Tuesday November 2 / 15 ns 2022 • Holy Martyrs Akíndynos, Elpidephóros, Anempódistos, Pegásios, and Aphthónios of Persia • DESPAIR - Satan's Most Powerful Weapon by Saint John Chrysostomos

 ATTEND! All of you are strongly encouraged to read not only St. John Chrysostomos's quote (above in the Paragon header) but to follow the link to St. Porphyrios's address here or in PAGES.

Despair

Satan's Most Powerful Weapon

by Saint John Chrysostomos

The most powerful weapon of the devil is despair.  He doesn't rejoice nearly so much when we sin as he does when we despair.  This is because the final and definitive victory of the devil is when he succeeds in casting the soul into despair.

That's why we must remember that God always has an open door, an open window for us.   Always.  All we have to do is keep on progressing toward his countenance.

The holy martyrs Akíndynos, Elpidephóros, Anempódistos, Pegásios, and Aphthónios were all Christians from Persia and suffered during the reign of King Sapor in the year 355. The first three were servants at the court of this same king but secretly served Christ their Lord.  When they were accused and brought to trial before the king, he asked them where they came from. To this they replied: "Our fatherland and our life is the Most-holy Trinity, one in Essence and undivided, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God.''  The king subjected them to cruel tortures but they endured all heroically, with psalmody and prayer on their lips. During the time of their torture and imprisonment angels of God appeared to them many times, and one time the Lord Christ Himself appeared to them as a man "with a face radiant as the sun.''  When one of the torturers, Aphthónios, beheld a miracle, when boiling lead did no harm to the martyrs, he believed in Christ and cried out: "Great is the Christian God!'' For this, he was immediately beheaded, and many others saw and believed.  Then the king ordered that Akíndynos, Pegásios and Anempódistos be sewn into animal skins and cast into the sea. But St. Aphthónios  appeared from the other world with three shining angels, and led the holy martyrs to dry land and set them free. Elpidephóros was one of the king's nobles. When he revealed that he was a Christian and denounced the king for his slaughter of innocent Christians, the king condemned him to death and Elpidephóros was beheaded along with seven thousand other Christians. Then those first three martyrs [Akíndynos, Pegásios and Anempódistos] were finally thrown into a burning furnace along with twenty-eight soldiers and the king's mother, since they also believed in Christ-and thus, in the flames, they gave up their righteous souls into the hands of the Lord.

The Holy Epistle of Saint Paul to the

1 Thessalonians 

1:6-10

KJV

6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.

7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;

10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

The Holy Gospel According to

Saint Luke

11:34-41

KJV

34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.

38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.

39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

King Uzziah