Andronicus

The Lives Of The Saints: Volume 11, October, Pt. 1 · SS. ANDRONICUS AND ATHANASIA, CC.

SS. ANDRONICUS AND ATHANASIA, CC.

(5TH CENT.)

There lived at Antioch, in Syria, a silversmith, named Andronicus, and his wife Athanasia, fearing God and show- ing love to their neighbours. All the gains of his trade Andronicus divided into three portions, whereof he spent one on the poor, and one they lent to those driven by necessity to borrow, yet without exacting interest, and the third portion he spent on himself and family. These good people had two children, a boy and a girl, whom they loved as the apples of their eyes. Now when Andronicus and Athanasia had been married for twelve years, by the will of God their two children died in one day. The father stilled his grief and worked more patiently and silently at his craft than before. But Athanasia was heart-broken and spent her time by the tomb that contained her little ones, in the church of S. Julian. And she stayed there clinging to the tomb and sobbing, “ Let me die with my children and be laid at their side.” But in the night, when all was still, and the lamps burned dimly in the chinch, there stood an abbot before the weeping woman, and said to her: “Woman, what aileth thee? why sufferest thou not the dead to sleep in peace?” Then she answered: “My Lord, be not angry with thy handmaiden, because I am overwhelmed with grief. I had two little children, and I lost them both in one day, and they lie here.”

Then said he, “ Weep not for them ; for I say unto you, that as human nature craves and cries out for food, and languishes if it find it not, so do thy children crave and cry

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out where they are to Christ, for the blessedness of future things, saying, Just Judge, give us celestial comforts in the room of those earthly joys of which we were deprived.”

Now when Athanasia heard this, all her sorrow was turned into joy, and she looked to speak to the abbot, but could not find him. Then she went to the keeper of the gate and said : “ Which way went the abbot who was in the church ?" But he answered, “ There has been no abbot here.” Then she knew that the Blessed Julian, the martyr, had appeared to her under the garb of a monk. And she went forth, and came to her husband and told him all, and besought him that he and she might together renounce the world and retire into a monastery, where they might prepare to meet their little ones.

He consented, for his heart was very heavy, and all his hopes and ambition in this world were at an end when the earth closed over the white faces of his children.

Then they made presents to their servants, and gave over the rest of their substance to the heir-at-law, and taking with them only a little sum they left the house. But when they had got into the street, Athanasia turned round and looked up at the old house in which she had spent so many happy years, at the window where she had sat nursing her pretty children, and sobbed and said : “ O Lord God, who saidst to Abraham and Sarah, Go forth from your land and from your kindred, to a land that I will show you, guide us, I pray Thee, in the way of Thy fear. So we leave our house door open out of love for Thee ; do thou unclose to us the door of Thy kingdom.”

Then both wept and went on their way.

Biographical overview

There are several saints named Andronicus: Andronicus of Pannonia — an Apostle of the Seventy mentioned in Romans 16:7 Andronicus of Tarsus in Cilicia — a fourth-century martyr Andronicus of Egypt — a 5th-century ascetic Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow — a 14th-century disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh

Martyrologium Romanum · Latin witness

Hierosolymis sanctorum Andronici et Athanasiae conjugis.