Today the Church honors the memory of St. Ariston, Bishop of Arsinoe in Paphos, whose episcopate was re-established in 1996 under the leadership of Metropolitan Chrysostomos II of Paphos and then Archbishop of Cyprus. Also today we celebrate the memory of the Holy Great Martyr Antousios and St. Athanasius the Confessor, who was born in Constantinople and from a young age had a desire to follow the path of monasticism. At a young age he fled to the monastery of Pavlopetrius, near Nicomedia, and assumed the monastic image.
He excelled in spiritual practice and the development of all the virtues, to the point of being spiritually associated with famous fathers such as Theodore Studitis (Studiou) and John, abbot of the Cathar monastery. He vigorously fought the iconoclasts, promoting the restoration of holy icons. His anti-iconoclastic activities caused him great suffering, for by order of the iconoclastic emperor Leo V he was subjected to terrible tortures and exiled.
His struggle to the end of his life for the supremacy of Orthodoxy made him a confessor of the faith and he is a reliable role model for Christians of all ages.
Hosea Anfusa the Confessor, whom we honor today, lived in the 8th century AD. She was raised in piety and in conformity with Christian values. Her parents, Strategius and Fevronia, were characterized by piety and raised their daughter in the same way.
Anfusa, despite all offers to marry and start a family, chose the path of complete devotion to God. And when her parents died, she did not change her decision and devoted her paternal fortune to charitable and holy works. Antusa is responsible for the construction of two convents.
When Emperor Constantine Kopronimus ordered a severe persecution of holy icons and their bearers, the monastery of Hosea Anthusa was one of the most ardent centers of Orthodoxy. That is why Osia was first tortured, then, when by the Providence of God she predicted that the sick queen would escape death and give birth to twins, then she was very much loved by her. The queen supported the convent of Osias Anfusis in various ways. Thus, now undisturbed, she continued her divine work until she fell asleep peacefully.
Today's synaxarses give us the message that everything in people's lives depends on the motivation and spring of the individual, as well as faith in the Providence of God.
He excelled in spiritual practice and the development of all the virtues, to the point of being spiritually associated with famous fathers such as Theodore Studitis (Studiou) and John, abbot of the Cathar monastery. He vigorously fought the iconoclasts, promoting the restoration of holy icons. His anti-iconoclastic activities caused him great suffering, for by order of the iconoclastic emperor Leo V he was subjected to terrible tortures and exiled.
His struggle to the end of his life for the supremacy of Orthodoxy made him a confessor of the faith and he is a reliable role model for Christians of all ages.
Hosea Anfusa the Confessor, whom we honor today, lived in the 8th century AD. She was raised in piety and in conformity with Christian values. Her parents, Strategius and Fevronia, were characterized by piety and raised their daughter in the same way.
Anfusa, despite all offers to marry and start a family, chose the path of complete devotion to God. And when her parents died, she did not change her decision and devoted her paternal fortune to charitable and holy works. Antusa is responsible for the construction of two convents.
When Emperor Constantine Kopronimus ordered a severe persecution of holy icons and their bearers, the monastery of Hosea Anthusa was one of the most ardent centers of Orthodoxy. That is why Osia was first tortured, then, when by the Providence of God she predicted that the sick queen would escape death and give birth to twins, then she was very much loved by her. The queen supported the convent of Osias Anfusis in various ways. Thus, now undisturbed, she continued her divine work until she fell asleep peacefully.
Today's synaxarses give us the message that everything in people's lives depends on the motivation and spring of the individual, as well as faith in the Providence of God.
Share:
