St. Romanus of Antioch +303

St. Romanus of Antioch +303

March 15th is the commemoration of the dukhrono of St. Romanus of Antioch & St. Barulas +303 according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Mor Romanus a native of Palestine, was a deacon of the Church of Caesarea. He lived during the reign of fierce Christian persecutors Diocletian & Galerius. When the persecution became unbearable, Romanus was forced to flee to Antioch. There, he continued his preaching & became an example for the Christian faithful there. The governor of Antioch, Asclypiades had plans to destroy the church buildings by razing them to the ground. Romanus encouraged his brethren to stand firm & protect the sanctuary; for if they succeeded they'd rejoice on earth, & if they were martyred they'd rejoice in heaven. It was time for the pagan festival of Terminalia, & countless pagans gathered in Antioch. Romanus boldly denounced idol worship, proclaiming to all that only Jesus Christ was the one God. The governor had him arrested & brutally tortured, but he remained steadfast. In the crowd was a child named Barulas, Romanus looked at the child & then told the governor that the child is wiser than him as he worships the true God, not idols of stone. The child was brought before Asclypiades, who tortured the child for refusing to denounce Christ. The child asked his mother for something to drink, but she replied do not drink now, for the living water of blessedness would soon be his. The governor then had the child beheaded. Thus St. Barulas attained the crown of martyrdom. Romanus was condemned to be burnt alive, but a sudden rain extinguished the fires. Angered by his unceasing proclamations, the governor had the tongue of Romanus cut & thrown away. Miraculously, though his tongue was cut off, Romanus continued to loudly exclaim his love for the Lord, astonishing the gathered crowd. The furious governor ordered his soldiers to strangle the saint. Thus Mor Romanus attained the crown of martyrdom. Biography courtesy of, 'Martyrs, Saints and Prelates of the Syriac Orthodox Church' Oh Mor Romanus & Mor Barulas! Plead for us before God's throne of grace. Amen.