By Bishop Grigorios of Mesaoria
Today, the Church commemorates the martyrs Menas of Kallikelados, Hermogenes and Eugraphus.
These three martyrs lived in the time of the great persecutions against the Christians during the reign of Emperor Maximinus. Menas was an Athenian, descended from a pagan family. But after studying the life of the Church, he came to the conclusion that only Christianity is the true truth and the real life, so he joined the Church. Emperor Maximinus, unaware of his Christian faith, sent him as a governor to Alexandria. But when the emperor ordered persecutions in the city, Menas not only did not execute the order but also helped to the full the Christians to become more numerous.
Maximinus annoyed by Menas’ attitude sent a new governor, Hermogenes. He, stuck to the letter of the law, severely tortured Menas and confined him to prison, to die because of the many wounds he had on his body. However, Menas did not die and his wounds were healed.
The idolater governon Hermogenes, seeing this miraculous phenomenon, believed in Christ and received baptism from Saint Menas. In addition, he received the office of highpriest from the bishops that had gathered there.
Maximinus’s anger and envy grew bigger and ordered both Menas and Hermogenes to be tortured. They both boldly confessed their faith in Christ in front of Maximinus, and finally were beheaded. They received the wreath of the martyrdom of the disciples of Jesus Christ.
The secretary of Saint Menas, Eugraphus, was with them and also confessed in Christ and died as a martyr.
Source: Church of Cyprus
