By Bishop Grigorios of Mesaoria
Today, the Church celebrates the memory of Hieromartyr Polychronius.
Hieromartyr Polychronius was born to pious parents who brought him up in Christian faith and piety. The saint became a great teacher of the Christian faith. He travelled to Constantinople, where he was ordained deacon and presbyter. His mission was to teach to the people of his parish the true faith and how to live according to the doctrines of the Orthodox Church.
Both his steadfastness and the miracles Saint Polychronius worked through the grace of the Holy Spirit infuriated the devout follower of Arianism Christianity, Emperor Constantius, who persecuted the saint.
Because of his vigorous resistance to all torture, the Arians succeeded in killing him. While he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, a group of heretics busted into the church and stabbed him at the altar.
Despite human rights declarations and struggles for fundamental freedoms, there are still untold numbers of Christians who are subjected to torture and martyr for the Christian faith both in the Middle East and elsewhere in the 21st century.
SOURCE: Church of Cyprus
