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04 - Life of Saint Macrina by Gregory of Nyssa · Life of Saint Macrina

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  Speaker 1: Part four of the Life of Saint Macrina by Saint
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  Speaker 1: Gregory of Nissa, translated by W. K. Laud Clark b D.
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  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. They find
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  Speaker 1: on the body marks of Macrina's sanctity. When we had
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  Speaker 1: decided on this, and it was necessary for that sacred
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  Speaker 1: body to be robed in linen, we divided the work
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  Speaker 1: and applied ourselves to our different tasks. I ordered one
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  Speaker 1: of my men to bring the robe. But Vestiana above
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  Speaker 1: mentioned was decking that holy head with her own hands.
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  Speaker 1: When she put her hand on the neck. See, she said,
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  Speaker 1: looking at me, what sort of an ornament has hung
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  Speaker 1: on the Saint's neck? As she spoke, she loosened the
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  Speaker 1: fastener behind, then stretched out her hand and showed us
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  Speaker 1: the representation of a cross of iron and a ring
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  Speaker 1: of the same material, both of which were fastened by
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  Speaker 1: a slender thread and rest continually on the heart. Let
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  Speaker 1: us share the treasure, I said, you have the phylactery
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  Speaker 1: of the cross. I will be content with inheriting the ring,
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  Speaker 1: for the cross had been traced on the seal of
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  Speaker 1: this too. Looking at it, the lady said to me again,
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  Speaker 1: you have made no mistake in choosing this treasure, For
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  Speaker 1: the ring is hollow in the loop, and in it
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  Speaker 1: has been hidden a particle of the cross of life.
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  Speaker 1: And so the mark on the seal above shows what
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  Speaker 1: is hidden below. But when it was time that the
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  Speaker 1: pure body should be wrapped in its robes, the command
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  Speaker 1: of the great departed One made it necessary for me
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  Speaker 1: to undertake the ministry. But the sister, who shared with
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  Speaker 1: me that great inheritance, was present and joined in the work.
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  Speaker 1: Do not let the great wonders accomplished by the scene
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  Speaker 1: pass unnoticed. She remarked, laying bare part of the breast,
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  Speaker 1: What do you mean, I said, Do you see, she said,
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  Speaker 1: this small faint mark below the neck. It was like
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  Speaker 1: a scar made by a small needle. As she spoke,
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  Speaker 1: she brought the lamp near to the place. She was
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  Speaker 1: showing me. What is there? Surprising? I said, if the
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  Speaker 1: body has been branded with some faint mark in this place, this,
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  Speaker 1: she replied, has been left on the body as a
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  Speaker 1: token of God's powerful help. For there grew once in
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  Speaker 1: this place a cruel disease, and there was a danger
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  Speaker 1: either that the tumor should require an operation, or that
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  Speaker 1: the complaint should become quite incurable if it should spread
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  Speaker 1: to the neighborhood of the heart. Her mother implored her
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  Speaker 1: often and begged her to receive the attention of a doctor,
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  Speaker 1: since the medical art, she said, was sent from God
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  Speaker 1: for the saving of men. But she judged it worse
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  Speaker 1: than the pain to uncover any part of the body
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  Speaker 1: to a stranger's eyes. And when evening came, after waiting
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  Speaker 1: on her mother as usual with her own hands, she
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  Speaker 1: went inside the sanctuary and besought the God of healing.
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  Speaker 1: All night long, a stream of tears fell from her
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  Speaker 1: eyes on to the ground, and she used the mud
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  Speaker 1: made by the tears as a remedy for her ailment. Then,
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  Speaker 1: when her mother felt despondent and again urged her to
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  Speaker 1: allow the doctor to come, she said it would suffice
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  Speaker 1: for the cure of her disease if her mother would
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  Speaker 1: make the holy seal on the place with her own hand.
