THE FIRST CALLED HOLY APOSTLE ANDREW (Part II)

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

THE FIRST CALLED HOLY APOSTLE ANDREW (Part II)

"Enraged, Aegeates ordered that Saint Andrew be crucified. He did not wish the Apostle to die quickly, but as slowly and painfully as possible, so he had his hands and feet tied to the cross rather than nailed to it. As the servants of the persecutor led the Saint to the place of execution, the people cried out, ‘How has this righteous man, the friend of God, sinned? Why is he to be crucified? But Saint Andrew entreated the crowd not to hinder his suffering, and went to meet his end gladly, teaching the people without interruption. He caught sight of his cross from some distance away and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Hail, O cross, sanctified by the flesh of Christ and adorned by His members as with pearls!’

After saying this, Saint Andrew removed his clothing and gave it to his tormentors. Having bound his hands and feet to the cross with cords, they lifted him up. About twenty thousand people stood watching, among whom was Stratocles, Aegeates’ brother. He cried out with the others, ‘This holy man suffers unjustly!’ But Saint Andrew continued to strengthen those who believed in Christ and exhorted them to endure every transitory affliction, teaching them that no suffering can be compared with the reward earned by it.

Fearing the people, Aegeates hastened to take Saint Andrew down. The servants could not succeed in untying the Saint. One after another, they tried to loose him, but were unable, because their hands at once became numb. Meanwhile, Saint Andrew cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Lord Jesus Christ, do not permit me to be taken down from the cross upon which I have been suspended for Thy Name’s sake! Receive me, O my Teacher, Whom I love, Whom I know, Whom I confess, Whom I long to see, through Whom I have become what I am! O Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit in peace, for the time hath come for me to go to Thee, Whom I so wish to behold! Receive me, O Good Teacher and do not allow me to be taken down from the cross until Thou hast accepted my spirit! ‘ As Saint Andrew spoke, a light resembling lightning flashed upon him from heaven in the sight of all. So brilliantly did it shine around him that the corruptible eye of man could not bear to gaze upon him. The heavenly light continued to shine for about half an hour, and when it vanished, the spirit of the Holy Apostle Andrew departed and went to stand in the light of the Lord.

Maximillia, the chaste, holy, and noble wife of the Proconsul, who has come to believe in Christ, learned that Saint Andrew had departed unto the Lord. She took down his body from the cross with great reverence, and anointing it with costly ointments, placed it in her own tomb. Aegeates was furious with the people and considered how he might wreak vengeance on them, punishing those who had arisen against him openly. As for Maximillia, it was his intention to denounce her to the Emperor himself. While he was devising his plans, a demon suddenly possessed him, and he perished in torment in the middle of the city.

These things took place on the last day of the month of November, in the city of Patras in Achaia, Greece, where, even till the present day, many blessings are bestowed on the people through the prayers of the Holy Apostle.

Thus concludes the account of the passion (suffering) of the Holy Apostle Andrew written by the Presbyters and Deacons of Achaia. Many years later, the holy relics of the Holy Apostle Andrew were translated to Constantinople by the Martyr Artemius, at the behest of the Emperor of Constantine the Great. They were placed together with the remains of Saint Luke the Evangelist and Saint Timothy, the disciple of the Holy Apostle Paul, in the most splendid Church of the Apostles, beneath the sacred table of oblation.

Through the prayers of Thine Apostle Andrew, O Christ God, confirm Thy faithful in Orthodoxy, and save us. Amen. [Resources:  The Great Collection of The Lives of the Saints]

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George