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Commemorated on June 13
The Holy Martyress
Acelina, 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 but 12 years of age, she persuaded a pagan friend to convert to
Christ. One of the servants of the imperial governor Volusian made a
denunciation, that she was teaching her peers not to honour the religion of
their fathers. The girl firmly confessed her faith in Christ in front of the
governor and said, that she would not renounce Him. Volusian tried by
persuasion and by flattery to sway the young confessor, but seeing her
assuredness, he then gave orders to hand her over for torture. They struck her
upon the face, and then, having been stripped they whipped her. The torturer
mockingly asked: "Where then is thy God? Let Him come and take thee out of
my hands". The saint answered: "The Lord is invisibly here together
with me, and the more I suffer, all the more shalt He give me strength and
endurance".
With red-hot rods
they drilled at the head of the martyress at the ears. The holy martyress fell
down as though dead. The torturer decided that the girl had actually died, and
he gave orders to throw out her body outside the city for devouring by dogs. By
night an holy Angel appeared to Saint Acelina, roused her and said: "Arise
and be well. Go and denounce Volusian, that he himself and his intent are thus
come to naught before God". The martyress, offering up praise to God, and
having been restored unharmed, went to the court of the governor and stood
before Volusian. Seeing Saint Acelina, Volusian in fright called for his
servants and ordered them to keep watch over her until morning. In the morning
he delivered a death sentence against Saint Acelina on the grounds of being a
sorceress and not obeying the imperial decrees. When they led the saint to
execution, she prayed and gave thanks to God, for having granted her to suffer
for His Holy Name. A voice was heard in answer to her prayer, summoning her to
the Heavenly Kingdom, after which the martyress gave up her spirit to God (+
293). The executioner feared to disobey the orders of the governor, and
although already dead, he cut off her head. Christians piously buried the body
of the martyress. Later on, her relics were taken to Constantinople and placed
within a church named for her.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
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