The Orthodox Church commemorates today Martyrs Hesperos (Exuperius) and Zoe, and their sons Cyriacos and Theodoulos, and Venerable Matrona of Moscow. Our Church also celebrates the translation of the holy relics of St. Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria.
Exuperius and Zoe lived in the 2nd century AD and were slaves of a pagan. As soon as they told their master that they believed in Our Lord and Saviour Christ, they were fiercely tortured and thrown into a furnace. But when they opened the furnace instead of finding them burnt, they found them alive thanks to the power of their faith in the Redeemer Jesus Christ.
Venerable Matrona was born in 1881 in the village of Sembino, Russia. Her parents Dimitrios and Natalia were poor and pious. She was born blind and was the youngest of the family’s four children. Her mother was thinking of leaving her in an orphanage, as she could not take care of her, but she ultimately decided to keep her after a miraculous interference. She was given the name Matrona in honour of Saint Matrona of Constantinople.
She started praying to the Lord from an early age and quickly discovered her gifts she was given; she could see events occurring hundreds of miles away and she could read people’s thoughts. Hence, she foretold calamities and disasters. She also healed many sick people. Dozens of patients had been visiting her every day but only the ones who had faith in the Lord recovered.
When she was seventeen years old, she ended up confined to bed due to a paralysis of her lower part of her body. She lived like that for fifty years without complaining. She never stopped worshipping the Lord until she fell asleep in Him. She said that only the Trinity knew the reason why she could no longer walk. She fell asleep on the 2nd of May, 1952. Venerable Matrona had helped thousands of believers from all around the world, who still remember her teachings. Her grave is in the monastery of Saint Daniel in Moscow.
Source: Church of Cyprus