Monday September 19 / October 2 ns 2023 • Martyrs Tróphimos, Sabbátios, & Dorymédon; St. Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury ~ IN PRAISE OF OUR MOST HOLY MOTHER ~ DEAD??? by Saint Nikolai Velimirovich ~ FULLY GOD AND FULLY MAN

Rejoice, much-proclaimed Marvel of Angels; Rejoice, much-bewailed Wound of demons.

In the third century, during the reign of Emperor Probus, when Atticus was governing Antioch, two Christians, Tróphimos and Sabbátios, both eminent and honorable citizens, came to that city. They arrived just as a pagan festival and sacrificial offerings to the idol of Apollo were taking place at nearby Daphne. Atticus made every effort to ensure that all citizens took part in this festivity. When someone noticed that Tróphimos and Sabbátios were not participating in the festivity, he told Atticus. Atticus brought them to trial, and when they refused to renounce Christ he subjected them to tortures, one after the other. After he beat and tortured Tróphimos, Atticus sent him to Phrygia to Dionysius, an even crueler torturer of Christians. Then Atticus took Sabbátios from prison and began to try him. When the torturer asked Sabbátios who he was and what his rank was, he replied: "My rank and dignity and homeland and glory and wealth is Christ, the Son of God, Who lives forever, and by Whose providence the universe exists and is governed.'' For that, he was beaten and torn and scraped with an iron implement until the bones showed through beneath his flesh. Under these tortures he reposed. In Phrygia, the torturer Dionysius subjected Tróphimos to great torture, then kept him in prison for even greater tortures. A certain senator Dorymedon, a secret Christian, came to the prison and ministered to Tróphimos. When the torturer learned of this, he began to torture both of them in the same way, and finally threw them to the wild beasts, but the wild beasts did not touch them. Holy Dorymedon even shouted at the she-bear, pulling her ears so that she would tear him apart, but in spite of all that, the bear became gentler. In the end, the torturer ordered that Saints Tróphimos and Dorymedon be beheaded with the sword. The souls of both of these holy martyrs now reign in heaven.

Ephesians 4:25-32 KJV

25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

27 Neither give place to the devil.

28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Saint Luke 3:19-22 KJV

19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,

20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

22 And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased.

DEAD?

THE DEAD SENSE AND KNOW

THE GOOD DEEDS YOU DO FOR THEM!

HAVE NO DOUBT!

Saint Nikolai Velimirovich

Even the dead sense and know the good deeds that are performed for them. Christians need not have any doubt in this. A good deed spreads through the heavenly world like an electrical current.

An imperial clerk, Magistrian, was sent by the emperor on an important errand. Along the way, Magistrian saw a poor dead man, completely naked. He was moved with pity, removed his shirt, dressed the dead man, and buried him honorably. 

After a while, Magistrian had an unfortunate accident: he fell from his horse and broke his leg, and lay sick in bed for a long time. On one occasion, several doctors gathered around him to take counsel concerning his illness. The doctors agreed that his leg would have to be amputated. That night Magistrian could not sleep, but grieved and wept. At midnight a man suddenly appeared in his room and asked him: "Why are you weeping?'' When Magistrian explained his condition, the unknown man then rubbed the infected leg with his hand and the leg was healed. "For God's sake, tell me-who are you?'' asked Magistrian. The unknown man replied: "Look at me, and see, is not this your shirt? I am he whom you saw naked and dead, and whom you dressed in this shirt. And behold, for your good deed God has sent me to heal you. Give thanks to God!''

Fully God and Fully Man

Who can deny the number of miracles performed by our Lord while on earth in the flesh?  Were there no witnesses to confirm them?  And what of the prophecies concerning His coming, the presence and the events that occurred and all fulfilled?  But we may ask, could our Lord be any more fully man for us?  Was He not tempted?  Did he not hunger and thirst?  Did he not tire and eat as we?  Was He not obedient to His Mother and to Joseph the Betrothed?  He Who is One with our Father, did He not ask to be excused (as we would) from His appointed task to suffer and give His life by crucifixion?  Did He not weep as we would for his friend, yes friend, Lazarus, He Who is the Resurrection?  How much more God, how much more Man could He be?  Who is this God that refers to Himself as "We" and includes all of His creation in the enjoyment of "we"?  Can we possibly comprehend the love of this One and Only omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God Who by His Will alone calls into being?

As it has been said by many and in many ways, The highest form of prayer is to stand silently in awe before God {St. Isaac the Syrian}

Besides our attendance at services, besides our daily prayers, how often do we contemplate, reflect and practice this precious and infinitely rewarding gift to ACTUALLY FIND that comes and is EXPERIENCED directly?

Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

St. Matthew 6:29