Do not commune with heretics
On the day of the memory of the glorious father Shio the people gathered at the Mgvime monastery. Here were the king and all the princes, and, according to custom, the hierarch Sarmiane came also with his bishops. Here too were certain Egyptians who held the Jacobite faith and had come from the city of Tiflis. When they saw that the catholicos had come, they went to him, offered him gifts brought from their own country, and, having received his blessing, said: “Holy master, make us worthy today to commune from thy holy hand.” The catholicos did not inquire who these men were or of what faith, and commanded the deacon to bring them up at the Communion. The holy liturgy began; the Egyptians came forward, and the catholicos communed them with his own hand. When they came out of the church, the king invited them all to a supper. That same day the catholicos went to Mtskheta, for on the next day was the commemoration of all Christian souls. No sooner had it grown dark than there appeared to the catholicos Sarmiane in his sleep two men, glorious in appearance and dread in form. One of them was a high priest, upon whose head was a veil like a cowl; the other was an aged monk, who held a golden staff with a cross. When Sarmiane saw them he was afraid and tried to recall who they were; and while he was thinking on this, the men came to him and tore away his covering. The hierarch vanished, but the monk remained and said to him: “O Sarmiane, how dost thou see thyself?” And he answered that he saw himself as one put to shame. Then the elder said to him: “And does this please thee greatly?” The catholicos answered: “No.” The aged monk said to him: “O brother, those who stripped Christ God — of His nature, and of His operation, and of His will, — who neither knew Him by His Godhead nor showed forth His power by His human nature, — these very men hast thou received to the Communion of the Blood and Flesh of Christ; and this the Master, the Creator of heaven and earth, reckons yet more grievous.” The catholicos asked who these men were. The elder answered: “They from whom thou didst receive gifts; and this so blinded thy heart that thou didst not inquire who they were, and by this deed thou hast through these vile heretics dishonoured the law of God; and behold, now thou also art stripped of the grace of God.” These words greatly frightened the catholicos, and he could hardly ask the elder: “Who art thou, my lord, that thus searchest out my life, and who was that bishop whom I first saw with thee?” The aged monk answered: “That bishop was Cyril, patriarch of Alexandria, who for the true Orthodox faith, which thou hast this day abased, took upon himself many labours. And I am the servant of God, Shio.” At these words he vanished, and Sarmiane awoke. Troubled and distressed, the catholicos hastily commanded that all the bishops be gathered, and with tears in his eyes told them his vision and asked how he might redeem and bewail his fault. The bishops considered and decided that first the gifts of the followers of Jacob should be brought and burned outside the gates, “and thou,” they said to the catholicos, “make haste and go to the monastery of Saint Shio and confess the first mercy, for with such care did he appear to thee; and then for forty days show forth repentance with great labour. And we, reverently, each apart, shall pray and fast and entreat the Lord to forgive thee this fault and to be pleased to reveal to us the end of the matter for which we strive with all our heart.”
The catholicos was pleased with their counsel, and at dawn he hastily made it known to all the bishops that they should celebrate the feast of the martyr, and he asked the prayers of all. He himself went to the Mgvime monastery, to the tomb of Saint Shio, fell down before it and with great repentance and tears said: “Father, stretch forth thy holy fatherly prayers before God and ask that He forgive me, for by my carelessness I have angered my Lord. Henceforth I shall not go out from here until I receive forgiveness of my fault.” Sarmiane remained in the cave and prayed and fasted diligently. The holy and glorious Sunday night came, and the weary Sarmiane fell into a slumber. He saw that he stood before Golgotha; there he beheld Christ crucified, while he himself was held by certain dread men; and they brought Sarmiane to the Crucified. He looked this way and that, that someone might help him, but he found no one. Suddenly he saw that the glorious hierarch Cyril, whom he had seen before, and the blessed father Shio with the same crossed staff in his hand, clothed in great honour and splendour, were brought in there; and they stood boldly before the crucified Christ and entreated for Sarmiane.
From the Crucified they received this answer: “Do you see how day by day I suffer upon the cross because of those through whom this befell Me? He brought in My enemies to eat of My Flesh and to drink of My Blood, and therefore Sarmiane is not worthy of forgiveness; only for the sake of your love and your entreaty have I forgiven him; and tell him that henceforth he be watchful.” The holy and glorious fathers came to Sarmiane and said to him: “Brother, henceforth amend thy ways and be circumspect”; and they brought again the same covering and clothed him in it. Sarmiane awoke, and his heart was filled with joy, although he still doubted whether his vision had been true. When it grew light, there came the bishop Philip, sent by the council of bishops, and he brought a letter in which was written: “To our great patriarch Sarmiane, rejoice. Thy children and the shepherds of thy holiness, all the bishops, make known to thee that thou shouldest trouble thy aged body no more, for by the intercession of the holy father Shio the Lord has looked mercifully upon thee, and has appeared to five of His unworthy servants and commanded each of them: ‘God has forgiven the catholicos Sarmiane his fault; and now without doubt bring back your shepherd.’ Now let thy holiness command that we all come thither and render thanksgiving to the wonderworking father Shio.”
When Sarmiane had read this letter he was set at rest and commanded all the bishops to come thither. Much thanksgiving did he offer to the Lord and to the blessed father Shio, and in token of this thanksgiving he appointed that one lamp and one candle should burn unquenched at the tomb of Saint Shio.
Prepared by Tamar Asatiani from the miracles of Saint Shio of Mgvime
