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01. DECEMBER
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Holy Prophet Nahum
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| Born of the tribe of Simeon in a place called Elkosh, on the
further side of the Jordan, he lived seven hundred years before
Christ and foretold the fall of Nineveh two hundred years after
the Prophet Jonah. The people of Nineveh had repented after
hearing Jonah's preaching, and God had protected them and not
destroyed them. But, with the passage of time, they came to
forget God's mercy and turned again to evil. Nahum foretold
their doom, warning them that, if they showed no repentance,
they would receive no protection. The entire city was so utterly
destroyed by earthquake, flood and fire that its location is
no longer known. Holy Nahum lived for forty-five years before
going to his rest in the Lord, leaving us a small book of his
true and genuine prophecies. |
St. Philaret the Merciful
|
| rom the village of Amnia in Paphlagonia, Philaret was at first
a man of some substance, but, as a result of his constant almsgiving,
he became utterly destitute. He was not afraid of poverty, and
went on with his charitable works with trust in the Lord who
has said: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,
paying no attention to the disapproval of his wife and children.
Once, when he was ploughing in his meadow, a man came to him
with the news of the death of his ox in harness, and of his
inability to plough with only one ox, so Philaret unharnessed
his own and gave it to him. He gave away his remaining horse
to a man who was called away to battle, and the calf from his
remaining cow - and, when he saw how the cow pined after her
calf, gave the man the cow as well. And so the aged Philaret
was left hungry in an empty house. But he prayed to God, entrusting
himself to Him. God does not abandon the righteous man, allowing
him to be shamed in his hope. At that time, the Empress Irene
was on the throne with her young son Constantine and, in accordance
with the custom of the time, the Empress sent men through the
whole Empire to find the best and most distinguished maiden
to wed her son. By divine Providence, these men happened upon
Philaret's home and beheld his very beautiful and modest grand-daughter
Maria, the daughter of Hypatia, and they took her to Constantinople.
The Emperor was well-pleased with her and took her to wife,
and brought Philaret and all his family to the capital, showering
honour and wealth upon them. Philaret did not become proud in
this change of fortune but, with gratitude to God, performed
still greater deeds of charity than before, remaining thus for
the rest of his days. At the age of ninety, he called all his
children to him and, having blessed them and instructed them
to cleave to God and His Law, foretold to each of them how their
lives would develop, just as our forefather Jacob did aforetime.
When he had done this, he went to a monastery and there gave
his soul into God's hands. At his death, his face shone like
the sun and a sweet fragrance arose from his body, and miracles
were worked over his relics. This righteous man of God went
to his rest in 797. His wife and all his children and grandchildren
lived and died in the Lord. |
02. DECEMBER
|
Holy Prophet Habakkuk
|
| cried Habakkuk, "take the dinner which God hath sent thee!
And Daniel took it and ate. Then the angel of God again took
hold of Habakkuk and carried him back to his field in Judea.
Habakkuk preached and prophesied about the liberation of Jerusalem
and the coming of Christ. He entered into rest in great old
age and was buried at Keilah. His relics were discovered during
the reign of Theodosius the Great. |
Holy Martyr Myrope
|
| St. Isidore said to her, "thy prayer has ascended to God,
and thou shalt soon be with us and receive the crown prepared
for thee. The holy martyr was filled with joy, and at that moment
surrendered her soul into God's hands. A sweet fragrance came
forth from her body and filled the whole prison. One of the
guards who witnessed all this was moved to belief in Christ
and was baptised, and soon thereafter suffered a martyr's death.
St. Myrope entered into eternity in the year 251. |
St. Uros, King of Serbia
|
| The son of King Dusan, he ruled during the difficult time
of the fall of the Kingdom of Serbia. Humble, pious and gentle,
he refused to attempt to restrain the power of the powerful
nobles by force. Amongst these was Vukasin, who brought about
his death. Good King Uro{ suffered a martyr's death on December
2nd, 1367, at the age of thirty-one. Killed by men, he was glorified
by God. His wonderworking relics were preserved in the monastery
of Jazak in the Fruska Gora, whence they were taken to Belgrade
in 1942, during the Second World War, and placed in the Cathedral
beside the bodies of Prince Lazar and Despot Stefan Stiljanovic.
During the reign of this benevolent king, the monastery of St.
Nahum was built beside Lake Ochrid by one of Uros' nobles, Grgur. |
Our Holy Father Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves
|
| After a long life of asceticism, this holy man died and was
washed, attired and prepared for burial. He lay dead for two
days, then suddenly returned to life. When they came to bury
him, they found him sitting up and weeping. He shut himself
in his cell and lived a further twelve years on bread and water,
without a word to anyone. He entered into rest in the Lord in
1176. |
St. Jesse, Bishop of Tsiklan
|
| One of the thirteen Syrian fathers(see May 7th) he was a great
wonderworker. He changed the course of a distant river by his
prayers, and caused it to flow close to the city of Tsiklan.
His relics are preserved in the church dedicated to him in that
Syrian city. |
03. DECEMBER.
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Holy Prophet Zephaniah
|
| (Zeph. 3:1-4). Foreseeing the coming of the Messiah, he cried
out with rapture: "Sing, O daughter of Sion; shout, O Israel;
be glad and rejoice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
(3:14). This seer of secrets and mysteries went to his rest
in the place where he was born, there to await the general Resurrection
and his reward from God. |
St. John the Silent (the Hesychast)
|
| Born in Nicopolis in Armenia, he was the son of Encratius
and Euphemia. He became a monk at the age of eighteen and gave
himself to asceticism, thoroughly cleansing his heart with tears,
prayer and fasting. After ten years, he was made Bishop of Colonia.
The example of his life drew his brother, Pergamius, and his
uncle, Theodore, both noted members of the court of the Emperors
Zeno and Justinian, to lead lives pleasing to God. Seeing the
evil and intrigues of the world and his inability to put matters
right, he abandoned the episcopal throne and went to the monastery
of St. Sava near Jerusalem, disguised as a simple monk. He remained
there a number of years quite unknown, conscientiously and capably
performing whatever service the abbot gave him. Thereupon St.
Sava suggested to the Patriarch that he be ordained priest.
When the Patriarch came to do this, John confessed that he already
bore the rank of bishop. Then St. John shut himself into his
cell and spent year after year in silence and prayer. Afterwards,
he spent nine years in the desert, sustaining himself with wild
herbs, and then he returned to the monastery. He wrested the
faithful away from the heresy of Origen, and made a great contribution
to the struggle against that heresy and its condemnation. He
was able to perceive the spiritual realm with clarity, and heal
the sick. He could easily subdue demons, having already conquered
himself. He entered peacefully into rest in 558 at the age of
a hundred and four, being great in humility, power and godly
wisdom. |
Hieromartyr Theodore, Archbishop of Alexandria
|
| After serving as Patriarch for two years, he was tortured
by the pagans. They put a crown of thorns on his head, and finally
beheaded him for the Faith in 606. |
Our Holy Father Theodulus
|
| A noted patrician at the court of Theodosius the Great, he
abandoned the vanity of this world after the death of his wife,
and left Constantinople for a pillar near Ephesus, on which
he spent a good thirty years in asceticism. |
Our Holy Father Sava of Storozhev
|
| He was a disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh and a great wonderworker.
After his death, he appeared to many people, sometimes to instruct,
sometimes to warn and sometimes to heal. He went from this life
to the better one in 1406. |
04. DECEMBER
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Holy and Great Martyr Barbara
|
| This famous follower of Christ was betrothed to Him from her
early years. Her father, Dioscorus, was a pagan in the city
of Heliopolis in Egypt, and was famed for his wealth and standing.
Dioscorus shut up his only daughter, who was both intelligent
and beautiful, in a high tower, surrounded her with all possible
comforts, gave her a host of attendants, set up idols for worship
and built her a bathroom with two windows. As she gazed through
the windows of the tower upon the earth below and the starry
sky above, Barbara's mind was opened by the grace of God, and
she came to know Him as the one, true God and Creator, although
she had no human teacher to bring her to the knowledge of Him.
Once, when her father was away from the city, she came out of
the tower and, by God's providence, met some Christians who
told her about the true Christian faith. Barbara's heart was
set on fire with love for Christ. She had a third window cut
in the bathroom as a symbol of the Holy Trinity, and traced
a Cross with her finger on one wall of it, which etched itself
deep in the stone as if cut by a chisel. A spring of water gushed
forth from the bathroom floor from her footprint, and it later
gave healing from sickness to many. When Dioscorus found out
about his daughter's faith, he beat her harshly and drove her
from the tower, chasing after her to kill her, but a cliff opened
and hid Barbara from her irate father. When she appeared again,
Dioscorus took her to Martian, the governor of the city, who
handed her over for torture. The innocent Barbara was stripped
and beaten until her entire body was covered in bloody wounds,
but the Lord Himself appeared to her in the prison with many
angels, and healed her. A certain woman, Juliana, beheld this
and conceived a desire for martyrdom herself. Both of them were
fearfully tortured and taken around the city to be mocked, then
their breasts were cut off and much blood flowed from them.
They were finally led out to the place of execution, and Juliana
was slain by soldiers while Barbara was killed by her own father.
On the same day, lightning struck Dioscorus's house, killing
both him and Martian. St. Barbara suffered in 306, and her wonderworking
relics are preserved in Kiev. Greatly glorified in the Kingdom
of Christ, she has appeared many times down to our own days,
sometimes alone and sometimes in the company of the most holy
Mother of God. |
St. John Damacene
|
| He was first a minister of Caliph Abdul-Malek, and then became
a monk in the monastery of St. Sava the Sanctified. For his
ardent advocacy of the veneration of icons while still a courtier
during the reign of the iconoclast Emperor Leo the Isaurian,
he was slandered by the Emperor to the Caliph, who had his right
hand cut off. John fell down in prayer before the icon of the
most holy Mother of God, and his hand was re-joined to his arm
and miraculously healed. When he beheld this wonder, the Caliph
repented, but John no longer desired to remain at court as a
nobleman, but to withdraw to a monastery. There, he was from
the beginning a model of humility and obedience, and of all
the works of asceticism prescribed for monks. He wrote the hymns
for the Parting of the Soul from the Body, put together the
Octoechos, the Irmologion, the Menologion and the Easter Canon,
and wrote many theological works of an inspired profundity.
