Commemoration Day of
St. Acipsimas the Bishop,
St. Joseph the Priest,
St. Aithalas the Deacon,
and St. Plato the Martyr
St. Acipsimas the Bishop
St. Acipsimas was of Persian descent and lived during the fourth century, under the reign of the Persian King Shapur (310–380). It is not known of which city he was bishop.
In his old age, he was summoned by the chief of the Magi and commanded to worship the sun and fire. Naturally, he refused.
He was subjected to severe tortures and cast into prison, where he remained under harsh and agonizing conditions for three years.
When he was offered the opportunity to make his final arrangements concerning his possessions and family members, he replied:
“I have neither possessions nor a home upon this earth. Christ is my entire wealth and my home.”
Eventually, he was brought out of prison and once again commanded to renounce Christ. He responded:
“I have been a Christian, and I desire to die as a Christian.”
He was brutally beaten and, amid these sufferings, surrendered his soul to God.
The Armenian Church commemorates his feast on the eighth Tuesday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.
St. Joseph the Priest
St. Joseph was of Persian descent. Together with Bishop Acipsimas and Deacon Aithalas, he was brought before the Persian royal court and condemned. All three were advanced in age.
Joseph was over seventy years old when he was arrested.
When he refused to worship fire and the sun, he was subjected to cruel tortures and imprisoned for three years.
Upon once again refusing to renounce his faith, he was tortured so severely that the elderly priest was left nearly dead.
He was then transferred to another city, where he was imprisoned for an additional six months.
Finally, the Christians of that city were forcibly compelled to stone him to death.
As the stones rained down upon him, the venerable priest surrendered his soul to God, praying that the Lord would not hold this sin against those who were stoning him, since they were acting under compulsion.
Some time later, his holy relics, together with those of the two aforementioned martyrs, were taken to Byzantium, where they were received with great reverence and honor.
The Armenian Church commemorates his feast on the eighth Tuesday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.
St. Aithalas the Deacon
St. Aithalas was the deacon of Bishop Acipsimas. Together with the bishop and St. Joseph the Priest, he suffered martyrdom sometime between 340 and 380, during the reign of the Persian King Shapur II, known as Shapur the Long-Lived.
It is believed that Aithalas was also of Persian descent.
The Armenian Church commemorates his feast on the eighth Tuesday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.
St. Plato the Martyr
St. Plato was born into a noble Christian family in Ancyra. From his earliest infancy, his parents instilled in him the seeds of piety and devotion to God.
Orphaned at a young age, he distributed his entire inheritance among the poor and dedicated himself to the sacred work of converting pagans to Christianity and defending the weak and vulnerable.
Eventually, he was arrested for being a Christian.
When questioned about his faith, he boldly declared:
“I am a Christian. I worship the One God, the Creator of heaven and earth. I despise idols, which are the works of human hands, and I abhor the demons that sometimes speak through these idols. I am ready to shed my blood for the love of Christ.”
Enraged by his response, the judge ordered him to be scourged with oxhide whips.
Plato endured this punishment with extraordinary patience and steadfastness. He was then cast into prison, where he was subjected to further terrible tortures.
Addressing the merciless judge, he declared:
“Know that God will restore to me this body, which you are attempting to mutilate and destroy, while your own body shall be consumed by unquenchable fire.”
After eighteen days of imprisonment without food, the judge finally realized that he could not compel Plato to offer sacrifices to the idols.
Therefore, in the year 304, he ordered that Plato's life of suffering be brought to an end by beheading.
Thus, St. Plato received the crown of martyrdom.
The Armenian Church commemorates his feast on the eighth Tuesday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
~ Proverbs 8:12-21 ~
I, wisdom, live with prudence, and I attain knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. I have good advice and sound wisdom; I have insight, I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me rulers rule, and nobles, all who govern rightly. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, endowing with wealth those who love me, and filling their treasuries.
~ Nahum 2:2-6 ~
For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob, as well as the majesty of Israel, though ravagers have ravaged them and ruined their branches. The shields of his warriors are red; his soldiers are clothed in crimson. The metal on the chariots flashes on the day when he musters them; the chargers prance. The chariots race madly through the streets, they rush to and fro through the squares; their appearance is like torches, they dart like lightning. He calls his officers; they stumble as they come forward; they hasten to the wall, and the mantelet is set up. The river gates are opened, the palace trembles.
~ 1 Timothy 5:17-21 ~
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching; for the scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves to be paid." Never accept any accusation against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I warn you to keep these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality.
~ Holy Gospel of St. Luke 9:23-27 ~
Then he said to them all, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."