St. Theodore the martyr +306

St. Theodore the martyr +306

The commemoration of the dukhrono of St. Theodore the martyr +306 according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Mor Tewodoros Sohdo was from Amasea (Northern Turkey). He grew up in a Christian home, & later joined the Roman Army keeping his faith in Christ a secret. Since he was a recruit he was given the nickname Tyro (Latin for new solider). His commander ordered him to worship the pagan idols but he refused, boldly proclaiming his faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The commander was angered, but he gave Theodore time to rethink his words; Mor Tewodoros used this time to pray & fast for strength. The commander then made false claims that Theodore burnt down one of their temples. Theodore was imprisoned & left to starve. They brought him to the governor, where he once again openly confessed his faith in God. The governor ordered he be subjected to severe torture, but the faith of Theodore remained relentless in the face of persecution. Finally, they ordered him to be burnt alive. St. Theodore gladly jumped into the fire & reposed. Thus Mor Tewodoros attained the crown of martyrdom. Miraculously, his body was not destroyed by the fire of the heathens, his relics were then collected & enshrined in the churches with great veneration. Fifty years later, emperor Julian wanted to insult the Christians who were preparing for the Great Lent. He ordered his generals to sprinkle the blood of animals offered to pagan idols all over the food provisions in marketplaces. However, Archbishop Exodius received a vision of Mor Theodore warning him of the heinous plan. Exodius warned the faithful Christians to refrain from buying or eating anything in the marketplace, but instead only eat fasting foods from their own fields. In memory of this miracle, the Orthodox Church commemorates St. Theodore the martyr on the first Saturday of every Great Lent along with St. Ephrem the Syrian. St. Gregory of Nyssa Homily on St. Theodore: http://bit.ly/NyssaTheodore