VENERABLE THEOPHILUS THE MYRRH

July 8

From the Prologue

Theophilus was born in Macedonia in the village of Ziki. He was a very educated man and a great ascetic. By order of Patriarch Niphon of Constantinople, he traveled to Alexandria to inquire whether it is true or not that Patriarch Joachim moved a mountain and that he drank poison without harmful effects being forced to do this by the Jews and Muslims. Convinced of the truthfulness of these miracles, Theophilus returned to Holy Mt. Athos where he lived a life of asceticism, at first in Vatopedi, then in Iveron and finally in the cell of St. Basil near Karyes. They offered the Archbishopric of Thessalonica to this holy man, but he refused. Through profound silence and meditation he succeeded to purify his mind of all passionate thoughts and became a pure vessel of the Holy Spirit in which Christ dwelled. Before his death, he ordered Isaac his disciple not to bury him when he dies but to tie a rope around his legs, drag him and then toss him into the river. With great fear, the disciple carried this out. However, the Divine Providence of God revealed the remains of St. Theophilus and when they translated his body to his cell, it began to emit miraculous myrrh. He entered into rest on July 8, 1548.

HYMN OF PRAISE

SAINT PROCOPIUS

When it is the will of the Omniscient God,

Persecutors become His servants,

Haters, wonderful apostles

Pagans, zealots for the Faith.

By God's will, Saul became Paul

Neanias Saint Procopius

Procopius, against Christ went,

As a Christian, to his mother came.

Tortures prepare and himself received tortures,

All of a sudden, the truth he recognized

Before the Son of God, bowed down,

The earthly king, ceased to serve

To the heavenly King, a servant became.

The King of Heaven to him a gift bestowed

The gift of might, the afflicted to help

As at that time, so it is today:

By Procopius, the afflicted are comforted

For today as one time, he helps.