A great monk, hymnographer and theologian, and a great warrior
for the truth of Christ, Damascene is counted among the great
Fathers of the Church. He entered peacefully into rest in about
749, being seventy-five years old. |
St. Gennadius, Archbishop of Novgorod
|
| A writer of note, a champion of truth and one who suffered
for the truth of Christ, he brought the various books of Sacred
Scripture together in one book, and composed a system to find
the date of Easter (the Paschalia) for the next five hundred
and thirty-two years. He entered into rest in the Lord in 1505.
His wonderworking relics are preserved in the Chudov monastery
in Moscow. |
05. DECEMBER
|
Our Holy Father Sava the Sanctified
|
| he unknown village of Mutalaska, in the province of Cappadocia,
became famous through this great light of the Orthodox Church,
for St. Sava was born there. He left the home of his parents,
John and Sophia, at the age of eight and became a monk in a
nearby monastery called "Flavian's. After ten years, he moved
to the monasteries of Palestine, staying longest in the monastery
of St. Euthymius the Great(see January 20th) and Theoctistus.
Euthymius, who had the gift of discernment, foretold that he
would be a famous monk and leader of monks, and that he would
found a monastery that would be greater than any other of that
day. After St. Euthymius's death, Sava went into the desert,
where he lived for five years as a hermit in a cave which an
angel of God showed him. After that, when he had become a perfected
monk, he began by divine providence to gather round him many
desirous of the spiritual life. They very quickly grew in number,
so that Sava had to build both a church and many cells. Some
Armenians also came to him, and he set aside a cave for them,
and they celebrated the services there in their own language.
When his father died, his aged mother Sophia came to him and
he made her a nun and gave her a cell away from the monastery,
where she lived in asceticism till her death. This holy father
endured many attacks from those close to him, from heretics
and from demons. But he overcame them all in these ways: those
close to him he won over by his goodness and forbearance, the
heretics by an unshakeable confession of the Orthodox faith,
and the demons with the sign of the Cross and the invocation
of God's aid. He had a particularly severe battle with the demons
on the mountain of Castellium, where he founded the second of
his seven monasteries. He and his neighbour, Theodosius the
Great, are considerd to be the greatest lights and pillars of
Orthodoxy in the East. Kings and Patriarchs were brought to
the right Faith by them, and these holy and wonderful men, strong
in the power of God, served each and every man as an example
of humility. St. Sava entered into rest in 532 at the age of
ninety-four, after a life of great labour and great reward.
Among all his other great and good works, let this be remembered
above all: that he compiled the first Order of Services for
use in monasteries, now known as the Jerusalem Typikon. |
Our Holy Fathers, the Martyrs of Karyes
|
| They suffered at the time of the Union of Lyons, at the hands
of the Papists. The Union was the work of the Pope and the Emperor
Michael Palaeologus (1260-81). The Protos of the Holy Mountain
was hanged, and the others were beheaded with the sword. For
details of this,see October 10th(101002) |
Our Holy Father Nectarius of Bitola (Monastiri)
|
| Born in Bitola, he lived in asceticism in the monastery of
the Holy Physicians Cosmas and Damian there, together with his
father who was also a monk. He later went to Karyes, where he
continued his asceticism in the cell of the Holy Archangels,
under the direction of the elders of Philotheou and Dionysiou.
After conquering human envy, demonic attacks and painful illnesses,
he entered into the Kingdom of Christ on December 5th, 1500.
His incorrupt and fragrant relics are preserved in his cell. |
Our Holy Fathers Karyon and Zachariah
|
| Father and son, they were great Egyptian ascetics. Karion
left his wife and their two children and went off to become
a monk. The young Zachariah was taken into the monastery as
a child, and outstripped in asceticism both his father and many
other notable ascetics. When they asked Zachariah: "Who
is truly a monk?", he replied: "He who constantly
exercises himself in the fulfilling of God's commandments". |
06. DECEMBER.
|
St. Nicolas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia
|
| (Matt. 6:3). When he embraced a life of solitude and silence,
thinking to live in that way until his death, a voice from on
high came to him: "Nicolas, set about your work among the people
if you desire to receive a crown from Me. Immediately after
that, by God's wondrous providence, he was chosen as archbishop
of the city of Myra in Lycia. Merciful, wise and fearless, Nicolas
was a true shepherd to his flock. He was cast into prison during
the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian, but even there
continued to instruct the people in the Law of God. He was present
at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325, and, in his
zeal, struck Arius with his hand. For this act, he was removed
from the Council and from his episcopal duties, until some of
the chief hierarchs had a vision of our Lord Christ and His
most holy Mother showing their sympathy with NicolasThis wonderful
saint was a defender of the truth of God, and was ever a spirited
champion of justice among the people. On two occasions, he saved
three men from undeserved sentences of death. Merciful, trustworthy
and loving right, he walked among the people like an angel of
God. People considered him a saint even during his lifetime,
and invoked his aid when in torment or distress. He would appear
both in dreams and in reality to those who called upon him for
help, responding speedily to them, whether close at hand or
far away. His face would shine with light as Moses' did aforetime,
and his mere presence among people would bring solace, peace
and goodwill. In old age, he sickened of a slight illness, and
went to his rest in the Lord after a life full of labour and
fruitful toil. He now enjoys eternal happiness in the Kingdom
of heaven, continuing to help the faithful on earth by his miracles,
and to spread the glory of God. He entered into rest on December
6th, 343(See May 9th) |
St. Nicolas, Bishop of Patara
|
| The uncle of the great St. Nicolas, he set his nephew on the
spiritual path and ordained him priest. |
Holy Martyr Nicolas of Karamanos
|
| He was harshly tortured by the Turks, and was hanged in Smyrna
in 1657. |
St. Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch
|
| man well-versed in Hellenistic philosophy, he became a Christian
through reading the Holy Scriptures and became a great champion
of the Christian faith. His work "On the Faith is extant today.
He governed the Church in Antioch for thirteen years, and went
to his rest in the year 181. |
07. DECEMBER
|
St. Ambrose, Bishop of Mediolanum (Milan)
|
| On the death of his father, the Emperor made him governor
of Liguria, of which province Milan was the chief city. When
the bishop of Milan died, there was great dissention between
the Orthodox Christians and the heretical Arians about the choice
of a new bishop. Ambrose went into the church to keep order,
this being his responsibilty. Thereupon, a child at its mother's
breast cried out: "Ambrose for bishop! All the people took this
to be the voice of God, and unanimously elected Ambrose as their
bishop, although it was against his will. Ambrose was baptised,
and passed through all the necessary ranks in one week, and
was consecrated bishop. In this capacity, he strengthened the
faith of the Orthodox, restrained heretics, adorned churches,
spread the Faith among the pagans, wrote many instructive books
and was an example of a true Christian and a true shepherd.
He also composed the Te Deum, the great hymn of thanksgiving.
This renowned hierarch, who was visited by people from distant
lands for his wisdom and gracious words, was very austere in
his personal life, being no stranger to toil and full of good
works. He slept little, worked and prayed constantly and fasted
every day except Saturday and Sunday. God therefore permitted
him to witness many of His wonders, and to perform many himself.
He discovered the relics of Sts. Protasius, Gervasius, Nazarius
and Celsus(see October 14th)(101402) Humble before lesser men,
he was fearless before the great. He reproached the Empress
Justina for heresy, cursed Maximus for tyranny and murder and
forbade the Emperor Theodosius to enter a church until he had
repented of his sin. He refused to meet the powerful Eugenius,
the self-styled Emperor. God granted this man, who was so pleasing
to Him, such grace that he could raise the dead, drive demons
from men, heal the sick of every ailment and see into the future.
He died peacefully at daybreak on Easter Day in the year 397. |
Our Holy Father Gregory the Hesychast
|
| A Serb by birth, he was the founder of the monastery of St.
Nicolas on the Holy Mountain, which is known by the name of
Grigoriou after him. He built himself a cell about four hours'
journey from the monastery, where he wept over his sins and
prayed. In 1761, a serious fire broke out in the monastery,
and at that time some of the monks took his relics to Serbia.
This man of God entered into eternal rest in 1406. |
Our Holy Father Nilus of Stolobnoye
|
| A worker on the land, born in Novgorod, he went off into a
lonely place and survived on plants and gleanings. He was instructed
by a voice from on high to move to the island of Stolobnoye
(Table Island). Once, some robbers burst into his cell, and
were immediately blinded. He dug his own grave close to his
cell, and wept over it every day. He entered into eternal rest
in the kingdom of Christ in 1554, and his wonderworking relics
are preserved in the place where he led his life of fasting. |
08. DECEMBER
|
Our Holy Father Patapius
|
| Born and brought up in the Faith and in the fear of God by
pious parents in the Egyptian city of Thebes, he early perceived
and rejected the empty vanity of the world and went into the
Egyptian desert, where he devoted himself to cleansing his heart
from every worldly thought and desire for the sake of divine
love. When his virtues became known among the people, they began
to come to him and seek relief from their troubles. Afraid of
human glory, which darkens a man's mind and separates it from
God, Patapius fled from the desert to Constantinople, for this
wonderful saint thought that he could more easily hide himself
from men in the heart of a city than in the desert. He built
himself a hut close to the Blachernae church and there, enclosed
and unknown, took up again his interrupted life of asceticism.
But the light cannot be hidden. A child, blind from birth, was
led by divine Providence to St. Patapius and begged him to offer
a prayer that he might be given his sight and look upon God's
creation, and praise God all the more. Patapius had pity on
the suffering child and prayed to God, and the child saw. Through
this miracle, Patapius's godly life became known throughout
the entire capital, and people began to turn to him for healing,
comfort and teaching. Patapius healed one eminent man of dropsy
after blessing him with a cross and anointing him with oil.
Making the sign of the Cross in the air, he freed a youth from
an unclean spirit which had cruelly tormented him, and the evil
spirit went out of God's creature like smoke, uttering a great
cry. He made the sign of the Cross over a woman who had sores
on her breasts all filled with worms, and she was healed. St.
