St. Emilian, Bishop of Cyzicus, lived during the reign of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820). He was summoned together with the other bishops to the court of the emperor, who insistently urged the bishops to refrain from the veneration of holy icons. St. Emilian was the first to tell the emperor firmly that […]
Category Archives: Daily Devotionals
Aug. 7 The Holy Venerable Martyr Dometius
The holy venerable martyr Dometius lived in Persia during the 4th century. In his youth he was converted to the Faith by a Christian named Uaros. Forsaking Persia, St. Dometius withdrew to the frontier city of Nisibis (in Mesopotamia), where he was baptized in one of the monasteries, and also received the monastic tonsure. Fleeing […]
Aug. 06 The Transfiguration of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ
The Transformation of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ in which Jesus Christ, beloved and only-begotten Son of the eternal Father, manifested his glory in the presence of the holy Apostles Peter, James, and John, with the Law and the prophets bearing witness in the persons of Moses and Elijah. This was done so […]
Aug. 5 The Holy Martyr Eusignius; Prefestive Day of the Transfiguration
The holy martyr Eusignius was a soldier under emperors Maximian, Constantine, and Constantine’s sons. Having spent sixty years in military service, he withdrew and went home to Antioch, where he lived a life of good works, prayer, and fasting. In the year 362, during the time of the emperor Julian the Apostate, he was arrested […]
Aug. 04 The Holy Seven Children of Ephesus; The Holy Venerable Martyr Eudoxia
The holy seven children of Ephesus: During the persecution of the emperor Decius, seven young soldiers refused to sacrifice to idols. Tradition says that their names were: Maximilian, Iamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus, and Antoninus. They concealed themselves in a cave outside of Ephesus, and the emperor sealed them into that cave to kill them […]
Aug. 03 Our Venerable Fathers Isaac, Dalmatus, and Faustus. The Holy Myrrh-bearer Salome
Our venerable fathers Isaac, Dalmatus, and Faustus: Dalmatus was an officer in the Roman army who abandoned all and entered the monastery where Isaac was abbot. His only son, Faustus, entered with him. Dalmatus followed Isaac as heguman of the monastery, and took part in the Third Ecumenical Council (431), battling against the Nestorian heresy. […]
Aug. 02 Translation of the Relics of the Holy Proto-Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen; Our Venerable Father Basil, Fool for Christ
Tradition says that the body of St. Stephen was taken by the Rabbi Gamaliel, a secret disciple of Christ, and buried in a cave in the town of Capargamala. In the year 415, Gamaliel appeared in a dream to the priest Lucian in that town, and revealed the burial place of the Protomartyr. His relics […]
Aug. 01 The Procession of the Wood of the Venerable and Life-creating Cross; The Holy Seven Maccabees, their Mother Solomonia, and the Elder Eleazar
The feast of the procession of the Wood of the venerable and life-creating Cross was established in the reign of the Greek Emperor Manuel as a memorial of the Greek victory over the Saracens. The procession with the relic of the Precious Cross was made from the imperial palace to the church of Hagia Sophia; […]
July 31 The Holy and Righteous Eudocimus; The Holy Joseph of Arimathea
The holy and righteous Eudocimus lived in the time of the emperor Theophilus, the iconoclast. He was a military governor of Cappadocia, and lived a virtuous life before God and man. He died at the age of thirty-three during the 9th century. The holy Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple of our Lord Jesus […]
July 30 The Holy Apostles Silas and Silvanus and Their Companions
Silas was sent by the apostles to the Churches of the gentiles together with Saints Paul and Barnabas. He earnestly fulfilled the office of preaching, full of the grace of God. (Acts 15:22) Silvanus helped both Peter and Paul (I Peter 5:12; II Corinthians 1:19), and became the first bishop of Salonica. Crescens was a […]