St. Anastasios from Paramythia, November 18

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Maria
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St. Anastasios from Paramythia, November 18

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New Martyr, St. Anastasios from Paramythia

He was martyred in Paramythia, Greece on November 18, 1750

One day in June, Anastasios with other Christians and his sister went to the fields to harvest wheat. As they were doing this, the son of the local Pasha, Moussa and other Turks passed by. They saw the beautiful sister of the Saint and with an evil desire, they rushed to satisfy their passions. The Saint, however, with the other Christians confronted them, thus giving his sister time to leave.

The angry offenders went to the Pasha and told him that Anastasios had told them that he wanted to become a Muslim and now he denied it. The Pasha immediately sent for the innocent Anastasios. Seeing the handsome young man, he thought about how he could make him a Muslim.

The Saint, when he heard the slanders of his accusers, took courage and said to the Pasha: I have never had such a conversation. I was born a Christian and a Christian I will die with the help of my Christ. As for the goods that you promise me, I am not interested at all, because I have many eternal goods in the heavens that can not be compared to the present.

His slaves then repeated the charge: Is not it you that you set up to become a Muslim then? Why are you now denying it and not wanting to fulfill your promise?

The Saint responded: I not only did not say such a thing, but I did not even think of it. I do not deny my holy faith, for which I am about to die. All this is slander and lies. I was born a Christian and a Christian I will die.

Then the Pasha gave orders to take him and shut him up in jail. After a few days, a friend visited the Pasha and, learning about the case, advised the Pasha what to do by saying: These Christians are very hard and stubborn and do not deny their faith even if someone gives them the most terrible punishments. They even accept death for their faith with great willingness. If you want to do it, do not punish him now but take him out of prison and in a good way promise him riches, gifts and offices, and he will do it.

Listening to his friend's advice he took the Holy Martyr from prison and began to flatter him and promise him many material goods and that he would eventually adopt him if he listened to what he was saying to him. The friend of the the Pasha who stood there added that he had a beautiful daughter that he would give him for his wife, along with horses, gold and much more. If only he became a Muslim.

The brave martyr of Christ listened to them with horror, abomination and aversion, and with boldness he replied, I have goods in the heavens, not like yours but incomparably better, more precious and endless. I do not accept your own perishable temporayr gifts, lest I lose the eternal ones. So I do not refuse my faith in any way.

The two Pasha's were stunned by the Saint's response and ordered that he be imprisoned until they saw what they would do.

The Pasha's son, who was present during the interrogation, thought wisely and wondered: What is this faith of the Christians so that they not only do not count on the goods of the world but suffer any painful death for the sake of their Faith ; This man, though he is poor, has rejected all the goods that he were offered to him, which I, who am rich, also desire, while he refuses to do so, so that he does not lose his faith. What is this faith of Christians, which they keep with such exactness?

Wishing to be enlightened about the Christian faith, he secretly went to prison to chat with Anastasios. There, God, seeing Mousa's good predisposition, allowed him to see something wondrous.

Entering into the Saint's cell, he saw him enveloped by light, and on his right and left, two astonishing young men, angels, and, not being able to bear the glow, he fell down. The saint motioned to the angels to leave. Then Moussa got up, approached and started asking questions. The saint told him that these were angels and that every Christian has one who is with him as long as he is in this life and when he passes away takes his soul to Paradise. You all the other nations have one. As for disdaining the goods that your father proposed to me, I did it because we Christians have riches in the heavens unrequited and eternally, with whom compared to the whole world the goods are shadow and nothing.

When he heard them, Moussa fell at the feet of the Saint and, with the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, asked him to make him a Christian. But Anastasios said, This can not be done now because your father will kill all the Christians. Only believe in Christ secretly and ask him to make you worthy of what you desire and of course will surely grant you what is to your benefit. He showed him how to make the sign of the Cross and how to pray.

The Pasha, however, seeing that he did not accomplish anything with force or pain, ordered the Saint to be taken out of the city and be decapitated and his body to remain unburied. At night Christians saw a light descending from heaven to the Holy relic but they did not dare to approach. The Saint at night appeared to the Pasha in a dream and in a threatening manner told him to give his relic to the nearby monastery for burial. The Pasha was terrified and told the monks to take the body of the Saint. The monks went and with candles and incense took the sacred relic and buried it with honor and reverence.

After the glorious martyrdom of St. Anastasius, Mousa was very sad. He avoided all earthly enjoyment and prayed to God that his desire be fulfilled through the prayers of the Saint. One day, on his way to a wedding, he found a chance and passed by the tomb of the Saint and he prayed with tears. Then he saw the Holy Martyr in a great light, accompanied by two angels, saying to him: Do not be sad, brother, you will receive what you desire.

He departed with great joy from the monastery and went as his father ordered to the wedding. At night, an angel of the Lord, bathed in light, awakened him, pulled him out of the house where he was a guest without being perceived, the doors opened by themselves, After a long journey, the angel led him to an ascetic sitting near a spring. The angel of the Lord gave Mousa to the ascetic and said: Follow him, and he will lead you to whatever you desire. And left. Mousa followed the ascetic and traveled to the Peloponnese. Finding a church in a desert place, worshiped there.

Mousa was exhausted by his deprivation and begun to regret relentlessly and to struggle with the temptation of the memory of his parents and his former enjoyable life. The ascetic seeing him in such a need told him to go back to the church to pray. Venerating the icon of Our Lady, he heard a voice saying: Do not be sorry, my child, for the transient goods that you left, because my Son and God has suffered greatly for the salvation of the world. Rejoice rather because you will be found worthy to receive many good things in the Kingdom of God.

He also heard a voice from the icon of Christ. When he left the church he was overcome with infinite joy and he forgot every temptation. He asked the ascetic if the holy icons always spoke and he replied: Not always, only when there is a need.

He left the port of Patras, with letters of recommendation from the elder and a miraculous icon of the Virgin. Mousa passed over to Venice. There he was baptized a Christian and was named Dimitrios.

After a while, he went to Corfu to venerate the relic of Saint Spyridon. In Corfu, he became a monk named Daniel. From Corfu, he went to Constantinople with a strong desire to become a Martyr. There he also had an admirable vision, where the liberation of the Christians from the Turks was revealed to him. But the Christians prevented him from becoming a martyr so that they would not be persecuted. He then returned to Corfu, where he reposed after first building a Church in Myrtia, in honour of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In Christ,
+Fr. Panagiotes

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

Justice
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Re: St. Anastasios from Paramythia, November 18

Post by Justice »

What a wonderful and moving story! may St. Anastasios pray to God for us.

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