Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

“ Thy beauty, thy grace, thy gold and thy silver are all vanity; follow Christ so that thou mayest find with Him the kingdom which never passeth away”; and having said this she went to her house. And when Andrianus knew that they were going to bring him to the torture, he went straightway to bid her farewell, and when she heard him arrive, she thought that he had escaped from the prison, and she shut the door against him, and reviled him from the inside of her house, saying, “Yesterday I called thee ‘martyr’ and to-day thou hast denied Christ!” ”

“ And the old man said unto James, “Observe, O my son, if this king of Egypt hath rejected a kingdom of this world, and followed Christ, and hath separated himself from his wife and family, how very much should we, who are poor folk, be consoled. O my son, be not sorrowful because of thy separation from thy parents.” And then the old man approached the governor, and confessed the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ before him, and cursed his gods. And the governor condemned the old man, and cut off his head with the sword speedily, and he became a martyr. ”

“ And he taught many men, and arrayed them in the garb of the monastic life, and they became like angels of God; and he died in peace and inherited the kingdom of heaven. And when the Archbishop of Antioch heard that Saint Abba Simon was dead, he came, bringing with him priests, and deacons, and officers, and they took away the body of Saint Simon with great honor, and brought it to the city of Alexandria, with spiritual songs and psalms. And they laid it in a church there, and many signs, and wonders, and great healings took place through it. Salutation to Simon of the Pillar. ”

“ We confess that He is perfect God and perfect man, One Person without separation. And when the apostles fell down upon the earth, and became like dead men, our Lord touched them with His Life- giving hand, and He said unto them, “Rise up, and fear not.” And they rose up straightway, and they lifted up their eyes and saw no one except our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was alone. Salutation to Debre Tabor, which is called Debre Telul.
And on this day also was the martyrdom of Saint Safrira, the daughter of Moses the prophet. ”

“ Salutation to Takla Haimanot.
And on this day also died the holy father, the fighter and conqueror, the soldier and apostle of Christ, Thomas, Bishop of the city of Mar’as, the confessor. The tongues of men are incapable of describing the glory and righteousness of this saint. Beings of flesh are incapable of understanding his excellences and virtues. Originally this saint was an ascetic, and a fighter of the spiritual fight. He fasted and prayed frequently, and kept vigil by night and by day, and he gave alms in abundance to the poor and needy. ”

“ And he took Isaac and laid him on the altar, and he knew that God was able to take Isaac away, and yet that Isaac should be to him a seed. And having completed the sacrifice of Isaac in his mind, though not in deed, God showed Abraham’s righteousness and virtues to all succeeding generations. And then the angel of God called to him, and told him not to stretch out his hands over the young man, and do him no harm whatsoever. And God said unto him, “Behold, it is manifest that thou lovest Me, for thou hast not spared thy beloved son for My sake. ”

“ And on this day also Saint Damianus became a martyr. They tortured this saint in the city of Antioch with every kind of cruel torture. When the governor was tired of torturing him, he commanded [the soldiers] to cut off his head, and they cut off his head, and the saint received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to Damianus the martyr, the workman of Jesus. Salutation to Mary the daughter of Abraham. Salutation to Abraham, the Friend of God. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. ”

“ Come let us go into the desert, that we may be profitable to others and deliver them.” And John said unto him, “O my brother, this thought appeareth to me to be due to the envy of Satan.” And Simon said unto him, “God hath commanded me to become the mockery of the world; come, let us pray a prayer.” And then they prayed, and they embraced each other, and they wept until they spoiled their apparel. And Simon went to Jerusalem, and he continued to pray for three days to God that He would keep hidden his work until he died. ”

“ I have become old, and my lord is old.” And God said unto Abraham, “Wherefore did Sarah laugh? Is there anything too hard for God?” And then when Isaac was born, and she saw him playing with Ishmael, the son of Hagar, jealousy seized her, and she forced Abraham to cast him out with his mother. And although it was hard to Abraham, God commanded him to fulfill her wish, and he did so knowing that from his seed Christ, the Savior of the world, should appear. And Paul called her the “free woman,” and likened her to the Church. ”

“ And when his brother, according to the flesh, died, he left a daughter, seven years old, whose name was Marta, and her kinsfolk took her to Abba Abraham, and she was brought up under his direction. And he taught her the fear of God, and how to pray, and to fast, and to weep, and she was under his authority until she was twenty years of age. And then Satan envied him, and he made her to be on such intimate terms with a certain monk that at length he destroyed her virginity; and she changed her apparel, and her nun’s garb, and departed to another city. ”

“ And he went into a certain monastery, and dwelt in a cave with his daughter for ten years, fighting the spiritual fight, and then her father, who was an old man, died; and Saint ‘Anba Marina was left by herself, and she doubled her fasting, and prayers, and vigil. And the abbot sent the saint, together with three monks, to the city on certain business of the monastery, and he did not know that she was a woman, but by reason of the low sound of her voice, which was due to her manifold ascetic labors, he thought that she was a young man. ”

“ And heavenly visions were granted unto them, and the power to perform miracles. And they dwelt in that desert nineteen years, and endured the cold of the night and the heat of the day, until they had vanquished Satan by the might of Christ, And then Simon said unto his brother John, “What doth it profit us to live by ourselves in the desert? ”

“ And none was able to make the dead to live save Almighty God, Who hath dominion over the heavens and the earth. And Mount Tabor is a similitude of the Church, and our Lord gathered together therein the Two Laws, the New and the Old. And when the disciples heard the voice of the Father, they fell down and became like dead men; and Moses returned to his grave, and Elias went up to heaven. ”

“ God commanded a certain Satan, and he took the daughter of the master of the guesthouse, and the young man who had destroyed her virginity, and he tormented them until he brought them to her grave, where they confessed their sin before all the people. And innumerable miracles and wonders were made manifest at her grave. Salutation to Marina. ”