Saint John Chrysostom
Blessed be our God: because women, too, now mock death, and maidens laugh at it, as do virgins, and, indeed, very young girls who have not known marriage dance on the barbs of Hell without suffering in the least. All these good things have been granted to us because of Christ, Who was born of a Virgin. Because after those blessed, unbearable pangs and most frightful birth, the sinews of death were undone, the power of the devil was paralyzed, and not only among men any more, but even to women it became contemptible. And not only among women, but among maidens, too. Just as if an excellent shepherd who has caught a lion which was terrifying the sheep and gobbling up the whole flock, has pulled its teeth, cut its claws and shaved its hair, making its contemptible and a laughing-stock, and has given it to the herdsmen’s boys and girls to play with. In the same way, Christ has captured death, which was dreaded by our nature and inspired fear throughout the human race, and has dispelled all the fear it induced and has handed it over to virgins to mock.
This is why blessed Pelagia hastened towards it with such pleasure that she didn’t have to wait for the hands of the executioners, nor to be taken to court, but, with her exceptional willingness, she frustrated their brutality. Because she had been prepared for both the torture chamber and the hell-hole and for every kind of punishment, but she was afraid she might lose the crown of her virginity. And so you can understand how frightened she was of the lewdness of the impious she frustrated them and snatched herself away before suffering any foul dishonour.
This was something that none of the men had ever attempted: they were led before the court and proved their bravery there; but the women, because of the sensitivity of their nature, came up with this form of death. Because, had it not been possible to win two crowns- of virginity and of martyrdom, she wouldn’t have avoided being taken to trial. But then she would certainly have one of the two, and she thought it the height of absurdity to leave this world with one crown when she could, in fact, gain both. This is why she didn’t want to go to court, so that she would not be gawped at by lustful eyes, and to prevent the lewd onlookers from feeling any pleasure by looking at her face, thus dishonouring that holy body. But from her house and the women’s quarters, she went directly to another home- heaven.
Indeed, it is a great thing to see executioners standing around and piercing your sides, but what she did is in no way inferior to this. Because among the former, their senses have already been somewhat dulled because of the various tortures they’ve undergone and so death no longer seems so terrible, but is regarded as a release and relief from any further trials. But Pelagia, who had not yet suffered anything of this nature, but still had her body intact and had felt no pain so far, needed some great and brave attitude if she were to deprive herself of this present life through violent death. So when you admire others for their endurance, admire her also for her bravery; when you’re astonished at their endurance, be surprised also at her bold mindset, because she had the valour to undergo such a death.
And don’t dismiss that event too easily, but think if it was natural for a gentle girl, who knew nothing beyond her room, to even think about such great issues at the moment when she saw soldiers arriving, standing in front of her door, summoning her to trial and to be dragged through the market-place. Her father wasn’t at home, nor were her mother, her nurse, her serving-maid, any neighbours or friends, but she was entirely alone with these executioners.
So the fact that she was able to go out and respond to these murdering soldiers, to open her mouth and speak, to look at them, stand there and breathe at all, is this not worthy of astonishment and admiration? These are not features of human nature. Of course, the greater part of her attitude was due to God’s help. But she herself did not drag her heels; she willingly offered whatever depended on her, such as her eagerness, her attitude, boldness, will, predisposition, and her enthusiastic and hasty acceptance. But for all this to happen, it was achieved with the help of God and heavenly favour. So it is right to admire her and praise her: praise her for her alliance with God; and admire her for her own willingness. Because how could anyone not be surprised at hearing that, within a minute, she took such a great decision, confirmed it and carried it out?
Because all of you certainly know that we’ve often thought about something for a long period and, when the time comes to do it, because our minds retain a sliver of fear, we forget all we’ve decided and hesitate for a moment out of anxiety. But she was able, in a moment, both to accept the decision and act on it, terrible and dreadful though it was. Neither the fear of the soldiers present, nor the difficulty of the moment, nor the fact that she’d been left alone in the house, nor any other thing disturbed this blessed girl. But, as if surrounded by friends and acquaintances, she did everything without fear and very well. Because she wasn’t really all alone there; she had Christ to advise her. He helped her, He touched her heart, gave courage to her soul, and He alone dispelled her fear. And this was no coincidence, because the martyr had already prepared herself to be worthy of His aid some time before.
She went outside, then, and asked a favour of the soldiers: to be allowed to go back in and change her clothes and when she did so, instead of corruption, she put on incorruption; instead of death, immortality; instead of this fleeting life, life immortal. But apart from all the rest that has been said, I admire this, too: how did the woman deceive the men, how did they suspect nothing of what was about to happen, how didn’t they see through the ploy? Because you can’t say that nobody else had ever done anything of the sort: many, perhaps, had thrown themselves off cliffs, into the sea, raised a knife to their breasts, passed nooses around their necks.