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  Speaker 1: But when the mother put her hand within her bosom
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  Speaker 1: to make the sign of the Cross on the part,
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  Speaker 1: the sign worked and the tumor disappeared. But this said,
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  Speaker 1: she is the tiny trace of it. It appeared then
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  Speaker 1: in place of the frightful sore, and remained until the end,
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  Speaker 1: that it might be, as I imagine, a memorial of
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  Speaker 1: the divine visitation, an occasion and reminder of perpetual thanksgiving
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  Speaker 1: to God. When her work came to an end, and
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  Speaker 1: the body had been decked with the best we had
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  Speaker 1: on the spot, the deaconess spoke again, maintaining that it
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  Speaker 1: was not fitting that she should be seen by the
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  Speaker 1: eyes of the virgins robed like a bride. But I have,
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  Speaker 1: she said, laid by one of your mother's dark colored robes,
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  Speaker 1: which I think would do well laid over her, that
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  Speaker 1: this holy beauty be not decked out with the unnecessary
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  Speaker 1: splendor of clothing. Her counsel prevailed, and the robe was
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  Speaker 1: laid upon the body, But she was resplendent even in
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  Speaker 1: the dark robe, divine power having added, as I think,
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  Speaker 1: this final grace to the body, so that, as in
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  Speaker 1: the vision of my dream, rays actually seemed to shine
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  Speaker 1: forth from her beauty the all night vigil, A crowd
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  Speaker 1: of visitors arrives. But while we were thus employed in
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  Speaker 1: the virgin's voices, singing psalms mingled with the lamentations, were
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  Speaker 1: filling the place. Somehow, the news had quickly spread throughout
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  Speaker 1: the whole neighborhood, and all the people that lived near
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  Speaker 1: were streaming towards the place, so that the entrance hall
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  Speaker 1: could no longer hold the concourse. When the all night
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  Speaker 1: vigil for her, accompanied by hymn singing as in the
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  Speaker 1: case of martyr's festivals, was finished and the dawn came,
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  Speaker 1: the multitude of men and women that had flocked in
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  Speaker 1: from all the neighboring country were interrupting the psalms with wailings.
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  Speaker 1: But I, sick at heart, though I was owing to
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  Speaker 1: the calamity, was yet contriving so far as was possible
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  Speaker 1: with what we had, that no suitable accompaniment of such
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  Speaker 1: a funeral should be omitted. Gregory makes the funeral arrangements.
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  Speaker 1: I divided the visitors according to sex, and put the
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  Speaker 1: crowds of women with the band of virgins, while the
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  Speaker 1: men folk I put in the ranks of the monks.
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  Speaker 1: I arranged that the psalms should be sung by both
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  Speaker 1: sexes in rhythmical and harmonious fashion, as in chorus singing,
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  Speaker 1: so that all the voices should blend suitably. But since
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  Speaker 1: the day was progressing and the entire space of the
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  Speaker 1: retreat was getting crowded with the multitude of arrivals. The
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  Speaker 1: bishop of that district, Aroxios by name, who would come
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  Speaker 1: with the entire complement of his priests, ordered the funeral
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  Speaker 1: procession to start slowly, for there was a long way
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  Speaker 1: to go and the crowd seemed likely to impede brisk movement.
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  Speaker 1: At the same time as he gave this order, he
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  Speaker 1: summoned to him all present who shared with him in
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  Speaker 1: the priesthood, that the body might be borne by them.
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  Speaker 1: When this had been settled and his directions were being
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  Speaker 1: carried out, I got under the bed and called Aroxios
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  Speaker 1: to the other side. Two other distinguished priests took the
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  Speaker 1: hinder part of the bed. Then I went forward slowly,
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  Speaker 1: as was to be expected, our progress being but gradual,
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  Speaker 1: for the people thronged round the bed, and all were
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  Speaker 1: insatiable to see that holy sight, so that it was
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  Speaker 1: not easy for us to complete our journey. On either side,
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  Speaker 1: we were flanked by a considerable number of deacons and servants,
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  Speaker 1: escorting the beer in order, all holding wax tapers. The
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  Speaker 1: whole thing resembled a mystic procession, and from beginning to
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  Speaker 1: end the voices blended in singing psalms that for example
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  Speaker 1: that comes in the Hymn of the Three Children seven
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  Speaker 1: or eight stades intervened between the retreat and the abode
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  Speaker 1: of the Holy Martyrs, in which also the bodies of
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  Speaker 1: our parents were laid. With difficulty did we accomplish the
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  Speaker 1: journey in the best part of a day, For the
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  Speaker 1: crowds that came with us and those that were constantly
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  Speaker 1: joining us, did not allow our progress to be what
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  Speaker 1: we wished. Arrival at the church the burial service. But
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  Speaker 1: when we got inside the church, we laid down the
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  Speaker 1: bed and turned first to prayer. But our prayer was
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  Speaker 1: the signal for the people's lamentations to start again. For
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  Speaker 1: when the voice of Psalmity was still, and the virgins
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  Speaker 1: gazed on that holy face, and the grave of our
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  Speaker 1: parents was already being opened, in which it had been
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  Speaker 1: decided that Macrina should be laid, a woman cried out
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  Speaker 1: impulsively that after this hour we should see that divine
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  Speaker 1: face no more. Then the rest of the virgins cried
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  Speaker 1: out the same, and a disorderly confusion disturbed the orderly
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  Speaker 1: and solemn chanting of Psalms, all being upset at the
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  Speaker 1: wailing of the virgins. With difficulty, did we succeed in
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  Speaker 1: procuring silence by our gesture, and the presenter taking the
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  Speaker 1: lead and intoning the accustomed prayers of the church, the
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  Speaker 1: people composed themselves at last to prayer. The family grave
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  Speaker 1: is opened. When the prayer had come to its due close,
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  Speaker 1: fear entered my mind of transgressing the divine command which
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  Speaker 1: forbids us to uncover the shame of father or mother.
