Today is Monday, September 2, and Orthodoxy commemorates the memory of Saint Mammas the Martyr and Saint John the Ascetic. He is the patron saint of Morphou in Cyprus.
According to the calendar, Saint John the Ascetic, the Patriarch of Constantinople, as well as Saints Eleazar and Phinehas the Righteous are also honored today.
The Life of Saint Mammas
Saint Mammas was born in Gangra of Paphlagonia in Asia Minor in 260 AD to Christian parents, who were arrested for their Christian faith and activity and imprisoned. He was born in prison and was left orphaned as an infant after his parents, Theodotus and Rufina, died there.
How He Got His Name
A woman named Ammia Matrona took on the responsibility of raising him, who was a devout Christian, and it is to her that the Saint owes his name. Tradition says she was very good as a mother, and the little boy used to call her “mama.”
It is also said that Ammia saw in her sleep an Angel who led her to the prison to bury the lifeless bodies of Theodotus and Rufina and to adopt the unfortunate little boy.
The Arrest and Torture
During his teenage years, Mammas was arrested by pagans, who subjected him to torture. Eventually, they hung an iron rod around his neck and threw him into the water to drown. Miraculously, the Saint survived but was caught again by his torturers and thrown into a blazing furnace. Even this time, he managed to come out unharmed. When wild animals were thrown at him, they not only did not tear him apart but did not even bother him. According to tradition, a lion accepted him on its back and carried him away from the other beasts, hence the subject matter of his iconography. Eventually, his enemies decided to execute him cold-bloodedly with tridents. The murderous instrument pierced the Saint’s innards, and he gave up his spirit.
In Byzantine times, Saint Mammas was the protector of the Mardaites on the island of Cyprus. They spread his fame and the homage paid to him following the Arab invasions.
Who We Say “Many Years” To
Today, those who bear the name receive congratulations for their name day:
- Mammas, Mamandas, Mama