The Life of our Holy Mother the Nun Melania the Roman

THE THIRTY-FIRST DAY

OF THE MONTH OF DECEMBER

The Life of our Holy Mother the Nun

Melania the Roman

From The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints, Volume 4: December,

compiled by St. Demetrius of Rostov

Translated into English and published by Chrysostom Press www.chrysostompress.org

Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
Not surprisingly, then, the excellent fruit of sanctity and admirable
sprouting of piety, the venerable Melania, was the child of devout
Christian parents. She was granddaughter to Saint Melania the Elder,
who visited many holy fathers on Mount Nitria in Egypt. The elder
Melania provided for the saints out of her own resources, and for
thirty-seven years also supplied the needs of pilgrims in Jerusalem,
equaling Abraham in generosity. Oh, to how many strangers from east and
west, north and south, did she offer hospitality! She was the
benefactress of churches and monasteries, fed a vast number of monks
and nuns, and saw to it that those in prison lacked nothing. Numerous
men and women of Rome owed their salvation to her, for it was she who
put them on the path to the eternal kingdom by her edifying counsel.
Great indeed was the life, great were the God-pleasing deeds of the
senior Melania, whose husband and son (Melania the Younger’s father)
were foremost senators in old Rome.

Reaching
maturity, the younger Melania fervently desired to keep her virginity
and repeatedly begged her parents not to force her to marry, but she
was their only child, and they wished to have descendants to inherit
their vast wealth. Therefore, when the maiden was fourteen years old,
she was wed to a youth of seventeen named Apinianus, who was of
consular rank. Having agreed to marriage, Melania still yearned to live
chastely, even if circumstances had forced her to surrender her
virginity. She employed every argument she knew to encourage her
husband to curb his desires, frequently exhorting him with tears in her
eyes: "How happy we would be if we lived together in continence,
laboring for God in our youth without enjoying conjugal pleasures! From
the beginning I wished for this. If you are not strong enough to
control a young man’s fiery lusts, find another wife, but leave me in
peace to live as I wish. As ransom for my freedom I offer you
everything I own: menservants and maidservants, gold and silver, and
riches astounding the imagination. Take it all, but set me free."

At
first Apinianus would not agree to restrain his yearnings, and replied
affectionately, "For now this cannot be. When we have an heir, I will
permit you to do as you wish. I realize that it is unseemly for a man
to lag behind his wife in a good and godly undertaking. Be patient, and
when the Lord grants fruit to our marriage, we shall, in perfect
oneness of mind, enter upon a life such as you desire."

Melania
reconciled herself to this suggestion, and God gave the couple a
daughter. The blessed one dedicated the child’s virginity to God at
birth, as though she were paying her debt for having entered (albeit
unwillingly) into wedlock. In this way she made certain her daughter
would not undergo the distress that was her own lot.

Meanwhile,
Melania prepared for her new life, fasting and mortifying her flesh
more, and stifling every craving of the body. She stopped wearing
beautiful clothes and jewelry, and avoided visiting baths. Whenever
compelled by her husband or parents to go, she would not disrobe, but
would wash only her face, giving money to the servant-maids so that
they would remain silent. She repeatedly reminded her husband of their
agreement, saying, "We have an heir. Why have you not done as you
said?’ So much did she long for God and a chaste life that she
conceived the notion of taking refuge in a foreign land, abandoning
father, mother, husband, daughter, and wealth. She would have left
immediately, had not certain holy men cited to her the words of the
Apostle: Unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband, and, How knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? This
gave her hope of assisting Apinianus to save his soul, and she
abandoned the notion of flight. Nevertheless, it was only with the
greatest suffering that she continued bearing the yoke of wedlock. She
wore a hair shirt, removing it whenever her husband was in the house.
Her aunt, however, discovered that she was vexing her body thus, and
mocked and reproached the saint, who tearfully begged her to tell no
one the secret.

