Hidar 14 — November 23

Saint Marcius, the Gentle Bishop

Today we remember a holy father named Marcius (say it MAR-shus). He grew up in a Christian family, and even as a young man he loved God with all his heart. He was kind, he was gentle, and he prayed a great deal.

Marcius always told the truth about God, even when some people did not want to hear it. Those people were unkind to him and tried to scare him away. So Marcius went far off and lived in a quiet cave near the sea for many years. He prayed there, and he ate the plants that grew on the ground. He was happy, because he was close to God.

After a while, everyone heard how good and holy Marcius was. So God chose him to be a bishop, a leader who takes care of many churches. Marcius cared for God's people with great love, just like Jesus' first helpers did. And God worked through him to help many people.

One day Marcius saw something sad. A man had died, but a greedy man would not let the family bury him until they paid a big pile of gold. Marcius kindly asked the greedy man to let the family say goodbye, but the man said no. So Marcius prayed, and God brought the dead man back to life. The man got up, went home, and lived happily for many more years. Everyone praised God. When Marcius grew old, he had done so much good, and he died in peace.

Marcius was full of grace and goodness, and through his prayers God raised a man from the dead.

Abba Daniel and the King of Persia

Next we remember Abba Daniel, a monk who gave his days to quiet prayer and loved God dearly. Through Daniel, a faraway king learned to love Jesus too.

Here is how it happened. A king in the land of Persia was very, very sick, and none of his doctors could make him better. The king was sad and worried.

In that land lived a poor mother and father with one little boy. The king's helpers came looking for the child, and at first the parents were afraid. But the brave little boy was not afraid at all. He looked up to heaven and trusted God to keep him safe.

And God did! God put kindness in the king's heart, so the king set the boy free and listened to him. The boy told the king that when no one else could help him, he had prayed to God who made him. The king was amazed by the boy's faith.

Because of that brave little boy, God wanted to be kind to the king. So God sent Abba Daniel to him. Daniel prayed, and the king grew strong and well again. The king believed in Jesus, and Daniel baptized him and all his people, washing them with holy water to welcome them into God's family. Then Daniel went home, kept praying and serving God, and died in peace.

Seeing that no one else could save me, I prayed to God who created me.— the brave little boy

Abba John, the Praying Priest

We also remember Abba John, a holy priest who lived at Bizan, a quiet home where people pray together.

John loved God so much that he wanted everyone to listen to God and do what is right. When the people would not listen, John prayed, and for three years no rain or dew fell to remind them to turn back to God. John's prayers were powerful, because he stayed close to God every day.

Abba John shows us that talking to God in prayer is one of the most important and most powerful things we can ever do.

More Friends of God We Remember Today

On this day we also thank God for many other holy friends: Garses and Balaten, Laurestus and Andreas, and good people named Mabranus, Tratina, and Justina. Today the church also remembers a happy day long ago when a beautiful church was built and blessed at a monastery called Kalmon.

We may not know every story about these holy friends, but God knows each one by name. They all loved God and tried to live good lives, and today we ask them to pray for us.