By Bishop Grigorios of Mesaoria
Our Church today commemorates Prophet Obadiah and the Martyrs Varlaam, Heliodorus, Agapios, Anthimos and Saint Efimia with her children.
Prophet Obadiah, whose name means “servant of the Lord”, was among the so-called little prophets of the Old Testament and lived in the Palestinian city of Sychem (Sechem) in the middle of the 6th century BC.
In his small book, one of the 49 canon books of the Old Testament, he underlines the apostasy of the people of Israel and condemns the dominant view of the time that, with various fortifications and other human devises, and without the help of God, the country of Israel would be able to deal effectively with the neighbourly peoples’ threats.
Instead of this arrogant confrontation of things, the Prophet praises the importance of humility, which is the crown of virtues and trust in the will of God, who knows what is beneficial to us and can offer it to us, for He is Almighty and abundant in loving-kindness, for the sake of our salvation.
Source: Church of Cyprus