By Bishop Grigorios of Mesaoria
Today the Church commemorates Hieromartyr Zenobius, Bishop of Aegae in Cilicia, and his sister Zenobia. They both bravely preached the truth of Christ and were not afraid of the tortures when the idolatrous governor Licius arrested them. The saints were beheaded.
Three saints, bearing the name Therapon, are celebrated by the Church of Cyprus every October. The first one travelled from Palestine to Cyprus during the iconoclast period and martyred for Jesus Christ. His memory is celebrated on October 14. The second one was an ascetic near the Sinta community and is highly respected in Angastina, Mesaoria. His memory is celebrated on the same day. The third one, whose memory is celebrated today, is one of the three hundred ascetics, who fled from various countries and travelled to Cyprus during the persecutions against Christians.
Saint Therapon went to Lythrodontas village, where he found a cave near which there was water. He lived there for the rest of his life with fasting and prayer. In this cave, the saint fell asleep in the Lord. His relic was miraculously found after centuries. Then it became a source of healing for the faithful. For this reason, the saint received the title “Wonderworker”.
The sacred relics of the saint, like other saints, appear after years and perhaps after centuries.
This helps us and teaches us to realise that holiness is a work of God. It is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit itself, which comforts, illuminates, heals, without lapsing into motives, incentives and human conceptions, which are alien to the tradition and theology of the Church.
SOURCE: Church of Cyprus
