There are several different stories about orthodox saints. There are Saint Gregory Palamas, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Menas, to name a few. The stories about these saints can be inspiring. In this article, we will look at each one to see why they are so beloved in Orthodox Christianity.
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St. John Chrysostom
In the Orthodox Christian tradition, St. John Chrysostom was an exegete and Protestant reformer. His life is full of tumultuous events and tragic losses. He lost his mother and sister at a young age and suffered physical illnesses. He also suffered persecution from his brother bishops and was forced into exile.
St. Gregory Palamas
The life of St. Gregory Palamas can be described in several ways. He was a synoptic and synthetic theologian. He was also a fervent opponent of immoderate hesychasm. He fought against immorality and embraced a non-materialistic lifestyle. In his synaxarion, he mentions the Divine Light of the Savior.
St. Menas
Saint Mena was born in Egypt in the year 285 and was the son of real ascetic christians. Saint Mena’s mother, Aufimia, was an ascetic as well. According to legend, she was praying to God for the blessing of her blessed son on the feast of St. Mary when she heard the sound of “Amen”. She believed that her son was going to be saved, and so she began to pray for the miracle.
St. Stylianus
Saint Stylianus lived in the town of Paphlagonia, and was a hermit. His gift of healing sick children made him famous among locals, and many of them prayed to him for help. His devotion to children led him to paint many icons, and when he died, his soul was so full of light that an angel came to receive him.
St. Cassian
During his life, Saint John Cassian lived in the West, but his spiritual homeland was the Orthodox East. He died in 435, and his holy relics rest in an underground chapel of the Monastery of Saint Victor in Marseille. The other parts of his body are on display in the main church, including his head and right hand.
St. Andronicus
The orthodox church has been celebrating the life of St. Andronicus since the fifth century. The story of his martyrdom relates that he was a Christian of noble birth who became a monk. He lived alone for fifty years, a life he devoted to the service of God. While he was a monk, he took care of Mary and gave her a monastic cell close to his own. When she was about twenty, she gave herself entirely to the monastic life, but fell into sin with a corrupt monk. This caused her to fear that her salvation was lost.
St. Bacchus
St. Bacchus’s stories begin when he was a monk. He and his brothers wanted to return to their Christian faith, but the abbot feared reprisals. So they decided to go to a monastery and receive holy baptism. However, one of his brothers denounced him to the authorities, and he was arrested and tried before a judge and eventually beheaded. Luckily for the Church, this story is based on historical fact, not myth.
St. Sergius
There are several accounts of the life of St. Sergius, and two of them are particularly memorable. In the 4th century, Sergius and Bacchus, who were devoted followers of Jesus Christ, met and became friends. Both were willing to die for their faith. Their friendship was celebrated in hagiographies and traditions.
St. Abba Isidore
The life of St. Abba Isidorian is a story of a man who experienced a vision of holy angels and demons, and who repented from his sinful lifestyle. He was able to overcome his demons and gain the powers of God. Despite his long, hard struggle to convert, he eventually succeeded.