It came to pass that Melania
conceived again, and on the eve of the feast of the holy martyr
Lawrence went into labor. That night she did not sleep at all, but
chanted psalms and made prostrations in spite of her discomfort.
Morning found her still at prayer, and she continued making
supplications on bended knee until pain overwhelmed her. With great
difficulty she gave birth to a son, who was baptized and quickly
departed this world for the heavenly homeland. After her delivery, the
blessed Melania became very ill and almost died. Standing by her bed
and witnessing her agony, Apinianus felt sick from worry and grief. He
ran to church, fell down before God, and shedding copious tears, begged
that his beloved wife be spared. Seizing the opportunity to persuade
him to keep his commitment, Melania sent this message to him while he
was still in church: "If you want me to remain alive, swear before God
to live out your days chastely, and never touch me again."

Apinianus
loved his wife deeply and was more concerned for her survival than for
his own satisfaction and pleasure, so he vowed in the temple before God
to live with her in chastity. The messenger returned to Melania with
word of her husband’s promise, and she quickly began to recover. Her
spirit rejoiced and her pain subsided: spiritual gladness overcame
bodily infirmity. Glorifying God, the saint looked forward to a life of
abstinence.

Soon after Melania rose from her
sick-bed, the virgin shoot, her beloved daughter consecrated to God
from birth, departed to heaven. Her death and Melania’s continuous
exhortations increased Apinianus’ determination to restrain his fleshly
appetites. "Do you see how God encourages us to exercise self-control?"
Melania would ask. "If He wanted us to share a bed, He would not have
taken away our children." Thus, the holy couple, after experiencing
carnal gratification, was joined in a loftier union: fasting, prayer,
labors, and the mortification of the flesh. Each incited the other to
greater struggles, and finally they decided to entrust their wealth to
Christ through the hands of the poor, to renounce the world, and to
embrace the monastic life. Melania’s parents, however, were violently
opposed to this.

One night, Apinianus and Melania
were discussing how to escape the multiform snares of the world.
Suddenly, divine grace overshadowed them, and a wondrous fragrance,
impossible to describe or even imagine, descended from heaven. So
greatly were they consoled, that they forgot their sorrows.
Thenceforth, they longed unceasingly for celestial blessings, dying to
the world and everything in it. They hoped to embrace monasticism, but
there seemed to be no possibility of this unless they secretly left the
country. In the event, this proved unnecessary, because God opened the
way for them: Melania’s father soon died, leaving them free to do as
they wished. Nonetheless, they could not leave the world at once, since
they possessed great wealth, which they had promised to Christ. They
remained in the city while distributing a large part of their fortune
among the needy, after which they retired to their country estates
nearby. There they resumed their labors with fervor, carefully avoiding
any lapse of continence. Apinianus was twenty-four years old and
Melania twenty at the time of their remarkable and God-pleasing
withdrawal from society. Oh, what a wondrous marvel! Once, the children
were preserved unharmed in the Babylonian furnace; now this holy
couple, remaining together, supernaturally prevails over the scorching
flames of carnal attraction. Blessed Melania, the Lord’s wise
handmaiden, kept a careful watch over both herself and her husband, for
she was his teacher and guide, always taking the initiative as she led
him on the way of the Lord.

While matters were
thus flourishing and the poor were enjoying their good fortune, the
following trial befell the Lord’s favorites. Severus, Apinianus’
brother, became envious of the couple’s ardor for God; moreover, he
hoped to enrich himself at their expense. He began by appropriating
some of their possessions. Encountering no resistance, he prepared to
seize all their estates. Apinianus and Melania, being strangers to
guile, put their hope in God. Only one thought distressed them: that
the needy would be robbed and valuables they had promised to Christ
would fall into the predator’s hands. As it happened, God defended His
servants, delivering them from the oppressor. The devout Empress
Serena, hearing of Melania’s virtue, summoned her and received her with
honor. Amazed by the saint’s worthless clothing and profound humility,
she embraced Melania and exclaimed, "How blessed you are for having
chosen such a life!" promising also to punish Severus.

