Αγ. Ακυλίνης – 13 ΙΟΥΝΙΟΥ

 VIAŢA SF. MC. ACHILINA

Pomenirea Sfintei Muceniţe Achilina.

Aceasta a trăit în zilele împăratului Diocleţian, şi era din Vivlos, cetate a Palestinei, fiica unui mare şi strălucit bărbat, anume Eutolmie. Şi fiind botezată de Eutalie episcopul, şi ajungând în vârsta de 15 ani, trăgea şi întorcea spre credinţa în Hristos pe fetele cele ce erau de vârsta ei şi crescute împreună cu dânsa, şi le învăţa să se ferească de idoli. Dar a fost pârâtă la guvernatorul Ulosian de un oarecare Nicodim. Şi fiind adusă la întrebare, a mărturisit numele lui Hristos. Şi pentru aceea a fost bătută şi pătrunsă prin urechi cu ţepi de fier arse, atâta cât i-a dat şi sângele pe nari, şi i s-a încins tot capul de arsură; după aceea tăindu-i-se capul, s-a mutat către Domnul.

Ἡ Ἁγία Μάρτυς Ἀκυλίνα καταγόταν ἀπὸ τὴ Βύβλο ἢ Βίβλο τῆς Παλαιστίνης, ἦταν θυγατέρα τοῦ ἐπιφανοῦς ἄρχοντος Εὐτολμίου καὶ ἄθλησε, τὸ 298 μ.Χ. κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος Διοκλητιανοῦ (284 – 305 μ.Χ.). Σὲ ἡλικία πέντε ἐτῶν βαπτισθεῖσα ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἐπισκόπου Εὐθαλίου, τόσον ἀφοσιώθηκε στὸν Θεὸ καὶ τὴν μελέτη τῶν Γραφῶν, ὥστε δωδεκαετὴς ἐδίδασκε τοὺς ὁμηλίκους της νὰ ἀπέχουν ἀπὸ τὴ λατρεία τῶν εἰδώλων καὶ νὰ πιστεύουν στὸν Χριστό. Ἔνεκα τῆς θεοφιλοῦς αὐτῆς δράσεώς της, καταγγέλθηκε στὸν ἀνθύπατο Οὐολοσιανό, συλληφθεῖσα δὲ καὶ ὁδηγηθεῖσα ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, ὁμολόγησε τὴ Χριστιανικὴ πίστη της. Ὁ ἀνθύπατος διέταξε ἀμέσως τὴ διὰ σκληρῶν βασάνων θανάτωσή της. Ἔτσι, ἀφοῦ ἐμαστιγώθηκε ἀνηλεῶς καὶ τῆς ἐτρύπησαν τὰ αὐτιὰ μὲ πυρακτωμένη σούβλα, τὴν ἀποκεφάλισαν. Ἡ Σύναξη τῆς Ἁγίας Ἀκυλίνας ἐτελεῖτο στὸ ἁγιώτατο αὐτῆς Μαρτύριο, ποὺ ἦταν στὴν περιοχὴ τοῦ Φιλοξένου τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, κοντὰ στὸ Φόρο καὶ τὸ Περιτείχισμα.

Ἀπολυτίκιον. Ἦχος δ’. Τχὺ προκατάλαβε.
Παρθένος ἀκήρατος, καὶ Ἀθληφόρος σεμνή, ἐδείχθης τοῖς πέρασι, τῇ ἀγαπήσει Χριστοῦ, Ἀκυλίνα θεόνυμφε· σὺ γὰρ καθάπερ ῥόδον, νοητὸν τεθηλυῖα, ἔπνευσας ἐν ἀθλήσει, τῆς ἁγνείας τὴν χάριν, πρεσβεύουσα τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὑπὲρ τῶν τιμώντων σε.

Κοντάκιον. Ἦχος γ’. Ἡ Παρθένος σήμερον.
Ραντισμοῖς αἱμάτων σου, καθηγνισμένην παρθένε, καὶ Μαρτύρων στέμμασι, σὲ Ἀκυλίνα στεφθεῖσαν, δέδωκε, τοῖς ἐν ἀνάγκαις τῶν νοσημάτων, ἴασιν, καὶ σωτηρίαν ὁ σὸς Νυμφίος, τοῖς προστρέχουσιν ἐν πίστει, Χριστὸς ὁ βρύων, ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

Μεγαλυνάριον.
Μύρων αἰσθομένη τῶν νοητῶν, Μάρτυς Ἀκυλίνα, ὡς νεᾶνις πανευπρεπής, κόσμου τὸ δυσῶδες, ἐμφρόνως ὑπερεῖδες, καὶ ἄθλοις μαρτυρίου, Χριστῷ νενύμφευσαι.

The Holy Martyr Aquilina, a native of the Phoenician city of Byblos, suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Her parents raised her in Christian piety. When the girl was only twelve years old, she persuaded a pagan friend to convert to Christ. One of the servants of the imperial governor Volusian accused her of teaching others not to follow the religion of their fathers. The girl firmly confessed her faith in Christ before the governor and said that she would not renounce Him. Volusian tried to influence the young confessor through persuasion and by flattery, but seeing her confidence, he ordered her to be tortured.

They struck her upon the face, then they stripped her and beat her with whips. The torturer asked, „Where then is your God? Let Him come and take you out of my hands”.

The saint answered, „The Lord is here with me invisibly, and the more I suffer, the more strength and endurance will He give me.”

They drilled through the martyr’s ears with heated metal rods. The holy virgin fell down as if dead. The torturer thought that the girl had actually died, and he gave orders to throw her body outside the city to be eaten by dogs.

By night a holy angel appeared to St Aquilina, roused her and said, „Arise and be healed. Go and denounce Volusian, so that he and his plans may come to nothing.”

The martyr went to the court of the governor and stood before Volusian. Seeing St Aquilina, he called for his servants and ordered them to keep watch over her until morning.

In the morning he sentenced St Aquilina to death, saying that she was a sorceress who did not obey the imperial decrees. When they led the saint to execution, she prayed and gave thanks to God for allowing her to suffer for His Holy Name.

A voice was heard in answer to her prayer, summoning her to the heavenly Kingdom. Before the executioner could carry out the sentence, the martyr gave up her spirit to God (+ 293). The executioner feared to disobey the governor’s orders, so he cut off her head although she was already dead.

Christians piously buried the martyr’s body. Later, her relics were taken to Constantinople and placed in a church named for her.