By Bishop Gregorios of Mesaoria
Today, the Church commemorates Saint Eustathius the Great Martyr, his wife Theopiste and their two sons, Agapius and Theopistus, as well as Saint Meletius, Bishop of Cyprus.
As soon as the pagan emperor Trajan learned that Placidas- this was the name of Saint Eustathius before he was baptized – became a Christian, he expelled him from his military post and exiled him and his family. Eustathius was then separated from his wife and his two sons. Nevertheless, when Trajan encountered difficulties in the wars, he called the experienced and courageous Eustathius to join his army, and the Christian commander contributed greatly to the victory.
However, on Trajan’s death, Hadrian, Trajan’s successor, asked Saint Eustathius to attend an idolatrous feast and make a sacrifice to the idols as a thanksgiving for the victory. The Saint refused and confessed that he secured victory by the power of Christ. Then, for his confession of faith in Christ, he was imprisoned with all his family members and all were subjected to torture. They died one after the other, remaining firm and steadfast in the Orthodox faith and the truth of the Holy Gospel.
In our time, society is in dire need of holy families who make their home a “Home Church”. In particular, we should all make a genuine effort to uphold the institution of the family, the value of childbearing, the honour of spouses, the respect of children and the good example of parents.
Source: Church of Greece