Synaxarium of the Day
MON May 14, 2012 - Bashans 06, 1728 AM
سنكسار اليوم
Martyrdom of St. Isaac El-Defrawi
On this day, St. Isaac El-Defrawi was martyred. He was born in the city of Defra, district of Tanta. When he grew up, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision, and told him to go to the town of Towwa, district of Beba, to receive the crown of martyrdom. He instantly went to his parents to bid them farewell, they wept and forbade him from doing that. The angel of the Lord appeared to him again and took him out of the town. When he arrived to Towwa, he professed his faith before 3ernor saying: "I believe in the Lord Christ". The Governor placed him under guard until he had returned from the city of Nakyos. It happened when St. Isaac was passing by, with the soldier, a blind man, was sitting on the wayside, asked him to give him sight. He said to him: "Do not say give me, but let it be according to your faith", and then he prayed to the Lord Christ for his sake, and the man was given sight straightaway. When the soldier saw that, he believed. When the Governor returned, the soldier confessed the Lord Christ before him, he ordered to cut off his head, and received the crown of martyrdom.
The Governor became angry at St. Isaac, and tormented him severely, then sent him to the city of El-Bahnasa to be tortured there. It happened when he was in the boat, he asked for a drink, and a sailor gave him little of water, and the man was with one eye. The Saint took some of the water and poured it over him, and the man received the sight in his blind eye immediately. When the Saint arrived to El-Bahnasa, the Governor tortured him severely, but the Lord comforted and healed him and finally the Governor ordered him to be beheaded, and he received the crown of life. Some of the faithful took his body and carried it to his town Defra and buried him there. Then they built a church after his name.
May his intercession be with us. Amen.
Departure of St. Macarius of Alexandria
On this day also of the year 395 A.D., the blessed father St. Macarius of Alexandria departed. He was a contemporary of St. Macarius the great (Senior), the father of the monks, and for this reason, he was called St. Macarius, the Junior. He became a monk at one of the monasteries near by Alexandria. For his asceticism, he became the father and the spiritual guide for all the monk's cells in the area that near by Alexandria, so he was also called the father of the cells. He practiced many worships and possessed many virtues in his ascetic life. Among these practices, he once stayed for five days with his thoughts in heaven, occupied with early Saints, prophets, angels, apostles and the Lord Christ, while he was standing on his sleeping mat. After two nights, the devils started to scratch his feet, twisting themselves as snakes around his feet. They also showed him fire in his cell, however with patience, the fire and the phantoms disappeared. On the fifth day, he could not control his thoughts with regards to the needs of life. This happened so that he would not become proud of what he had spiritually achieved. He said to himself: "I have remained in the ascetic life for 50 years, and they had not been like these five days." After he had managed the schools of those were seeking to be baptized, he lived alone (Recluse) in the year 335 A.D. in el-Natroun desert, where he became the abbot of all the monasteries in this desert.
It happened that he walked in the desert for several days in unpaved road, and was placing sticks of reed during the way to help him recognize the way to come back. When he wanted to return, he found the devil had removed all the sticks to mislead him. When he became thirsty, God sent him a wild cow, and he drank from its milk, until he returned to his cell. One day a hyena came to him and pulled his garment. He followed her to her den, and it brought out her three young ones. He found that they were all malformed, and was amazed from the intelligence of the animal. He prayed and put his hands on them, and they were healed. The hyena disappeared for a while, and she came back with a sheep skin which he used to sleep on until his departure. At one time, the thoughts of pride disturbed him until he was weary of it. These thoughts invited him to come to Rome to heal the sick there, instead of them suffering the travel to him. He slept in his cell, and extended his feet outside the cell, and said to his thoughts: "You can travel now if you can." When his thoughts went on disturbing him, he carried on his shoulder a basket full of sand, and walked in the desert until he became physically tired, the thoughts of pride left him, and he rested.