Those times were filled with dramas such as these, yet God blinded their hearts so that they didn’t realize what she was up to. This is how she escaped the nets. Just as a deer that’s fallen into the hands of the hunters and then, having escaped , stops running, at the top of a mountain which is inaccessible to the hunters and too far away for them to fire arrows at it, and from there looks down without fear on those who had previously wanted to harm it, so, even though she’d fallen into the hands of the hunters and was trapped in her house, as if in a net, Pelagia ran, not to the top of a mountain, but to the very heights of heaven, where it was no longer possible for them to ascend and, looking down on them thereafter, as they left empty-handed, she rejoiced at seeing the unbelievers covered in great shame.
Just think what a great thing it would have been for the judge to be sitting on his bench, the executioners at the ready, the torture chambers prepared, the crowd gathered, the soldiers waiting and all of them drunk with pleasure in the hope of seeing the prey. And then, the soldiers who’d gone to arrest her returning shamefacedly and relating the drama that had occurred. What shame and how much pain and mockery they naturally had inflicted on them by the unbelievers. How natural it was that they should leave with their heads bowed in shame, having learned through experience that their war was not against other people but against God. And of course, Joseph, when he was being pursued by his master’s wife, ran away naked, leaving behind his clothing which had been caught in the sordid hands of the barbarian woman. In the same way, Pelagia didn’t allow them grasp her body with their lecherous hands, but once she had ascended with her naked soul and left her holy flesh to her enemies, they were at a loss to know what to do with her relics.
Such are the exploits of God: He brings His servants our of difficult situations with great ease, but those who oppose Him and fight Him He leads into confusion, even when everything seems straightforward. For what was worse than the quandary the young girl was in? What could be easier than this cut and dried situation? They had her alone, locked inside the house as if it were a prison and yet they left after having failed to catch their prey. Besides, whereas the maiden was bereft of allies and helpers and saw no escape anywhere from her trials and the mouths of the beasts who were beside her, she escaped their plots as if, one might say, she’d been wrenched from their maws, and defeated the soldiers, judges and authorities. And, of course, as long as she was alive they could all hope to defeat her, but once she was dead they were completely at a loss, learning as they did that the death of a martyr is a victory for the martyr. It was like a ship once that was laden with valuable pearls and was struck by a wave at the very entrance to the harbour. It was in danger of foundering, but the current swept it forwards and so it actually reached its moorings faster than expected.
This is what happened to blessed Pelagia. Because the soldier’s raid, the fear of the expected tortures and the threat of the judge all falling onto her with greater force than any wave, made her fly up to heaven with greater speed. And the wave that threatened to sink the ship, in fact sent her to a serene harbour and so her body was transferred, brighter than any lightning, blinding the eyes of the devil. Because the lightning that strikes from the skies isn’t so terrible to us as was the body of the martyr to the phalanxes of the demons, appearing to them, as it did, to be more fearsome than any lightning could be.
None of this happened without God’s intervention. This is clear, of course, from the degree of her eagerness and from the fact that the soldiers were unaware of her ploy, and that they did her a favour and that the act reached its conclusion, but it can also be seen, obviously from the manner of her death. Lots of people who’ve fallen from a high roof haven’t suffered any injury at all. Others have been crippled in some part of their body but have gone on to live for many years after the fall. But in the case of this blessed girl, God didn’t allow any of this to occur, but commanded the body to liberate the soul immediately, and He then received her as if she had fought valiantly and fulfilled everything that was asked of her. Because her death wasn’t due to her body’s fall, but to God’s command. And her body lay stretched out, not on the bed but on the ground. Not on dishonoured ground, but on honourable ground, because it had received a body clothed in so much glory. And precisely for this reason, the body was even more honourable for lying on the ground, because the dishonour we suffer for the sake of Christ bring us greater honour.
And so her virgin body, purer than any gold, lay stretched on the ground of a narrow street and the angels dressed her in burial array, all the archangels honoured her and Christ Himself was present. Because, just as a master of the house wouldn’t have been ashamed to accompany the funeral cortège of the best of his servants, how much less ashamed would Christ be at honouring with His presence her who gave her soul for His sake and agreed to face such a great danger. She lay on the ground, her martyrdom her funeral address, adorned with the jewel of confession, clad in a garment more precious than any royal robes and than any honourable purple. In fact she had two garments: the raiment of virginity and that of martyrdom and it was with these grave-clothes that she would present herself at Christ’s judgement-seat.
Let us ensure that we also wear such raiment while we live and when we die, in the knowledge that, if you bedeck your body with cloth of gold, it benefits you not a jot, and brings much condemnation with it, because you’ll not have abandoned vanity, even in death. But if you attire yourself in virtue, praise will be heaped upon you even after death. Because the grave in which rests the body that lived in virtue and piety will be more splendid even than those of the royal court. And of this, we are witnesses, who, ignoring the tombs of the rich as though they were mere caves, even if they’re hung with gold cloth, hasten eagerly to this saint, because this particular martyr left this life having clothed herself in virginity instead of garments of gold.
