September 17: Hagia Sophia and her daughters Faith, Hope and Love are celebratedtranslated

Today the Church honors the memory of the Martyr Sophia and her daughters: Faith, Hope and Love, the Hierarchs Heraklidios Tamasos, Auxibios Solos, the Saints Anastasios and Epiphanius. Saint Sophia and her three daughters Faith, Hope and Love were martyred during the years of Emperor Hadrian (117 – 138). The three daughters of Agia Sophia took their names from the passage of the New Testament: "Now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians. 13:13).

Saint Sophia, an honest and God-fearing woman, quickly became a widow and came to Rome with her three daughters. There they were denounced as famous Christians. Then the emperor was informed that the four women were Christians and ordered their arrest.

After isolating the mother, they began interrogating the daughters. Twelve-year-old Faith was first presented to the king. With tempting reasons, Andrianus tried to convince Pistis to deny Christ and would grant her everything, to live a happy life, but he faced the young woman's inflexible attitude. The words of the Holy Bible were a dynamic response of Faith: "by faith I live in the Son of God who loved me...