Sunday, 26 October, was a very important day in the calendar of the Greek Church. It was the feast of the Great-Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, who is called the Myrrh-Gusher, because, like St. Nicholas of Myra, his bones put forth a fragrant oil (called in Greek myron), which has miraculous properties and is often used to heal the sick.
St. Demetrius has an extraordinary life to share with us, not because of his own astounding deeds, but because of the great deeds that he inspired in others. St. Demetrius is in many ways the patron saint of all those, who encourage us in the Christian life. His life is a reminder that encouragement is important. Perhaps we should ask ourselves, "how many Christians fail to advance to their own potential, wither on the spiritual vine and are even lost for want of encouragement?"
Like Saint George of Lydda, and at about the same time, Demetrius achieved high rank in the Roman army. Demetrius was appointed by the Emperor Galerius to the position of proconsul (military governor) of the region of Thessaloniki. During Demetrius' administration, Galerius conducted a imperial progress, in which he toured all the provinces, going from city to city with a vast retinue. The local governors were responsible for entertaining the Emperor and his retinue at each stage of the progress. Galerius arrived in Thessaloniki in the summer of 306, and, as a part of his retinue, he brought his court favorite, the wrestler Lyaeus. Lyaeus was the greatest wrestler of his time, but he was also a sadist. Since the persecution of the Christian Church was an enormous reason for the progress of the Emperor through the various provinces, Lyaeus would stage wrestling competitions with Christian captives, but Lyaeus version of wrestling was a blood sport. Greco-Roman wrestling always takes place in a circle, but Lyaeus had a circular platform constructed and around the platform a deep moat with sharp upright spears pointing up towards the sky. Lyaeus would vanquish his opponents and then throw them onto the spears.
Demetrius knew perfectly well that he was not a terribly good wrestler, but one of his men, Nestor, a member of his personal guard was known throughout the cohort for his skill in this area. Furthermore, Nestor was also a Christian. So, Demetrius began to encourage Nestor to challenge Lyaeus to a single combat wrestling match. This was accomplished by Nestor openly declaring himself a Christian before the Emperor. Finally, having trained very hard and supported by Demetrius' prayers, he met Lyaeus in a wrestling match in the area. Nestor soundly beat him, throwing him over the side of the platform onto the spears. The nightmarish anti-Christian spectacle in the city was over, the blood sport terminated.
The Emperor Galerius, however, was so angry at seeing the demise of his favorite that he ordered Nestor to be beheaded. Nevertheless, the greater part of his fury was reserved for the one who had goaded Nestor into challenging Lyaeus in the first place. Appropriately in his mind, he ordered Demetrius to die slowly, having been pierced through with many spears.
So now, every year, the Great-Martyr Demetrius is celebrated on 26 October, while Holy Martyr Nestor is commemorated on 27 October, the following day. The feast of St. Demetrius is a feast of high rank in the calendar and the feast of St. Nestor less so. It is a fitting reminder of the importance of encouragement for all of us. It's a time for us to honor those who have encouraged us, but it's also an opportunity for us to remember our obligation to be a source of encouragement and inspiration to others. Today the handbook was like St. Demetrius for us, encouraging us to frequently confess our sins. In the same vein, we should take a look at our lives and eliminate in them anything that would not be an encouragement and inspiration to our brothers and sisters. The universal call to holiness, our vocation to be saints, is the call to transcend the ordinary, to stand out, to be heroic. There have never been, nor will there ever be mediocre saints.
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