St Mina traslated by Ann Wood
Today we celebrate the Holy Great Martyr Mina Kotuanski, together with St. martyrs Victor, Stephenida, and Vincent.A name day is celebrated by people dear to me -
first of all, my beloved father Mincho, my wonderful goddaughter Victoria, many friends who bear the beautiful names Mina, Mincho, Victoria, Victor, and Vikentiy!
I wish all of them from the bottom of my heart to be healthy, always smiling, never to stop being good and merciful, and for the names to bring them a lot of happiness, love, and luck!
I really like this holiday, and I honor both the saint and his cause, regardless of whether it is called St. Mina in Bulgaria or St. Martin in Germany.
That is why I wish all of you, friends, never to be overtaken by poverty, disease, and misery and to have your families illuminated with faith, hope, love, and light.
Greetings from Heidelberg, and let's have a wonderful new week!
The holy martyr Mina was an Egyptian. He professed the Christian faith and served in the army stationed in the Kotuan region, under the command of General Firmilian. At that time, the two wicked kings Diocletian and Maximian (284-305) reigned together in Rome. They issued a decree to surrender to torture and to kill all Christians who did not worship idols. According to the decree, believers in Christ were forced to perform idolatrous sacrifices everywhere.
Then the blessed Mina, not wanting to see this calamity and the worship of soulless idols, left his military rank and retired to the mountains, to desert places. He thought it was better to live with beasts than with people who did not know God. Saint Mina wandered in the mountains and deserts for a long time, studying God's Law, purifying his soul with fasting and prayer, and serving day and night to the One True God. It's been a long time.
Once a festival was held in the Kotuan region's capital, which was attended by many pagans. They gathered in honor of their wicked gods for various games, spectacles, horse races, and wrestling competitions, which all the inhabitants of the city could watch from specially arranged places. Aware of this holiday by the Holy Spirit, Blessed Mina was inflamed with jealousy for God, left the mountain, and the desert and came to the city. He went out into the midst of the spectacle for all to see and exclaimed aloud.
- Those who did not seek Me found Me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask about Me.
At these words, all present looked at him and fell silent, marveling at his courage. And the prince of the city, named Pyrrhus, commanded the saint to be seized, and asked him:
- Who are you?
Saint Mina said loudly in front of the whole nation:
- I am a slave of Jesus Christ, the Master of heaven and earth.
The prince asked the saint again:
- Are you a foreigner or a local? How do you have the courage in the middle of the games to shout this?
Before the saint could answer, some of the warriors around the prince recognized Mina and exclaimed:
"This is the warrior Mina, who was subordinate to Firmilian."
“Were you really a warrior, as they say of you?” The prince asked.
The saint replied:
- Yes, I really was a warrior and served in this city. Still, when I saw the people's wickedness, seduced by demons, and worshiping idols, not the True God, I left the military service and left the city so as not to be a participant in lawlessness and destruction. Of these people. To this day, I have wandered in the wilderness, avoiding associating with the wicked and the enemies of my God. But when I heard that you had arranged a wicked feast, I blazed with jealousy for my God and came to expose your blindness and to preach to you the One True God, Who by His word created the heavens and the earth and ruled the universe.
Hearing these words, the prince ordered the saint to be taken to prison and kept until morning, and he himself took part in the festivities and spectacles all day. The next day the prince sat in court and ordered St. Mina to be brought. In every way, he tried to persuade him to idolatry - he promised him gifts and threatened him with torture. But when he failed to invite him to wickedness with his words, he began to coerce him with deeds, ordering four warriors to undress and throw the saint to the ground and mercilessly beat him with ox-veins, and the blood from his wounds flowed like River. One of those present, named Pigasius, said to Saint Mina:
"Man, have mercy on yourself and carry out the prince's order before your body is completely destroyed," I advise you to worship the gods at least temporarily to get rid of the torments, and then serve your God again, who will not be angry because of your apostasy if you sacrifice to the idols only once and turn to them for a short time under duress. To get rid of the heavy torment.
But the saint replied in anger:
- Get away from me, lawless one, I have already offered a sacrifice of praise, and I will offer it again only to my God, Who helps me and strengthens me in patience so that these torments seem light and joyful to me.
Amazed by this patience of the martyr, the prince ordered that St. Mina be subjected to even greater torment. The saint was hung on a tree.
Short story by Ann Wood
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Written on 2020-11-11 at 12:18
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