On the island of Cyprus, about three and a half miles from the capital city of Constantia, there was a village named Erithra. Once, the great Spyridon went there on business, entered its church, and ordered one of the deacons who lived in the village to chant a brief service of supplication with him. Since it was harvest time, extremely hot, and the saint had been on the road for a long time, he was quite weary; nevertheless, the deacon chose to draw out the singing, proudly displaying his voice. Although the blessed one was generally very patient, he was annoyed by this and finally commanded the deacon, "Be silent!" Straightway, the deacon was struck dumb. Everyone in the church was terrified, and word of the miracle quickly spread through the village. People living nearby came to see what had happened and were astonished. Falling at the saint's feet, the deacon made plain his desperate hope that Spyridon would loose his tongue. His friends and relatives also begged the saint to show mercy, but it was only with the greatest difficulty that they obtained his consent, because Spyridon was severe in dealing with the proud and vainglorious. Finally, the saint forgave the deacon and returned to him the gift of speech. A trace of the deacon's punishment remained, however, for his voice did not come back with the same beauty as before. For the rest of his life he remained a feeble-voiced stutterer, lest he become proud and vainglorious again.
One evening, the divine Spyridon went to Vespers at the church in Trimithoundos. It happened that no one was present except the clergy. He ordered that the candles and lamps be lit, then stood before the altar, exulting in spirit. At the appointed time he exclaimed, "Peace be unto all!" Since there was no congregation to answer the blessing, a mighty choir of voices from on high cried out, "And with thy spirit!" The sound of the choir was indescribably sweet, majestic, and harmonious; more delightful than any human singing. After each petition the words "Lord, have mercy!" were chanted by the same heavenly voices, terrifying the deacon. Even people far away could hear their sound. As a result many hastened to the church to listen to the wondrous music, and as they approached, the chanting grew louder, causing their hearts to rejoice. When they entered the building, however, they saw no one except the holy hierarch and a few clergymen, and the singing ceased, which greatly astonished them.
On another occasion, when the saint was standing in church at Vespers, there was not enough oil for the lamp in the choir, and the flame began to sputter. The saint was worried that the flame would go out, interrupting the chanting and leaving incomplete the daily cycle of services. But the Lord, Who hearkens unto those who fear Him, filled the lamp to overflowing just as He had filled the widow's vessels in Elisha's day, and the servants had to rush and bring pots to place underneath to catch the excess. This surplus of oil betokened the abundance of the grace of God which filled the heart of Christ's hierarch.
On the island of Cyprus there is a city named Cyrenia (not to be confused with Cyrene in Libya). One day the saint was traveling there from Trimithoundos, accompanied by his disciple Tryphillius, who by this time was Bishop of Leucosia, another city on Cyprus. They passed by Mount Pentadactyllus and reached the place known as Parimnus (a locality known for its beauty and lush vegetation). Tryphillius, enchanted by the scenery, began dreaming how wonderful it would be to acquire a plot of land there for his Church. He continued thinking about this for a long time, and his imaginings could not remain hidden from Spyridon's clairvoyant gaze. "Why, Tryphillius," asked our great father, "are you continually dreaming about vanities? Why do you value estates and gardens, things of no worth, which serve only to lead astray the thoughts of men? Instead of these we should seek everlasting gain, for we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Even now, through reflection on God, we can take pleasure in what awaits us in the future life. Moreover, once we gain a celestial estate, it is always ours to enjoy." This admonition brought Tryphillius great profit, and later, through his life of virtue, he became a chosen vessel of Christ, a second Paul, and was accounted worthy of innumerable gifts by God.
Since the great Spyridon was himself a righteous man, he sought to guide others to virtue by his admonitions. Those who followed his instructions received much benefit, while those who rejected them came to a bad end, as is evident from the following.
A merchant who lived in Trimithoundos sailed to another land on business. He was gone for twelve months altogether. During that time his wife committed adultery and conceived a child. When the merchant returned home, he found his wife pregnant. Flying into a rage, he beat her, and unwilling to live with her any longer, drove her out of the house. Then he went to God's hierarch Spyridon, explained what had happened, and asked for counsel. Grieving in the depths of his soul because of the woman's sin and her husband's tribulation, the saint summoned the woman, and without asking her whether she had fallen into sin (for the fruit of iniquity gave ample testimony to the outrage), he demanded, "Why have you defiled your husband's bed and brought dishonor upon his house?"
The shameless woman dared to lie, saying that it was by her husband that she had conceived. Those listening were even more provoked by this blatant falsehood than by her adultery, and they shouted, "How can you say that when he was gone for twelve months?"
