Tahsas 18 — December 27

Abba Salama, the Light of Ethiopia

Today we remember a very special teacher named Abba Salama. Abba means "father," a kind name we give to holy church leaders. People called him "the revealer of the light," because he helped the whole land of Ethiopia come to know and love Jesus.

Long ago, many people in Ethiopia had not yet heard the good news about God. Abba Salama traveled among them and taught, and slowly the light of God's love began to shine all across the country. That is why we remember him as the light of Ethiopia.

His full story, all about how hard he worked and how brave he was for God, is told again later in the year. So today we simply say thank you to God for Abba Salama, and we ask this kind father to pray for us.

Abba Salama was the light of Ethiopia, the one who showed his people the love of God.

Saint Titus the Apostle Comes to a New Home

Today we also remember Saint Titus, an apostle who helped Saint Paul. An apostle was one of God's closest helpers, sent out to teach far and wide about Jesus. Saint Titus loved God so much that, even after he died, God kept working through him.

A good emperor named Constantine ruled a great kingdom. An emperor is like a very powerful king. Constantine loved God and built many beautiful churches, filling them with shining stones and careful decorations. He wanted to gather the bodies of the holy apostles and keep them safe in these churches, the way we tuck away something precious in a special place.

When Constantine heard that Saint Titus rested on an island called Crete, he sent church leaders to carry him with great honor to the big city of Constantinople. There the emperor built a beautiful church and laid Saint Titus inside a box made of precious stone.

Then something surprising happened. As the men carried the heavy stone box, one corner slipped and fell on a man's foot, hurting it badly. The poor man could not even walk home, so he stayed close beside the saint all night. He took a little oil from the lamp by Saint Titus's picture and gently rubbed it on his foot, trusting God to help him.

In the morning he unwrapped his foot to look at it, and it was all better. No pain at all. Everyone who saw it was filled with wonder, and together they thanked God, who had shown His love through His faithful friend Saint Titus.

In the morning he looked at his foot, and it was healed and whole, with no pain at all — and everyone thanked God.

Arkila and Philemon, Faithful Friends of God

Today we also remember two more faithful friends of God, Arkila and Philemon. Philemon was a priest who prayed for people and helped them know God. He was also an anchorite, which means he lived all alone in a quiet place, praying to God every single day.

Arkila and Philemon loved God with their whole hearts and stayed faithful to Him, no matter what, right to the very end of their lives. Because they never stopped loving God, we call them martyrs and honor them with joy. We ask them to pray for us, too.

Many Brave Friends and Saint Thomas the Apostle

Today we remember a whole group of brave friends of God: Farkayon, Silikion, Galinicus, Eunas, and a companion of theirs. Every one of them stayed faithful to God with great courage. We also remember three saints named Arsis, Dacia, and Dimon, whose bodies were carried to a holy resting place.

And today we remember Saint Thomas the Apostle. You may have heard of him: he was one of Jesus' twelve special friends. After Saint Thomas died, his body was carried to a new home, and God worked so many signs through him that no one could count them all.

Because God's love kept shining through Saint Thomas, the people built a beautiful church for him beside a river and laid him there to rest. It is a happy thing to know that God keeps caring for His friends, even after their lives on earth are over, and lets His goodness shine through them for everyone to see.