By Bishop Griogrios of Mesaoria
Our Church commemorates today St. Spyridon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Trimythous.
Saint Spyridon was born in Assia, Cyprus. Saint Spyridon was a shepherd. He was intelligent and became a great Bible scholar. Thus, it was claimed to rise to the highest levels of virtue and moral perfection.
He married and had one daughter. Upon the death of his wife, he looked after his daughter Eirini. Known for his great piety, everybody respected and loved Saint Spyridon. By the prayers of the clergy and the people in the Holy Spirit, God deemed him worthy to become Bishop of Tremithus, known as Tremetousia on Cyprus under Turkish occupation.
His holiness was miraculous thanks to his genuine Orthodox faith, for which the Lord rewarded him with a gift of wonderworking. He performed many miracles by healing those who were incurably sick, and casting out demons. He brought rain during the draught, responded with fair retribution to the cruelty and exploitation of the rich, turned a snake into gold giving it to a poor father to feed his family, forgave sinners, who wholeheartedly repented.
At the First Council of Nicaea, convened by Constantine the Great in 325 AD, he countered the arguments of the heresiarch Arius, who argued that Christ is not God but creature of God. He entered into a dispute with an orator, who defended Arianism, countered his arguments and persuaded him to become an Orthodox.
Saint Spyridon became a Pan-Orthodox Saint. His relics remain to this day in Saint Spyridon Church on Corfu (Kerkyra).
Source: Church of Cyprus