Patapius worked many other miracles, all through prayer in the
name of Christ and by the power of the Cross. He entered into
rest in great old age, going to the Kingdom of God in the seventh
century. |
Holy Apostles Sosthenes, Apollos, Tychicus, Epaphroditus,
Onesiphorus, Cephas and Caesar
|
| All these are commemorated on January 4th with the other lesser
apostles. St. Apollos is also commemorated on September 10th,
St. Onesiphorus on September 7th, and Cephas and Caesar on March
30th. St. Sosthenes was Bishop of Caesarea and Tychicus succeeded
him in the same city. Epaphroditus was bishop in Colophon in
Pamphylia, Cephas in Iconium and Caesar in the Peloponnese.
They all preached the Gospel of Christ with burning love, and
endured suffering for His name's sake before they entered into
the Kingdom of eternal joy. |
Holy Martyrs in Africa
|
| They suffered for the truth of Orthodoxy in the reign of Gunerik
of the Vandals (477-484), at the hands of the heretical Arians.
Two priests were burned, sixty had their tongues torn out and
three hundred laymen were beheaded. All of them suffered terribly,
but they overcame falsehood by their deaths, and Orthodoxy was
strengthened and was handed down to us pure and untarnished.
The Lord crowned them with crowns of glory in His immortal Kingdom. |
09. DECEMBER
|
Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God
|
| Righteous Joachim and Anna were childless for fifty years
of their married life. In their old age, the Archangel Gabriel
appeared to them, to each one separately, and told them that
God had heard their prayer and that a daughter would be born
to them. Then St. Anna conceived by her husband and, after nine
months, bore a daughter blessed by God and all generations of
men: the most holy Virgin Mary and Mother of God. There is a
fuller account of all this onSeptember 9th(090901) |
St. Hannah, Mother of the Prophet Samuet
|
| Hannah was the wife of Elkanah from Ramathaim-Zophim, or Arimathea
(I Sam. 1). She had had no child, being barren, and she wept
and grieved bitterly for this. But God in His mercy took pity
on her, and removed her barrenness in response to her ceaseless
prayers and sighs. Hannah bore a son, Samuel, and dedicated
him to God from his childhood. Samuel was a great leader of
the nation of Israel, and a prophet who anointed two kings,
Saul and David. St. Hannah sang a hymn of thanksgiving to God,
a hymn wonderful in its wisdom and beauty, which is used to
this day in church services (I Sam. 2:1). |
Our Holy Father Stephen the New Light
|
| After that, he spent many years in a cell by the church of
the holy martyr Antipas. This saint also appeared to him, encouraging
him: "Know that I will not abandon thee. Stephen took greater
and greater labours upon himself. He ate only twice a week,
and that unsalted cabbage. In all, this holy man spent fifty-five
years in asceticism for the sake of the kingdom of Christ, and
went to his rest in the Lord in 879, at the age of seventy-three. |
St. Sophronius, Archbishop of Cyprus
|
| He was born and brought up in Cyprus. Because of his great
spiritual erudition and his many virtues, in particular his
compassion, he was made archbishop after St. Damian. Having
faithfully served the Church and led a life pleasing to God,
he died peacefully in the sixth century. |
10. DECEMBER
|
Holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes and Eugraphus
|
| oth Menas and Hermogenes were born in Athens. They both lived
in Constantinople, where they enjoyed the high favour of the
Emperor and the honour of the people. Menas was known for his
great learning and gift of speech and, although he acted outwardly
as a pagan, he was in his heart a convinced Christian. Hermogenes
was Eparch of Constantinople, and was a pagan through and through.
He was, however, a merciful man and performed many good deeds.
When dissention broke out between the Christians and the pagans
in the city of Alexandria, the Emperor Maximian (285305) sent
Menas to calm the turmoil and drive the Christians from the
city. Menas went and restored peace, but he also declared himself
to be a Christian and brought many of the pagans to the true
Faith by the power of his words and the witness of his many
miracles. When the Emperor heard this, he sent Hermogenes to
punish Menas and to liquidate the Christians. Hermogenes brought
Menas to trial, and he cut off his feet and his tongue, gouged
out his eyes and then threw him into prison. The Lord Jesus
himself appeared to him there, to heal and console His suffering
servant. When he saw Menas miraculously healed, Hermogenes was
baptised and began to preach the mighty Faith of Christ, being
made Bishop of Alexandria. Then the furious Emperor Maximian
came himself to Alexandria and put Menas and Hermogenes to harsh
torture, which they endured courageously with the help of God's
grace. Beholding the fortitude of these soldiers of Christ and
the miracles God wrought upon them, Eugraphus, Menas's secretary,
went into the judgement-hall and shouted to the Emperor's face:
"I too am a Christian! The Emperor flew into a rage, took a
sword and beheaded Eugraphus himself, and then he commanded
the executioner to behead Menas and Hermogenes. Their holy relics,
thrown into the sea, floated in a miraculous way to Constantinople,
where the bishop, forewarned in a dream, met them with great
ceremony and buried them with honour. |
Our Holy Mother Angelina and St. John the Despot
|
| he daughter of Prince George Skenderbeg of Albania and the
wife of Stephen, Despot of Serbia and son of Despot George,
she endured exile with her husband and shared with him all the
vicissitudes of life in Serbia, and also in Albania and Italy.
She brought up her two sons, Maxim and John, in a truly Christian
spirit. Becoming a nun on her husband's death, she devoted herself
to prayer, works of charity and the building and repair of churches.
A faithful wife, a good mother and a perfect Christian, she
indeed merited the title "Mother Angelina given her by the people.
Her wonderworking relics are preserved, along with the relics
of her righteous husband Stephen and her devoted sons Maxim
and John, in the monastery of Krusedol, though some of them
were destroyed by the Turks. She entered into rest and into
life eternal at the beginning of the sixteenth century(See July
30th)(073005) |
Holy Martyr Gemellus
|
| n honoured citizen of Ancyra, Gemellus appeared before the
Emperor Julian the Apostate when he visited the city, and openly
reproached him for his apostasy. For this, he was tortured and
crucified in the year 361. While he was enduring his passion
on the cross, a voice was heard from heaven: "Blessed art thou,
Gemellus!. |
Our Holy Father Thomas of Bithynia
|
| A great faster, a conqueror of demons and a seer, he once
received a letter from the Emperor Leo the Wise, and replied
without opening it. He entered into rest in the Lord in great
old age, in the ninth century. |
11. DECEMBER
|
Our Holy Father Daniel the Stylite
|
| orn in the village of Maroutha, near the city of Samosata
in Mesopotamia, of Christian parents, Elias and Martha, he was
a gift of God through the tearful prayers of his mother, who
was barren, and was dedicated to God in his youth. He embraced
the monastic state at the age of twelve and visited Simeon Stylites,
receiving his blessing. Desirous of solitude, Daniel left his
monastery and withdrew to an abandoned pagan temple on the shore
of the Black Sea. He endured many assaults from demons, but
overcame them all by prayer, endurance and the sign of the Cross.
After that, he climbed up onto a pillar, where he remained till
his death, enduring with equanimity both heat and cold, and
attacks from both men and demons. Many disciples gathered around
his pillar, and he led them towards eternal life by his example
and his words. God rewarded His devoted servant with great grace
in this life, and he worked many miracles of help to men, and
foretold future events. People came to his pillar from all parts,
seeking help and advice from the saint of God. Kings and patriarchs
came to him, as well as simple folk. The Emperor Leo the Great
used to bring his foreign guests, princes and nobles, and show
them Daniel on his pillar: "Here is the wonder of my empire!
Daniel foretold the day of his own death, taught his disciples
as a father would his children, and took leave of them. At the
time of his death, his disciples saw angels, prophets, apostles
and martyrs around the pillar. Having lived in asceticism for
eighty years, this angelic man entered into rest, and into the
Kingdom of Christ, in 489. |
Our Holy Father Luke the Stylite
|
| Luke lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Emperor
Constantine Porphyrogenitus. He fought as a soldier in the war
against the Bulgars and witnessed the slaughter of many thousands,
but he himself emerged from the war alive and unharmed. Seeing
the finger of God in his deliverance, he scorned all the vanity
of this world, took himself off to a pillar near Chalcedon and
there spent forty-five years in asceticism, cleansing his soul
from every sinful thought and desire. He entered into rest after
a life pleasing to God, some time between 970 and 980, and went
to the better life. |
Our Holy Father Nikon the Withered
|
| e was enslaved by the Tartars as a monk of the Kiev Caves,
and spent three years in captivity, fettered, tortured and abused.
When his kinsmen brought the money to ransom him from his owner,
he refused, saying: "If the Lord had wanted me to be free, He
would not have given me into the hands of these lawless men.
Once he told his owner that Christ would free him in three days.
The Tartar thought that this meant that his slave was going
to run away, so he cut his tendons below the knee. On the third
day, though, Nikon was indeed carried by invisible hands to
Kiev. After a time, the Tartar came to Kiev and recognised his
former slave. He repented and was baptised, and the former owner
became the servant and disciple of his erstwhile slave. Nikon,
called the Withered because of the great emaciation of his body,
was a great visionary and wonderworker. He entered peacefully
into rest in the Lord on December 11th, 1101. |
Holy Martyr Meirax
|
| An Egyptian, he was tricked by the Mohammedan Emir into accepting
Islam. He later repented, went into a mosque bearing a cross,
declared himself a Christian and called upon the Moslems to
forsake their errors and turn to the Truth. He was tortured
and martyred in about 640. |
12. DECEMBER
|
St. Spiridon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Tremithus
|
| The island of Cyprus was both the birthplace of this famous
saint, and the place in which he spent his life in the service
of the Church. He was of simple farming stock, and remained
simple and humble to the end of his days. He married young and
had children, but, when his wife died, he devoted himself entirely
to the service of God. He was chosen for his devotion as Bishop
of Tremithus, and even as a bishop did not change his simple
style of life, taking charge of his cattle himself and tilling
his own land. He consumed very little of his own produce, giving
the greater part to the poor. He performed great wonders by
God's power, making rain fall in a drought, stopping the course
of a river, raising several of the dead, healing the Emperor
Constans of a grave sickness, seeing and hearing angels, foreseeing
future events and penetrating the secrets of the human heart.
He turned many to the true Faith, and did much else. He was
present at the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325, and,
by his simple and clear expositions of the Faith, as well as
by convincing miracles, brought back many heretics to Orthodoxy.
He dressed so simply that once, when he was invited by the Emperor
to the imperial court, a soldier took him for a beggar and struck
him a blow. The meek and guileless Spiridon turned him the other
cheek. He glorified God with many miracles, and was of great
aid both to individuals and to the whole Church of God. He entered
into rest in the Lord in 348, and his wonderworking relics now
lie on the island of Corfu and continue to glorify God with
many wonders. |
Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem
|
| He was at first bishop in Cappadocia, but, during the persecution
under Severus in 203, was thrown into prison and then exiled.
After that, he accepted the see of Jerusalem, and there founded
a famous library that was of great use to Eusebius when he was
writing his Ecclesiastical History. He was tortured in various
ways during the reign of Decius, and was thrown to the wild
beasts. Alive and unharmed, he was cast back into prison, where
he finished his earthly course and went to the Lord in the year
251. |
Holy Martyr Synesius
|
| He boldly preached the truth of Christ as a young reader in
Rome, and denounced the idolaters. He was beheaded for his outspokenness
during the reign of Aurelian, towards the end of the third century. |
13. DECEMBER
|
Holy Martyrs Eustratius, Auxentius, Eugene, Mardarius and
Orestes
|
| Orestes was a young and handsome soldier, who stood head and
shoulders above all the other soldiers. One day, when he was
at target practice in Lycias's presence, the Cross he was wearing
fell from his breast, and Lycias realised that he was a Christian.
Orestes openly confessed his faith, and was martyred with the
others. Auxentius was beheaded, Eugene and Mardarius died under
torture, Orestes was exposed on a red-hot iron grid and Eustratius
died in a flaming furnace. St. Blaise(see February 11th)>>T(021101)
gave Communion to St. Eustratius in prison before his death.
Their relics were later taken to Constantinople, and are preserved
in the church dedicated to them -The Holy Five Companions. They
were seen alive in that church, and St. Orestes appeared to
St. Dimitri of Rostov(see October 28th)(102806) A beautiful
prayer by St. Eustratius is extant, which is read at the Midnight
Service on Saturdays: "I glorify Thy majesty, O Lord for Thou
hast regarded my lowliness and bast not shut me up in the hands
of my enemies, but bast saved my soul from want ... |
Holy Martyr Lucy the Virgin
|
| With her mother, Lucy visited the grave of St. Agatha in Catania,
and the saint appeared to her. Her mother, who had an issue
of blood, was miraculously cured in the church at that time.
Lucy gave away all her goods to the poor, and this embittered
her betrothed, who denounced her to Paschasius the judge as
a Christian. The wicked judge ordered that she be taken to a
brothel and defiled, but, by the power of God, she remained
immovable, as if rooted to the earth, and not even a vast number
of people was able to move her from the spot. An enraged pagan
then ran her through the throat with a sword, and she commended
her soul to God and entered into the Kingdom of eternity. She
suffered in the year 304. |
Hieromartyr Gavrilo, Patriarch of Serbia
|
| In the fearful period of Turkish rule in Serbia, this great
hierarch went to Russia, where he took part in the Moscow Synod
of 1655. When he returned to Serbia, he was denounced as a traitor.
Certain wicked Jews also brought against him the charge of having
converted several Jews to the Christian faith. These Jews, in
order to stir up the Turkish authorities, made a special point
of the fact that he had worked for the baptism of Turks. He
was tried, and sentenced to forcible conversion to Islam. Since
Gavrilo would have none of this, he was, after a period of imprisonment,
sentenced to death and hanged in Brussa in 1659, and so went
to his beloved Christ, to receive at His hands the double wreath
of hierarch and martyr. |
14. DECEMBER
|
Holy Martyrs Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus
|
| aints Thyrsus arid Leucius were eminent citizens of Bithynian
Caesarea; the latter being baptised and the former still a catechumen.
Callinicus, however, was a pagan priest who offered sacrifice
to idols. When Cumbricius, heir to the Emperor Decius, began
to torture and murder the Christians, the intrepid Leucius stood
before him and reproached him: "Why have you begun to make war
on your own soul, Cumbricius? The enraged judge ordered that
he be flogged and tortured, and then beheaded with the sword.
In terrible torment, Leucius went to his execution as joyfully
as if he were going to a wedding. When he beheld Leucius's courageous
death, blessed Thyrsus was inflamed with divine zeal and, like
Leucius, went before the judge and rebuked him for his crimes
and his lack of belief in the one, true God. He was.therefore
beaten and cast into prison. He was healed of his wounds by
the invisible hand of God, which also opened the prison doors
and led him forth. Thyrsus went at once to Phileas, the Bishop
of Caesarea, to be baptised by him. After his baptism, he was
again seized and tortured, but he endured all the torments as
if in a dream and not in reality. Many idols fell down through
the power of his prayer. When he saw this, Callinicus, a pagan
priest, was converted to the Christian faith, so both he and
Thyrsus were condemned to death. Callinicus was beheaded with
the sword, and Thyrsus was placed in a wooden coffin to be sawn
asunder, but God's power prevented this and the saw could not
penetrate the wood. Then Thyrsus arose from the coffin, praying
and thanking God for his sufferings, and he peacefully gave
his soul into the Lord's hands. At the end of the fourth century,
the Emperor Flavian built a church to St. Thyrsus near Constantinople,
and placed his holy relics in it. The saint appeared in a vision
to the Empress Pulcheria, and suggested that she bury the relics
of the Forty Martyrs beside his own. |
Holy Martyrs Philemon, Apollonius, Arrian and others
|
| uring the reign of Diocletian, Arrian, a judge in Egypt, cruelly
persecuted the Christians there. He seized Apollonius and threatened
him with torture. Apollonius became afraid of the tortures,
and bribed an unknown musician, Philemon, a pagan, to offer
sacrifice to the idols in his place, dressed in his clothes.
When Philemon went before the idols, the light of the Christian
faith suddenly shone in his heart, and he made the sign of the
Cross. He then went out of the temple and began to shout: "I
am a Christian, a servant of Christ the living God! Hearing
this, the judge laughed, thinking that Philemon was mocking
the Christians. Later, Philemon was subjected to fearful tortures,
during which rain fell from heaven to baptise him. Finally,
both Philemon and Apollonius were beheaded by Arrian the judge.
Then Arrian himself became a Christian, because his blind eye
was healed in a miraculous way at Philemon's grave. He was condemned
to death by the Emperor, and perished together with fou: soldiers
who had likewise declared themselves to be Christians. |
15. DECEMBER
|
Hieromartyr Eleutherius
|
| A good fruit of a good tree, this wonderful saint had noble
and eminent parents. He was born in Rome, where his father was
in imperial service. His mother, Anthea, heard the Gospel from
the great Apostle Paul himself, and was baptised by him. Being
early left a widow, she entrusted her only son to the education
and service of the Bishop of Rome, Anacletus. Seeing how greatly
Eleutherius was gifted and illumined by the grace of God, the
bishop ordained him deacon at the age of fifteen, priest at
eighteen and bishop at twenty. Endowed by God with wisdom, he
made up for what he lacked in years. This godly man was made
bishop in Illyria, with his seat at Valona in Albania. He kept
his flock like a good shepherd, adding to their number from
day to day. The Emperor Hadrian, a persecutor of Christians,
sent a commander, Felix, with soldiers, to seize Eleutherius
and take him to Rome. When the furious Felix arrived in Valona
and went into the church, and heard and saw God's holy hierarch,
his heart was suddenly changed and he became a Christian. Eleutherius
baptised him and set off with him for Rome, as merrily as though
he were going to a feast, not to trial and torture. The Emperor
put the gently-born Eleutherius to harsh torture, flogging him,
burning him on an iron grid, boiling him in pitch and burning
him in a fiery furnace. But, by God's power, Eleutherius was
delivered from all these deadly torments. Seeing all this, Choribus
the governor proclaimed that he himself was a Christian. Choribus
was tortured and then beheaded, and so also blessed Felix. Finally,
the imperial executioners cut off the honoured head of St. Eleutherius.
When his mother, holy Anthea, came and stood over the dead body
of her son, she was also beheaded. Their bodies were taken to
Valona, where St. Eleutherius glorifies the name of Christ to
this day by many wonders. He suffered in the time of Hadrian,
in the year 120. |
St. Stephen the Confessor of Sourozh
|
| Born in Cappadocia and educated under the care of the Patriarch,
St. Germanus, he went off into solitude and lived hidden from
the world. An angel appeared to St. Germanus and told him to
make Stephen bishop of the town of Sourozh (now Sudak in the
Crimea), and this the Patriarch did. Stephen brought many to
the Christian faith by his zeal, and suffered much at the hands
of the Emperor Leo the Isaurian because of his, Stephen's, struggle
against the iconoclasts, prophesying to the Emperor his imminent
decease. After the evil death of this evil ruler, Stephen returned
to his diocese and was pastor to his flock as a true man of
God, departing this life peacefully at the end of the eighth
century. |
Our Holy Father Paul of Latros
|
| Born in Pergamum, he lived in asceticism on a mountain called
Latros in Asia Minor. He was glorified by his asceticism and
his many miracles, and entered peacefully into rest in old age,
going to the Lord in the year 950. |
Our Holy Father Pardus the Solitary
|
| In his youth, he was a waggoner, but because of an unintentional
sin, he left the world and withdrew to the desert to live in
asceticism. He lived in Palestine in the sixth century. |
16. DECEMBER
|
Holy Prophet Haggai
|
| the wisest archbishop". He was a man of enormous learning,
both secular and theological, of refined Byzantine tastes, and
was by nature melancholy and sensitive. Theophylact felt himself
among the Slavs of Ochrid like an exile among barbarians. He
wrote commentaries on the Four Gospels and on other books of
the New Testament. These are the finest works of their sort
after St. John Chrysostom, and are read to this day with great
benefit. Of his other works, we know of his Letters, and a Life
of St. Clement of Ochrid. In old age, Theophylact withdrew from
Ochrid to Salonica, and, finishing his earthly course, went
to the blessedness of eternity. |
St. Theophano the Empress
|
| and it repeated these words a number of times. This caused
great confusion among the courtiers, and they all begged the
Emperor to release his son and daughter-inlaw. The Emperor was
touched, and did so. After his father's death, this Leo became
Emperor, being called "the Wise. Theophano did not consider
her imperial dignity to be of much account, but, being utterly
given to God, she gave thought to the salvation of her soul,
fasting and praying and giving alms, founding monasteries and
churches. No lying word ever passed her lips, nor any unnecessary
speech or the least slander. At the time of her death, she called
together her closest friends and took leave of them, then gave
her soul to God, in 892. The Emperor Leo wanted to build a church
over her grave, and, when the Patriarch refused to allow this,
built the church of All Saints, saying that, if Theophano were
a saint, she would be glorified together with the others. At
that time, the feast of All Saints was introduced, to be celebrated
on the Sunday after the feast of the Holy Trinity. |
17. DECEMBER
|
Holy Prophet Daniel and the Three Children: Ananias, Azarias
and Misael
|
| ll four of them were of the royal tribe of Judah. When Nebuchadnezzar
destroyed and plundered Jerusalem, Daniel, as a boy, was taken
off into slavery together with Jehoiachin, King of Judah, and
many other Israelites. The account of his life, sufferings and
prophecies can be found in detail in his book. Utterly given
to God, Daniel from his early youth received from God the gift
of great discernment. His fame among the Jews in Babylon began
when he denounced two lecherous and unrighteous elders, and
saved the chaste Susannah from an unjust death. But his fame
among the Babylonians stemmed from the day when he solved and
interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. For this, the
king made him a prince at his court. When the king made a golden
idol in the Plain of Dura, the Three Children refused to worship
it, for which they were cast into the burning fiery furnace.
