THE SECOND MONTH

THE SIXTH MONTH
YEKATIT 06
(February 13)

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
ONE GOD. AMEN.

And on this day they raised up the body of the holy and honorable Abulidis, Archbishop of the city of Rome, the teacher of all the ends of the world. This saint was a nobleman by birth, and a perfect, and learned man, and God chose him to be Archbishop of the city of Rome, after Abba Eucheius, in the first year of the archiepiscopate of Claudian, in the city of Alexandria. And this father used to teach his people and protect them against the opinions of the pagans, and strengthen them in the Faith of God. And the fame of him was heard of by the Emperor Claudius, the infidel, and he seized Saint Abulidis and beat him very severely. When he was weary of torturing him, he tied a heavy stone to this feet, and cast him into the Red Sea on the fifth day of Yakatit. And on the following day, that is to say the sixth day of Yakatit, as it were today, the body of the saint was found floating on the water, and there was a stone on his feet. And one of the believers took it up out of the water, and brought it into the house, and he wrapped it up in wrappings of great price; and this story was noised abroad in all the city of Rome and the district round about it. And the emperor sought to burn the body in the fire, but the man with whom it was hid did not reveal it. And this saint composed many homilies, some on the True Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and some on the Incarnation of the Son of God in the nature of man, and some of them dealt with Doctrine (or Dogma), and some contained Admonitions to do the good pleasure of God. And he drew up eight and thirty Canons on the Law of the Church, and these are to be found in our own churches, and in all the churches of all Christian peoples. Salutation to the bringing up of the body of Abba Abulidis from out of the sea.

And on this day also became martyrs the following saints: ‘Abukir, and John, and three virgins, and their mother, whose names were Theodora, which is, being interpreted, “Gift of God,” and Theophana, which is being interpreted, “Faith of God,” and Theodosia, which is, being interpreted, “Praise of God,” and Athanasia, which is, being interpreted, “Life which dieth not.” And Saint ‘Abukir was a monk, and he was devoted to God, and was a fighter from his youth up, and John was a soldier in the Imperial Army, and they were men of the city of Alexandria. And then they dwelt in the city of Antioch and, together with their mother and the virgins who were with them, they confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before the Emperor Diocletian, who asked them whence they came. And they said unto him, “From the city of Alexandria,” and he commanded that they should be taken thither. And when they came to the city of Alexandria, and stood up before the governor, and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ, he tortured them severely; and when he was tired of torturing them, he commanded the soldiers to cut off their heads with the sword. And Saint Athanasia encouraged her virgin daughters, and she urged them to endure, and she told them that they were to become brides of Christ, the True Emperor, and martyrs for His Name’s sake. And Saint ‘Abukir likewise explained [this] to them, and reminded them of the tribulation which fell upon the apostolic woman Thecla. And the soldiers brought the virgins to the swordsman, one after the other, and their mother, and they became martyrs; and afterwards ‘Abukir and John became martyrs. Then the emperor commanded the soldiers to cast their bodies to the wild beasts of the desert, and to the fowl of the heavens, but there were certain believers there who took away their bodies secretly, and they swathed them and laid them in coffers until the days of persecution should be ended. And at length a church was built for them, and the believers laid their bodies in it, and very many signs and miracles took place through them.

And on this day also died Mary, the sinner, who anointed our Lord with unguent. This blessed woman was first of all a sinner, and she acquired all her possessions by fornication, and she used to decorate herself with divers dresses and ornaments in order to lead young men astray. One day she put on her ornamental apparel according to her wont, and she anointed herself, and perfumed her body, and she looked at herself in a mirror and she admired the ruddiness of her cheeks, and the beauty of her eyes for a very long time, that is to say, for an hour, as she was seated. And then a good thought came upon her, and she remembered death, and the fleeting character of the world. And she heard that our Lord Jesus Christ accepted sinners, and that He would pardon her sins, and she took all her money, and bought an alabastron of scented unguent. And she went to Him whilst He was sitting at meat in the house of Simon, and she prostrated herself at His feet, and she anointed Him with the unguent, and washed Him with her tears and dried Him with the hair of her head. And when our Lord saw the greatness of her love, He remitted her sins to her, and commanded [the disciples] to make mention of her when they preached the Gospel. And from that time she ministered unto Him with the holy women. Salutation to Mary.

Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.