Melania
did not wish to return evil for evil, and entreated Serena not to harm
her brother-in-law. She asked only that Severus not be permitted to do
further evil. "It is better to suffer than to give offense," said the
blessed one. "The divine Scriptures command us to turn the other cheek.
Accept my thanks, lady, for your gracious protection, but do not pay
back Severus for his injustice. We ask only to be left in peace so that
we may continue to feed Christ’s servants, orphans, widows, and
paupers, with what is Christ’s." Besides this, Melania and Apinianus
(who had accompanied his wife) begged the Empress to give them leave to
sell the towns and villages they owned near Rome, in Sicily, Spain,
Gaul, and Britain. It was necessary for them to obtain authorization
for this, because Melania’s inheritance had made her and her husband
the wealthiest private citizens in the Western Empire. They received
full warrant to do as they wished. Melania tried to give Serena an
expensive present, but the Empress would not accept it, counting it
robbery to take something promised to Christ. Finally, the estimable
couple left the palace.

Some notion of the wealth
God entrusted to the saints may be gained from the fact that no one in
Rome could find the means to purchase their house there. It was only
after the city fell to barbarians and the house had been damaged by
fire that it was sold, at a reduced price. The proceeds were used to
feed the poor. It would be no exaggeration to say that Melania and her
husband surpassed Job in obedience to God. Job thanked the Lord for
involuntary loss, but our saints gladly forsook enormous riches on
their own and embraced poverty.

Once, the devil
attempted to prevent the sale of a certain village belonging to the
Lord’s favorites, and failing in that, tried to stir up avarice in
their hearts, for they received an enormous quantity of gold for the
property. In vain did the beguiler labor, for Melania was ever on the
watch for him. Counting the money as less valuable that dirt, she
quickly distributed it to the destitute, thereby crushing the serpent’s
head. The blessed one related, "I had a fine home with a beautiful view
near a village I owned. Together, house and hamlet constituted the best
of my properties. On one side lay the sea, on which ships could be seen
sailing and fishermen casting and drawing nets; on the other there were
virgin forests full of game, green fields, gardens, and vineyards.
Fresh water was provided by a splendid pool and delightful springs, to
which came birds of every kind, singing wonderful songs. The adversary
put it into my head not to sell that lovely domain, but to keep it as
my residence. By the grace of God, I understood that the foe was
leading me astray, and without further hesitation I sold the manor,
giving the price to my Christ."

A river of money
from the sale of Melania’s properties flowed to the ends of the earth.
The beneficiaries were monasteries, convents, hostels, hospitals,
widows, orphans, and prisoners in Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Syria, Egypt,
Palestine, and elsewhere. The saints also provided ransoms for numerous
captives. In short, the whole of the West and East shared the bounty.
It is said that Melania and Apinianus purchased a number of deserted
islands and built monasteries on them, richly endowing these
communities. Churches everywhere were adorned with gold and silver and
received splendid priestly vestments as gifts.

Having
sold most of their lands in Italy, the holy couple, with Melania’s
mother, took ship for Sicily, to view and sell their holdings there and
to visit their spiritual father, the blessed Paulinus, on the way. Not
long after their departure, barbarians devastated Italy, plundering and
burning throughout the peninsula. It then became obvious what wisdom
the saints had shown in selling their properties, with God’s help,
before the invasion. What they would have lost utterly, they exchanged
for a hundredfold reward in the kingdom of heaven. Moreover, by leaving
Italy they escaped danger, saving themselves like Lot fleeing Sodom.
After staying for some time with Saint Paulinus, they arrived in Sicily
and attended to affairs there, then continued on to Carthage and Libya.

While
Melania and Apinianus were at sea, a fierce storm arose, lasting many
days. The ship was crowded with oarsmen and servants, and the water
supply failed. Saint Melania understood that it was not God’s will that
they go directly to their intended destination. She ordered the sail
spread to catch the wind and trusted the Lord to guide the vessel
wherever He wished. The ship made its way to an island on which
barbarians had landed just a few days before. The enemies had seized a
large number of men, women, and children and were demanding an enormous
ransom from the islanders still at liberty. They planned to put the
captives to the sword if they were not paid. The people wept bitterly:
the free because they did not have the means to redeem their relatives,
the prisoners because death awaited them. Hearing that a ship from Rome
had arrived, the Bishop hurried to beg assistance in raising the
ransom. Saint Melania and her husband were moved by the plight of the
people and gave more than anyone expected was possible, enough to
obtain the release of every captive. The sea was calm and the wind fair
when the saints resumed their voyage. Before long they were entering
Carthage’s harbor. No sooner had they disembarked than they began
showering alms upon churches, monasteries, the poor, and the ill. For
some time the saints lived in the town called Thagaste, not far from
Carthage. An eloquent, learned presbyter named Alypius lived there, who
greatly edified everyone who heard him teach. Melania and Apinianus
became very fond of this man, adorned his church with rich offerings,
and endowed it with several villages. They also founded a monastery
nearby for eighty monks and a convent for 130 nuns, providing both with
adequate incomes.

