Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Thursday September 19 / October 2 ns 2025 • Holy Martyrs Tróphimos, Sabbátios, and Dorymédon; St. Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury Eph. 4:14-17; St. Luke 4:16-22

If I remembered Thee on my bed,
at the dawn I meditated on Thee.

Thursday September 19
October 2 ns 2025
Today we honor with love
The Holy Martyrs Tróphimos,
Sabbátios, and Dorymédon; 
St. Theodore of Tarsus,
Archbishop of Canterbury


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.

NO NEED TO PROSELYTIZE
~ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica ~ 

He who has the Kingdom of God within himself
will imperceptibly pass it on to others.
The atmosphere of Heaven will radiate from us
even when we keep silence or talk about
ordinary things.


Ephesians 4:14-17 KJV

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,


Saint Luke 4:16-22 KJV

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
"ADAM"
BY SAINT INNOCENT
OF ALASKA


“As the book of Genesis states, Adam lived in the most beautiful garden (named Eden or Paradise), planted by God, and there he enjoyed all the blessings of life. He knew no sickness nor suffering. He feared nothing, and all beasts submitted to him as their master. Adam suffered neither cold nor heat. Although he toiled by caring for the garden of Eden, he did so with pleasure. His soul was filled with awareness of the Divine presence, and he loved his Creator with his whole heart. Adam was always calm and happy and knew no unpleasantness, sorrow, or concern. All his desires were pure, righteous, and orderly; his memory, intellect, and all other faculties were in harmony and were constantly being perfected. Being pure and innocent, he was always with God and conversed with Him as with his Father, and in return God loved him as His own beloved son. In brief, Adam was in Paradise, and Paradise was within him.


Extended Inclusions

SAINT NIKOLAI VELIMIROVICH

QUOTES FROM SAINT SILOUAN
OF ATHOS
WHY AFFLICTIONS
The Lord loves mankind but He sends affliction 
that we may perceive our weakness and humble
ourselves and for this humility receive the Holy
Spirit.  With the Holy Spirit all things are good,
all things are joyful, all things are well
HOW THE TRUE FAITH HAS
COME DOWN TO US

The soul of all peoples always felt
that God exists, even though they
didn't know enough to worship the
true God. The Holy Spirit, however,
taught the Prophets first, then the
Apostles, after them the Holy Fathers
and our bishops and so the true faith
has come down to us. We knew the Lord
through the Holy Spirit. And once
we knew him, our soul became fixed in him.

Know, you peoples, that we were made
in order to glorify God in heaven, and
don't attach yourselves to the earth.
Because God is our Father and He loves
us, His greatly desired children. People
who don't know grace, don't seek it.

People have become attached to the earth
and this is why most of them don't know
that there's nothing earthly which can
compare with the sweetness of the
Holy Spirit.
TO KNOW THE FATHER
To believe that God exists is one thing;
To know God is another. 
The soul that comes to know God fully,
no longer desires anything else.
Nor does it attach itself
to anything on the earth;
and if you put before it a Kingdom,
it would not desire it. For the love
of God gives such sweetness and joy
to the soul that even the life of a king
can no longer give it any sweetness.

When prayer comes from love in the heart, a connection is made.
And when you pray to Christ, you pray to and for ALL MANKIND, in heaven and on earth. Don't wonder at these words but instead ask yourself, is He not the new Adam?  Is He not the Son of Man? 

Did He not say that if we receive the least
we receive Him?  
And when a connection is made in prayer, you will love it more than all things due to the presence of Divinity.  And when occupied at times with worldly things, you will yearn to leave what you are doing and go to Him in prayer because you know He is there with Treasure for you.
(Ed.)

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