🕁 The Holy and Glorious Great-Martyr Demetrius, from Whose Tomb Myrrh Streams Forth.
All-Night Vigil Feast. A day when the faithful are highly encouraged to participate in the Divine Liturgy.
2 Timothy 2:1-10; John 15:17-16:2.
Read 2 Timothy 2:1-10
St. Paul exhorts his spiritual son, St. Timothy to, “…share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 2:3) This is the call of all Christians, as we see exemplified in the lives of the martyrs like the Holy Great-Martyr St. Demetrius, whose memory the Church celebrates today.
St. Demetrius was the son of a Roman proconsul,whose family were secret Christians. They lived during a time when Roman paganism, weakened by the witness of many Christian martyrs, sought to intensify its persecutions against the Church.
Upon his father’s passing, Demetrius, who was well-educated and capable, assumed the role of proconsul under Emperor Galerius Maximian. Not knowing that Demetrius was himself a Christian, Maximian initially tasked him with eradicating Christianity; however, Demetrius aiming rather, “to satisfy the one who enlisted him” (2:Tim 2:4), used his position to openly preach Christ, systematically dismantling pagan practices and forbidding idol worship.
Upon learning of this, Emperor Maximian intensified his persecutions against the Church and had Demetrius arrested. In prison, an Angel comforted him. Meanwhile, the Emperor organized deadly games, pitting a fierce German, Lyaeos, against the Christians. A faithful Christian, Nestor, sought Demetrius’ blessing to face Lyaeos. With Demetrius’ prayers, Nestor triumphed, but was executed. In retaliation, the Emperor ordered Demetrius’ death.
In Saint Constantine’s era, a church was raised over his grave. A century later, during a new church’s construction, his miraculously preserved relics were uncovered. Since the seventh century, a fragrant myrrh has flowed from beneath his crypt, earning him the title “the Myrrh-gusher.”
In the troparion appointed for today’s feast we sing: The entire world has found you to be a great champion in times of peril; for you put the heathen to flight, O victorious one. As you brought to naught the boasts of Lyaeos, and gave courage to Nestor in the stadium, in the same way, O Holy Great Martyr Demetrius, entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy.
Like his Lord, St. Demetrius was victorious because he voluntarily submitted to death, showing the world that death has no power over Christians. This witness is a powerful one for today’s world, which seems plagued by fear and uncertainty in the face of war, death, sickness and the like. For Christians, not only do we have no need to fear these things, but we have the freedom to face them head on, with serenity knowing that Christ has risen from the dead, trampling death by death and on those in the tombs bestowing life.