Notices by 『g r e y』 :uv: ☦️ (grey@poa.st)

We continue on in the struggle of #nnn with the help of God. As is now seeming tradition in November, I am posting lives of the saints (mostly) daily.

Today is November 3rd on the Julian calendar.

St. Snandulia of Persia (350 or 380)

Saint Snandulia of Persia is mentioned in the account of the martyrdom of Saints Joseph the priest and Aethalas the deacon. The historian Sozomen also describes their sufferings in his Church History (Book 2, ch. 13).

Snandulia was a devout Christian of the city of Arbela who visited those who suffered in prison for the sake of Christ. When she learned that Saints Joseph and Aethalas were in the prison, she went with her servants by night and bribed the guards with gold. They allowed her to take the saints to her home until daybreak. They were barely alive and unable to speak. She took them home and put them to bed, tending their wounds, and kissing their shattered hands and feet.

Saint Joseph recovered consciousness and saw Snandulia weeping. He told her that the compassion she had shown for him and for Aethalas was pleasing to God, but he thought that her bitter lamentations were contrary to Christian hope.

She replied, “When one is moved by compassion, it is natural to weep.”

“Nevertheless,” Saint Joseph said, “you should not weep for us, for tortures borne for the sake of Christ are followed by eternal joy.”

The two saints were returned to prison the next morning, as promised. After six months their wounds had healed to some extent. They could stand and walk a little, but Aethalas’s hands hung at his side limp and useless.

Zerothus was appointed as a judge, and he entered the city offering sacrifice to the gods in the various temples. Some of the priests told him about Saints Joseph and Aethalas, who had been tortured on the orders of Prince Ardasabor, the head of all the Magi of Persia. They explained to Zerothus that their execution was being delayed until they recovered from their wounds.

When he heard this, Zerothus ordered that the martyrs be brought before him. He used flattery and then threats in an attempt to persuade them to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When this proved unsuccessful, the judge had them beaten for a long time.

When they were brought before the judge again, Zerothus tried to get the saints to eat food which had been offered to the idols, but they refused. Then the judge had them beaten again, and ordered other Christians to stone them. Soldiers went to the homes of the Christians to force them to come to the judgment hall. They dug a hole and placed Saint Joseph in it, then put stones in the hands of the Christians and compelled them to stone him.

Saint Snandulia was among these Christians, but she refused to throw stones at the aged priest. Then they gave her a lance and told her to kill Saint Joseph. She said that she would rather drive the lance into her own heart than to wound the saint with it.

Saint Joseph was eventually killed by all the stones that were thrown at him, and the holy deacon Aethalas was also stoned in the same way.

Saint Snandulia stretched forth her arms to needful works and opened her hands to the needy (Proverbs 31:19-20), but she refused to lift her hands to do evil against Saint Joseph.

Today was day 11 of #nnn. Sorry for missing the post on Sunday, but I was away from my computer all day and didn't get to phoneposting. Today is October 29th on the Julian calendar.

The Monk Avramii (Abraham), Archimandrite of Rostov, in the world Averkii, in his youth left from his parental home and entered upon the path of Christian asceticism. Having assumed the monastic form, Avramii settled at Rostov on the shore of Lake Nero. In the Rostov lands there were then yet many pagans, and the monk worked intensely at spreading the true faith.

Not far off from the cell of the Saint there was a pagan temple, where the pagans worshipped a stone idol of Veles (Volos), which caused fright among the inhabitants of Rostov. In a miraculous vision the Apostle John the Theologian came to stand before Avramii, and gave him a staff crowned with a cross atop, with which the monk destroyed the idol. At the place of the pagan temple, Saint Avramii founded a monastery in honour of the Theophany and became its head. And in memory of the miraculous appearance, the monk erected a church in the name of the Apostle John the Theologian.

Many of the pagans were persuaded and baptised by Saint Avramii. Particularly great was his influence with the children: he taught them reading and writing, he instructed them in the law of God, and tonsured monastics from amongst them. Everyone coming to the monastery of the saint was lovingly accepted. His life was a constant work of prayer and toil for the benefit of the brethren: he chopped firewood for the oven, he laundered the monks clothing and carried water for the kitchen. The monk reposed in old age and was buried in the church of the Theophany (+ XI Century).