Let us, then, imitate her with all our strength. She disregarded this life: let us do the same as regards the life of ease, let us mock luxury, avoid drunkenness and resist over-indulgence in food. This is why I beg and entreat you to have this saint ever in your thoughts and not to bring shame on the feast, nor deprive yourselves of the boldness which this feast provides. Because it’s not by chance that we speak with pride to the pagans about the attendance at this feast, shaming them and reminding them that a young, dead maiden brings together a whole city and such a host of people, every year, even after so many have passed, and the continuum of the feast in her honour has never once been interrupted. Because if the vast crowd that has gathered now approaches in good order, it will be a great adornment for us. But if it comes with sloth and indifference, it will be to our shame and condemnation.
If we’re to feel pride in the magnitude of our love, let us leave here to go home in the same good order as befits those who have assembled to honour such a martyr. Because, unless we do, then not only have we not benefitted from the occasion, but we’ve actually crushed a great danger to our bosoms. I know that you are clear of such notions, but that’s not enough in your defence; we have to bring our erring bothers and sisters back to full order and a fitting life-style. Have you honoured the martyr with your presence? Honour her also by correcting your own members.
If you see laughter, a strutting gait, and improper appearance, go up to these people, fix those who are behaving like this with a serious and powerful glare. But do they mock you the more and hold you in greater contempt? Take two, three or more of the brothers with you, so that they respect the numbers. And if you can’t bring them to their senses even then, then show them to the priests. But it’s most unlikely that things will come to such a pass. If they’re thus chastised and checked, as they would be, then they’re likely to desist and be ashamed of their unruly and childish behaviour. And if you win over ten, or three, or two or even just one, you’ll have made great gains.
Is the road long? If it is, let’s use the time to contemplate what we’ve mentioned. Let’s fill the broad road with clouds of incense. Because, even if someone set up censers at specific points and changed the scent of the air itself with the fragrance therefrom, it wouldn’t be as sweet-smelling as it would be now, if all of us who are walking along it today spoke of the deeds of the martyr and, on our way home, transformed out tongues into censers. Don’t you see, when the emperor arrives in a city, with what order the soldiers line the streets, armed and in serried ranks, passing commands in low voices and bearing themselves with caution, so that people watching them find them a worthy spectacle? So let’s imitate them, because we, too, are walking before a king, not a tangible one, not an earthly one, but before the Lord of the angels.
So let us also enter in good order and urging one another to walk properly and in an orderly manner, so that we’ll surprise the onlookers not only with our numbers but also our good behaviour. Of course, even if no-one else were here and we were walking along the road all by ourselves, we would still be obliged not to do anything out of turn since there’s always the unsleeping eye which is everywhere present and sees all things. But now there are lots of heretics among us, and if they see us dancing, laughing, shouting and getting drunk, they’ll go away, after condemning us in the worst terms. And if someone who scandalizes another person is subject to enforced punishment, what punishment shall we undergo for scandalizing so many? But, after what we’ve said and this exhortation, let no-one be responsible for such things as we’ve mentioned. Because if they were unacceptable before I said anything, how much more so are they after this advice and admonition, and so punishment is even more necessary, both for those who do such things and for those who see them being done and turn a blind eye.
In order to prevent them being punished, then and to gain a greater reward for yourselves, take upon you the guardianship of our brothers, help them concentrate on the narrative they’ve heard, so that, all along the way they can reflect upon it and, when they’ve taken the leftovers from the table to those who stayed at home and were not present here, make your shining spiritual presence felt there, too. Because in this way we’ll experience this feast all the more fully, we’ll embrace the holy martyr with greater goodwill, paying her all due honour. And you’ll give her far greater pleasure by leaving here with spiritual benefits, then you would if you’d made lots of noise.
Through the prayers of this saint, then and of others who achieved as much as she did, may you remember what has been said exactly and manifest it all in your works. May you live well-pleasing in all things to God, to Whom belong the glory and the power unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Saint John Chrysostom.
The second part of this encomium, where Saint John exhorts people to behave properly, sounds strange to modern ears, but in the second half of the 4th century must have very much to the point. Persecutions had ceased and the emperor, Theodosios (379-395), on 27 February 380, declared the Catholic Church to be the only legitimate imperial religion and ended state support for the traditional Hellenistic and Roman religions. But there were still plenty of pagans about, as well as heretics, as Saint John observes in his encomium. John is concerned with setting these people a good example, but his language also tells us about the pagan feasts. By saying: “Do not behave like them”, he is also telling us how they behaved. It appears that pagan feasts were more in the nature of a revel than a religious festival in the sense that we would recognize it today. Some of the features of the two events seem to have been similar- a common meal, a procession through the streets, incense- and no doubt many of the more recent converts would have been inclined to revert to old habits. Saint John was not being a wet blanket, but was trying to make the necessary distinction between a pagan carousal and a modestly-observed Christian feast-day.
WJL.
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