THE HOLY MARTYR EUSTATHIUS OF MTSKHETA

July 29

From the Prologue

Eustathius was a Persian born in the village of Arbuket. At age thirty he came to the city of Mtskheta and seeing how Christians live and believe in Mtskheta, he received baptism. He was tortured for Christ and was beheaded in Tiflis in the year 589 A.D. His relics repose in the cathedral church in Mtskheta and give healing to those who believe.

HYMN OF PRAISE

SAINT SERAPHIMA

Seraphima, dear to the angels,

Completely innocent, both in soul and in body,

In all thoughts, kind,

Was tortured, many days

For Christ the Lord, the Immortal.

The godless prince, into the temple forced her

Sacrifices to the idols, to offer.

Saint Seraphima replied:

To the One God, I am a handmaiden,

Of the Holy Spirit my body is the temple,

In virginity, my body I preserved

That, as a sacrifice to God to offer.

The temple of the body, as a sacrifice to offer,

As much as it is dear to you, torture my body,

But, my soul you will never see dead,

The soul alive, before and after death

Be fire, by sword, destroy it you cannot.

Because of the soul, the body was created,

And by the soul, the body is blessed.

From God, the soul into the world appears,

That, in the body, the Lord it glorifies.

Glory to God, the Triune God!

Glory to God, my Creator!




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