Saint Melania gradually
became accustomed to strict fasting and an abstinent way of life. At
first she ate every other day, then every third day, then only on
Saturdays and Sundays. She occupied herself with copying manuscripts,
being a skilled calligrapher. The money she received for the books she
transcribed she gave to the poor, for whom she also sewed clothes. She
was extremely devoted to the reading of the divine Scriptures. Whenever
she wearied of writing or sewing, she read, and when she tired of
reading, would ask another to read to her. Three times a year she read
the entire Old Testament and the New, memorizing the most important
passages so that she could quote them readily. She limited herself to
two hours of sleep daily. Her bed was a rough mat on the floor. "We
should always keep watch, for we do not know at what hour the thief
(that is, death) will come," she would say. Not only did she teach her
serving-maids to live a vigilant life; she also succeeded in persuading
many youths to remain virgins, and converted numerous unbelievers to
God.

Saint Melania spent seven years in Cathage
and the surrounding region, then decided to visit the Holy Places in
Jerusalem. With her mother and her former husband (now her spiritual
brother and fellow ascetic), she sailed first to Alexandria. There she
visited and enjoyed spiritual conversation with Saint Cyril, archbishop
of the city, and a clairvoyant elder named Theodore. Afterwards, she
took ship to Palestine. Arriving in Jerusalem, she made the rounds of
the Holy Places sanctified by the footsteps of our Lord and the most
pure Mother of God, venerating them with ineffable joy and a contrite
heart. While in Jerusalem, blessed Melania prayed every night from
sunset to sunrise, locked in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Oh, what
fervent prayers she offered to Christ on bended knee, weeping,
embracing the Tomb, and kissing it lovingly!

While
Melania and Apinianus were in Jerusalem, a trusted friend sold the last
remnants of their Italian properties. He sent the proceeds to them in
Palestine. Shortly thereafter, they decided to visit the desert fathers
of Egypt and give them alms. They left behind in the Holy City
Melania’s aged mother, with instructions to build them a house on the
Mount of Olives. Once in Egypt they made the rounds of anchorites’
cells, discussing matters profitable to the soul with the fathers, to
whom they showed great generosity. Many of the ascetics, however,
refused to accept anything, because they fled from gold as from a
serpent’s bite. Coming to the hermitage of one Hephaistion, they begged
him to take a little gold, but he declared that he would have none of
it. The blessed Melania peered into his hut, where she saw nothing but
a rush mat, a water-pot, a few dry biscuits, and a little basket of
salt; so she hid several gold coins in the salt before leaving. Her
ruse did not deceive the elder. Snatching the money, he ran after
Melania and Apinianus, shouting, "Wait! Wait!" When he caught up with
them, he opened the hand clutching the coins and demanded to know,
"What am I to do with these? I have no use for them. Keep what is
yours."

"Give them to someone else," they replied.

The
elder marveled, "Are you blind? This is a desert. Who needs money here,
and for what?" Neither Melania nor Apinianus wished to take the gold,
but he forced them to accept it and rushed back to his cell. The
travelers continued on to Alexandria, thence to Nitria, everywhere
visiting the habitations of holy men. Like bees they flew from flower
to flower, collecting sweet nectar. Before long they were back in
Jerusalem, greatly profited by the discourses of numerous
desert-dwellers. They found their house on Olivet completed, and moved
into it at once.