But an angel of God appeared in the furnace and soothed the
flames, so that the Children walked in the furnace untouched
by the fire, and sang: "Blessed art Thou, Lord God of our fathers!
The king saw this marvel, and was amazed. He then brought the
Children out of the furnace and did them great honour. In the
time of King Belshazzar, when the king was eating and drinking
with his guests at a feast out of consecrated vessels taken
from the Temple in Jerusalem, an invisible hand wrote these
three words on the wall: "Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. No-one could
interpret these words but Daniel. That night, King Belshazzar
was killed. Daniel was thrice thrown into a den of lions for
his faith in the one, living God, and both times God preserved
him alive. Daniel saw God on His throne with the angelic powers,
often saw angels, had insight into the future of certain people,
of kingdoms and of the whole human race, and prophesied the
time of the coming of the Saviour on earth. According to St.
Cyril of Alexandria, Daniel and the Three Children lived to
great old age in Babylon, and were beheaded with the sword for
the true Faith. When Ananias was beheaded, Azarias held out
his robe and caught his head, then Misael caught Azarias's head
and Daniel Misael's. An angel of God carried their bodies to
Judea, to Mount Gebal, and placed them under a rock. According
to tradition, these four men arose at the time of the death
of the Lord Jesus and appeared to many, then fell asleep again.
Daniel is counted as one of the four Great Prophets (with Isaiah,
Jeremiah and Ezekiel). He lived and prophesied halfway through
the thousand years before Christ. |
Our Holy Father Daniel
|
| He was a nobleman, and governor of the island of Niberta,
near Cadiz in Spain. Being acquainted with all the vanity of
this world, he forsook its glory and riches and went to Rome,
where he became a monk. After this, he went to Constantinople,
where he spoke with the Emperors Constantine and Romanus Porphyrogenitus,
then continued on to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, he received the
Great Habit at the hands of Patriarch Christodoulos, who gave
him the name Stephen. Abused by the Saracens, who put pressure
on him to shave off his beard, he went to Egypt, where he suffered
greatly and died for the name of Christ. He entered into the
Kingdom of Christ in the tenth century. |
Our Holy Fathers, the New Martyrs Paisius and Habakkuk (Avakum)
|
| Paisius was abbot of the monastery of Trnava near ~acak in
Serbia, and Habakkuk his companion and deacon. Both of them
were, as Christians, impaled on stakes by the Turks on Kalemegdan
in Belgrade, on December 17th, 1814. Dragging his spike through
the streets of Belgrade, the courageous Habakkuk sang. When
his mother begged him with tears to save his life by accepting
Islam, this wonderful soldier of Christ replied to her, thanking
her for her motherhood and not for her advice, and quoting the
great figures of the Old Testament who suffered for, and glorified,
God, and looking to the end of his own martyrdom in the immortal
Kingdom of Christ. |
18. DECEMBER
|
Holy Martyr Sebastian and those with him
|
| his glorious martyr of Christ was born in Italy and brought
up in the city of Milan. He was destined in his youth to be
a soldier, and, as an educated, handsome and courageous man,
commended himself to the Emperor Diocletian, who made him captain
of the imperial guard. He secretly confessed the Christian faith,
and prayed to the living God. An honourable, upright and merciful
man, Sebastian was greatly loved by his soldiers. Whenever possible,
he saved Christians from torture and death and, when this was
not possible, gave them courage to die for Christ the living
God without turning back. Two brothers, Marcus and Marcellinus,
who were in prison for Christ and already on the verge of denying
Him and worshipping idols, were confirmed in their faith and
strengthened in their martyrdom by Sebastian. As he spoke with
them, exhorting them not to fear death for Christ, his face
was illumined like that of an angel of God. Sebastian supported
his words by marvels: he healed Zoe, the wife of Nicostratus
the gaoler, who had been dumb for six years, and brought Nicostratus
and his whole household to baptism; he healed the two sick sons
of Claudius the commander, and brought him and his whole household
also to baptism; he healed Tranquillianus, the father of Marcus
and Marcellinus, of gout and pains in his legs which had troubled
him for eleven years, and brought him to baptism together with
his whole household; he healed the Roman Eparch, Chromatius,
of the same infirmity and brought him and his son Tiburtius
to baptism. Of these, Zoe was the first to suffer, being seized
while at prayer beside the tomb of the Apostle Peter. After
torture, she was thrown into the river Tiber. Then Tiburtius
was seized, and the judge placed live coals before him, challenging
him to choose life or death: to cast incense on the coals and
tense the idols, or to stand himself barefoot on the coals.
St. Tibertius made the sign of the Cross and stood barefoot
on the coals, and remained unharmed. He was then beheaded with
the sword. Nicostratus was killed with a stake, Tranquillianus
was drowned and Marcus and Marcellinus were run through by spears.
Then Sebastian was taken before the Emperor Diocletian. The
Emperor rebuked him for his betrayal, but he said: "I always
pray to my Christ for your health, and for the peace of the
Roman Empire. The Emperor ordered that he be stripped and shot
at with arrows. The soldiers then shot at him, until the martyr's
whole body was so covered with arrows that it was invisible
beneath them. When they thought that he was dead, he showed
himself alive and healed of all his wounds. Then the pagans
beat him to death with staves. He suffered gloriously for Christ
his Lord and entered into the heavenly Kingdom in 287, when
Gaius was Bishop of Rome. |
St. Florus, Bishop of Aminsus
|
| He lived in the time of the Emperors Justin II (565-76) and
Maurice (582-602), being the son of a nobleman. He forsook the
bustle and vanity of the world and withdrew to a monastery,
to live in asceticism for the salvation of his soul. He was
then chosen as bishop of the town of Aminsus in Cappadocia.
As an ascetic and a hierarch, he was pleasing to God and entered
peacefully into His Kingdom. |
St. Modestus, Patriarch of Jerusalem
|
| He was only five months old when his parents died, but, by
God's providence, he was brought up in a Christian spirit. When
he was grown up, he was sold as a slave to a pagan in Egypt,
but he succeeded in bringing his owner to the Christian faith,
and he freed him. He withdrew to Mount Sinai, where he lived
in asceticism. He was then chosen as Patriarch of Jerusalem,
and governed Christ's flock like a true shepherd, entering peacefully
into rest in 634. |
19. DECEMBER
|
Holy Martyr Boniface
|
| The judge took him for interrogation and ordered that he be
harshly flogged, then that boiling lead be poured into his mouth
and, as this did him no harm, that he be beheaded. The slaves
then took his body back to Rome. An angel of God appeared to
Aglais and said: "Take him who was at one time your servant,
but is now our brother and fellow-servant; he is the guardian
of your soul and the protector of your life. Aglais went in
wonder to meet them, took Boniface's body, built a church for
his relics and placed them there. She then repented, gave away
all her goods to the poor and withdrew from the world, living
a further fifteen years in bitter penitence. St. Boniface suffered
in the year 290. |
St. Gregory, Bishop of Omir
|
| He was at first a deacon in the church in Mediolanum (Milan),
and had many visions. By God's providence, he was taken to the
city of Alexandria, where Patriarch Proterius, in response to
a heavenly revelation, consecrated him bishop of the land of
Omir in southern Arabia, which the holy King Elesbaan(October
24th)>>T(102402) had already freed from the tyranny of Dunaan
the Jew. He was a good shepherd and a great wonderworker. He
organised the Church in Omir, with the help of the Christ-loving
King Avram, built many churches and baptised a great number
of the Jews. He performed great and terrible wonders by his
prayers, even bringing about a revelation of Christ the Lord
before the unbelieving Jews, which led to their baptism. Having
governed the Church for thirty years, he entered peacefully
into eternal life in the late fifth century. |
St. Boniface the Merciful, Bishop of Ferentino
|
| He had a rare compassion from childhood, being scolded for
this by his mother. But, helped by prayer, he received a hundredfold
from the Lord. He died peacefully in Italy in the sixth century. |
Our Holy Father Elias of Murom
|
| He was a monk of the Kiev Caves, and died in 1188. His uncorrupt
relics have wonderworking power. Three fingers of his right
hand are to this day raised in prayer, whence it is seen that
he died at prayer. This is a commentary on those who do not
make the sign of the Cross with three fingers. |
20. DECEMBER
|
Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch
|
| because he always carried the name of the living God in his
heart and on his lips. Also, by tradition, he was thus named
because he was held in the arms of God incarnate, Jesus Christ.
On a day when the Lord was teaching His disciples humility,
He took a child and set it among them, saying: "Whosoever shall
humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in
the Kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18:4). This child was Ignatius.
