Tahsas 5 — December 14

Nahum, the Prophet of Good News

Today we remember Nahum (say it NAY-um), a holy and good man who lived a very long time ago. He was a prophet, one of the people God chooses to carry His messages to others.

Nahum loved God, and he wanted everyone else to love God too. Some people had forgotten God and were doing wrong things. Nahum gently reminded them to turn back to God, who is kind, patient, and full of mercy.

Nahum also shared a happy secret about the future. One day, he said, special helpers would travel everywhere telling people the good news about Jesus. He even gave these helpers a lovely name: messengers who bring peace.

When Nahum had finished his work for God, he died in peace, knowing he had made God glad.

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news and who preach peace!— from the words of Nahum the prophet

Saint Isidore

Today we also remember Saint Isidore (say it IZ-i-dor), a blessed man who loved God with all his heart.

Even when it was very hard, Isidore stayed faithful to God right to the end of his life. He kept loving God no matter what it cost him, and so we call him a martyr. We send him a happy greeting today, because he is now safe and joyful with God.

Saint Eugenia, Who Was So Brave

Eugenia (say it yoo-JEE-nee-uh) came from a great family in the city of Rome. Her father, Philip, was an important leader. Her mother was a Christian, and she taught little Eugenia all about Jesus.

When Eugenia grew up, she wanted to give her whole heart to God. She visited a quiet place where holy people lived together and prayed. There a kind bishop named Theodore taught her, and she was baptized, washed with water in a special way to show she now belonged to God. Then she went to live among the monks, men who spend their quiet days praying, and she prayed and served God right beside them.

God gave Eugenia a beautiful gift. When she prayed, sick people got well, and people who were sad and troubled grew peaceful again. God's love was always stronger than anything wrong.

After many years, Eugenia's father, her mother, and everyone in her home came to believe in Jesus and were baptized too. How happy they were! Eugenia later became the leader of a big home of prayer where three thousand women lived together. She stayed faithful to God to the very end of her life. We send a glad greeting to her and to good Bishop Theodore.

Eugenia loved God so much that she gave Him her whole life, and God filled her hands with the gift of healing.

Saint Victor, Carried by an Angel

Saint Victor came from a town called Shaw, in a faraway land. His mother and father, Marmar and Martha, were good people who loved God and shared with everyone who was poor. For a long time they had no children, so they prayed and prayed. God heard them and gave them baby Victor, and they raised him to love God dearly.

When Victor grew up, a powerful ruler tried to make him give up Jesus. Victor would not. He stayed true to God, and so he was thrown into prison.

But God did not leave Victor alone. While Victor was praying, God's mighty angel, Saint Michael, came right into the prison. And our Lord Jesus appeared to Victor too, shining with light, and promised to be with him always. After that, when Victor prayed, sick people were healed.

Victor stayed faithful all the way home to God. Kind people gently wrapped his body and built a beautiful church in his honor. We give him a double greeting today, because he was so very brave.

While Victor prayed in the prison, God's angel came down to him, and Jesus shone like light and promised to stay near him.

Faithful Friends of God

Today we also remember a little group of God's faithful friends: Philip, Ananias, Barachus, and John. This Philip was the good father of Saint Eugenia. Once he came to believe in Jesus, the people loved him so much that they made him a church leader, and he taught many about Christ.

All of these holy people loved God with brave and happy hearts. We ask them to pray for us, that we may love God as much as they did.