It must be said that, having parted with the martyr, the companion of St. Euphemia Gregory went to where they were staying, because the martyr commanded him, having returned to his place, to pray to God for three whole hours and then inquire about him. Gregory did just that. Three hours later, when the martyr, after torture, was already led to death, he sent the mentioned Christian to find out about the passion-bearer. This lover of Christ, having been honored to see the death of the martyr, informed Gregory about it, who hastened to see the ascetic of Christ, who had so gloriously triumphed over the devil.
And then the executioners raised the suffering body and, at the request of Gregory, carried it to the island of Proti; Gregory bought such a delivery with great difficulty and for a lot of money from the executioners. When transferring St. The relics of the martyr, despite the fact that they remained in the open air for three days, still had warm blood flowing, but the most glorious thing was that when Gregory took the honorable head of St. martyr and, kissing her with tears, talked with the martyr as if he were alive, then this sacred head opened her eyes and, as if alive, looked with a cheerful and pleasant gaze at Gregory and at all those present, and this miracle happened twice in the presence of many.
After this, Gregory, dressing the body of the martyr in monastic clothing, laid it inside the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Meanwhile, it was desirable for Gregory to move St. the relics of the martyr to Athos, but he was perplexed as to how to achieve this goal, which is why he remained in Constantinople for now. But the Venerable Martyr Euthymius one day appears to him in a dream, calms him down and promises that in due time he himself will take his relics and transfer them to the Holy Mountain.
Another miracle was performed by the new martyr during Gregory’s stay in Constantinople. One Christian who lived in Galata, Emmanuel Margaritov, had a son named Yank, six years old, who was ill with a fever: he had been lying unconscious for four days, and not only his relatives, but also the doctors had lost hope for his recovery. Gregory was called to Emmanuel's house with the robes of martyrdom. As soon as the sick man was covered with the bloody martyr's clothes and given water to drink from their irrigation, the sick man immediately opened his eyes, then asked for more of that water, reverently kissed the martyr's clothes and from that moment became healthy.
Finally, Gregory, having found a passing ship, arrived on it to the Holy Mountain, like an angel - the messenger of the confession and suffering death of the new martyr Euthymius. He brought there hair from his honest head and bloody clothes from which a fragrance emanated.
Through the prayers of the Holy New Martyr Euthymius, may God deliver us from mental and physical ailments, and may we be worthy to receive the Kingdom of Heaven from our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Honest head of St. The venerable martyr Euthymius is now in the Russian monastery of St. on Athos. Great Martyr Panteleimon.
(His memory is also celebrated on May 1, together with the Holy Martyrs Ignatius and Akakios).
23
Prmch. Luke of Odrin, Mytilene, Athos († 1802, commemorated March 23, 3rd Sunday of Pentecost)
The Holy Martyr Luke was from Adrianople. His parents were Christians - his father Afanasy, and his mother Domnitsa. Left an orphan for 6 years after the death of his father, Luka was brought up in extreme poverty with all the hardships. Pressed on all sides by poverty, his mother gave him to a Zagori merchant as a trade boy. The well-meaning merchant, taking the boy into his house, treated him not as a subordinate, but as his own son, replacing his father in this respect.
One day, Luka’s owner went to Russia on commercial business, where he took Luka, who was 13 years old at that time, with him; returning from there, he stopped in Constantinople, not suspecting that deep sorrow awaited the unfortunate orphan here. So, one day he left the house where they were staying, and, having quarreled with one Turkish boy, began to beat him; Seeing this, the Turks who were immediately there rushed at Luka like enraged animals and, grabbing him, wanted to kill him. Luka, extremely frightened by their ferocity and not finding any way out of escaping the hands of the little Turk’s fierce defenders, shouted: “Let me go, I’ll hang out.” The word “I’ll turn” instantly changed the ferocity of the Turks, and one of them, yeah, immediately took it and, bringing it to his house, forced Luke to renounce Christ and accept the Mohammedan faith. The unfortunate youth, being intimidated by ferocity and fearing that they would beat and torture him, out of his childish frivolity, renounced Christ - the source of life, the Creator of heaven and earth, without thinking about the consequences of renunciation.
But when Luke calmed down and came to his senses, then he saw into what abyss he had plunged himself, exchanging light for darkness; at the same time his soul suffered, and his heart shed bitter tears; Instead of the usual joy and gaiety, boredom and melancholy set in, and he bitterly repented of his action.
But, however, the Providence of God, seeing that the boy, out of his childish foolishness and fear, although he renounced the Christian faith, bitterly repented of it, gave him a way to leave home, which had become hateful and disgusting for him. Having found a convenient time, he notified his master, the merchant, and asked him to free him from the bondage of which he himself was the culprit, and as soon as possible, before the vile circumcision was performed on him.
Having received this sad news, the merchant immediately went to the Russian envoy, to whom he explained everything in detail, asking for his protection and patronage and to quickly save the distressed youth from death. The envoy, having heard the statement, immediately sent to the aga, demanding that Luka be given to his master. But Aga answered through the messenger: since no one forcibly forced Luke to renounce the Christian faith and accept the Muslim faith, and he himself voluntarily came to his house without any violence, then no one has the right to demand him back.
When the messenger left, out of fear that they would not demand Luke again, he tied his hands and forcibly circumcised him. Having learned about this vile ritual performed on the unfortunate youth, the envoy, seeing that the whole matter was already lost and that the demands would be useless, advised the merchant to notify Luke so that he, choosing a convenient time, would flee from the aga and come straight to the Russian embassy.
On the same day, the merchant informed Luke to flee from that house, which a few days later the youth did: he left forever that ill-fated house in which his childish lips uttered the terrible words of renunciation of the Life-Giver Christ, and, running to Galata, he appeared to the Russian envoy, who ordered him to take off his Turkish clothes and dress him in Christian ones; and on the same day he sent him to Smyrna, and from Smyrna to Tire. Here he fell ill; the disease became more dangerous day by day and brought him closer to death. At this time, he bitterly repented, fearing that a terrible death would snatch him away without repentance, and therefore asked to call his confessor, to whom he told everything that had happened to him in confession.
The confessor, having consoled him, advised him not to give in to despair, but to place all his hope in the Provider God, who cares about our salvation, and who will arrange his salvation, in the image of the destinies Himself; moreover, for the sake of caution in the situation in which he found himself, fearing that the Turks would somehow find out the secret he was hiding, he advised him to retire to the holy Mount Athos and there, in a quiet and serene refuge, among experienced men who had flourished in virtues, arrange his salvation.
Luke accepted the good advice of his confessor with joy and, as soon as the illness eased and he felt so strong that it was possible to undertake the journey, he went to Athos.