe every   
   talebearer, because they know that human frailty is prone to evil and   
   is likely to appear in speech.  Not to act rashly or to cling   
   obstinately to one's opinion, not to believe everything people say or   
   to spread abroad the gossip one has heard, is great wisdom.   
   --Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ --  book 1 Ch. 4   
      
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   May 5th – St. Irene The Great Martyr   
      
   Irene was born in the city of Magedon in Persia during the fourth   
   century. She was the daughter of the pagan king Licinius, and her   
   parents named her Penelope.   
      
   Penelope was very beautiful, and her father kept her isolated in a   
   high tower from the time she was six so that she would not be exposed   
   to Christianity. He also placed 13 young maidens in the tower with   
   her. An old tutor by the name of Apellian was assigned to give her the   
   best possible education. Apellian was a Christian, and during her   
   lessons, he told the girl about Christ the Savior and taught her the   
   Christian Faith and the Christian virtues.  When Penelope reached   
   adolescence, her parents began to think about her marriage. One day, a   
   dove flew through the window carrying an olive branch in its beak,   
   depositing it upon a table. Then an eagle swooped in with a wreath of   
   flowers in its beak, and also placed it upon the table. Finally, a   
   raven flew in carrying a snake, which it dropped on the table.   
   Penelope was puzzled by these events and wondered what they meant.   
      
   Apellian explained that the dove signified her education, and the   
   olive branch stood for the grace of God which is received in Baptism.   
   The eagle with the wreath of flowers represented success in her future   
   life. The raven and the snake foretold her future suffering and   
   sorrow.  At the end of the conversation Apellianus said that the Lord   
   wished to betroth her to Himself and that Penelope would undergo much   
   suffering for her heavenly Bridegroom. After this Penelope refused   
   marriage, was baptized by the priest Timothy, and she was named Irene   
   (peace). She even urged her own parents to become Christians. Shortly   
   after this, she destroyed all her father's idols.   
      
   Since St. Irene had dedicated herself to Christ, she refused to marry   
   any of the suitors her father had chosen for her. When Licinius   
   learned that his daughter refused to worship the pagan gods, he was   
   furious. He attempted to turn her from Christ by having her tortured.   
   She was tied up and thrown beneath the hooves of wild horses so that   
   they might trample her to death, but he horses remained motionless.   
   Instead of harming the saint, one of the horses charged Licinius,   
   seized his right hand and tore it from his arm. Then it knocked   
   Licinius down and began to trample him. They untied the holy virgin,   
   and through her prayers Licinius rose unharmed in the presence of   
   eyewitnesses with his hand intact.   
      
   Seeing such a miracle, Licinius and his wife, and many of the people,   
   (about 3000 men) believed in Christ and turned from the pagan gods.   
   Resigning his administrative duties, Licinius devoted himself to the   
   service of the Lord Jesus Christ.   
   St. Irene lived in the house of her teacher Apellian, and she began to   
   preach Christ among the pagans, converting them to the path of   
   salvation.   
      
   When Sedecius, the new prefect of the city, heard of this miracle he   
   summoned Apellian and questioned him about Irene's manner of life.   
   Apellian replied that Irene, like other Christians, lived in strict   
   temperance, devoting herself to constant prayer and reading holy   
   books. Sedecius summoned the saint to him and urged her to stop   
   preaching about Christ. He also attempted to force her to sacrifice to   
   the idols. St. Irene staunchly confessed her faith before the prefect,   
   not fearing his wrath, and prepared to undergo suffering for Christ.   
   By order of Sedecius she was thrown into a pit filled with vipers and   
   serpents. The saint spent ten days in the pit and remained unharmed,   
   for an angel of the Lord protected her and brought her food. Sedecius   
   ascribed this miracle to sorcery, and he subjected St. Irene to many   
   other tortures, but she remained unharmed. Under the influence of her   
   preaching and miracles even more people were converted to Christ, and   
   turned away from the worship of inanimate idols.   
      
   Sedecius was deposed by his son Savorus, who persecuted Christians   
   with an even greater zeal than his father had done. St. Irene went to   
   her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Savorus and his army, and   
   ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, St. Irene prayed and   
   his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their   
   sight once more. In spite of this, Savorus refused to recognize the   
   power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a   
   bolt of lightning.   
      
   After this, St. Irene walked into the city and performed many   
   miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied   
   by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five   
   thousand people to Christ.   
      
   Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum   
   (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place   
   was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. When she began to teach about   
   Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. She   
   was placed into three bronze oxen which were heated by fire. She was   
   transferred from one to another, but miraculously she remained   
   uninjured.  Thousands of idolaters embraced Christianity as a result   
   of this wondrous event. Sensing the approach of death, Numerian   
   instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in   
   order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures   
   were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ.   
      
   Christ's holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty   
   miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379)   
   had heard of St. Irene's great miracles. To prevent her from winning   
   more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried.   
   However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into   
   the city of Mesembria.   
      
   After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was   
   baptized with many of his subjects. Wishing to convert even more   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)