He was later a disciple of St. John the Theologian, together
with Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna. As bishop in Antioch, he
governed the Church of God as a good shepherd, and was the first
to introduce antiphonal singing into the Church, in which two
choirs alternate. This way of singing was revealed to St. Ignatius
from among the angels in heaven. When the Emperor Trajan passed
through Antioch on his way to battle with the Persians, he heard
about Ignatius, summoned him and urged him to offer sacrifice
to idols, so that he could be made a senator. The Emperor's
urgings and threats being in vain, holy Ignatius was put in
irons and sent to Rome, escorted by ten bestial soldiers, to
be thrown to the wild beasts. Ignatius rejoiced to be suffering
for his Lord, and prayed to God that the wild beasts should
be the tomb for his body, and that none should hinder his death.
After a long and difficult journey from Asia through Thrace,
Macedonia and Epirus, Ignatius reached Rome, where he was thrown
to the lions in the circus. They tore him to pieces and devoured
him, leaving only a few of the larger bones and his heart. This
glorious lover of the Lord Christ suffered in the year 106 in
Rome, in the time of the Emperor Trajan. He appeared many times
from the other world and worked wonders, helping to this day
all who call on him for help. |
St. Danilo, Archbishop of Serbia
|
| The son of rich and God-loving parents, he was given a careful
upbringing. King Milutin took him to his court, but, from love
of God, he fled and became a monk in the monastery of Konculsk
near the Ibar. He was later abbot of Hilandar and suffered much
at the hands of the plundering Latin crusaders. He was Bishop
of Banja and then of Hum, and finally Archbishop of Serbia.
He was from beginning to end a strict ascetic, with a special
gift of tears. He made peace between Kings Dragutin and Milutin,
and later between Milutin and Stephen of Decani, and fought
fiercely against the Latins and the Bogomils. Under his supervision,
the monasteries of Banja and Decani were built, and he restored
and built many other churches. He also recorded the lives of
the Serbian kings and saints. Untiring in the service of God
to the end of his life, he entered peacefully into rest in the
time of King Dusan, on the night of December 19/20th, 1338.
He was a great hierarch, a great ascetic, a great worker and
a great patriot. |
21. DECEMBER
|
Holy Martyr Juliana, and the 630 martyrs with her
|
| his glorious virgin martyr was born in Nicomedia of pagan
parents. Hearing the Gospel preached, she turned to Christ with
all her heart and began to live in exact observance of the Lord's
commandments. A certain senator, Eleusius, was her betrothed.
In order to free herself from him, Juliana told him that she
would not marry him unless he became eparch of that city. She
said this thinking that the young man would not be in the least
likely to attain to such a high position, but Eleusius worked
at it, and, by flattery and bribes, gained the post of Eparch
of Nicomedia. Juliana then revealed to him that she was a Christian,
and could not enter into marriage with him unless he accepted
her faith, saying: "What would it profit us to be united physically
but divided in spirit? Eleusius was exasperated, and denounced
her to her father. Her furious father poured scorn on her and
whipped her, and then handed her over to the eparch for torture.
The eparch ordered that she be harshly beaten, then she was
thrown into prison all torn and bleeding. But the Lord healed
her in the prison, and she appeared before the eparch whole
and unharmed. He then put her into a glowing furnace, but the
fire did not burn her. Seeing this wonder, many came to believe
in Christ the Lord. Five hundred men and a hundred and thirty
women were converted. The eparch condemned them all to death,
and ordered that they be beheaded with the sword, and their
souls entered into Paradise. Then the wicked judge condemned
holy Juliana to be beheaded with the sword. Rejoicing in spirit,
Juliana went out to the scaffold, prayed on her knees to God
and laid her head on the block. Her head was cut off, and her
soul went to Christ's eternal Kingdom of light, in the year
304. God's punishment quickly fell on Eleusius: sailing over
the sea, his ship broke up and he fell into the water. He did
not find death in the waves, but swam to an island, where the
dogs tore him to pieces and devoured him |
St. Peter the Wonderworker, Metropolitan of Russia
|
| Born in the province of Volinsk, he received the monastic
habit at the age of twelve. He was a great ascetic and an icon-painter.
He founded a monastery on the river Rata, and became its abbot.
He was made Metropolitan of Kiev against his will, and consecrated
in Constantinople by Patriarch Athanasius. As Metropolitan,
he suffered a great deal at the hands of the envious and of
heretics, governing the Church for eighteen years as a good
and zealous pastor. During his lifetime, he built himself a
tomb in the Church of the Dormition, where his holy and wonderworking
relics are preserved to this day. He entered into rest in 1326,
and went to his true homeland. |
Holy Martyr Themistocles
|
| As a herdsman, the young Themistocles kept sheep in a field
near Myra in Lycia, At that time, the persecutors of the Christians
were seeking St. Dioscorides, and came upon Themistocles, asking
him if he knew where Dioscorides was hiding. Themistocles, although
he knew, refused to say, and declared himself a Christian. He
was tortured and beheaded in the time of Decius, in 251. |
22. DECEMBER
|
Holy and Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Bonds,
and those with her
|
| This great heroine of the Christian faith was born in Rome
into a wealthy senatorial family, her father being a pagan and
her mother a Christian. From her early youth, she clave in love
to the Lord Jesus, guided in Christian teaching by a devout
teacher, Chrysogonus. Under pressure from her father, Anastasia
married a pagan landowner, Publius, but, using the pretext of
woman's weakness, she never had physical relations with him.
For this, her husband tortured her harshly by imprisonment and
starvation, and laid even heavier tortures on her when he discovered
that she went secretly to the prisons of the Christian martyrs,
minstering to their needs, washing their wounds and loosening
their bonds. But, by God's providence, she was freed from her
wicked husband. Publius was sent to Persia by the Emperor, and
was drowned on the voyage. Then St. Anastasia began to minister
openly to the Christian martyrs and, from her great inheritance,
helped the poor with alms. The Emperor Diocletian was once in
the town of Aquileia, and commanded that Chrysogonus, the confessor
of Christ, be brought to him. As he was being brought, Anastasia
followed him on the way. Holy Chrysogonus was beheaded at the
Emperor's command, and then three sisters, Agapia, Chionia and
Irene (see April 16th) suffered, the first two being cast into
fire and the third shot through with arrows. St. Anastasia took
their bodies, wrapped them in white linen and, anointing them
with aromatic spices, gave them burial. Then Anastasia went
to Macedonia, where she minstered to those who were suffering
for Christ. There, she became widely-known as a Christian, for
which she was seized and taken for interrogation before various
judges. Desiring to die for her beloved Christ, Anastasia constantly
clung to Him in her heart. A certain pagan high priest, Ulphian,
tried to touch St. Anastasia's body out of lust, but he was
suddenly blinded and gave up the ghost. Condemned to death by
starvation, St. Anastasia lay in prison for thirty days, nourishing
herself only with tears and prayers. After that, she was put
in a boat with several other Christians to be drowned, but God
saved her from this death. She was finally tied hand and foot
to four wheels over a fire, and thus gave her holy soul into
God's hands. She suffered and entered into Christ's Kingdom
in 304. |
Holy Martyr Theodota with her three Children
|
| Left a young widow with three children, Theodota gave herself
utterly to the service of God and the bringing-up of her children
in piety. St. Anastasia lived with her when she was in Macedonia,
and, together with her, ministered to the Christian captives
in the prisons. Taken for trial, Theodota confidently confessed
Christ the Lord. She was then sent to the Governor of Bithynia,
Nicetas. When a shameless pagan tried to touch her body, an
angel of God suddenly appeared beside her and struck the man.
Condemned to death and thrown into a glowing furnace with her
three children, St. Theodota finished her earthly course with
honour and entered into the Kingdom of eternal glory. |
23. DECEMBER
|
Ten Holy Martyrs of Crete
|
| hey suffered for Christ the Lord during Decius's persecution,
in the year 250. Their names were: Theodulus, Saturninus, Euporus,
Gelasius, Eunician, Zoticus, Pompey, Agathopous, Basilides and
Evaristus. They were all honoured and eminent citizens, the
cream of the cream. When they were taken to the scaffold, they
were filled with joy and discussed among themselves who would
be the first to be beheaded, because each wanted to be the first
to go to his beloved Christ. Then they prayed: "O Lord, forgive
Thy servants and accept our outpoured blood on our own behalf
and that of our kinsfolk and friends and all our fatherland,
that all may be released from the darkness of ignorance and
come to know Thee, the true light, O eternal King! They were
beheaded and entered into the Kingdom of glory, to eternal rejoicing. |
St. Niphon the Wonderworker
|
| orn in Paphlagonia, he was brought up in Constantinople at
the court of a great commander. Falling into low company, the
young Niphon became dissolute and gave himself to great sin
and vice. Because of his sin, he could not even pray to God.
By the mercy of the most holy Mother of God, he was brought
back to the way of righteousness and became a monk. He had innumerable
visions of the heavenly world and waged a four-year war with
the demons, who whispered to him incessantly: "There is no God!
There is no God!, but, when the Lord Jesus Himself appeared
to him alive on an icon, Niphon received great power over the
evil spirits and was freed from these heavy temptations. He
had such insight that he saw angels and demons around men as
clearly as he saw the people themselves, and he could discern
men's thoughts. He often spoke with angels and disputed with
demons. He built a church to the most holy Mother of God in
Constantinople, gathered many monks together and saved many
souls. Alexander, the Archbishop of Alexandria, through a heavenly
revelation, consecrated him bishop of the town of Constantia
on Cyprus. Niphon was already old by that time, and, governing
the Church of God well for a short period, entered into Christ's
eternal Kingdom. St. Athanasius the Great visited him at the
time of his death, being then archdeacon of the church in Alexandria,
and he saw Niphon's face shine like the sun. |
Our Holy Father Nahum, the Wonderworker of Ochrid
|
| He was a disciple of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, and one of
the Five Followers-those zealous fellow-workers with these apostles
of the Slavs. St. Nahum travelled to Rome, where he was renowned
both for his wonderworking power and his great learning. He
knew many languages. At the time of his return from Rome, he
settled, with the help of the Emperor Boris Michael of Bulgaria,
on the shores of Lake Ochrid. While St. Clement was working
in Ochrid as bishop, St. Nahum built a monastery on the southern
shore of the lake, a monastery that adorns that shore till this
day as the name of St. Nahum adorns the history of Slav Christianity,
and has been through the ages a fount of strength and recourse
for the sick and the wretched. Many monks from all over the
Balkans gathered round St. Nahum, who was a wise teacher, a
strict ascetic, a wonderworker and a man of prayer. A tireless
worker, St. Nahum laboured especially to translate the Holy
Scriptures from Greek into Slavonic. He worked wonders both
during his lifetime and after his death, and his wonderworking
relics to this day perform many marvels, particularly healing
from grave illness and from madness. He entered into rest in
the first half of the tenth century, and went to the joy of
his beloved Christ(See June 20th)(062003) |
24. DECEMBER
|
Our Holy Mother, the Martyr Eugenia, and those with her
|
| The daughter of Philip, Eparch of all Egypt, she was born
in Rome. At that time, the Christians had been driven out of
Alexandria and were living outside the town. The maiden Eugenic
visited the Christians and received their Faith with all her
heart. She fled from her parents with her two faithful eunuchs,
was baptised by Bishop Elias and, wearing man's clothing, went
to a men's monastery where she received the monastic habit.
