The Holy Great-Martyr and Healer Panteleimon (286-305); Our Holy Father Clement the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Okhrid (910)
Polyeleos Feast
Read
2 Timothy 2:1-10; John 15:17-16:2
We ought not to be surprised that the world hates Jesus and those who follow him (by the “world” we mean those who are influenced and submit to the “ruler of this world”). He told us that the world hated Him before it hated us. Our Lord states that “They hated me without a cause.” This is a quote found in a number of Psalms in which King David reflects on his struggle with the godless, the wicked, and the deceitful. Jesus also says: “Whoever hates me hates my Father also.” This is not some sort of lament. Rather, it confronts the world with the Truth of Who He is—the Messiah promised by the Father—and provides an opportunity for change in their lives, and to whom they will submit, as each of us, and all of us can only serve one master.
In his submission to Christ and His Church, St. Panteleimon was led to confess Jesus Christ before Emperor Maximian, and in doing so a paralytic was immediately healed. He served our Master well, and this led to his martyrdom. The Emperor tortured Panteleimon and then ordered him to be beheaded. The executioner’s sword bent like wax when it hit Panteleimon’s neck. He could kill Panteleimon until he finished his prayer to the Lord. There were many who converted to our Lord and His Truth. We, too, are to confess our Lord in our day-to-day lives. Like Panteleimon, we mustn’t be afraid. Like him, we serve our only Master.