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- Holy, Glorious and Great Martyr Demetrius the Outpourer of Myrrh (306)
- He was a native of Thessalonica, born of noble parents. His wisdom
and distinction in battle earned him rapid advancement in the service of
the Empire: in time he was appointed commander of all the Roman forces
in Thessaly, and Proconsul of Hellas. Despite these worldly honors,
Demetrius put his Christian faith before all, and by his words and
example brought many pagans to faith in Christ.
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When the Emperor Maximian, a persecutor of Christians, came to
Thessalonica he appointed games and public sacrifices to celebrate his
recent victory over the Scythians. Some jealous pagans used the visit to
denounce Demetrius to the Emperor. Maximian had Demetrius cast into a
fetid cell in the basement of some nearby baths. Maximian had brought
with him a huge barbarian of tremendous strength named Lyaios, who
fought many men in the arena and defeated them all, to the entertainment
of the Emperor and the crowds. A young Christian named Nestor
determined to show the people that the only true strength is in Christ:
he visited Demetrius in his cell and asked for his blessing to challenge
Lyaios to combat. The Martyr made the sign of the Cross over Nestor and
sent him to the arena with his blessing. Nestor, a young boy, cried out
before the Emperor 'God of Demetrius, help me!' and quickly killed the
mighty Lyaios, to the astonishment of the crowd. The infuriated Emperor
had Nestor slain with his own sword, and sent soldiers to Demetrius'
cell, where they killed him with their spears. Demetrius' servant, a
believer named Lupus, retrieved the body of Demetrius and buried it with
honor. He kept the Saint's ring and blood-stained tunic, and through
them worked several miracles and healings. When the Emperor heard of
this, he had Lupus, too, beheaded.
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As a sign of the grace that rested on the holy Demetrius, a fragrant
myrrh flowed copiously from the Martyr's body after his death, healing
many of the sick. For many centuries, St Demetrius has been a patron
Saint of Thessalonica.
source: http://www.abbamoses.com |
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