Αναζήτηση αυτού του ιστολογίου

Κυριακή 21 Οκτωβρίου 2018

In the early 1990s, a young man from a neighboring village came to the monastery of St. Stephen with the intention of committing suicide by jumping down from the bridge connecting the top of the cliff with the road. He stood on the bridge, preparing to throw himself into the abyss, and at that moment an old priest approached him. He introduced himself as the confessor of the monastery, and, although they had never met before, he began to talk with the young man about his life, about the trials that had befallen him, urging him not to despair and saying that the Lord would help him. The young man felt peace and joy in his soul. He returned home and began to regularly attend the liturgy. It's been a few weeks. He again went to the monastery to speak with that priest. The sister he met at the entrance said that there was no permanent confessor in the monastery; there are only priests, who specially come to serve the liturgy. It turned out that on that day when the young man stood on the bridge, not a single priest came to the monastery. She asked the young man about how that father looked like, and he described him in detail. According to this description, the sisters were immediately recognized in the old priest of the most holy Charalambos.

*****************************

About St. Charalambos from wiki

Charalambos (Greek: Άγιος Χαράλαμπος) (also variously Charalampas, Charalampus, Charalambos, Haralampus, Haralampos, Haralabos or Haralambos) was an early Christian bishop in Magnesia on the Maeander, a region of Asia Minor, in the diocese of the same name. His name Χαράλαμπος means glowing with joy in Greek. He lived during the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211), when Lucian was Proconsul of Magnesia. It is believed that at the time of his martyrdom in 202, Charalambos was 113 years old.

Charalambos was Bishop of Magnesia also in Assyrian Mar Zaia and spread the Gospel in that region for many years. However, when news of his preaching reached the authorities of the area, the proconsul Lucian and military commander Lucius, the saint was arrested and brought to trial, where he confessed his faith in Christ and refused to offer sacrifice to idols.

Despite his advanced age, he was tortured mercilessly. They lacerated his body with iron hooks, and scraped all the skin from his body. The saint had only one thing to say to his tormentors: "Thank you, my brethren, for scraping off the old body and renewing my soul for new and eternal life."

According to the saint's hagiography, upon witnessing Charalambos' endurance of these tortures, two soldiers, Porphyrius and Baptus, openly confessed their faith in Christ, for which they were immediately beheaded with a sword. Three women who were watching the sufferings of Charalambos also began to glorify Christ, and were quickly martyred as well.

The legend continues to say that Lucius, enraged, seized the instruments of torture and began to torture Charalambos himself, but suddenly his forearms were cut off as if by a sword. The governor Lucian then spat in the face of the saint, and immediately Lucian's head was turned around so that he faced backwards. Apparently, Lucian and Lucius both prayed for mercy, and were healed by the saint, and became Christians.

More tortures, the legend says, were wrought upon the saint after he was brought to Septimius Severus himself. Condemned to death and led to the place of execution, Charalambos prayed that God grant that the place where his relics would repose would never suffer famine or disease. After praying this, the saint gave up his soul to God even before the executioner had laid his sword to his neck. Tradition says that Severus' daughter Gallina was so moved by his death, that she was converted and buried Charalambos herself.

The skull of Saint Charalambos is kept at the Monastery of Saint Stephen at Meteora. Many miracles are traditionally attributed to the fragments of his relics, which are to be found in many places in Greece and elsewhere

Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια: