St. Sharbil of Edessa and his sister St. Babai +105

St. Sharbil of Edessa and his sister St. Babai +105

October 14th is the commemoration of the dukhrono of St. Sharbil of Edessa +105 and his sister St. Babai according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church.Mor Sharbil Urhoyo was once the chief pagan priest of Edessa. Their history is recorded in the Syriac document 'The Acts of Sharbil'. During this time, Trajan Ceasar commanded through his governors that all citizens should worship & give offerings to the idols of the deities Nebu & Bel. Bishop Barsamya, Priest Tiridath & deacon Shalula went to Sharbil to express their great displeasure with the ruling, & attempted to convince Sharbil to worship only the one true God. As he listened to them speak, he had a change of heart and repented, he desired to be a Christian. Sharbil & his sister Babai came to Barsamya later at night as promised. They confessed the faith in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit & received baptism. They wore garments suitable for Christians. Many men, women & leaders of the town followed Sharbil’s footsteps & accepted his new Christian beliefs.The chief judge Lysanias learning of Sharbil's conversion had him seized from the church & brought to trial. He told him to renounce Christ or face punishment. However, Sharbil would not deny Christ & so underwent extreme persecution. He was beaten, hung upside down, sharp iron combs were dragged into his body while salt & vinegar were applied to his fresh wounds. However, Sharbil remained unfazed by the torture, seeing it reward for knowing Christ who will provide true life to the believers. Without dismay, he continued to say, “Those who are saved by the Cross cannot worship idols of deceit. The created being cannot be worshipped. Only the Creator can be worshipped.” Finally the judge ordered Sharbil to be chopped into pieces & his head sawed off. As per the custom of offering drinks to the murderers he too was offered wine. He did not accept it, instead he asked for time to pray. He turned to the east & prayed, “Lord Jesus, forgive me for the sins committed against you & for provoking your anger by turning to unholy sacrifice & oblations. Have mercy on me as you have been merciful to the robber. I entered your vineyard at the eleventh hour. Kindly spare me from the last judgement.” Sharbil’s sister Babai said, “May my spirit join you when you reach Christ whom you knowingly believed.” Enraged, the judge ordered her to be executed as well. Thus both St. Sharbil & St. Babai attained the crown of martyrdom. Barsamya the bishop had them entombed in the same place as his own father. Oh Mor Sharbil Urhoyo & Mort Babai! Plead for us before God's throne of grace. Amen. Biography courtesy of, 'Martyrs, Saints and Prelates of the Syriac Orthodox Church'Life of the martyrs St. Sharbil and his sister St. Babai: https://bit.ly/VitaSharbilBabai Biography in Malayalam: https://tinyurl.com/bdzdws7n Mor Sharbil Dayro Thrikkothamangalam dedicated in his honour: https://goo.gl/oqzzHc