She so purified her heart by voluntary asceticism that she received
from God the gift of healing the sick, and thus healed a rich
woman, Melanthia. After this, though, the woman conceived a
physical passion for her, not suspecting that she was a woman.
Being firmly repulsed by Eugenic, this wicked woman, out of
revenge, went to the Eparch and slandered her just as Potiphar's
wife had slandered chaste Joseph. The eparch ordered that all
the monks be bound and thrown into prison together with Eugenic.
When they were brought out for trial, Eugenic revealed herself
to her father as his daughter. The overjoyed Philip was baptised,
with his whole household, and Philip was chosen as Bishop of
Alexandria. Hearing of this, the Roman Emperor sent a wicked
general, Terence, who, coming to Alexandria, secretly killed
Philip. Then St. Eugenic moved to Rome with her mother and brothers.
In Rome, she fearlessly and zealously brought pagans to the
true Faith, especially maidens, and thus brought a beautiful
maiden, Vassilia, to the Faith. Vassilia was quickly beheaded
for Christ, as Eugenic had foretold to her, and then her two
eunuchs, Protus and Hyacinthus, were beheaded. Finally, martyrdom
came to Eugenic, whose presence had caused the Temple of Diana
to fall in ruins. The torturers first threw her into water and
then into fire, but God preserved her. The Lord Jesus Himself
appeared to her in the prison and told her that she would suffer
on the day of His Nativity. And so it came about. She was beheaded
with the sword on December 25th, 262, in Rome. After her death,
Eugenic appeared to her mother in great glory, and comforted
her. |
Our Holy Father Nicolas the Soldier
|
| Some people think that this great saint was a Slav of Balkan
origin. In the time of the Emperor Nicephorus, Nicolas was commander
of the part of the army that went to war against the Bulgars.
On the road, Nicolas spent the night in an inn, where he experienced
a great temptation and had a strange dream. This dream came
true in the war, when the Greeks were utterly routed by the
Bulgars in 811. Nicolas was preserved and, out of gratitude
to God, left his command and became a monk. In long asceticism,
he attained such perfection that he became a great seer and
man of God. He died peacefully in the ninth century, and entered
into the blessed Kingdom of Christ the Lord. |
25. DECEMBER
|
Nativity of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ
|
| "And when the fullness of time was come, God sent His
onlybegotten Son" (Gal. 4:4), to save the human race. And
when the ninth month had come after the archangel Gabriel appeared
to the most holy Virgin in Nazareth, saying: "Hail, thou
that art highly favoured... thou shalt conceive and bear a son"
- at that time a decree went forth from Caesar Augustus that
all the inhabitants of the Roman Empire be taxed. In accordance
with this decree, everyone had to go to his own town and there
be inscribed. Therefore righteous Joseph came with the most
holy Virgin to Bethlehem, the city of David, for they were both
of the royal House of David. But, there being a great many people
in that small city for the census, Joseph and Mary could not
find a lodging in any house, and found shelter in a cave which
the shepherds used as a sheepfold. In this cave the most holy
Virgin gave birth to the Saviour of the world, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Bearing Him without pain, as He was conceived without
sin of the Holy Spirit and not of man, she herself wrapped Him
in swaddling bands, worshipped Him as God and laid Him in a
manger. Then righteous Joseph drew near and worshipped Him as
the divine Fruit of a virgin womb. Then the shepherds came in
from the fields, directed by an angel of God, and worshipped
Him as Messiah and Saviour. The shepherds had heard a multitude
of angels singing: "Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, goodwill among men" (Luke 2:14). At that time
there also came wise men from the East, led by a wonderful star,
bearing their gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh, and worshipped
Him as King of kings, offering Him their gifts (Matt. 2:11).
Thus He came into the world Whose coming had been foretold by
the prophets and Who was born in the way that they had prophesied:
of the most holy Virgin, in the city of Bethlehem, of the lineage
of David according to the flesh, at the time when there was
no longer in Jerusalem a king of the tribe of 3udah, but Herod
the stranger was on the throne.After many types and prefigurings,
messengers and heralds, prophets and righteous men, wise men
and kings, finally He appeared, the Lord of the world and King
of kings, to perform the work of the salvation of mankind that
could not be performed by His servants. May His be eternal glory
and praise! Amen. |
26. DECEMBER
|
General Commemoration of the Most Holy Mother of God
|
| n the second day of Christmas, the Christian Church gives
glory and praise to the most holy Mother of God, who bore our
Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ. This feast is called
a "general commemoration because, on this day, all the faithful
come together to glorify her, the Mother of God, and to celebrate
a triumphant, common feast in her honour. In Ochrid, it has
been the custom from time immemorial that, on the eve of the
second day of Christmas, Vespers has been celebrated only in
the church of the Mother of God, the Chieftain. All the clergy
and people there together glorify the most pure Mother of God. |
Commemoration of the Flight into Egypt
|
| (Is. 19:1), were fulfilled. In old Cairo today the cave where
the holy family lived can be seen, and in the village of Matarea
near Cairo,the tree under which the Mother of God rested with
the Lord Jesus, where a miraculous spring of water sprang up
under the tree. They lived in Egypt for several years, and then
the holy family returned to Palestine in response to a command
by an angel of God. And so a second prophecy was fulfilled:
"Out of Egypt have I called My Son (Hosea 11:1). Herod was dead,
and on his bloodstained throne sat a worthy successor in his
wicked son Archelaus. Joseph, hearing that Archelaus was reigning
in Jerusalem, returned to Galilee, to his town of Nazareth,
where he settled in his own home. Galilee was at that time ruled
by another of Herod's sons, Herod the Younger, who was somewhat
better than his wicked brother Archelaus. |
Our Holy Father Evarestus
|
| Reading the works of St. Ephraim the Syrian, he abandoned
the diplomatic service and became a monk. He was very strict
with himself and wore chains on his body, eating dry bread only
once a week. He lived for seventy-five years, and went to the
Lord in about 825. |
St. Euthymius the Confessor, Bishop of Sardis
|
| He took part in the Seventh Ecumenical Council, and spent
about thirty years in exile for his veneration of icons. Under
the Emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast, he was flogged with bull-whips,
during which he died a martyr in 840 and received a wreath of
glory in heaven. |
Our Holy Father Constantine of Synnada
|
| He was a Jew who came to the Christian faith. When the Cross
was made on his head at his baptism, it remained visible there
till his death in Constantinople in the seventh century. He
is famed for his fasting and for his many miracles. For seven
years before his death, he foretold the day of it. |
27. DECEMBER
|
Holy Protomartyr Stephen the Archdeacon
|
| (Acts 7:52). While they ground their teeth, Stephen looked
and saw the heavens open and the glory of God, and spoke to
the Jews of what he saw: "Behold, I see the heavens opened,
and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God (7:56).
Then the malicious men took him out of the city and stoned him
to death. Among his murderers was his kinsman Saul, later the
Apostle Paul. At that time, the most holy Mother of God was
standing on a rock at a distance with St. John the Theologian,
and witnessed the martyrdom of this first martyr for the truth
of her Son and God, and she prayed for Stephen. This happened
exactly a year after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
apostles. St. Stephen's body was taken secretly and buried by
Gamaliel in his own ground. He was a Jewish prince and a secret
Christian. Thus this first of Christ's martyrs made a glorious
end and entered into the Kingdom of Christ our God. |
Our Holy Fathers, the Martyrs Theodore and Theophanes the
Branded
|
| rothers in the flesh, born in Palestine, they were skilled
in both worldly and spiritual learning. They were monks in the
community of St. Sava the Sanctified, and were there ordained
priest. They suffered harsh persecution for their defence of
the icons under three Emperors: Leo the Armenian, Michael Balbus
and Theophilus. The demented Theophilus beat them with his own
hands, and ordered that they have mocking verses branded on
their faces, from which they became known as "the Branded. They
were thrown into prison in the town of Apamea in Bithynia, and
Theodore died there of his wounds. Theophanes was freed in the
time of the Emperors Theodore and Michael, and was made Metropolitan
of Nicaea by Patriarch Methodius. He died in 845. These two
wonderful brothers suffered for Christ, and received a glorious
reward from Christ in the deathless Kingdom of light. |
28. DECEMBER
|
The 20,000 Holy Martyrs of Nicomedia
|
| he said, "at the table of sacrifice in the Lord's altar, and
understand that our true Lord and God will now sacrifice on
this; so shall we not lay down our lives for Him in this holy
place? The people were fired with enthusiasm to die for Christ,
and all the catechumens were baptised and chrismated. The soldiers
then set fire to the church on all sides and the Christians,
twenty thousand of them, were burned in the flame singing the
glory of God. The church burned for five days, and a smoke with
a fragrant and intoxicating smell rose from it, and a marvellous
golden light was seen around it. Thus these many men, women
and children died gloriously and received wreaths of eternal
glory in the Kingdom of Christ. They suffered and were glorified
in the year 302. |
Our Holy Father Simon the Outpourer of Myrrh
|
| The founder of the monastery of Simonopetra on the Holy Mountain,
he was famed for his asceticism, his visions and his miracles.
He entered peacefully into rest and went to Christ in 1257. |
Holy Martyr Domna
|
| A virgin and priestess of the foul idols at the court of the
Emperor Maximian, she read the Acts of the Apostles one day,
came to faith in Christ and was baptised by Bishop Cyril in
Nicomedia, together with a eunuch called Indes. St. Cyril sent
her to a women's monastery, where blessed Agatha was abbess.
