Bible and Saints
Posts in The Copybook tagged ‘Bible and Saints’
Why did a kindly old priest refuse to show his respects to St Nektarios?
St Nektarios of Aegina (Anastasios Kephalas, 1846-1920), is one the most beloved saints of Greece, known for countless miracles in his lifetime and after his death. Some years ago in Lavrio, Attica, a priest undertook to build a church in the saint’s honour; but he had cancer, and the pain was so intolerable that he tore his own clothes, and often hid from visitors.
A hungry monk thought he had got away with the tastiest of crimes, but St Cuthbert kept his promise to his beloved birds.
St Cuthbert the Wonderworker of Lindisfarne (?634-687) is one the the most famous of all English saints. He lived in solitude on Inner Farne off the coast of Northumberland, surrounded by the birds he loved, and promised to take care of them even after he was gone.
A bird of prey shattered the peace of St Cuthbert’s island, and was taught an unforgettable lesson.
St Cuthbert (?634-687) loved the many birds of his island retreat, and before he died the saint promised them ‘St Cuthbert’s Peace’: that if they lived in harmony with one another, no man or beast would disturb them and go unpunished. Five centuries later, monk Bartholomew (?-1193) saw for himself the saint’s determination to keep a promise.
Alban voluntarily swapped places with a priest, and was executed for being a member of a banned religious sect.
The Roman city of Verulam was later named St Albans, after England’s first martyr. He was executed on June 22, possibly in AD 305, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The authorities held that religion was a social good so long as no one questioned the official values of the Roman state, and everyone regarded all gods as equally valid. Christians came up short on both counts.
Persian star-gazers hasten to Israel for the birth of a royal heir, but find that King Herod has had his fill of them.
According to Pliny the Elder (23-79), a Roman contemporary of St Paul, ‘magi’ were believed to be followers of Zoroaster, interpreters of dreams, worshippers of the stars and secret knowledge, not to mention conjurors and charlatans.