December 15 / December 2
1. The Holy Prophet Habakkuk (Abbacum)
Habakkuk was the son of Asaphat from the tribe of Simeon. He prophesied six hundred years before Christ, during the time of King Manasseh, and foretold the destruction of Jerusalem. When Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem, Habakkuk sought refuge in the land of the Ishmaelites. From there he returned to Judea, where he lived as a farmer. One day he was carrying lunch to the workers in the fields, when suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: Go carry the dinner that thou hast into Babylon unto Daniel, who is in the lion’s den (Daniel 14:34). But Habakkuk responded: Lord, I never saw Babylon; neither do I know where the den is (Daniel 14:34-35). Then the angel took him by the hair and instantly brought him to Babylon, over an immense distance, to the lion’s den, where Daniel had been cast by King Cyrus as a punishment for not worshiping the idols. O Daniel, Daniel, cried Habakkuk, take the dinner which God hath sent thee (Daniel 14:37), and Daniel took it and ate. Then the angel of God again took Habakkuk and carried him back to his field in Judea. Habakkuk also prophesied the liberation of Jerusalem and the time of the coming of Christ. He entered into rest in ripe old age and was buried at Kela. His relics were discovered during the reign of Theodosius the Great.
2. The Holy Martyr Myrope of Chios (251)
Myrope was born in Ephesus of Christian parents. After the death of her father, she moved with her mother to the island of Chios, where she suffered for Christ. The suffering of this holy virgin took place soon after the suffering and death of the glorious Martyr Isidore the soldier (May 14). When the torturers had beheaded Isidore, the courageous Myrope secretly took his body, censed it, and honorably buried it in a special place. The villainous prince Numerian heard that the martyr’s body had been stolen and wanted to kill the guards. Learning that innocent men would suffer for her good deed, blessed Myrope appeared before the authorities and acknowledged that she had taken the martyr’s body and buried it. By order of the prince, the entire body of Christ’s holy virgin was severely whipped, and finally, she was cast into prison covered with wounds. But the Lord did not leave His martyr comfortless. At midnight a heavenly light illumined the prison, and many angels, with St. Isidore in their midst, appeared to her. “Peace be to you, Myrope,” St. Isidore said to her. “Your prayer has reached God, and soon you will be with us and will receive the wreath prepared for you.” The holy martyr rejoiced and at that moment surrendered her soul to her God. A sweet fragrance issued from her body, filling the entire prison. One of the guards, seeing all of this and sensing the fragrance, believed in Christ, was baptized, and soon received a martyr’s death. St. Myrope took up her habitation in eternity in the year 251.
3. Saint Stephen-Uroš V, King of Serbia (1371), and his mother Helen (1376), of Serbia
Uroš was the son of Emperor Dušan. He reigned during the difficult time of the collapse of the Serbian kingdom. Meek, devout and gentle, he did not want to subjugate the unrestrained nobles by force, among whom the most violent was Vukašin, who ended the good king’s life. The good Uroš suffered a martyr’s death on December 2, 1367, at the age of thirty-one. Slain by men, he was glorified by God. His miracle-working relics rested in the Jazak Monastery in Fruška Gora, whence they were translated to Belgrade during the Second World War. They were placed in the Cathedral Church alongside the relics of Prince Lazar and the Despot Stephen Štilja- nović. During the reign of this good king, the Monastery of St. Nahum beside Lake Ohrid was built by Grgur, one of Uroš’s nobles.
4. The Venerable Athanasius, Recluse of the Monastery of the Kiev Caves This holy man died after a long life of asceticism and was bathed, clothed, and prepared for burial by his Athanasius lay dead for two days and suddenly came to life. When they came to bury him, they found him sitting up and crying. After that, he closed himself in his cell and lived for twelve more years on bread and water, not speaking a word to anyone. He entered into rest in the Lord in the year 1176.
5. Saint Ise (Jesse), Bishop of Tsilkani in Georgia (6th )
Ise is one of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers (May 7). He was a great miracle-worker. By his prayers, he re-routed a distant river to flow close to the city of Tsilkani. His relics rest in a church dedicated to him in Tsilkani in Georgia.
- John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, hermits, of Egypt (4th c.).
- Cyril of Philea (1110).
- . St. Athanasius, recluse of the Kiev Caves, whose relics are in the Far Caves (1264).
- Solomon, archbishop of Ephesus.
- Ioannicius of Devič (Serbia) (1430).
- New Hieromartyrs Danax, hieromonk, of Arkhangelskoye (Moscow) and Cosmas, hieromonk, of Milyatino (Moscow) (1937).
HYMN OF PRAISE
Saint Uroš, King of Serbia
Like the wind, Dušan’s power passed away,
But Uroš’s holiness forever remains.
Weak in tyranny, powerful in virtue;
Powerful in virtue, righteousness and truth;
Uroš, with all his heart, fell in love with Christ God,
Gaining heaven and losing the world.
No sin tainted his soul.
Defeated, he conquered; slain, he lives.
All the Serbian nobles, proud and hot-tempered,
While living could not do
That which now the relics of St. Uroš do—
Uroš the Powerful, the God-pleaser.
Rich men, turned to dust, no longer reign,
But the crowned Uroš,
rich in justice and God’s truth,
Even now reigns,
And eases the pains of his people,
Offering up prayers before Christ in Paradise,
Imploring mercy for his people from the Lord.
O King Uroš, holy and noble one,
Help us to fulfill God’s law!
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