VENERABLE PAUL

June 28

From the Prologue

Paul was a Corinthian by birth. Completing his schooling, Paul withdrew to a monastery and was tonsured a monk. He had a difficult struggle with the impure spirit of fornication. However, when with the power of the cross he drove the impure spirit of fornication away from himself, that spirit created a malicious falsehood, i.e., [the spirit] gave approval to a depraved woman to say that she had given birth to a child by Paul. The heretics then dragged him from the monastery, placed the child in his arms and forced him to walk throughout the town for the people to spit on him. The baby was only a few days old. St. Paul prayed fervently to God and said to the people: "Behold, let the child himself say who is his father." The child stretched out its hand from the swaddling clothes and pointed to a blacksmith and said: "That man is my father and not Paul the monk!" The adversaries of Paul became ashamed and God granted great healing powers to Paul so that when he placed his hand on the sick, they became whole. Paul reposed peacefully in old age pleasing God by his life on earth. He lived in the seventh century.

HYMN OF PRAISE

SAINT SENNUPHIUS

Sennuphius the Elder, in the wilderness fasts,

His body passionless, as dry bones,

But from a dry stone, as water one time,

From him flows, the Grace of the Holy Spirit;

In a deadened body, is hidden a spirit powerful

That, the glorious Emperor Theodosius heard,

And, when to set out for war, the emperor wanted,

Invited the Elder Sennuphius to come,

His blessing to give, that the emperor the devil to crush,

Numerous gifts to him, the emperor promised.

The Elder Sennuphius, into tears broke out,

To Emperor Theodosius, a reply he sends,

The roads are too distant, that he cannot come,

And with worries, cannot confuse his prayer,

For every gift, gives thanks to the emperor

And to him [Theodosius], his old monastic habit he sends,

Along with the cassock, an old staff he sends,

This, to the emperor, the gifts from the monk were!

The staff, let the emperor to take, and the habit to don,

And, in battle, every adversary he will defeat.

As a monk attired, the emperor for battle set out

Glorious victor from battle he returned.

The emperor, a pillar of victory in the city erected,

His likeness as a monk on top of the pillar, he placed,

That the faith of Emperor Theodosius, the world remembers

And of Saint Sennuphius, the miraculous power.