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  Speaker 1: And how said I shall I escape such condemnation if
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  Speaker 1: I gazed at the common shame of human nature made
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  Speaker 1: manifest in the bodies of my parents, since they are
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  Speaker 1: all decayed and dissolved, as must be expected, and turned
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  Speaker 1: into foul and repulsive shapelessness. As I thought of these things,
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  Speaker 1: and the anger of Noah against his son was striking,
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  Speaker 1: fear unto me. The story of Noah advised me what
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  Speaker 1: was to be done. Before the lid of the grave
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  Speaker 1: was lifted sufficiently to reveal the bodies to our gaze,
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  Speaker 1: they were covered by a pure linen cloth stretched across
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  Speaker 1: from each end. And now that the bodies were hidden
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  Speaker 1: under the cloth, we myself, that is, and the aforementioned
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  Speaker 1: Bishop of the district, took up that holy body from
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  Speaker 1: the bed and laid it down by the side of
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  Speaker 1: the mother, thus fulfilling the common prayer of both, for
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  Speaker 1: both were with one voice asking God for this boon
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  Speaker 1: all their lives long, that their body should be mingled
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  Speaker 1: with one another after death, and that their comradeship in
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  Speaker 1: life should not, even in death be broken. The funeral over,
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  Speaker 1: Gregory returns home. But when we had completed all the
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  Speaker 1: accustomed funeral rites and it became necessary to return home,
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  Speaker 1: I first threw myself on the grave and embraced the dust.
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  Speaker 1: And then I started on my way back, downcast and tearfall,
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  Speaker 1: pondering over the greatness of my loss. On my way,
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  Speaker 1: I met a distinguished soldier who had a military command
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  Speaker 1: in a little city of Pontus named Sevestoples, and dwelt
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  Speaker 1: there with his subordinates. He met me in friendly fashion
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  Speaker 1: when I reached the town, and was greatly disturbed to
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  Speaker 1: hear of the calamity, for he was linked to us
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  Speaker 1: by ties both of relationship and friendship. He told me
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  Speaker 1: a story of a marvelous episode in her life, which
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  Speaker 1: I shall incorporate into my history, and then close my tale.
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  Speaker 1: When we had seized our tears and had entered into conversation,
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  Speaker 1: he said, to me, learn what manner of goodness has
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  Speaker 1: been taken away from human life. With this prelude, he
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  Speaker 1: began his narrative, The Soldier's Story. My wife and I
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  Speaker 1: once had an earnest desire to pay a visit to
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  Speaker 1: the school of Virtue, For so I think the place
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  Speaker 1: ought to be called in which that blessed soul had
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  Speaker 1: her abode. Now there lived with us also our little daughter,
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  Speaker 1: who had been left with an affliction of the eye
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  Speaker 1: after an infectious illness, and her appearance was hideous and pitiable,
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  Speaker 1: the membrane round the eye being enlarged and whitish from
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  Speaker 1: the complaint. But when we came inside that divine abode,
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  Speaker 1: my wife and I separated in our visit to those
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  Speaker 1: seekers after philosophy. According to our sex. I went to
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  Speaker 1: the men's department, presided over by Peter, your brother, while
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  Speaker 1: my wife went to the women's side and conversed with
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  Speaker 1: the saint. And when a suitable interval had elapsed, we
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  Speaker 1: considered it time to depart from the retreat. And already
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  Speaker 1: our preparations were being made for this, But kind protests
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  Speaker 1: were raised from both sides. Equally, your brother was urging
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  Speaker 1: me to stay and partake of the philosopher's table. And
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  Speaker 1: the blessed Lady would not let my wife go, but
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  Speaker 1: holding our little girl in her bosom, said she would
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  Speaker 1: not give her up before she had prepared a meal
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  Speaker 1: for them, and had entertained them with the riches of philosophy,
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  Speaker 1: and kissing the child as was natural, and putting her
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  Speaker 1: lips to her eyes. She saw the complaint of the
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  Speaker 1: pupil and said, if you grant me this favor and
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  Speaker 1: share our meal, I will give you in return a
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  Speaker 1: reward not unworthy of such an honor. What is that?