His holy relics were uncovered during the time of Greatprince Vsevolod (1176-1212). In the year 1551 tsar Ivan the Terrible, before his campaign against Kazan, made the rounds of holy places. At the Theophany-Avramiev monastery the showed him that staff, with which the Monk Avramii had destroyed the idol of Veles. The tsar took the staff with him on the campaign, but the cross remained at the monastery. And returning again after the subjugation of the Kazan khanate, Ivan the Terrible gave orders to build at the Avramiev monastery a new stone church in honour of the Theophany, with four chapels, and he sent there books and icons.

Today is day 8 of #nnn. Continuing the struggle against Jewish pornography. Today is October 26th on the Julian calendar.

I'm continuing the posting of lives of the saints this month to keep up the struggle.

Today is the celebration of The Holy Martyr Luppos.

The Martyr Luppos lived at the end of the III Century - beginning II Century, and was a faithful servant of the holy GreatMartyr Demetrios of Soluneia (Thessalonika, Comm. 26 October). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and likewise with the ring and the name of the GreatMartyr Demetrios, Saint Luppos worked at Soluneia many miracles. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected to persecution by the pagans, but by the power of God he was preserved unharmed. Saint Luppos voluntarily delivered himself over into the hands of the torturers and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius he was beheaded by the sword (+ post 306).

Welcome to Day 4 of #nnn. Today is October 22nd on the Julian calendar.

As last year, in order to help in some small way keep people on track, I am posting lives of Orthodox saints every day this month.

Today is the celebration of Martyrs Alexander the bishop, Heraclius, Anna, Elizabeth, Theodota and Glyceria, at Adrianopolis (2nd-3rd c.)

Saint Alexander was the Bishop of Adrianopolis, who proclaimed the Gospel with great zeal to crowds of idolaters, and his preaching attracted many pagans to Christ. In spite of the persecution of Christians, Bishop Alexander fearlessly converted and baptized many pagans into the divine Faith. This so infuriated the ruler of that place that he ordered the Saint's arrest and subjected him to torture in order to force him to offer sacrifice to the idols. Saint Alexander endured horrible tortures with exemplary patience because he refused to worship the lifeless idols fashioned by men, preferring to offer himself as a sacrifice to Christ, the true God Who said: "Whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25).

A soldier named Herakleios, after witnessing Bishop Alexander's fortitude, came to believe in Christ. He was tortured before being beheaded.

By the grace of God, Saint Alexander was healed of the wounds he sustained from being tortured. When this miracle was made known, four women, Theodótē, Glykerίa, Anna, and Elizabeth also confessed their faith in Christ before the archon, refuting the delusion of idolatry. Therefore, they were led to the place of execution, where they were put to death by the sword.

After the other martyrs were killed, Saint Alexander was beheaded with a sword, obtaining an unfading crown from Christ.

Source.

Welcome to Day 1 of #nnn 2024.

Last year, in order to help do something positive and stop coalpoasting, I spent November posting entries from the audiobook Synaxarion (lives of the Saints) hosted by Patristic Nectar Publication. This year, they have locked it all behind their app and registration wall. It is what it is toobz.

So I'm going to take other entries from the Orthodox calendar maintained by Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church. (Using the legacy HTML version, since I can link to a specific day). This means there will be no audio, unless you want me to attempt to read them myself or something.

Today is October 19 on the Julian calendar.

It is the feast day of Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth), Bishop of Persia, and 128 Martyrs with him (342).

The Hieromartyr Sadoc, and the 128 Martyrs suffered in Persia under Sapor II. Saint Sadoc was successor of the hieromartyr Simeon (April 17). He once had a dream, in which Saint Simeon told him of his own impending martyric death. Standing in great glory atop a ladder reaching up to Heaven, Saint Simeon said, “Ascend to me, Sadoc, and be not afraid. Yesterday I ascended, and today you will ascend.”

Soon the emperor Sapor, renewing the persecution against Christians, ordered that Saint Sadoc be arrested with his clergy and flock. In all, 128 people were arrested, including nine virgins. They were thrown into prison, where they were cruelly tortured for five months. They were told to renounce the Christian Faith and instead to worship the sun and fire. The holy martyrs bravely answered, “We are Christians and worship the One God.” They were sentenced to beheading by the sword.