Once, he went to the monastery of St. Pachomius in a layman's garment, and stayed there during the forty days of Lent. No one saw him eating or sitting down. He was making baskets of palm leaves while he was standing. The monks said to St. Pachomius: "Cast out this man from here, for he is not human." He asked them to be patient until God reveals his story to them. St. Pachomius inquired of God about him, and God told him that he was St. Macarius of Alexandria. They were all happy to hear that, they welcomed him and received his blessings. When he found that his virtues have been revealed, he returned to his monastery. It happened that it did not rain for some time in Alexandria, and the Patriarch called him. When he arrived to Alexandria, the rain started to fall, and it continued to rain until they asked him to stop it. He prayed and God stopped it. Emperor Valens exiled him with St. Macarius the great to one of the islands. They guided its people to the Christian faith, and then they returned to their monasteries. He considered that the virtue that was revealed and became known to everyone, was rendered useless. When he heard that someone had a virtue that he did not have, he practiced this virtue until he mastered it more than him. He completed his life in a good spiritual conduct until he reached a good old age, and departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of Father Paphnute of El-Bandarah
On this day also, Father Paphnute who was from El-Bandarah, departed.
May his prayers be with us and glory be to God forever. Amen.
استشهاد القديس أسحق الدفراوى
في مثل هذا اليوم استشهد القديس اسحق الدفراوي وقد ولد ببلدة دفره التابعة لمركز طنطا . ولما شب ظهر له ملاك الرب في رؤيا وأمره أن يمضي إلى مدينة طوه " بمركز بيا " لينال إكليل الشهادة فقام لساعته ليودع والديه فبكيا ومنعاه من ذلك حتى ظهر له الملاك ثانية وأخرجه من البلد فلما أتي إلى مدينة طوه صرخ أمام الوالي قائلا : أنا مؤمن بالسيد المسيح " فوضعه تحت حراسة أحد جنوده حتى يعود من نقيوس . وحدث وهو مار مع الجندي أن سأله رجل أعمي – كان جالسا علي الطريق أن يهبه النظر فقال له " لا تقل هبني ولكن ليكن لك كأيمانك " ثم صلي إلى السيد المسيح من أجله فأبصر الرجل لوقته فلما رأي الجندي آمن وعند عودة الوالي اعترف أمامه بالسيد المسيح فأمر بقطع رأسه ونال إكليل الشهادة
أما الوالي فقد حنق علي القديس اسحق وعذبه عذابا أليما ثم أرسله إلى البهنسا ليعذب هناك وحدث أنه لما كان في السفينة طلب أن يشرب فأعطاه أحد النوتية قليلا من الماء وكان الرجل بعين واحدة فسكب القديس عليه جزءا منه فأبصر في الحال بعينه الأخرى
ولما وصل القديس إلى البهنسا عذبه الوالي كثيرا وكان الرب يصبره ويشفيه . وأخيرا أمر الوالي بقطع رأسه فنال إكليل الحياة وجاء بعض المؤمنين فحملوا جسده وأتوا به إلى بلده دفره ودفنوه بها ثم بنوا كنيسة باسمه شفاعته تكون معنا آمين
نياحة القديس مقاريوس الاسكندرى
