Holy Unmercenaries
Cyros and John
Saint Arsénios the new
of Páros
~ no fasting throughout the week ~
Read your way down thru the treasures to
MYSTIC TREATISES
These charitable and glorious saints were not blood brothers but were brothers in the spirit. At first, Cyros lived in Alexandria, and as a physician he healed people by the power of Christ and by his knowledge of medicine. Learning that sickness mostly befalls man because of sin, Cyros always directed the sick to purify their souls from sin through repentance and prayer and, thereby restore health to the body.
When Diocletian's persecution against Christians began, Cyros withdrew to Arabia where he received the monastic tonsure. He became as famous in Arabia as he was in Alexandria, so that people there also resorted to him for assistance. Hearing about Cyros, John, then a Roman officer in Edessa, came to Arabia to see him. Upon meeting, they loved one another as a brother loves a brother and remained together to live a life of asceticism.
At that time, a certain Christian woman named Anastasia, together with her three daughters, was tortured by the persecutors in the town of Canopus. Hearing of this, Cyros and John came to Canopus to encourage the mother and her daughters not to abandon the Faith. And truly, thanks to the counsel of these saints, Anastasia endured all tortures and, with her daughters, was martyred for Christ. The daughters of Anastasia were named: St. Theoctista, age 15; St. Theodota, age 13; and St. Eudocia, age 11. The tormentors then captured Cyros and John, who, after imprisonment and torture were beheaded in the year 311 A.D.
Numerous miracles were wrought by these martyrs, both during their lives and after their deaths. Their relics were translated to Rome during the reign of Emperor Arcadius. These saints are invoked for assistance during the Blessing of Water, in the Mystery of Holy Anointing and especially by those suffering from insomnia.
1 Saint John 1:8-2:6 KJV
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Saint Mark 13:31-14:2 KJV
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34 For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
14 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
MYSTIC TREATISES
by Saint Isaac of Nineveh
Be dead in life, then thou wilt not live in death. Let thyself die in integrity, but not live
in guiltiness. Not only those who suffer death for the sake of the faith in Christ are
martyrs, but also those who die for the sake of keeping his commandments. Be not
inept in thy petitions, lest thou grieve God by thy ignorance. Learn to pray with
prudence, that thou mayest be esteemed worthy of glorious things. Seek well-esteemed
things from Him, who does not withhold; then thou wilt receive honour from Him,
because of the choice of thy wise will. Solomon sought wisdom and he received, apart
from it, the earthly kingdom, because he knew how to ask wisely viz. great things from the King.
No comments:
Post a Comment