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When Abba Demetrius I departed, St. Heraclas
was chosen Pope. He shepherded the flock of Christ well. He converted
many pagans and baptized them. He devoted his efforts to teaching,
preaching and instructing transgressors. He was Pope for thirteen
years and he departed in peace.
He built a high building for her to live in. Once she raised up her eyes to the sky from the top of the building and meditated in the beauty of the sky and the things in it: the sun, the moon and the stars. She concluded that there must exist an able and wise maker for the universe and He is none other than the almighty God who created all.
The Scholar Origen happened to be in this district and knew about this saint. He went and taught her the principles of Christianity.
There were two windows in the bathroom, she ordered a third one to be installed, and she placed a cross over the water basin. When her father came to see her and saw the changes that were made, he asked her for the reason. She told him, "Know my father, that with the Holy Trinity everything is complemented, and here are three windows in the name of the Holy Trinity. This sign is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by Whom was the salvation of the whole world. I ask you, my dear father, to turn away from the wrong that you are involved in and worship the God Who created you."
When her father heard these words he was very angry and he drew his sword and ran after her. She fled from the house, but her father went around and found her hidden. He jumped over her, seized her and took her to Governor Marcianus. The Governor talked nicely to her promising to reward her. Then he threatened her, but could not change her love for the Lord Jesus. Thereupon, he ordered her to be tortured by many means.
There was a damsel called Juliana who watched St. Barbara while she was being tortured and wept for her. Juliana saw the Lord Jesus strengthening and comforting St. Barbara; she was enlightened and believed in the Lord Jesus. They cut off the head of St. Barbara and that of Juliana and each received a crown of martyrdom.
St. Barbara's father perished shortly after and so did the Governor who tortured her. The water in the basin that had the cross over it in the building had the power of healing everyone who washed himself with it.
They placed the bodies of these two saints
in a church outside the city of Galatia. After some years, they
transferred the body of St. Barbara to Cairo, Egypt to the church
that carries her name to this day.
On this day, we also
commemorate the martyrdom of St. Esi and his sister Thecla. They
were from Abu-Sair west of the City of Ashmonen. Esi was very
rich and he used to give to the poor the money, which he earned
from shearing his sheep.
He had a friend in Alexandria called Paul with whom he associated for trading. He knew that Paul had been ill and when he visited him, he found him recovered from his illness. They both agreed to go and visit the Christians who were in prisons because of the persecution. Some of those in prison prophesied that Esi and his friend Paul would receive the crowns of martyrdom. That was during the time when St. Victor, the son of Romanus, came to Alexandria. When Esi and Paul knew of his goodness and his renouncing of the world, they wished to follow his example.
Esi went to the Governor and confessed the Lord Jesus. The Governor ordered him to be tortured with the most severe kinds of torture such as binding and squeezing him then placing burning torches on his sides. They also ordered that he be cast on the ground, whipped and that parts of his body be cut off. He endured all as the angel of the Lord strengthened him and healed his wounds. Paul, his friend, was crying and praying for him, along with Esi's servants.
The Angel of the Lord appeared to his sister Thecla and commanded her to travel to her brother. She went and embarked on one of the ships. Therein the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Elizabeth her kinswoman appeared to her and comforted her because of her brother. Elizabeth told her, "I had a son, whom they beheaded unjustly," and St. Mary told her, "I had a Son whom they crucified with envy." Thecla did not recognize the two saints at that time.
When she met her brother, she conceded with him to go to the Governor and confess the Lord Jesus Christ. The Governor tortured her and continued torturing her brother severely. The Lord strengthened and comforted them. The Governor then handed them to his son, the Governor of the City of Antione in Upper Egypt.
When they had sailed for a short while, the wind died down so the boat stopped. The Governor ordered their heads to be cut off and cast into the weeds and the wild plants on the banks. They did so and Esi and his sister Thecla received crowns of martyrdom.