Nonetheless the woman held her ground, maintaining that the babe in her womb was awaiting its father's return because it wanted to be born in his presence. Heaping lie upon lie and arguing with everyone, she lifted her voice above the tumult and cried that she was being slandered and persecuted. Then the meek and holy Spyridon, wishing to bring her to repentance, spoke. "Woman," he said, "since you have fallen into a great sin, your repentance should also be great. There is still hope for your salvation, for no transgression outweighs God's loving-kindness. I see that your trespass has given birth in you to despair, and truly, your offense merits a severe punishment. All the same, we wish to leave you time and place for repentance, so we declare for everyone to hear: you shall not give birth until you confess the truth and stop trying to hide what even a blind man can see."
Not many days later the time came for the adulteress to be delivered of her child. She was seized by overwhelming pain, but the babe would not come out from the womb. Still the obstinate woman refused to acknowledge her sin, and she expired in torment without giving birth. Learning this, God's hierarch was moved to tears and repented of his words. He declared, "How quickly was my sentence executed! Never again will I pass judgment on another."
Now, having related our story of the wicked woman who was punished for refusing to heed the saint's advice, let us tell of another woman, this one notable for her virtue. Sophronia was her name, and she was kind and pious. Her husband was a pagan. Sophronia frequently asked God's holy hierarch Spyridon to try to convert her husband to the holy faith, since he lived nearby and the two men were friends. From time to time they visited one another, and one day, while they were dining together with some of the other neighbors, the blessed one told a servant in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "A messenger sent by the shepherd charged with care of my flock is standing outside the gates. He has come to inform me that all the animals wandered off into the mountains while the shepherd was asleep. Let the messenger know that the shepherd has already found the whole flock sheltering in a cave; none of the sheep have perished."
The servant related to the messenger what Spyridon had said. Then, a few minutes later, before the guests had risen from the table, another messenger sent by the shepherd arrived, bringing word that the whole flock had been found. Hearing this, the unbeliever was amazed. Because Spyridon knew of things happening far away as though they were before his eyes, his friend imagined that the saint was a god and wanted to offer him beasts in sacrifice as once the Lycaonians wished to offer them to Barnabas and Paul. He also desired to plait wreaths in his honor, but the saint said to him, "I am not a god, but only the servant of God; a man like you in every respect. It is the Lord Who reveals to me what happens far away, and if you believe in Him, you will learn how great is His might."
Seizing the opportunity, the Christ-loving Sophronia begged her husband to renounce heathen error, acknowledge the one true God, and believe in Him. Through the grace of Christ he turned to the true faith and was enlightened in Holy Baptism. In the words of the divine Scriptures, the unbelieving husband was sanctified by the believing wife.
So great was the blessed one's humility that although he was a hierarch and miracle-worker, he did not consider it beneath his dignity to tend irrational sheep. One night thieves broke into his fold and snatched a number of sheep. As they were about to flee, God, Who loved His favorite and protected his modest possessions, bound fast the thieves with invisible bonds so that they could not leave the pen. They were held there till morning, when the saint came to tend the animals. Seeing the robbers bound hand and foot by God's might, he loosed them through prayer and admonished them never again to covet the possessions of another, but to gain their living by honest labor. Then he gave them a sheep, saying, "Take this for your trouble, so that it might not be said that you spent a sleepless night to no purpose." And he permitted them to depart in peace.
There was a merchant living in Trimithoundos who frequently borrowed money from the saint to purchase goods for trade. Whenever he came back from his journeys, he would repay what he owed. Spyridon usually had him put the money back into the box from which it was taken, but so little was he concerned with temporal wealth that he never troubled himself to ascertain whether the proper amount was returned. Many times the merchant took coins from the box with the saint's blessing, returning them later, and his affairs prospered. Once, however, he was overcome by greed and failed to return the loan, keeping the money for himself, while telling the saint he had put it back. It was not long before the merchant was reduced to poverty. Like fire, the stolen gold seemed to consume his wealth, and his endeavors met with nothing but failure. Want compelled him to ask the saint for another loan, and Spyridon sent him to his bedroom, saying, "Take what you returned last time."
Finding nothing in the box, the merchant went back to the saint empty-handed. "Truly, brother," said Spyridon, "no one has opened the box besides you. If you had put back the gold you borrowed, you would have found it there now." Filled with shame, the man straightway fell at the saint's feet, begging forgiveness. Spyridon was quick to pardon him, but so doing, he admonished him not to defile his conscience through deceit and never again to steal, for profit obtained unrighteously is not gain, but loss.
The Patriarch of Alexandria once convened a council of all the bishops under his jurisdiction. His intention was to overthrow idolatry through their common supplication since there was still a multitude of idols in the city. After much prayer, both public and private, had been offered up to God, all the idols in the city and the surrounding areas were dashed to the ground; only one especially revered statue remained standing. The Patriarch prayed long and earnestly for its destruction, and one night, while standing at prayer, beheld a vision in which he was commanded to send without delay for Spyridon, Bishop of Trimithoundos. He was informed that the idol had been spared only so that it might be destroyed through the saint's entreaty. The Patriarch immediately wrote the blessed Spyridon a letter, requesting him to come, and the saint sailed for Alexandria. As soon as the venerable one disembarked at Neapolis, the harbor of the city, the idol and all the altars dedicated to it toppled and were shattered. Learning of this, the Patriarch proclaimed to the other bishops, "My friends, Spyridon of Trimithoundos is here!" and soon all of Alexandria knew of the saint's coming. The hierarchs prepared to meet the man of God with honor, and rejoiced at the arrival of the wonder-worker and luminary of the whole world.
