Holy Martyr Ananias of Persia
345
Saint Ananias was from Arvila, a city of Persia, and was arrested for confessing his faith in Christ during the persecution under King Shapur II in the fourth century. Subjected to many vicious tortures, the saint endured all things steadfastly. While being tormented, Ananias beheld a vision: a ladder reached up to heaven, and radiant men were calling him to a marvellous city of light. Strengthened by this revelation, he received the crown of martyrdom together with Saint Abdecalas, an aged Persian priest, and about a hundred other Christians, all of whom suffered on Good Friday in the year 345. His martyrdom was famous in the early Church and is depicted in the Menologion of Basil II.
Holy Prophet Nahum
The Holy Prophet Nahum, whose name means "God consoles," was from the village of Elkosh in Galilee. He lived during the seventh century before Christ and is the seventh of the Twelve Minor Prophets. The book of Nahum prophesies the ruin of the Assyrian city of Nineveh on account of its iniquity, the destruction of the Israelite kingdom, and the blasphemy of King Sennacherib against God. Nineveh fell in 612 BC, and the Prophet's words were vindicated. Unlike many of the prophets, Nahum does not issue a call to repentance to Israel nor denounce her infidelity, but proclaims judgement upon the oppressor and consolation for God's people. He died at the age of forty-five and was buried in his native region. The Prophet Nahum, together with Saint Nahum of Ochrid (commemorated on 23 December), is invoked by the faithful for those suffering from mental afflictions.
Saint Onesimus, Archbishop of Ephesus
Saint Onesimus, Archbishop of Ephesus, was a successor to the holy Apostle Timothy on the throne of that city in the late first and early second century. He is to be distinguished from the Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, the runaway slave restored to Philemon by the Apostle Paul, although the two are often associated in the tradition. Saint Ignatius of Antioch in his Epistle to the Ephesians refers to a bishop Onesimus of that city. In his old age the holy hierarch shepherded his flock with faith and zeal. During the reign of the Emperor Trajan he was arrested, brought to trial, and after confessing Christ steadfastly, was stoned and then beheaded with the sword for the sake of the Gospel.
Saint Philaret the Merciful of Amnia
792
The Righteous Philaret the Merciful, son of George and Anna, was raised in piety and the fear of God and lived during the eighth century in the village of Amnia in the Paphlagonian region of Asia Minor. His wife Theoseba came from a rich and illustrious family, and they had three children: a son John, and daughters Hypatia and Evanthia. Philaret was a wealthy and prominent dignitary, but he did not hoard his wealth. Knowing that many people suffered from poverty, he remembered the words of the Saviour about the dread Last Judgement and about "these least ones," and he became known for his extraordinary generosity, giving away cattle, garments, food and gold to those in need until his own household was reduced to destitution. Through these acts of mercy his granddaughter Maria was chosen as the bride of the young emperor Constantine VI, and the family was once more raised up in honour. Philaret continued to give alms with the same fervour until the end. At the age of ninety he summoned his children, blessed them and instructed them to cleave to God and to His law, prophesying with clairvoyance how each would live. He then went to the Rodolfia Monastery and gave up his soul to God in the year 792.
Venerable Anthony the New of Kios in Bithynia
Saint Anthony the New lived in the ninth century. Once the master of a splendid estate, he forsook the world to become a monk and lived in stillness as a solitary for many years, contending in supernatural ascetic struggles. Reading in Saint John Climacus the discourse on obedience, he came upon words describing one who, knowing his own infirmity through dwelling in solitude, then went and sold himself into obedience. Convinced that he too needed the discipline of community life, Anthony left his hermitage and gave himself to a coenobitic monastery at Kios in the province of Bithynia, where he lived under obedience to the brethren until his blessed repose around the year 865.
Saint Philaret the Merciful of Constantinople
762
He was a wealthy landed gentleman who lived in the countryside near Constantinople during the reign of the Empress Irene. God had given him great wealth and a large family with which to enjoy his later years in contentment. A true lover of God, he gave without hesitation to all the poor and needy who came to him, and freely offered hospitality to every traveler passing through his lands.
