St. Abanoub
Abanoub was only twelve years old when he was martyred by the Roman ruler. On July 31 our Church celebrates his death, as the day of his birth into eternal life. |  |
Once in Samanoud, Abanoub went to the Roman ruler and declared his faith openly. He also insulted the ruler's idols. The ruler was mad and gave orders to whip him on his belly. The soldiers beat Abanoub severely until his intestines poured out of his tummy. But the Archangel Michael miraculously healed him. Then the ruler put him in jail with other Christians who were encouraged by his presence among them, and later were martyred for the name of Jesus.
The following day, the ruler took Abanoub on a boat to a city called Atrib, and as punishment, he hung Abanoub upside down from the sail of the boat. The soldiers, along with their ruler, started drinking and dancing and hitting Abanoub on the mouth. Abanoub's nose bled, but then unexpectedly, the soldiers became blind and the ruler became paralyzed. In their agony they cried to him and said, "Please Abanoub, pray to your God to heal us. For if we are cured, we will become Christians."
St. Abanoub replied, "This will only happen in Atrib, so that everyone there should know that there is no other God but Christ." When they arrived in Atrib, they were all healed, and they cried with joy, "We are Christiansl We believe in the God of Abanoub" Then they took off their uniforms and threw them on the ground in front of the ruler of Atrib. The governor got very mad, and ordered them to be killed.
In Atrib, Abanoub was tortured severely, sometimes by whipping and sometimes by tying him to a steel bed and igniting fire under him. But in all these tribulations, the Lord showed his power and Abanoub was saved. As a result of these miracles, many onlookers became Christians, and received the crown of martyrdom. The ruler then gave orders to cut Abanoub's hands and feet. Suddenly the Angel of the Lord came down from heaven, put the hands and feet in place, and healed him. Then Abanoub got up and walked in front of everybody. Hundreds of people became Christians as a result of that miracle.
Frustrated, the ruler called some of the best magicians in the country, and asked them to help him defeat Abanoub. They suggested that he should be thrown to the poisonous snakes. "Those snakes have enough poison to kill two or three hundred men." they said. So they put Abanoub in a cell with the snakes, but God, who shut the mouths of the lions at the time of Daniel, tamed the snakes and they did not harm Abanoub. In the morning, and to everybody's astonishment, St. Abanoub came out from the cell alive. Then suddenly one of the snakes crawled out of the cell and coiled itself around the ruler's neck. The man started shaking and he cried, "In the name of Jesus your God, be merciful on me and don't let the snake harm me." The saint who loved everyone - friend or enemy - just as the Gospel commands, prayed from the heart, and then ordered the snake to come down and not to hurt the ruler. On that day, many people who were present including the three magicians believed in Jesus.
Finally one of the ruler's advisers told him to behead the saint and put an end to that episode. So the ruler ordered the soldiers to kill St. Abanoub by the sword. A faithful man called St. Julius wrapped Abanoub's body in fine linen and sent him to his hometown Nehisa where he was buried.
In 960 A.D., his body was transferred to St. Virgin Mary's church in Samanoud where it still lies until today. Throughout the years, Abanoub made lots of apparitions in that church. He used to appear as a twelve-year old child and play with children of his age. Once he interfered in a fight between some Christian and Moslem children. This incident aggravated one of the prominent Moslems who lived beside the church. The priest of the church, who was an old man, got mad when he learned about what happened. In his fury he forbade the Child Saint from appearing. Amazingly, the Saint obeyed the priest's decision and the apparitions stopped for many years.
It was only in 1974, when Father Abanoub Louis was ordained priest at that church, that he summoned two bishops who came to the church and after praying fervently, they gave permission to the saint to appear if he wished. In about two weeks time the first apparition was witnessed followed by numerous miracles and appearances.
A well-known bishop visited Montreal recently and spoke about the miracles that he witnessed himself. He said, "One day, I was visiting Samanoud, and I participated in celebrating mass in St. Virgin Mary and St. Abanoub Church. The mass was in the middle of the week, and was attended by few people. After we finished, I remarked about how beautiful a Church it is, and that I really enjoyed praying mass in it, except for one little thing." I added that throughout the prayers a young boy kept coming in and out of the front door. The priest told me that he did not see any young children, and that the mass was attended by few grown-ups. Then he concluded that that young boy was St. Abanoub.
Another man said that after he attended mass, he went on his way carrying a brief-case.'It was raining, and I slipped, and fell into a puddle. Then a young boy came running at me, and helped me get on my feet. He handed me my brief case, and told me to cross to the other side of the street. I was surprised to find out that my clothes and my brief-case were completely dry. Then I looked for the little boy, but he had disappeared."
St. Abu Seifein (Philopater)
Philopateer was born in 224 A.D. in the city of Eskentos in Cappadocia (Eastern Asia Minor.) The word Philopateer is a Greek word which means Father of Love (Pateer = father, Philo = love). His family used to live on hunting wild animals. One day his father Yares, along with his grandfather, were hunting in the forest when they were attacked by a wild beast. The animal jumped on the grandfather, and that scared Yares so much that he fainted. |  |
After the death of Noah, the pagan king Dicius chose Merkorious to replace his father. He led the army against the Berbers. After several days of fighting, the archangel Michael appeared to Merkorious holding a shining sword. He said, "Merkorious, servant of Jesus Christ, don't be afraid. Take this sword from my hand and fight the Berbers with it. Don't forget your God when you come back victoriously. I am Michael the Archangel, whom God sent to inform you that you should suffer for the Lord's name. I shall be with you and support you until you complete your testimony. The name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you. "
The saint took the sword from the Archangel. He went to fight the Berbers with two swords. He conquered them as he felt the divine strength fill his heart. When Dicius heard the news about the triumphant victory, he was very pleased. He appointed Merkorious prince and gave him many honorable medals.
In 249 A.D. Dicius blasphemed against Christ and started persecuting the Christians. He issued a decree compelling everyone to offer sacrifices to his pagan gods. The Archangel Michael appeared to Merkorious and told him to remember his Lord and not to be scared of the persecutions. The saint was happy of the encouragement he received from the Lord and spent the whole night praying fervently, and confessing his weakness to God.
The next morning, the king sent some messengers to summon Merkorious to the palace, but he excused himself, saying that he was tired. The day after, the king sent for Merkorious again. He told him, "Dear Merkorious, let's go offer incense to the gods who helped us attain victory in the war." Being kind, Merkorious didn't say anything but as they were going, he slipped through the crowd and went away. However, one of the king's guards reported his absence, and the king called Merkorious and asked him, "Is it true that you refused to worship the idols who helped us during the war?"
Merkorious answered with courage, "Your Majesty, the victory was not due to dumb idols made by human hands. It was accomplished by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who sent his Archangel to give me a sword and strengthened me. I cannot deny my God and worship statues."
The king was mad, but held himself back, because he didn't want to lose a courageous hero like Merkorious. He tried to persuade him by promising him a higher position, and large sums of money, but to no avail. So he stripped him from all his gold medals and ranks. In all that, Merkorious' faith was unshaken. Then the king ordered him to be thrown in jail.
That did not stop the saint from praying and singing hymns in prison. During the night, Michael the Archangel appeared to him and told him, "Don't be afraid of the tortures. Confess your faith in Jesus publicly because He's the only One able to save you."
The next morning, the king called Merkorious and tried again to convince him to give up his faith. When he refused, the king decided to start the torturing. The soldiers hung the saint between two poles, higher than the ground so that they could hit him with sharp nails. They tried also to cut his body with sharp blades and burn it, but because of the Lord's grace, Merkorious was able to endure all these tortures in silence. Back in jail, the Archangel appeared and touched Merkorious' body. He was instantly healed.
The next day, when the king saw that the saint was in perfect health, he attributed it to witchcraft. Merkorious told him that it was Jesus who is the true healer of the soul and the body. Nevertheless, after Dicius tried so many tortures without any success, he decided to have him beheaded.
Merkorious lifted up his arms and prayed fervently, asking the Lord-to accept him in paradise. Then, all of a sudden, he saw The Lord Jesus in a glorified vision, surrounded by many angels. Jesus said, "My chosen son, Merkorious, come to your eternal rest with the saints. Your prayers have risen up to me like the aroma of good-smelling incense. Miracles will be performed in any church bearing your name. And I will save those who ask Me through your intercession. Whoever writes or reads the story of your life will have their names written in the Book of Life."
Then, after the Lord had blessed him, Merkorious was so happy that he ran to his executioners, and begged them to carry out the king's orders immediately. Then he knelt down and said, "Lord, do not count this sin against them." Merkorious was martyred on the 4th of December in the year 250 A.D. He was only 25 years old.
After the end of the first persecution, God wanted to reveal the place of the saint's burial. Merkorious appeared to a poor man in the city, and told him that he was Merkorious the martyr of the Lord. "My body is buried in Cappadocia Gardens, under the old house on the way to the royal palace. My body looks as white as snow, because Jesus was present at the time of my martyrdom," said the saint.
The next morning, the man went to dig under the old house. Then he smelled perfume, and at the same time he saw the body of the saint. The news spread quickly and many people came to take a look at the blessed body. They moved it to the village's Church until they built a new church bearing his name, and Merkorious' body was buried there with respect and devotion.
A few years later, the Armenian patriarch visited Egypt and met with the Egyptian patriarch. The latter asked him if Egypt could have part of the relics of Saint Merkorious to be placed in the church that bears his name in old Cairo. On the 9th of Baouna (June 16) part of the blessed body was offered to Egypt.
St. Archangel Michael
Michael ; Arabic ميخائيل: Mika'il ) is an archangel mentioned in the Book of Revelation 12:7; in the Hebrew Bible Michael is only mentioned by name in the Persian context of the post-Exilic Book of Daniel. Only there in Daniel does Michael appear— as "one of the chief princes" who in Daniel's vision comes to the angel Gabriel's aid in his contest with the angel of Persia, and is also described there as the advocate of Israel (10:21, 12:1). The Talmud tradition rendered his name as meaning "who is like El (God)? (but literally "El's Likeness")" (compare the late prophet Micah), but according to Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish (230-270 CE), all the specific names for the angels were brought back by the Jews from Babylon, and many modern commentators would agree. Michael is one of the principal angels in Abrahamic tradition; his name was said to have been the war-cry of the angels in the battle fought in heaven against Satan and his followers. The figure of Michael probably originated in Chaldaea as a protective god or spirit. Accepted by the Jews, he emerged as so major an angel in Jewish lore that he was honored as the patron angel of the nations (out of seventy, or seventy-two according to other sources) who did not fall from grace, his bias entirely understood since it favored God's Chosen People. |  |
Much of the late Midrash detail about Michael was transmitted to Christian mythology through the Book of Enoch whence it was taken up and further elaborated. In late medieval Christianity, Michael together with St George became the patron of chivalry, and the patron of the first chivalric order of France, the Order of Saint Michael of 1469. In the British honours system, a chivalric order founded in 1818 is also named for these two saints, the Order of St Michael and St George. St Michael is also considered in many Christian circles as the patron saint of the warrior.