The ecclesiastical historians Nicephorus and Sozomen relate that our holy father Spyridon devoted great care to the preservation of order in the Church, and was much concerned that not one word of the sacred and infallible text of divine Scripture be altered. Once it happened that a council of the bishops of Cyprus was held. Among those present were Saint Spyridon and Bishop Tryphillius, who was a very educated man, having spent much of his youth in Beirut studying literature and the sciences. The assembled fathers requested Tryphillius to deliver a homily in church to the people, and while preaching, he cited Christ's words to the paralytic: Arise, and take up thy bed. Tryphillius, however, substituted the word "couch" for "bed," quoting the passage thus: "Arise, and take up thy couch." Hearing this, Saint Spyridon, unable to bear any alteration of the Lord's words, reproached Tryphillius, "Is it because you are ashamed of the simplicity of Christ's speech that you changed the word 'bed' to 'couch'?" So saying, Spyridon left the church. He spoke as he did not out of malice or ignorance, but to humble Tryphillius, who was proud of his eloquence. The bishops greatly admired the blessed Spyridon for this; indeed, because he was held by them in the highest esteem as the most senior of their number, a man of marvelous virtue, and a wonder-worker, they always respected his words.
So humble was Saint Spyridon that despite his high rank he continued to work with his hands, and one day, while he was out in the fields laboring with the reapers, his head was bedewed like Gideon's fleece. This took place a little after noon when the sun is hottest. Then the hairs of his head suddenly began to change color: some became blond, others black, but some remained white. Only God knows the reason for this and what it signified. The saint felt his head with his hand and told those with him that the time was approaching for his soul to depart the body. He instructed them in the performance of good deeds, especially urging them to love God and their neighbor. They, for their part, were filled with astonishment.
A few days later, while praying, the saint surrendered his righteous soul into the hands of the Lord, Whom he had served in holiness and righteousness his whole life. He was buried with reverence in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Trimithoundos, where his memory was celebrated yearly. For many years numerous miracles were worked at his grave, unto the glory of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, wondrous in the saints. Unto Him be glory, thanksgiving, honor, and worship from us forever. Amen.
To this life of Saint Spyridon the following two miracles should be added:
While the Lord's favorite was on his way to the holy First Ecumenical Council, he stopped to spend the night at an inn. While he was there, hateful Arians arrived and cut off the heads of the horses on which he and his servant were traveling. At daybreak the servant saw what the heretics had done and informed Spyridon of the wicked deed. Putting his trust in the Lord, the saint ordered the servant to place the horses' heads against their bodies. Now one of the horses was white, the other black. The servant obeyed at once, but put the head of the white horse against the black horse's body and the head of the black horse against the white horse's body. As soon as he did so, both horses came to life and stood up. Saint Spyridon continued on his way, and everyone he passed was puzzled seeing a black horse with a white head and a white horse with a black head. The heretics meanwhile slipped away, utterly confounded.
At the First Ecumenical Council, during one of his many disputes with the Arians concerning the Divinity, our holy father Saint Spyridon demonstrated the Trinity's unity in the following manner. Taking a brick in his hand, he squeezed it. Flame shot upward, water fell to the ground, and in his fist only dust remained. "The brick was a single object," explained the saint, "but consisted of three elements: fire, water, and earth. Similarly, there are three hypostases in the Holy Trinity, but only a single, divine nature."
Neither of these two miracles is found in ****phrastes' account. Should anyone wish to learn how great was the saint's hospitality to strangers and how he was willing to break his fast to entertain guests properly, let him read the forty-second chapter of the eighth book of the historian Nicephorus and the eleventh chapter of the first book of Sozomen.
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On this same day we commemorate the holy hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, who was earlier a prelate in Cappadocia. This saint went to Jerusalem to see the Holy Places and was directed by divine revelation to remain there. He was chosen to succeed Saint Narcissus, who was very old, as Bishop of the Holy City and later, during the reign of Decius (a vicious persecutor of Christians), was seized and bound. Led off to Cappadocia, he endured numerous tortures for Christ's sake and was condemned to be eaten by wild beasts. Since the animals refused to harm him, he was cast into prison where he surrendered his soul into the hands of God, the Great High Priest and joy of martyrs.
On this same day we commemorate the holy martyr Synesius, who suffered for Christ in Rome during the reign of Severus