Habakkuk the Prophet: This Prophet, whose name means loving embrace, is eighth in order of the minor Prophets. His homeland and tribe are not recorded in the Divine Scriptures; according to some, he was of the tribe of Symeon. He prophesied in the years of Joachim, who is also called Jechonias, before the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish People, which took place 599 years before Christ. When Nabuchodonosor came to take the Israelites captive, Habakkuk fled to Ostrakine, and after Jerusalem was destroyed and the Chaldeans departed, Habakkuk returned and cultivated his field. Once he made some pottage and was about to take it to the reapers in the field. An Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and carried him with the pottage to Babylon to feed Daniel in the lions den, then brought him back to Judea (Bel and the Dragon, 33-39). After the end of the war with the Babylonians, the Prophet Habakkuk returned to his homeland and died at a great old age. His holy relics were found in Palestine, together with the relics of the Prophet Micah (August 14), during the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Great, through a revelation to Zebennus, Bishop of Eleutheropolis. His book of prophecy is divided into three chapters; the third chapter is also used as the Fourth Ode of the Psalter. Myrope the Martyr of Chios: The Holy Martyr Myrope was born in the city of Ephesus at the beginning of the third century. She lost her father at an early age, and her mother raised her in the Christian Faith. St Myrope frequently visited the grave of the Martyr Hermione (September 4), daughter of the holy Apostle Philip, took myrrh from her relics, and healed the sick with it. During the persecution by Decius (249-251), Myrope went with her mother to the island of Chios, where they spent their time in fasting and prayer. Once, by order of the cruel governor of the island, the soldier Isidore (May 14), a man of deep faith and great piety, was martyred. St Myrope secretly removed the body of the martyr and buried it. The soldiers, who had been ordered not to allow the Christians to take Isidore’s body, were sentenced to death. St Myrope took pity on the condemned, and she told the soldiers and then the governor what she had done. At the trial she confessed herself a Christian. For this they gave her a fierce beating and then threw her in prison. At midnight, while she was praying, a light shone in the prison. St Isidore appeared surrounded by angels, and St Myrope surrendered her soul to God. The prison was immediately filled with a sweet fragrance. The pagan guard, trembling at the vision, told this to a priest. Later, he accepted Baptism and a martyric death for his confession of Christ. Also commemorated: Joannicos the Monk of Devich Our Righteous Father Cyril of Phileus:
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 10:25:44 +0000