February 21 / February 8
The Holy Great-martyr Theodore Stratelates (“the General”) of Heraclea (319)
There are martyrdoms that are beyond any price. The preciousness of martyrdom de- pends upon the greatness of the good things which a Christian abandons, and in lieu of which he accepts suffering. In addition, it depends upon the greatness of the suffering that he endures for Christ’s sake. St. Theodore, a Roman commander in the army of Emperor Licinius and the governor of the town of Heraclea, scorned his youth, his handsome appearance, his military rank and the good graces of the emperor. In place of all this, he accepted horrible tortures for the sake of Christ. At first, Theodore was flogged and received six hundred lashes on his back and five hundred on his stomach. After this, he was raised on a cross and was completely pierced with lances. Finally, Theodore was beheaded. Why all of this? Because St. Theodore loved Christ the Lord above all else in the world. He abhorred the foolish idolatry of the superstitious Emperor Licinius. He smashed the idols of silver and gold and distributed pieces of them to the poor. He converted many to the Christian Faith and called upon Emperor Licinius himself to reject idolatry and believe in the One Living God. During the entire time of his tortures, St. Theodore said repeatedly: “Glory to Thee, my God, glory to Thee!” St. Theodore suffered on February 8, 319, at three o’clock in the afternoon, and entered into the Kingdom of Christ. St. Theodore is considered the protector of soldiers who call upon him for assistance. His miracle-working relics were translated from Euchaita to Constantinople and interred in the Blachernae church.
The Holy Prophet Zechariah
Zechariah was the eleventh of the minor prophets. Together with the Prophet Haggai, he persuaded Prince Zerubbabel to restore the Temple of Jerusalem. Zechariah prophesied the solemn entrance of Christ into Jerusalem on a colt, the foal of an ass (Zechariah 9:9). He also prophesied Judas’s betrayal of Christ for thirty pieces of silver: And they counted out my wag- es, thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12), as well as the abandoning of Christ by the apostles during the time of His passion: Strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be dispersed (Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:3; Mark 14:27). The Prophet Zechariah is called the “beholder of the sickle” because he saw, in a vision, a sickle coming down from heaven to mow down the unjust, especially thieves and blasphemers of the name of God. Zechariah reposed during the latter half of the reign of Darius Hystapes, in about the year 520 b.c.
Saint Sava II, Archbishop of Serbia (1271)
Sava was the son of King Stefan the First-crowned and the nephew of St. Sava I. Before his tonsure, Sava was called Predislav. Following the example of his great uncle [St. Sava], Predislav was tonsured a monk and zealously dedicated himself to a life of asceticism. He was chosen Archbishop of Serbia, succeeding St. Arsenius, under the name Sava II. He governed the Church with great devotion and love. Sava II reposed in the year 1268. His relics lie in the Monastery at Peć.
- Martyr Conitus of Alexandria (249).
- Agathangelus, bishop of Damascus (ca. 325).
- Lyubov of Ryazan, fool-for-Christ (1921).
- (Greek : Virgin-martyrs Martha and Mary, at Tanis [Hermopolis] in Egypt.
- St. Macarius, bishop of Paphos on Cyprus).
HYMN OF PRAISE
Saint Sava II, Archbishop of the Serbs
Predislav stared;
The young Predislav wept.
The queen mother asked him:
“Where does your gaze roam?
At what are you gazing, Predislav?”
“At St. Sava, the face of my uncle.”
King Stefan said to his son:
“I must marry you off, my sweet son.
Time flows, and I am aging.
Whom do you love? Tell me the name!”
Predislav heard his father,
But did not want to hear about a wife.
Predislav became a monk
In the words of Christ he took delight,
And he was called Sava the Second.
Shedding tears, he spoke:
“St. Sava, place me
On the true evangelical path!”
The king and queen died,
And also Patriarch Arsenius.
The Church remained a widow,
And Sava hid from honors.
But a double honor fell upon him:
He was a bishop and also a saint.
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