Commemorated on December 12
Saint Spyridon of Tremithus was born towards the end of the third
century on the island of Cyprus. He was a shepherd, and had a wife and
children. He used all his substance for the needs of his neighbors and
the homeless, for which the Lord rewarded him with a gift of
wonderworking. He healed those who were incurably sick, and cast out
demons.
After the death of his wife, during the reign of
Constantine the Great (306-337), he was made Bishop of Tremithus,
Cyprus. As a bishop, the saint did not alter his manner of life, but
combined pastoral service with deeds of charity.
According to the
witness of Church historians, St Spyridon participated in the sessions
of the First Ecumenical Council in the year 325. At the Council, the
saint entered into a dispute with a Greek philosopher who was defending
the Arian heresy. The power of St Spyridon’s plain, direct speech showed
everyone the importance of human wisdom before God’s Wisdom: “Listen,
philosopher, to what I tell you. There is one God Who created man from
dust. He has ordered all things, both visible and invisible, by His Word
and His Spirit. The Word is the Son of God, Who came down upon the
earth on account of our sins. He was born of a Virgin, He lived among
men, and suffered and died for our salvation, and then He arose from the
dead, and He has resurrected the human race with Him. We believe that
He is one in essence (consubstantial) with the Father, and equal to Him
in authority and honor. We believe this without any sly
rationalizations, for it is impossible to grasp this mystery by human
reason.”
As a result of their discussion, the opponent of
Christianity became the saint’s zealous defender and later received holy
Baptism. After his conversation with St Spyridon, the philosopher
turned to his companions and said, “Listen! Until now my rivals have
presented their arguments, and I was able to refute their proofs with
other proofs. But instead of proofs from reason, the words of this Elder
are filled with some sort of special power, and no one can refute them,
since it is impossible for man to oppose God. If any of you thinks as I
do now, let him believe in Christ and join me in following this man,
for God Himself speaks through his lips.”
At this Council, St
Spyridon displayed the unity of the Holy Trinity in a remarkable way. He
took a brick in his hand and squeezed it. At that instant fire shot up
from it, water dripped on the ground, and only dust remained in the
hands of the wonderworker. “There was only one brick,” St Spyridon said,
“but it was composed of three elements. In the Holy Trinity there are
three Persons, but only one God.”
The saint cared for his flock
with great love. Through his prayers, drought was replaced by abundant
rains, and incessant rains were replaced by fair weather. Through his
prayers the sick were healed and demons cast out.
A woman once
came up to him with a dead child in her arms, imploring the intercession
of the saint. He prayed, and the infant was restored to life. The
mother, overcome with joy, collapsed lifeless. Through the prayers of
the saint of God, the mother was restored to life.
Another time,
hastening to save his friend, who had been falsely accused and sentenced
to death, the saint was hindered on his way by the unanticipated
flooding of a stream. The saint commanded the water: “Halt! For the Lord
of all the world commands that you permit me to cross so that a man may
be saved.” The will of the saint was fulfilled, and he crossed over
happily to the other shore. The judge, apprised of the miracle that had
occurred, received St Spyridon with esteem and set his friend free.
Similar
instances are known from the life of the saint. Once, he went into an
empty church, and ordered that the lampadas and candles be lit, and then
he began the service. When he said, “Peace be unto all,” both he and
the deacon heard from above the resounding of “a great multitude of
voices saying, “And with thy spirit.” This choir was majestic and more
sweetly melodious than any human choir. To each petition of the
litanies, the invisible choir sang, “Lord, have mercy.” Attracted by the
church singing, the people who lived nearby hastened towards it. As
they got closer and closer to the church, the wondrous singing filled
their ears and gladdened their hearts. But when they entered into the
church, they saw no one but the bishop and several church servers, and
they no longer heard the singing which had greatly astonished them.”
St
Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), the author of his Life, likened St
Spyridon to the Patriarch Abraham in his hospitality. Sozomen, in his
CHURCH HISTORY, offers an amazing example from the life of the saint of
how he received strangers. One time, at the start of the Forty-day Fast,
a stranger knocked at his door. Seeing that the traveller was very
exhausted, St Spyridon said to his daughter, “Wash the feet of this man,
so he may recline to dine.” But since it was Lent there were none of
the necessary provisions, for the saint “partook of food only on certain
days, and on other days he went without food.” His daughter replied
that there was no bread or flour in the house. Then St Spyridon,
apologizing to his guest, ordered his daughter to cook a salted ham from
their larder. After seating the stranger at table, he began to eat,
urging that man to do the same. When the latter refused, calling himself
a Christian, the saint rejoined, “It is not proper to refuse this, for
the Word of God proclaims, “Unto the pure all things are pure” (Titus
1:15).
Another historical detail reported by Sozomen, was
characteristic of the saint. It was his custom to distribute one part of
the gathered harvest to the destitute, and another portion to those
having need while in debt. He did not take a portion for himself, but
simply showed them the entrance to his storeroom, where each could take
as much as was needed, and could later pay it back in the same way,
without records or accountings.
There is also the tale by Socrates
Scholasticus about how robbers planned to steal the sheep of St
Spyridon. They broke into the sheepfold at night, but here they found
themselves all tied up by some invisible power. When morning came the
saint went to his flock, and seeing the tied-up robbers, he prayed and
released them. For a long while he advised them to leave their path of
iniquity and earn their livelihood by respectable work. Then he made
them a gift of a sheep and sending them off, the saint said kindly,
“Take this for your trouble, so that you did not spend a sleepless night
in vain.”
All the Lives of the saint speak of the amazing
simplicity and the gift of wonderworking granted him by God. Through a
word of the saint the dead were awakened, the elements of nature tamed,
the idols smashed. At one point, a Council had been convened at
Alexandria by the Patriarch to discuss what to do about the idols and
pagan temples there. Through the prayers of the Fathers of the Council
all the idols fell down except one, which was very much revered. It was
revealed to the Patriarch in a vision that this idol had to be shattered
by St Spyridon of Tremithus. Invited by the Council, the saint set sail
on a ship, and at the moment the ship touched shore and the saint
stepped out on land, the idol in Alexandria with all its offerings
turned to dust, which then was reported to the Patriarch and all the
bishops.
St Spyridon lived his earthly life in righteousness and
sanctity, and prayerfully surrendered his soul to the Lord. His relics
repose on the island of Corfu (Kerkyra), in a church named after him
(His right hand, however, is located in Rome). His memory is also
celebrated on Cheesefare Saturday.
SOURCE:
SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2013(with 2012's link here also and further, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and even 2007!)
.jpg)
