Tuesday {Holy John the Baptist} September 17th 2014 {Ecumenical / Church Calendar} September 30th 2014 [Roman / World Calendar] Afterfeast of the Exaltation of the Cross Commemoration of Holy Martyrs Sophia and her three daughters Pistis, Elpis and Agape {137} 17th Week after Pentecost. Tone Seven The Holy Martyresses Pistis, Elpis and Agape were born in Italy. Their mother, Holy Sophia, was a pious Christian widow. Having named her daughters with the names of the three Christian virtues, Holy Sophia raised them up in love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Holy Sophia and her daughters did not hide their faith in Christ and they openly confessed it before everyone. The official Antiochus made denunciation about them to the emperor Adrian, who ordered that they be brought to Rome. Realising that they would be taken before the emperor, the Holy Virgins prayed fervently to the Lord Jesus Christ, asking that He should send them the strength not to fear impending torture and death. When the Holy Virgins with their mother came before the emperor, everyone present was amazed at their composure: it seemed that they had been called out to some happy festivity, rather than to torture. Summoning the sisters in turn, Adrian urged them to offer sacrifice to the goddess Artemis. The young girls remained unyielding. Then the emperor gave orders to fiercely torture them: they burned at the Holy Virgins over an iron grating, they threw them into a red-hot oven and then into a cauldron with boiling tar, but the Lord by His Unseen Power preserved them. The youngest one, Agape, they tied to a wheel and beat at her with canes, until her body was covered all over with bloody welts. And undergoing unreported torments, the Holy Virgins glorified their Heavenly Bridegroom and remained steadfast in the faith. They subjected Holy Sophia to another and grievous torture: the mother was forced to look upon the suffering of her daughters. But she displayed adamant courage and during this whole while she urged the girls to endure the torments in the Name of the Heavenly Bridegroom. All three maidens with joy met their Martyrs end. They were beheaded. In order to intensify the inner suffering of Holy Sophia, the emperor decided to let her take up the bodies of her daughters. She placed their remains in coffins and reverently conveyed them on a wagon beyond the city and buried them on an high place. Holy Sophia sat there for three days not leaving the graves of her daughters, and finally she gave up her soul to the Lord. Believers buried her body there also. The relics of the Holy Martyresses since the year 777 rest at Elzasa, in the Church of Esho. The Scripture Readings Ephesians 2:19-3:7 Luke 3:23-4:1
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 08:40:15 +0000
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