THE HOLY MARTYR EUSTATHIUS

July 28

From the Prologue

This martyr for Christ was a soldier in Ancyra. Brought to trial, he was not afraid of any tortures, but freely praised the name of the Lord Christ. Commander Cornelius ordered his feet to be drilled through and threaded with a rope and they dragged this man of God to a river and threw him into the river. Being saved by the power of God and healed of his wounds, Eustace appeared before the commander completely whole. When the commander saw him alive, he was so frightened that he took out his sword and stabbed himself. Eustace still lived for a while longer and died in the Lord in the year 316 A.D.

HYMN OF PRAISE

SAINT PAUL OF XEROPOTAMOU

The young Paul, the world highly glorified,

Therefore, the young crown-prince abandoned royalty

And royal glow, wealth and power,

And decaying opulence and intrigues of the city,

Fled from everyone, fled from everything,

Into the wilderness, where the saints hide

And their souls to save through austere mortification,

Day and night of praise, God, they glorify,

A place, Paul found on Mt. Athos

That from his soul creates he, a new dough,

That as in a child, his soul becomes,

And the essence of himself and the world to discover.

What Paul desired, that he accomplished,

On the laborious path, God helped him

His soul saved from passions destructive,

From the power of the demons, his soul saved;

With the Cross of Christ's Crucifixion, he baptized all

Both body and soul. And as a candle pure

Beautifully lighted from the love of God,

To the heavens he was lifted by the angels of God.

The young Paul because he abandoned the kingdom, God,

Greatly glorified him in the heavenly kingdom.