By Bishop Grigorios of Mesaoria
Today the Holy Church commemorates Saints Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch the Confessor and Zacharias, Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Saint Eustathius came from Pamphylia and lived in the time of Constantine the Great. He was a prominent teacher of Orthodoxy and attended the First Ecumenical Council, where Arianism was declared to be a heresy.
His vigorous attitude at the Council provoked the hatred of the pro-Arius bishops, who, through slander, managed and succeeded in overthrowing and exiling him in Philippi, Macedonia. He died in exile, but God, who does not bless lies and unrighteousness, ensured that the truth would be miraculously revealed and the saint would be justified.
The transfer of the holy relic of Saint Eustathiusto Antioch in the year 477 AD, a century after his death, triggered warm expressions of respect and affection for his face. It is no coincidence that the great Hierarch John Chrysostom wrote a commemorative speech in memory of St. Eustathius.
Source: Church of Cyprus