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  Speaker 1: Said the child's mother. I have a drug, said the
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  Speaker 1: great Lady, which is powerful to cure eye complaints. And
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  Speaker 1: then news was brought me from the women's apartments, telling
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  Speaker 1: me of this promise. And we gladly remained, thinking little
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  Speaker 1: of the pressing necessity of starting on our journey. But
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  Speaker 1: when the feast came to an end, and we had
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  Speaker 1: said the prayer, Great Peter waiting on us with his
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  Speaker 1: own hands and cheering us, and when Holy Macrina had
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  Speaker 1: dismissed my with all courtesy, then at last we went
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  Speaker 1: home together with glad and cheerful hearts. Telling one another.
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  Speaker 1: As we journeyed what had befallen us. I described to
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  Speaker 1: her what had happened in the men's room, both what
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  Speaker 1: I had heard and seen. She told every detail as
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  Speaker 1: in a history, and thought nothing ought to be left out,
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  Speaker 1: even the smallest points. She told everything in order, keeping
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  Speaker 1: the sequence of the narrative. When she came to the
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  Speaker 1: point at which the promise was made to cure the
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  Speaker 1: child's eyes, she broke off her tail. Oh what have
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  Speaker 1: we done? She cried? How could we have neglected the promise,
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  Speaker 1: the saf cure that the lady said she would give.
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  Speaker 1: I was vexed at the carelessness and bade some one
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  Speaker 1: run back quickly to fetch it. Just as this was
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  Speaker 1: being done, the child, who was in her nurse's arms,
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  Speaker 1: looked at her mother, and the mother looked at the
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  Speaker 1: child's eyes. Stop, she said, Being vexed at the carelessness,
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  Speaker 1: she cried aloud with joy and fright. Foresee, nothing of
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  Speaker 1: what was promised us is lacking. She has indeed given
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  Speaker 1: her the true drug which cures disease. It is the
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  Speaker 1: healing that comes from prayer. She has both given it
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  Speaker 1: and it has already proved efficacious. And nothing is left
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  Speaker 1: of the affliction of the eye. It is all purged
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  Speaker 1: away by that divine drug. And as she said this,
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  Speaker 1: she took up the child and laid her in my arms.
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  Speaker 1: And I understood the marvels of the gospel that hitherto
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  Speaker 1: had been incredible to me, and said, what is there
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  Speaker 1: surprising in the blind recovering their sight but the hand
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  Speaker 1: of God, when now his handmaiden, accomplishing those cures by
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  Speaker 1: faith in him, has worked a thing not much inferior
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  Speaker 1: to those miracles. Such was his story. It was interrupted
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  Speaker 1: by sobs and tears choked his utterance. So much for
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  Speaker 1: the soldier and his tale. Conclusion, I do not think
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  Speaker 1: it advisable to add to my narrative all the similar
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  Speaker 1: things that we heard from those who lived with her
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  Speaker 1: and knew her life accurately. For most men judge what
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  Speaker 1: is credible in the way of a tale by the
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  Speaker 1: measure of their own experience. But what exceeds the capacity
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  Speaker 1: of the hearer men receive with insult and suspicion of
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  Speaker 1: falsehood as remote from truth. Consequently, I omit that extraordinary
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  Speaker 1: agricultural operation in the famine tie hold that the corn
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  Speaker 1: for relief of need, though constantly distributed, suffered no perceptible diminution,
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  Speaker 1: remaining always in bulk the same as it was before,
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  Speaker 1: distributed to the needs of the suppliants. And after this
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  Speaker 1: there are happening still more surprising, of which I might tell.
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  Speaker 1: Healings of diseases, and casting out of demons, and true
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  Speaker 1: predictions of the future. All are believed to be true,
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  Speaker 1: even though apparently incredible, by those who have investigated them accurately.
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  Speaker 1: But by the carnally minded they are judged outside the
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  Speaker 1: possible those I mean, who do not know that according
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  Speaker 1: to the proportion of faith, so is given the distribution
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  Speaker 1: of spiritual gifts little to those of little faith, much
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  Speaker 1: to those who have plenty of sea room in their religion.
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  Speaker 1: And so lest the unbeliever should be injured by being
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  Speaker 1: led to disbelieve the gifts of God, I have abstained
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  Speaker 1: from a consecutive narrative of these sublime wonders, thinking it
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  Speaker 1: sufficient to conclude my Life of Macrina with what has
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  Speaker 1: been already said. End of Part four. End of the
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  Speaker 1: Life of Saint Macrina by Saint Gregory of Nissa, translated
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  Speaker 1: by W. K. Luther Clarke, B. D.