On December 25, according to the new style, the holy Orthodox Church honors the memory of the great saint of God - Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. Prayer veneration of this common Christian saint is still spread far beyond the borders of his native country.
The future great defender of Christianity and the right doctrine of God, Saint Spyridon was born in about 270 in Cyprus. The young man did not receive an outstanding education, but from an early age he had a great zest for a godly life. The boy took an example from the Old Testament forefathers in their virtues. Spyridon was strangely loving like the righteous Abraham (he loved to receive travelers and show them honors), possessed great meekness, taking an example from David; the young man gave up pride and vanity, was humble, like Saint James. All these virtues Spiridon transferred to his family life after marriage to a chaste girl.
The wife did not live long with her husband. Soon the future bishop remained a widower, but the bitterness of loss did not overshadow the saint's desire for a pious life, on the contrary, Spiridon began to offer his prayers to God even more zealously.
The people around them saw the outstanding pious life of the ascetic, who set a model of behavior for many Christians by personal example. All this contributed to the fact that in the IV century Saint Spyridon was elected bishop of the Cypriot city of Trimifunt.
For a virtuous life, the Lord vouchsafed his saint with the gift of miracles. From the life of the saint it is known how, through his prayers, during a drought, the sky opened up like rain. The saint once healed the suffering ruler Constantius, and one of the most shocking miracles for modern consciousness was the resurrection of his daughter Irene by the saint. In addition, the saint brought the child of a pagan mother back to life, showing by this love for all people (not only Christians). The saint also raised the child's mother, who died of bitterness immediately after the death of her own son.
Of the other miracles that accompanied the life of the ascetic, cases are known when during the divine service the angels themselves concelebrated with Saint Spyridon. The heavenly host was likened to a choir during the prayers of the righteous.
A special place in the life of Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky is occupied by the participation of the miracle worker at the First Ecumenical Council in 325. The righteous man defended the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, asserted the dogma of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The saint finished the days of his earthly life in 348. The relics of the great saint of God now rest on the island of Corfe in the Ionian Sea.
