Today the church honors Sts. Gurias, Samonas, and Habibus, Martyrs.
Orate pro nobis.
Gurias and Samonas suffered during the persecution against Christians under the emperors Diocletian (AD 284-305) and Maximian (AD 305-311). The two friends Gurias and Samonas, preachers of the Word of God, were arrested in the city of Edessa.
The saints refused to offer sacrifice to the gods, and boldly confessed their faith in Christ. For this they were subjected to cruel tortures: they were beaten, hung up by their hands, heavy weights were tied to their feet, and they were cast into a stifling prison.
The martyrs endured everything with firmness and Samonas uttered a prayer to the Lord, which one of the witnesses to their death wrote down: “O Lord my God, against Whose will not a single sparrow falls into the snare. It was You Who made room for David in his sorrow (Ps. 4:1), Who proved the Prophet Daniel stronger than lions (Dan. 6:16-24), and granted a child of Abraham to be victor over torture and flames (Dan. ch. 3, ch. 14). You know also, Lord, the infirmity of our nature, You see the struggle set before us. Our foe strives to snatch us, the work of Your right hand, away from You and to deprive us of the glory which is in You. With Your compassionate eye watching over us, preserve in us the inextinguishable light of Your Commandments. Guide our steps by Your light, and make us worthy of Your Kingdom, for You are blessed unto ages of ages.” By night, they took the martyrs out beyond the city and beheaded them on this day c. AD 306. Christians secretly buried their holy bodies with reverence.
After some years, the last pagan emperor, Licinius (AD 311-324), began a persecution against Christians. Habibus, a deacon of the Church of Edessa whom the emperor ordered to be arrested for his zealous spreading of the true Faith, presented himself before the executioners when he learned they were searching for him. The saint confessed his faith in Christ. During his multiple days of torture, Abibus was subjected to the scourging and having his body raked with iron rakes by five men. When threatened with more gruesome torture by the governor, the saint is quoted as saying: "As a tree that is watered bears fruit, so is my spirit strengthened by torment", frustrated by his powerless efforts, the Governor replied: "Does your faith teach you to hate your own body?", to which Abibus replied: "We do not hate this material body, but we rejoice in the spiritual reality; the suffering of this present time is not worth comparing with the glory that awaits those who embrace Christ." The governor mockingly replied: "Is this suffering you endure glorious?" Abibus responded: "It is not for you to ask questions, for your unbelief is not worthy to hear the answers to them, as the Scripture teaches us: do not cast that which is holy to dogs, nor pearls before swine."
Abibus was sentenced to be burned at the stake. When walking up to the stake, his mother was forced to walk beside him, dressed in all-white as if going to a feast day. He blessed the crowd before him, to which the crowd responded: "Pray for us in the presence of the Lord!" After this exchange, the martyr entered the fire on his own accords. When the fire went out, his mother and relatives found his body unharmed. They buried the martyr next to Saints Gurias and Samonas because they were martyred on the same day though several years apart, and they are commemorated together.
Almighty God, who gave to your servant Gurias, Samonas, and Habibus boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