Melania secluded herself in a
little cell and for fourteen years admitted no one, excepting only her
mother and her spiritual brother Apinianius, whom she permitted to see
her once a week. Then her mother, full of good works, fell asleep in
the Lord. After giving her a fitting burial, Melania returned to her
narrow cell for another year. Following her brief appearance to commit
her mother to the earth, the saint’s fame spread everywhere. Many
people began to visit her, seeking counsel. Concern for the salvation
of others forced her to abandon solitude and found a convent of more
than ninety virgins. Sinful women also flocked to her, and she showed
them the path to salvation and taught them how to live in a
God-pleasing manner. She refused the office of superior, preferring to
serve everyone like a slave, while at the same time providing as a
mother for the needs of all. The blessed one constantly instructed the
sisters in moral excellence: firstly in chastity; secondly in love
(without which it is impossible to attain perfection in any virtue);
afterwards in humility, obedience, patience, and gentleness. She
frequently recounted to the nuns the following story, intending to
instill in them long-suffering and meekness.

"Once,
a young man went to an elder and asked to become his disciple. Wishing
to teach the youth what is required of a monk, the old man instructed
him to kick one of the posts framing the entranceway and to beat it
with a stick. The youth did as commanded; whereupon, the elder
inquired, ’While you were beating the post, did it take offense or
protest? Did it flee or fight back?’ ’No,’ answered the young man. The
elder said, ’Strike it harder, and at the same time revile, reproach,
and slander it in the harshest way.’ When the youth returned, the old
man asked, ’Did the post become angry? Did it contradict or rebuke you,
or complain?’ ’No, Father,’ the youth said. ’How can a post lose its
temper or say anything at all? It is not alive.’ ’If you are able to
imitate the post, never becoming annoyed or gainsaying when you are
struck, ordered about, or reproved, but remaining untroubled by every
sorrow, then stay and be my disciple,’ said the old man. ’Otherwise, do
not darken my doorway with your shadow.’"

Saint
Melania built a beautiful church in the convent. Enshrined there were
relics of the prophet Zacharias, Saint Stephen the proto martyr, and
the Forty Martyrs of Sebasteia. After it was completed, her spiritual
brother and former husband, the blessed Apinianus, departed unto the
Lord, ending his God-pleasing life in the monastic habit. Melania gave
him an honorable burial, then began preparing for her own death, which
she expected would soon follow. Providence, however, deigned to prolong
her life for the salvation of others. The saint expended her last funds
on the construction of a monastery and became truly poor, having long
before attained poverty of spirit. At that time she received a letter
from her uncle Volusianus, who had traveled from Rome to
Constantinople, asking that she come to see him in the eastern capital.
Initially, she did not want to go, since he was a pagan, but holy men
advised her not to disdain the request; so she changed her mind, hoping
to turn him to God.

Melania’s fame preceded her
on the way to Byzantium. In every city and village she was greeted
joyfully and shown the utmost esteem, for God glorifies them that
glorify Him. Bishops and priests, abbots and abbesses, nobles and
commoners came out to meet her, welcoming her as though she were sent
from heaven. When the time came for the saint to depart the towns in
which she stopped, clergy and laity invariably escorted her a long way
before taking final leave of her. Thus, as a result of the journey, the
light of Melania’s virtue and self-denial shone even further than
before, reaching, like the sun’s rays, the very ends of the earth. When
she arrived in Constantinople, the blessed one was received with great
respect by the Emperor Theodosius the Younger, the Empress Eudocia, and
the Most Holy Patriarch Proclus. Volusianus had meanwhile fallen ill.
Seeing her clothed in monastic garb, her flesh wasted, the beauty of
her countenance erased by fasting and austerities, the saint’s uncle
cried out in astonishment, "How you have changed, Melania!" Her
presence, demeanor, divinely inspired discourses, and edifying
admonitions had a profound effect on Volusianus, as did the
exhortations of Saint Proclus. Soon, he renounced Hellenic impiety and
agreed to be baptized. Several days after first receiving the divine
Mysteries, Volusianus surrendered his spirit into God’s hands and was
buried by Melania.