But his fortunes changed dramatically, and after a series of disasters he was reduced to poverty, with only a small piece of land, a pair of oxen, a donkey, a horse, a cow and a calf and a few beehives to sustain himself and his family. Without complaint, he took up the life of a simple farmer, laboring to support his family with his few means.
His reduced fortunes in no way changed his open-handed character; and when he met a peasant lamenting the death of his two oxen, he immediately gave him his own, leaving himself no way to till his field. When his wife and children expressed their dismay, he answered with Christ’s words, ‘Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink… but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.’ He asked his wife and children to be patient, for soon they would see a treasure that he was keeping hidden.
Continuing in every way as generous as he had been when wealthy, he had soon given away his horse, then his cow and calf, then his donkey (with a load of grain it was carrying at the time), to the few people he met who were poorer than himself. Without any means of feeding himself or his family, he received a generous gift of provisions from a wealthy friend; he divided the gift among his family members, then gave his own portion to the poor. He then gave away his beehives, and finally the coat from his back to a beggar who asked him for food. Thus he was left completely stripped of possessions, depending only on God to care for himself and his family.
At that time, emissaries from the Court of Constantinople passed through the neighborhood, sent out to seek a fair maiden of good family to be considered as a bride for the young Emperor Constantine VI. Philaret received them in his once-splendid house and, impressed by his virtues and those of his family, they asked two of his grand-daughters to return to the Court with them. There, the two ladies’ physical and spiritual beauty shone so brightly that one of them was wed to the Emperor, the other to one of his chief courtiers. The Emperor summoned Philaret and the rest of his family to the Palace, where he appointed Philaret Consul and gave him greater riches than he had possessed in former days. The Saint, restored to prosperity, continued in generosity as before: His first act was to give a lavish feast to which he invited the poor, old and disabled of the City. He then spent his days walking the streets of the City, distributing alms to the poor, giving to all who asked with no consideration of the merits of their case. (He brought with him a servant who carried three bags of coins: one of gold, one of silver, and one of copper. When he met a needy person, the Saint reached at random into a bag and gave him a handful of coins, thus letting God decide the size of the gift).
When the Saint drew near to death, he gathered his family and urged them to distribute all the remainder of his wealth to the needy. ‘My children, do not forget hospitality; visit those who are sick or in prison, watch over widows and orphans; see to the burial of those who die in poverty; do not covet the goods of others; speak no ill of anyone, and do not be glad of misfortunes that befall your enemies; always do as you have seen me do in my life, so that God will keep you under His protection.’ Then, his face shining with joy, he gave up his soul to God.
Our Venerable Father Eligius, Bishop of Noyon
660
He was born to a Christian family near Limoges in Gaul (modern-day France) in 588. He became a goldsmith, worked for the royal mint, and in time became a trusted counselor of King Chlothar II. Despite (or because of) the honors and riches that surrounded him, Eligius came to despise all of them and gave away all his property but what he considered essential for everyday life. He devoted all his income to almsgiving and to ransoming prisoners of all nationalities from the slave markets. Many of these became his attendants and disciples in gratitude. Eligius’ compassion became so well-known that when visitors asked for directions to his house, they would be told, ‘Look for the house surrounded by a crowd of beggars. That is where Lord Eligius lives.’ The Saint washed the feet of the poor who came to him, served them at his own table and fed himself on what they left. If he ran out of money, he would give away furniture or even his clothing.
When King Chlothar died in 629, Eligius became the counselor of his successor King Dagobert I. He founded monasteries for men at Solignac and for women in Paris, telling the King, ‘These are the ladders by which we will both be able to climb up to the Kingdom of Heaven.’ As a royal counselor he helped to re-establish peace between France and Brittany, and improved the law of the kingdom to make it more just.
When Dagobert died in 639, Eligius devoted himself entirely to the service of God as Bishop of Noyon in Flanders. His diocese was still mostly pagan, and Eligius traveled untiringly to preach the Gospel of Christ, often at risk of his life. Having foreseen his approaching death, Saint Eligius reposed in peace in 660. When his tomb was opened a year later, his body was found incorrupt and gave forth a fragrant scent.