Theology

The Holy Great Martyr Barbara

The Holy Great Martyr Barbara lived and suffered during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-311).

Her father, the pagan Dioscorus, was a rich and illustrious man in the Syrian city of Heliopolis. After the death of his wife, he devoted himself to his only daughter.

Saint Joannicius of Devic

Joannicius was a Serb from Zeta. As a young man he was overhelmed with love for Christ.

He left his home and family and withdrew to the region of Ibar at the mouth of the Black River into a narrow cave in which, according to tradition, before him, St. Peter of Korish lived a life of ascetism. When his fame began to spread among the people, he fled to Drenica and hid in the thick forest of Devich. Here St. Joannicius spent years of solitude, in silence and in prayer.

Prophet Habakkuk

The Holy Prophet Habakkuk, the eighth of the Twelve Minor Prophets, was descended from the Tribe of Simeon, and he prophesied around 650 B.C.

The Prophet Habakkuk foresaw the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the Babylonian Captivity and the later return of the captives to their native land. During the war with the Babylonians the prophet withdrew to Arabia, where the following miracle occurred. When he was bringing dinner to the reapers, he met an angel of the Lord, and instantly by the strength of his spirit he was transported to Babylon, where at the time the Prophet Daniel was languishing in prison. The food intended for the reapers assuaged the hunger of the exhausted Prophet Daniel (Dan. 14:33-37).

Prophet Nahum

The Holy Prophet Nahum, whose name means “God consoles,” was from the village of Elkosh (Galilee).

He lived during the seventh century B.C. The Prophet Naum prophesies the ruin of the Assyrian city of Nineveh because of its iniquity, the destruction of the Israelite kingdom, and the blasphemy of King Sennacherib against God. The Assyrian king Ashurbanipal died in 632 B.C., and over the next two decades, his empire began to crumble. Nineveh fell in 612 B.C.

Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor

Righteous Philaret the Merciful, son of George and Anna, was raised in piety and the fear of God.

He lived during the eighth century in the village of Amnia in the Paphlagonian district of Asia Minor. His wife, Theoseba, was from a rich and illustrious family, and they had three children: a son John, and daughters Hypatia and Evanthia.

Saint Mardarije of Libertyville

O tireless preacher of Christ the Lord, Saint-Sava like leader of your people in the Diaspora, diligent builder and teacher of repentance, whose rule of life was: Sowing Christian love, spreading peace, quieting passions, preaching good and turning people into brothers. O Saint Mardarije of Libertyville and America, with all the Enlighteners of the American land, Beseech the only Lover of mankind to grant peace and unity to the Orthodox people! - Kondak to St. Mardarije