While staying in
Constantinople, the Lord’s favorite converted many from pestilent
Nestorianism to Orthodoxy, and warned the faithful not to be deceived
by false doctrines. Her God-given wisdom invariably prevailed over the
sophistical argumentation of the heretics. The venerable one, who was
full of the grace of the Holy Spirit, studied the Scriptures daily and
knew them extremely well. From morning till night she was surrounded by
people asking questions about the Orthodox faith. So profound were her
replies that the entire city was amazed. She remained in Constantinople
for some time, then returned to Jerusalem where she began preparing for
her departure to heaven.

Saint Melania possessed
the gift of healing and cured numerous infirmities. Let us recount a
few of her miracles, so that the reader may understand what manner of
grace abode in her.

The Empress Eudocia went to
Jerusalem to venerate the holy places and to visit Melania, her
spiritual mother. While travelling, the Empress dislocated her foot.
She was in great discomfort, but as soon as Saint Melania touched the
foot, the pain vanished.

A young woman was
tormented by a demon, which sealed her lips, altogether preventing her
from speaking or eating. Between thirst, hunger, and the torments of
possession, she was at death’s door. The godly Melania anointed her
with holy oil and prayed for her, after which the demon was expelled
and the woman could open her mouth and receive nourishment.

Another
woman was pregnant, but could not deliver her child, which had died in
the womb. Overwhelming pain rendered her incapable of uttering a sound.
Were it not for Saint Melania’s intercession, she would certainly have
perished. No sooner was the venerable one’s belt placed on her chest,
than the dead child came forth. The woman felt immediate relief and
could speak again.

Foreseeing her departure to
God, the blessed Melania decided to visit the holy places in Jerusalem,
Bethlehem, and Galilee one last time. She attended the All-night Vigil
at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, after which she said to one
of the sisters, a cousin of hers who never departed her side, that she
would not celebrate the feast of Christ’s birth again on earth. Hearing
this, the woman wept bitterly. On the eve of Saint Stephen’s, Melania
attended Vigil at the convent church where the protomartyr’s relics
were enshrined. While reading his Passion to the sisters, Melania
commented that they would never again hear the account together. The
nuns understood that she was predicting her imminent departure, and
lamented bitterly. The saint consoled them with divinely inspired
counsel and used the occasion to deliver a discourse on the virtues.
Then she returned to the church and prayed, "O Lord God, from the
beginning I devoted myself to Thee and loved Thee more than wedlock or
wealth, glory or pleasure. From infancy I entrusted my soul and body to
Thee, and from fear of Thee my flesh hath cleaved to my bones. Thy
right hand hath directed me, and Thy statutes have ever been my guide.
Do Thou hearken unto my voice, and may my tears loose the floods of Thy
mercy. Wash away the stains of my voluntary and involuntary sins;
permit me to attain unto Thee without hindrance; do not allow the
wicked spirits of the air to detain me. O Immortal One, Thou knowest
the infirmity of our mortal nature; Thou knowest, O lover of mankind,
that no man is without fault; Thou knowest that we all transgress every
day, giving our enemies reason for claiming us as their own. But do
Thou, Master, overlook mine offenses and cleanse me, that I may appear
spotless before Thy judgement seat."

Having
completed this prayer, Saint Melania began to weaken. She desisted from
ascetic labors, but continued attending church and teaching the
sisters. The Bishop of Eleutheropolis arrived with his clergy to visit,
and imparted the divine and most pure Mysteries to her. Then, having
consoled her cousin and the other sisters, Melania gave them a final
kiss and uttered her last words: "May the Lord’s will be done." So
saying, the venerable one surrendered her soul into God’s hands. She
fell asleep in the Lord on the thirty-first of December, lying on her
bed with her eyes closed and her hands crossed upon her breast in a
dignified manner. All the monks and nuns living near Jerusalem
assembled for her funeral. After chanting psalms the whole night long
over her body, they buried her reverently. Her holy soul took up its
abode in the courts of the Lord Whom she loved and for Whom she labored
fervently throughout her life. There she boasts in glory with all the
saints, praying for us sinners to the one God in Trinity: Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, to Whom be praise forever. Amen.

Abbreviated from Metaphrastes, whose narrative is supplemented by the account in The Lausiac History, Ch. 109