In
the lives of the Holy Martyrs of Persia Manuel, Sabel, and Ismael (commemorated
17 June), the following is related:
The
Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ismael, brothers by birth, were descended from
an illustrious Persian lineage. Their father was a pagan, but their mother was
a Christian, who baptised the children and raised them with firm faith in
Christ the Saviour. Having grown into adults, the brothers entered military
service. Speaking on behalf of the Persian emperor Alamundar, they were his
emissaries in the concluding of a peace treaty with the emperor Julian the
Apostate (361-363). Julian received them with due honour and showed them his
favour. But when the brothers refused to take part in a pagan sacrificial
offering, Julian became angry, and annulling the treaty, he locked up the peace
emissaries of a foreign country in prison, like common criminals. At the
interrogation he told them, that if they scorned the gods worshipped by him, it
would be impossible to reach any peace or accord between the two sides. The
holy brothers answered that they were sent as emissaries of their emperor on
matters of state, and not arguments about gods. Seeing the firmness of faith of
the holy brothers, the emperor gave orders to subject them to fierce tortures.
They suspended the holy martyrs, having nailed their hands and feet to wood, at
their heads they thrust nails, and under their finger-nails and toe-nails they
wedged sharp needles. During this time of torment the saints, as though not
feeling the tortures, glorified God and prayed. Finally, they beheaded they
holy martyrs. Julian ordered their bodies to be burned. But suddenly there
occurred an earthquake, and the ground opened up and took the bodies of the holy
martyrs into its bosom. After two days, following upon the fervent prayers of
Christians, the earth returned the bodies of the holy brothers, from which
issued forth a fragrance. Many pagans, having witnessed the miracle, came to
believe in Christ and were baptised. Christian reverently buried the bodies of
the holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ismael. This occurred in the year 362. And
since that time the relics of the holy passion-bearers have been glorified with
wonderworking.
Having
learned about the murder of his emissaries, and that the law-transgressor
Julian was marching against him with a numerous army, the Persian emperor
Alamundar gathered up his army and started off towards the border of his
domain. In a large battle the Persians vanquished the Greeks. Julian the
Apostate was killed by the holy GreatMartyr Mercurius (Mercury, Comm. 24
November).
Thirty
years later the pious emperor Theodosius the Great (+ 397) built at
Constantinople a church in honour of the holy martyrs, and Sainted Germanos,
Patriarch of Constantinople (Comm. 12 May), then still a priestmonk, wrote a
canon in memory and in praise of the holy brothers.
It
is striking how history is repeating itself.
Pres Trump is playing the part of Julian the Apostate by acting in a
lawless manner, breaking a treaty and acting aggressively toward Persia/Iran without
just cause. We do not wish any evil to
befall either Mr Trump or anyone else in the States (or the Iranian people), as
happened to Emperor Julian and his soldiers, so we pray he will cease his provocations
toward Iran.
One
may also forgive Iran for not rushing to embrace the ‘freedom’ of the Holy
American Republic and the rest of the post-Orthodox West; it is nothing but an
invitation to debauched living. Georgia
and other Orthodox countries are learning this the hard way:
Two events were held simultaneously on
Friday evening in front of the government administration building in Tbilisi,
one led by LGBT activists and the other by defenders of the traditional family
and traditional values, on the eve of the first Tbilisi Pride event scheduled
for June 18-23.
The two sides
were divided by a cordon of police, reports Interfax-Religion.
Georgia is a
deeply traditional country, with more than 80% of the population belonging to
the Orthodox Church, and the battle between traditional, Orthodox values and
more liberal, secularized values is being prompted and aggravated not only by
the nation’s LGBT community, but by the great Western powers, Archpriest David
Isakadze, and others, believes.
“It is
clearly evident who is controlling the processes in Georgia,” Fr. David said.
“We truly want to be an independent country, not in word, but in deed. The U.S.
authorities, in the person of the ambassador [Elizabeth Rood—O.C.] directly
interfere in our internal affairs. She wants to control the processes here and
exacerbate the situation, knocking people against one another,” Fr. David
explained, noting that he and those of like mind are prepared to demand that
the U.S. withdraw its acting ambassador if she does not immediately appeal to
the participants in the LGBT event to disband.
The Georgian
Patriarchate issued a statement
on Friday, calling on the authorities to prevent the event, citing the
divisions it causes in the traditional society that largely stands against the
sinful nature of the LGBT lifestyle. At the same time, the Church declared that
there must be no violence surrounding the events.
The interference is not limited to the
U.S., of course. The Messenger Online recently interviewed Johannes Kahrs,
the head of the Germany-South Caucasus Friendship Group of the German
Parliament, who spoke about his nation’s active work in Georgia promoting
Tbilisi Pride.
Asked what
has changed in Georgia over the years, Kahrs responds: “I think people are
getting more and more open, it’s something we didn't see before. This time we
lobbied a lot with the head of your parliament and our colleagues, as well as
with everyone we've met to give the upcoming Pride a chance in June.”
He further
notes that he attended the first Pride events in Romania and Bulgaria and that
a colleague attended the first event in Kiev. The first event “is always
awful,” he says, but after 4 or 5 years “it gets normalized.”
“[Pride] is
always good for the spirit of the city, because it’s a sign that the city is
getting more liberal and accepting. It will certainly change the city. Some
people might hate this change, but, in the long run, Tbilisi will profit from
it. When it gets more liberal, more colorful, more open it is usually a good
thing,” Kahrs claims.
. .
.
May
God deliver, Iran, Georgia, the South, and the whole world from Washington City’s
evil rule.
--
Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England,
South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð,
unworthy though we are!
Anathema to the Union!
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