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| St. Sophronios of Cyprus (Feast Day - December 8) |
Verses
All passions of the flesh you erased Sophronios,
And this flesh of clay you discarded.
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Sophronios shut his eyes below,
And opened them above in the vision of God.
Our Venerable Father Sophronios, a native of the island of Cyprus, was the son of Christian and pious parents, and lived in the sixth century. Possessing a genius disposition, he was a polymath. Night and day he read and meditated on the Holy Scriptures and the words of the Lord for many years and, having applied himself to observe all the commandments of the Lord with exactness, living a pious and virtuous life, he was made worthy to receive from God great spiritual gifts and the power of working miracles.
On the death of Damianos, the most holy Archbishop of Cyprus, the virtues of Saint Sophronios led the Christians to choose him as their new shepherd. From that moment he became the nourisher of the hungry, the provider of the poor, the helper of orphans, the protector of widows, the deliverer of all who were afflicted and the coverer of the naked. Adorned with this crown of virtues, this renowned and God-pleasing man reposed in peace.
