Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
THE LIFE OF SAINT SPYRIDON THE WONDERWORKER (Part II)
TWO MIRACLES ADDED TO THE LIFE OF SAINT SPYRIDON
While the Lord’s favorite was on his way to the holy First Ecumenical Synod, he stopped to spend the night at an inn. While he was there, hateful Arian heretics arrived and cut off the heads of the horses on which he and his servant were traveling. At daybreak, the servant saw what the heretics had done and informed Saint Spyridon of the evil deed. Putting his trust in the Lord, the Saint ordered the servant to place the horses’ heads against their bodies. Now one of the horses was white, the other black. The servant obeyed at once but put the head of the black horse against the white horse’s body and the head of the black horse against the white horse’s body. As soon as he did so both horses came to life and stood up. Saint Spyridon continued on his way, and everyone he passed was puzzled seeing a black horse with a white head and a white horse with a black head. The heretics meanwhile slipped away, utterly confounded.
At the First Ecumenical Synod, during one of his many disputes with the Arian heretics concerning the Divinity of Christ, our holy Father Saint Spyridon demonstrated the Holy Trinity’s UNITY in the following manner. Taking a brick in his hand, he squeezed it. Flame shot upward, water fell to the ground, and in his fist, only dust remained. "The brick was a single object," explained the Saint "but consisted of three elements: FIRE, WATER, AND EARTH. Similarly, THERE ARE THREE HYPOSTASES IN THE HOLY TRINITY, BUT ONLY A SINGLE, DIVINE NATURE."
On this same day, we commemorate the holy Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, who was earlier a Prelate in Cappadocia. This Saint went to Jerusalem to see the Holy Places and was directed by Divine revelation to remain there. He was chosen to succeed Saint Narcissus, who was very old, as Bishop of the Holy City and later, during the reign of Decius (a vicious persecutor of Christians), was seized and bound. Let off to Cappadocia, he endured numerous tortures for Christ’s sake and was condemned to be eaten by wild beasts. Since the animals refused to harm him, he was cast into prison where he surrendered his soul into the hands of God, the Great High Priest, and the joy of Martyrs.
On this same day, we commemorate the holy Martyr Synesius, who suffered for Christ in Rome during the reign of Severus.
Through the prayers and intercessions of the Holy Martyrs, O Christ our God, have mercy on us and saves us. Amen.
________________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 