The Orthodox Chruch commemorates on Sunday of the Myrrhbearers the disciples of the Lord, who first lived the miracle of the Resurrection.
It also commemorates the two secret disciples of the Lord, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin. Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate to give him the Body of Jesus in order to bury it and Nicodemus offered his tomb. In addition, the Orthodox Church commemorates today the Holy Martyrs Timothy and Moura, Diodoros and Rodopianosand, and Venerable Petros, Bishop of Argos.
The couple Timothy and Moura is a symbol of marriage and devotion between married couples, who became martyrs due to their confession of faith in Saviour Christ.
Timothy was a clergyman and was called by the ruler of Thebes in Egypt to explain himself as he was absorbed in Christian practices and reading Christian books. As soon as he confessed that the holy books he was reading serve as a way to learn respect and that he could invoke the Angels of God to help him, he was fiercely tortured.
The ruler tried to persuade his wife, Moura, to make sacrifices to the idols and to urge her husband Timothy to do so as well. Instead, she confessed her faith in the Risen Jesus. He ordered to throw her into boiling water but she seemed not to be suffering at all and, therefore, the ruler wondered why she was not in pain. When he touched the boiling water he got immediately burnt. So, he ordered to crucify them both and kept them crucified on the cross for nine days. On the 10th day, they fell asleep in the Lord, remaining steadfast in their faith.
The Orthodox Church honours them as heroic martyrs, but also as a loving couple that supported each other in difficult times and remained strong together thanks to their faith in the Trinity.
Source: Church of Cyprus
