Synaxarium
Daily Stories of the Saints
for the Blessed Month of Baramoudah
The Seventh Day of the Blessed Month of Baramoudah
Baramouda 7
Departure of the Righteous Joachim, the
Lord Christ Grandfather
On this day the righteous Joachim (Yonakhir
- Zadok) departed. He was the father of St. Mary, the Theotokos, the mother
of God incarnate. He was of the seed of David, and of the tribe of Judah,
for he was the son of Jotham, the son of Lazarus, the son of Eldad who
ascended up in genealogy to Solomon the king, the son of David whom God
promised that his seed should reign over the children of Israel for ever.
The wife of this righteous man, Hannah was barren, and both of them prayed
and entreated God continually to give them a child. Having accepted their
petition He gave them a good and sweet fruit, which satisfied all the men
of the world, and removed from them the bitterness of servitude, and He
made Joachim worthy to be called the father of the Lord Christ in regard
of His marvelous and wondrous Incarnation. After God had pleased him with
the birth of our Lady, his heart was rejoiced and he offered his offerings,
and the shame had been removed from him, he departed in peace when the
Virgin was three years old.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Macrobius
On this day also the saint
Anba Macrobius, the son of the governor of the city of Kaw, departed in
peace. When Anba Severus, Archbishop of Antioch, was wondering around the
cities of Upper Egypt, he came to the city of Kaw and Macrobius ministered
unto him. He accompanied Anba Severus in his visit to the monastery of
Anba Moses, where he saw from the holiness of the monks, their asceticism
and devoutness, made him ask Anba Moses to accept him as a monk. Anba Moses indicated to him the hardship of the monastic life and its
difficulties especially he was raised in luxury and family wealth, and
the one that slept on silk, could not take the rough life. When Anba Moses
saw the insistence of Macrobius on the monastic life he asked him first
to resign his job that he took after his father, and to relinquish all
his money and possessions. He went to his city Kaw, appointed his brother
in his place, returned and put on the monastic garb. When his brothers
Paul, Ilias, and Joseph saw what their brother had done, they came to him
and became monks by the hands of Anba Moses.
Anba Macrobius built many
monasteries and many monks, about a thousand gathered around him, and he
also built convents for about a thousand nuns. He used his money to build
many places for those that did not desire the monastic life, and he supported
those who sought his help. Then he sent to Anba Moses asking to send him
brethren to prepare those gathered around him for the monastic life, they
came and put on them the monastic garb. Christians from the cities of Assuit,
Shatb, and neighboring cities came and gave him many gifts and much money
to help him in building the churches and monasteries. He accepted it from
them and blessed them. Anba Macrobius increased in virtues, asceticism
and giving alms to the weak, needy, widows, orphans and the lonely, beside
caring for his monasteries. His alms were from his own money not from that
was offered. God granted St. Macrobius the gift of healing, they brought
him the sick and he healed them with the power of God and the strength
of their faith.
The father the Patriarch
Anba Theodosius, heard about him and he wrote to him praising and encouraging
him to be steadfast in virtue, asceticism and loving the strangers and
asked him to come for the people of Alexandria to be blessed by him. When
he came to the Patriarch, he rejoiced with him and called the people of
Alexandria to receive the blessing from him, and he ordained him a priest.
Macrobius returned to his monastery, the people of Assuit and Shatb received
him with songs and hymns until they came to the monastery. Many miracles
were performed through his hands, and when he finished his good strife,
he departed in peace. Multitudes gathered from Assuit, Shatb, Abu-Sergah, Kaw and the neighboring
cities, and his brother Anba Yousab, who was appointed as his successor
in running the monasteries in the fear of God, prayed and buried him. The
appearance of his body was on the seventh day of the blessed month of Tubah,
seven hundred thirty three years after his departure by the hands of the
deacon Los El-Talawy the servant of his monastery's church, during the
days of Anba Yousab, bishop of Akhmeem and the notable Isaac the scribe
of the prince Eiz-Eldeen El-Hamawy. Anba Yousab, bishop of Akhmeem, took
the body out of its tomb in the mountain, down to the church of the monastery,
where they buried him with hymns and praises.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of Saints Agapius, Theodora,
and Metruf
On this day also is the
commemoration of the departure of Sts. Agapius and Theodora the martyrs,
and the commemoration of St. Metruf the spiritual son of Anba Moses the
Abbot of El-Baliana monastery.
May their intercession be with us and glory be to God forever. Amen.