July 17: Saint Marina celebratestranslated

Today, the Church honors the memory of Saint Martyr Marini. She was born in Antioch in Pisidia about 270. Her mother died when the Saint was an infant and her father, who was a priest of the idols, gave her to a Christian woman to raise her. Along with humanity, affection and love, he also received the upbringing and model of the good man, according to the Gospel.

At fifteen she revealed to her father that she was indoctrinated into Christianity. He, as was natural, reacted and deleted her from his child, while the fact was also reported to the prefect Olymbrios, who ordered Marina to be arrested and brought before him.

To the prefect's exhortations to sacrifice to the idols and then become his wife, the Saint consistently replied that she is a nymph of Christ, i.e. dedicated to the Church. She kept the same strong attitude even when she was being tortured. While, with the power of Christ the Savior, whom she constantly invoked through prayer, she claimed to defeat the devil himself, who attacked her in the form of a dragon.

This fact is reflected, both in the icon of Saint Marina, and in her epitaph, where it is stated that she "trampled firmly...