Saints celebrated on the 18th of July
Prayer to the Angels and the Saints
Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.
In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.
Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.
Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.
ST THEODOSIA OF CONSTANTINOPLE, VIRGIN AND MARTYR
Saint Theodosia of Constantinople lived during the eighth century. She was born in answer to the fervent prayers of her parents. After their death, she entered the nunnery of St Anastasia in Constantinople, having distributed most of her parental inheritance to the poor.
SHE DISTRIBUTED MOST OF HER PARENTAL INHERITANCE TO THE POOR
On January 19, 729, at the beginning of the iconoclastic persecutions, the Emperor Leo III the Isaurian demanded that an icon of Christ (which had been fixed over the grand Gate of the imperial palace for several centuries) be removed. Anastasius of Constantinople ordered that the church comply.
THEY TRIED TO PROTECT THE ICON
St Theodosia and some fellow sisters being informed of this, went to the scene and tried to protect the icon. The man charged with taking the icon down was already standing on a ladder at some height. St Theodosia ordered him to descend from it, and as he paid no attention, but rather carried on climbing it to remove the icon, she started pushing the ladder, until the officer fell off it.
SHE WAS LOCKED UP IN PRISON
She was immediately locked up in prison. For a week she received a hundred lashes daily, and eventually she was stabbed in the throat with a ram’s horn, receiving the crown of martyrdom for having tried to protect the holy image of our Saviour. St Theodosia was buried in the monastery of St Euphemia in Constantinople. Many miracles took place at her tomb.
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