The Lord commanded a priest called Fr. Ori
from Shatanuf to take their holy bodies. As for Paul, Esi's friend,
and Ablanius, the son of Thecla, they were martyred later.
Also on this day,
the Church commemorates the departure of St. Samuel the Confessor,
the Abbot of Qualamon monastery. He was born in the city of Dakluba
in the diocese of Masil from saintly parents and he was their
only child. Arselaos, his father who was a priest, saw in a vision
at night a shining man telling him, "Your son will be entrusted
to a large congregation, for he is chosen for the Lord all the
days of his life".
Samuel was saintly from his youth, like the Prophet Samuel, and he used to harbor thoughts in his heart about the monastic life. One day he found a means to go to the desert of Scetis, but he did not know the way. The Angel of the Lord, in the form of a monk, appeared to him and accompanied him as if he himself also was going to the monastery, until they came to the desert of Scetis. There, the Angel delivered him to a holy man called Fr. Agatho who accepted him as the Angel of the Lord instructed him. Samuel lived with Fr. Agatho for three years in total obedience in every way.
Thereafter, the holy old man Fr. Agatho departed and St. Samuel continued to offer many prayers and fasting. Sometimes he fasted a week at a time. He was ordained a priest over the church of St. Macarius in Scetis.
An envoy came to the desert carrying Leo's Tome (the confession of Pope Leo of Rome of the two natures of Christ, which was decided in the Council of Chalcedon. The Coptic Orthodox Church is a non-Chalcedonian Church, i.e., our Church does not recognize that Council). When the envoy read the Tome to the elders, St. Samuel became zealous with the zeal of the Lord. He jumped up in the middle of the gathered monks, seized the letter and rent it into pieces saying, "Cursed is this Tome and excommunicated is everyone who believed in it and anyone who might change the Orthodox faith of our holy fathers".
When the Imperial envoy saw this, he became furious and angry. He ordered that he be beaten with pins and hanged from his arms and that his face be smitten. One of these strikes enucleated one of St. Samuel's eyes. Then he was driven away from the monastery.
The Angel of the Lord appeared to St. Samuel and commanded him to depart and to dwell in the Qualamon mountain. He went and built a monastery there, lived in it for a while teaching those gathered around him and confirming them in the Orthodox faith.
When El-Moquawkas, the Muslim Governor of Egypt, heard about St. Samuel he came to him and asked him to recognize the Council of Chalcedon. When he did not listen to him, he smote him and expelled him out of the monastery. He went and lived in one of the churches and after while he returned to the monastery.
When the pagan barbarians arrived there, they took him with them on their way back to their country. He prayed to the Lord Jesus to deliver him from them. Whenever they set him on a camel, the camel was unable to stand up with him on it, so they left him and he went back to his monastery.
The barbarians came back and took him with them to their country. They had captured St. Youanis the Archpriest of the Scetis desert. They comforted each other in their exile. The Abductor of St. Samuel tried to persuade him to worship the sun. When he failed, he tied his feet to the feet of one of his maidens and sent them to attend the camels. He intended St. Samuel to fall into sin with her and according to Satan's advice, he would submit to him.
Through it all, the saint was gaining more courage and his heart was strengthened. He remained in such circumstances until the master's son fell ill and was close to death. St. Samuel prayed for him and the boy was healed. The news spread all over the country and whosoever was sick came to him; he prayed over them and anointed them with oil and the sick were healed.
His master loved him exceedingly, apologized and asked for St. Samuel's forgiveness. He told him to ask for anything he wished. St. Samuel asked to go back to the monastery. His master allowed him to return. When St. Samuel returned, many of his disciples gathered around him, and they increased in number until they became several thousands. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and told him, "This place shall be my dwelling forever," and from that day the barbarians never attacked this monastery again.
St. Samuel wrote many discourses and articles. He prophesied concerning the coming of Islam to Egypt. When the time of his departure drew near, he gathered his disciples and commanded them to be strong in the fear of God, to walk according to His commandments and to fight for the sake of the Orthodox faith to the last breath. He then departed in peace.