في مثل هذا اليوم من سنة 395 م تنيح الأب الطوباوي القديس مقاريوس الإسكندري وهذا الأب كان معاصرا للقديس مقاريوس الكبير أب الرهبان ولذا أطلق عليه اسم مكاريوس الصغير وترهب في أحد الأديرة القريبة من الإسكندرية ونظرا لتزايده في النسك صار أبا ومرشدا لجميع القلالي القريبة من الإسكندرية ولذا دعي آب جميع القلالي . وقد قام بعبادات كثيرة وتحلي بفضائل عظيمة وباشر نسكا زائدا ، ومن ذلك أنه لبث مرة خمسة أيام وعقله في السماء وشغل نفسه بعد أن وقف علي حصيرته بالقديسين السابقين البطاركة والأنبياء وطغمات الملائكة والسيد المسيح والرسل ولما كملت ليلتان صارت الشياطين تخدش رجليه ثم تعمل كالثعابين تلتف حولهما . كما أظهروا نارا في القلاية وظنوا أنه يحترق ، وأخر الآمر – بصبره - تلاشت النار والخيالات. وفي اليوم الخامس لم يستطع أن يضبط الفكر في اهتمامات العالم وكان ذلك لكي لا يتعظم ثم قال أني بقيت في النسك خمسين سنة ولم تكن مثل هذه الخمسة الأيام
قام بإدارة مدارس طالبي العماد ثم اعتكف في سنة 335 ميلادية في صحراء وادي النطرون وهي التي كان يطلق عليها وقتئذ اسم القلالي . ذات مرة سار في البرية عدة أيام في طريق غير ممهدة ، وكان يغرس في الطريق قطعا من البوص لتهديه في العودة ولما أراد الرجوع وجد الشيطان قد قلعها كلها ليضله ، فلما عطش أرسل الله له بقرة وحشية فشرب من لبنها حتى ارتوي إلى أن عاد إلى قلايته ، وأتته مرة ضبعه وبدأت تجر ثوبه فتبعها إلى مغارتها فأخرجت له أولادها الثلاثة فوجدها ذوات عاهات فتعجب من فطنة الحيوان وصلي ووضع يده عليها فعادت صحيحة وغابت الضبعه وعادت وفي فمها فروة قدمتها له وظل يفترشها حتى وفاته ، وقد أتعبته أفكار الكبرياء مرة فدعوه إلى رومية ليشفي المرضي هناك - بدل أن يقاسي تعب السفر إليه فأخرج رجليه من القلاية ونام ثم قال لأفكاره : اذهبي أنت ان كنت تستطيعين " ولما أتعبته أفكاره حمل علي كتفه مقطفا من الرمل وسار به إلى البرية إلى أن تعب جسده وتركه فكر الكبرياء واستراح
ومضي مرة إلى دير القديس باخوميوس في زي علماني وأقام هناك مدة الأربعين المقدسة لم ينظره أحد في أثنائها آكلا أو جالسا بل كان في كل هذه المدة يضفر الخوص وهو واقف فقال الاخوة للقديس باخوميوس أخرج عنا هذا الرجل لأنه ليس له جسد فقال لهم تأنوا قليلا حتى يكشف لنا الله أمره فلما سأل الرب عنه عرفه أنه مقاريوس الإسكندري ففرحوا به فرحا عظيما وتباركوا منه ولما رأي أن فضيلته قد اشتهرت عاد إلى ديره
وحدث أنه لما امتنع نزول المطر بالإسكندرية استدعاه البابا البطريرك فحين وصوله هطلت الأمطار ولم تزل تهطل حتى طلبوا منه إيقافها فصلي إلى الرب فامتنعت
وقد نفاه الملك فالنز الأريوسي إلى إحدى الجزر مع القديس مقاريوس الكبير فقاما بهداية أهلها إلى الإيمان المسيحي وعادا إلى مقريهما وكان يعتبر أن الفضيلة التي تعرف وتذاع عديمة الجدوى وإذا سمع عن إنسان أنه يمارس فضيلة لم يمارسها هو لا يهدأ باله حتى يتقنها أكثر منه وقد أكمل حياته في سيرة روحية حتى وصل إلى شيخوخة صالحة وتنيح بسلام صلاته تكون معنا . آمين
نياحة الأب ببنوده من البندره
في مثل هذا اليوم تنيح الأب ببنوده الذي من البندره , فلتكن صلاته معنا ولربنا المجد دائما . آمين
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Purpose of the Synaxarium
The Purpose of “The Coptic Synaxarium” is to prepare yourself to celebrate the feasts of the Saints and to read and learn from their stories and life, while asking for their intercessions to continuously strengthen us in every aspect and in every moment of our lives.