When the Emperor began to search for Domna, Agatha dressed her
in men's clothing and sent her to a men's monastery. This was
at the time that the twenty thousand Christians were burned
in the church by the Emperor Maximian. Immediately after this,
by the Emperor's command, Sts. Indes, Gorgonius and Peter were
thrown into the sea with rocks round their necks; Zeno the commander,
who had openly denounced the Emperor for his idolatry, was beheaded;
St. Theophilus, a deacon with Bishop Anthimus, was killed with
stones and arrows. Abbess Agatha, the nun Theophila and the
nobles Dorotheus, Mardonius, Migdonius and Euthymius were also
slain for the sake of Christ. One night, Domna was walking by
the sea and saw some fishermen casting their nets into the water.
She was grieving deeply for St. Indes. Called by the fishermen
to help them, she went to their aid and, by God's providence,
drew out three human bodies in the net. Domna recognised Indes,
Gorgonius and Peter, took their bodies and gave them burial.
When the Emperor learned that a young man was tending and censing
the graves of the Christian martyrs, he ordered that he be beheaded,
and St. Domna was seized and beheaded, and was crowned with
a wreath of glory in the heavenly Kingdom with the other martyrs. |
29. DECEMBER
|
The 14,000 Holy Children in Bethlehem
|
| hen the wise men from the East failed to return to Jerusalem
from Bethlehem to tell Herod about the new-born king, but, at
the angel's command, returned to their home another way, Herod
was as furious as a wild beast, and commanded that all the children
of two years and under in Bethlehem and its surroundings be
killed. This terrible command of the king's was carried out
to the letter. His soldiers cut off some of the children's heads
with their swords, dashed others on the stones, trampled some
of them underfoot and drowned others with their own hands. The
weeping and lamentation of their mothers rose to heaven: "Lamentation
and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children as had been
prophesied (Jer. 13:15; Matt. 2:18). This evildoing towards
the hordes of innocent children came to pass a year after the
birth of Christ, at a time when Herod was trying to find the
divine Child. He sought Zacharias's son, John, meaning to kill
him in the belief that John was the new king. When Zacharias
refused to hand John over, he was killed in the Temple on Herod's
orders. St. Simeon the Host of God was also killed, and went
to God soon after the Presentation in the Temple. Slaying the
children in Bethlehem, Herod then turned on the Jewish elders,
who had revealed to him where the Messiah would be born. He
killed Hyrcanes the High Priest, and seventy elders from the
Sanhedrin, and thus they who conspired with Herod to kill the
new baby King came to an evil end. After that, Herod killed
his own brother and sister and wife, and three of his sons.
Finally, God's punishment fell on him: he began to tremble,
his legs swelled, the lower part of his body became putrid and
worms came out of the sores, his nose became blocked and an
unbearable stench spread around from it. At the time of his
death, he remembered that there were many captive Jews in prison,
so, that they should not rejoice at his death, he ordered that
they all be slaughtered. Thus this terrible ruler lost his inhuman
soul and was given to the devil for eternity. |
Our Holy Father Marcellus
|
| From Apamea in Syria, he was abbot of the community of the
Sleepless Ones in Constantinople. He was a seer, a healer and
a great wonderworker. He spoke with angels, and drove out devils
with ease. After his death, he appeared to his close friend,
St. Lucian, and told him that he had begged God to take Lucian
quickly to His heavenly Kingdom. This glorious and holy man
entered into rest in 486. |
Our Holy Fathers Mark the Gravedigger and Theophilus the
Weeper
|
| hey were monks of the Caves in Kiev. St. Mark had such grace
that he could command the dead and they would listen to him.
"Wait till tomorrow, my brother; your grave isn't ready yet,
he is recorded as having said to a dead monk, who was already
washed and embalmed, and the monk opened his eyes and lived
till the following day. Theophilus wept constantly for his sins,
catching his tears in a basin. An angel appeared to him at the
time of his death, and showed him a very large basin full of
tears. These were Theophilus's tears, that had fallen to the
ground or been wiped away with his hand, or had dried on his
face. Thus in heaven they know and keep all our tears along
with our sufferings and labours and sighs for the sake of our
salvation. These holy servants of God entered into rest in the
eleventh century, and went to the kingdom of Christ. |
30. DECEMBER
|
Holy Martyr Anysia
|
| At that time, the wicked Emperor Maximian issued a decree
that any man was free to kill Christians when and where he came
across them, without trial or sentence. This holy maiden once
went out into the street to go to church. It was the day of
a pagan festival of the sun. A soldier saw her fairness of face
and went up to her with impure lust, asking her name. She made
the sign of the Cross and said to him: "I am Christ's handmaid,
and I'm going to church. When the impudent soldier came closer
and began to speak as one deranged, she pushed him away and
spat in his face. The soldier aimed a blow at her with his sword,
and ran her through under the rib. This holy maiden suffered
in 298 and was buried by Christians, and was crowned with a
wreath of glory by God in the heavenly Kingdom. A church was
built over her grave. |
Our Holy Mother Theodora of Constantinople
|
| She was a nun and a servant of St. Basil the New(see March
26th)(032604) After her death, she appeared to St. Gregory,
a disciple of St. Basil's, and wrote down for him the details
of all the twenty toll-gates through which her soul had passed
until, helped by St. Basil's prayers, she had entered into eternal
rest. She left this world on December 30th, 940. |
Holy Apostle Timon
|
| One of the seven deacons (Acts 6:5), and of the Seventy Apostles,
he was made bishop of Bostra in Arabia and there preached the
Gospel, enduring much ill-treatment at the hands of the pagans.
He was thrown into fire, but remained unharmed. He finally died
by crucifixion, and entered into the kingdom of Christ. |
Our holy Mother Theodora of Caesarea
|
| After strict asceticism in the monastery of St. Anna, she
entered peacefully into rest in 755. |
Our Holy Father, the Martyr Gideon
|
| A Greek by birth, of very poor parents, he was forced to embrace
Islam as a youth. In remorse, he fled to the Holy Mountain,
where, in the monastery of Karakallou, he received the monastic
habit. Desiring martyrdom for Christ, he received the blessing
of his spiritual father and went to the place where he had been
forced into Islam, and there, openly before the Turks, confessed
the Christian faith and denounced Mohamet as a false prophet.
The Turks shaved his head, placed him upside-down on a donkey
and led him through the town. He rejoiced at this ridicule for
the sake of Christ. They then chopped off all his fingers and
toes with an axe, as they had once done to St. James the Persian(see
November 27th) and finally threw him into a place of excrement,
where he gave his holy soul to God in the year 1818, in Turnovo
in Thrace. His wonderworking relics are preserved in the church
of the Holy Apostles in the village of Turnovo, and a part of
them is to be found in his monastery of Karakallou. |
31. DECEMBER
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Our Holy Mother Melanie the Roman
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| Born in Rome of devout and very wealthy parents, she was forced
by them to marry a young nobleman, Pinian. She was taken very
seriously ill in giving birth to her second child, and told
her husband that she would be healed only if he vowed before
God to live with her in future as brother and sister. Her husband
agreed and Melanie, in her deep joy, was healed. When it pleased
God to take both children to Himself, they agreed to sell all
their possessions and give the proceeds to the destitute, the
Church and the monasteries. They travelled through many lands
and cities, everywhere doing good works. They visited famous
spiritual guides in Upper and Lower Egypt, and received much
instruction and inspiration from them. During all that time,
Melanie lived in strict fasting, fervent prayer and the reading
of the Holy Scriptures. She followed the practice of reading
the Scriptures right through, the Old and New Testaments, every
three years, living with her husband as with a brother and fellow-ascetic.
Going to Alexandria, they received the blessing of the Patriarch,
St. Cyril. After that, they went to Jerusalem and settled on
the Mount of Olives. There Melanie became an anchoress, and
gave herself completely to pondering, fasting and prayer. She
lived thus for fourteen years, after which she came out, to
help others to salvation, and founded monasteries for men and
women. At the invitation of her kinsman, the senator Volusianus,
a pagan, she went to Constantinople and brought him to the Christian
faith (something that Blessed Augustine, whom Volusianus knew,
had been unable to do).She then returned to the Mount of Olives,
where she went to God in 438, at the age of fifty-seven. |
Holy and Righteous Joseph, King David and James the Lord's
Brother
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| They are commemorated on the Sunday after the Nativity of
Christ. One can learn all about King David, the son of Jesse,
from the Book of Kings, and for holy James see(October 23rd)(102301)
Righteous Joseph is so named in the Gospel (Matt. 1:19), and
for this, God entrusted the most holy Virgin to his protection
and gave him great honour in the economy of human salvation.
Although Joseph was of the royal lineage of David, he himself
was a simple carpenter in Nazareth. He took the most holy Virgin
from the Temple into his home at the age of eighty, and entered
into rest at the age of a hundred and ten. |
Our Holy Father, the Martyr Zoticus, Protector of the Poor
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| He was eminent both of birth and rank. He moved to Constantinople,
cast off all worldly things and received ordination to the priesthood,
founding a home for the poor, containing a place for the treatment
of infectious diseases, and ministering to those cared for in
it. He was a close acquaintance of the Emperor Constantine the
Great. In retaliation for the gold that Zoticus had had from
him for his plague-victims, Constantine's son Constantius tied
him behind a wild ass, which was driven about until he died
of his wounds. He suffered in the fourth century. |
Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid
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| orn on the island of Euboea, and educated in Constantinople
by the most eminent teachers of his day, he became a priest
in the Great Church. He was chosen as bishop, and sent, against
his will, to Ochrid, where he spent about twenty-five years
(from about 1082 to 1108). Chomatianus of Ochrid calls him "the
wisest archbishop. He was a man of enormous learning, both secular
and theological, of refined Byzantine tastes, and was by nature
melancholy and sensitive. Theophylact felt himself among the
Slavs of Ochrid like an exile among barbarians. He wrote commentaries
on the Four Gospels and on other books of the New Testament.
These are the finest works of their sort after St. John Chrysostom,
and are read to this day with great benefit. Of his other works,
we know of his Letters, and a Life of St. Clement of Ochrid.
In old age, Theophylact withdrew from Ochrid to Salonica, and,
finishing his earthly course, went to the blessedness of eternity. |
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