Память святых мучеников Вавилы Сицилийского и учеников его Тимофея и Агапия

Saint Babyla came from the East, from the glorious city of Antioch 952; His parents were noble and pious people. In his native city he received education and instruction in the commandments of the Lord, quickly and carefully studying the Holy Scriptures, which always lead to God. From a young age the saint loved Christ and renounced the world; He left his parents' house early, distributed his property to the poor, orphans and widows, and, abandoning all the vanity of life, settled on the top of the mountain, where he remained in silence; with him were two disciples Agapius and Timothy; the blessed silent man was awarded the rank of presbyterate and reverently honored the grace of the priesthood that rested on him. When the stubborn and bloodthirsty pagans set out to betray him to the head of the region, the Saint, together with his disciples, left Rome and retired to Sicily 953, where he lived for one year. Here, by the grace of God, he enlightened many and led to an understanding of Christ’s truth. “A city cannot hide standing on top of a mountain” (Matthew 4:14), and the ruler of Sicily became aware of blessed Babylon; he ordered the saint and both disciples to be seized. Hearing with what courage his valiant servant confessed Christ, the commander subjected him, along with his disciples, to scourging and other tortures; stained with the blood of the holy martyrs, they were led through the cities of Sicily, inhumanly mocking them in every possible way; With this, the torturer wanted to both frighten the citizens and quench his own rage. The holy passion-bearers strengthened their strength by contemplating eternal future blessings. Finally, the executioners stabbed the blessed martyrs with swords and threw their bodies into the fire; but the flame did not touch the sacred remains; some of the believers took them and gave them an honest burial on the same island of Sicily 954. Antioch is located on the Orontes River and was formerly the main city of Syria. Sicily is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Apennine Peninsula. You might be interested in: