Venerable Theophanes of Antioch and St Pansemne (+369)

The Venerable Theophanes of Antioch (+369) grew up in a pagan family. He married early, but after three years his wife died. Widowed, Theophanes set out on the way of Christ: he was baptised, withdrew from a life full of unrest and vanity, and settled in a narrow cell outside the city. Troubled people often came to him, revealed to him the wounds of their souls and asked for healing. The saint advised them to seek relief in faithfulness to God’s commandments and in a pure life. He grieved to see that depravity had spread like a torrent and threatened to flood Antioch. Once Theophanes learned of a harlot, Pansemne, who by her seductions caught many in the devil’s net, and he longed to save her soul. The saint prayed long and fervently; then he dressed elegantly, asked his father for gold, and went to the harlot. Dazzled by the glitter of the coins, Pansemne found the visitor’s proposal, “Marry me”, very attractive, and gladly agreed. The only thing Theophanes asked of her in return was baptism. The saint began to prepare the harlot for the holy Mystery; he explained to her the essence of the Orthodox teaching, showed her that God’s purity cannot bear sin and depravity, and taught her that the all-good Lord is merciful to the repentant. After baptism the woman was completely changed: she gave away all her property as alms, settled in a hut opposite Theophanes’ cell, and gave herself to a life of boundless self-restraint, fasting and prayer. Twenty-two months later, on the very day her teacher reposed (+369), Pansemne commended her soul to the Lord.