Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!
The Holy Martyr
Christopher lived during the third century and suffered about the year 250,
during the reign of the emperor Decius (249-251). There are various accounts of
his life and miracles, and he is widely venerated throughout the world. St
Christopher is especially venerated in Italy, where people pray to him in times
of contagious diseases.
There are various suggestions about his descent.
Some historians believe that he was descended from the Canaanites, while others
say from the "Cynoscephalai" [literally "dog-heads"] of Thessaly.
St
Christopher was a man of great stature and unusual strength. According to
tradition, St Christopher was very handsome, but wishing to avoid temptation for
himself and others, he asked the Lord to give him an unattractive face, which
was done. Before Baptism he was named Reprebus [Reprobate] because his
disfigured appearance. Even before Baptism, Reprebus confessed his faith in
Christ and denounced those who persecuted Christians. Consequently, a certain
Bacchus gave him a beating, which he endured with humility.
[
Note: Due to St. Christopher's unattractive appearance, some iconographers depict him with the head of a dog. This is incorrect, as the Saints in Christian iconography are depicted more so according their spiritual realities (in which sense the beauty of the Saint's soul is immense) than according to their physical appearances.]
Because of
his renowned strength, 200 soldiers were assigned to bring him before the
emperor Decius. Reprebus submitted without resistance. Several miracles occurred
along the way; a dry stick blossomed in the saint's hand, loaves of bread were
multiplied through his prayers, and the travellers had no lack thereof. This is
similar to the multiplication of loaves in the wilderness by the Savior. The
soldiers surrounding Reprebus were astonished at these miracles. They came to
believe in Christ and they were baptized along with Reprebus by St Babylus of
Antioch (September 4).
Christopher once made a vow to serve the greatest
king in the world, so he first offered to serve the local king. Seeing that the
king feared the devil, Christopher thought he would leave the king to serve
Satan. Learning that the devil feared Christ, Christopher went in search of Him.
St Babylas of Antioch told him that he could best serve Christ by doing well the
task for which he was best suited. Therefore, he became a ferryman, carrying
people across a river on his shoulders. One stormy night, Christopher carried a
Child Who insisted on being taken across at that very moment. With every step
Christopher took, the Child seemed to become heavier. Halfway across the stream,
Christopher felt that his strength would give out, and that he and the Child
would be drowned in the river. As they reached the other side, the Child told
him that he had just carried all the sins of the world on his shoulders. Then He
ordered Christopher to plant his walking stick in the ground. As he did so, the
stick grew into a giant tree. Then he recognized Christ, the King Whom he had
vowed to serve.
St Christopher was brought before the emperor, who tried
to make him renounce Christ, not by force but by cunning. He summoned two
profligate women, Callinike and Aquilina, and commanded them to persuade
Christopher to deny Christ, and to offer sacrifice to idols. Instead, the women
were converted to Christ by St Christopher. When they returned to the emperor,
they declared themselves to be Christians.Therefore, they were subjected to
fierce beatings, and so they received the crown of martyrdom.
Decius
also sentenced to execution the soldiers who had been sent after St Christopher,
but who now believed in Christ. The emperor ordered that the martyr be thrown
into a red-hot metal box. St Christopher, however, did not experience any
suffering and he remained unharmed. After many fierce torments they finally
beheaded the martyr with a sword. This occurred in the year 250 in Lycia. By his
miracles the holy Martyr Christopher converted as many as 50 thousand pagans to
Christ, as St Ambrose of Milan testifies. The relics of St Christopher were
later transferred to Toledo (Spain), and still later to the abbey of St Denis in
France.
In Greece, many churches place the icon of St Christopher at the
entrance so that people can see it as they enter and leave the building. There
is a rhyming couplet in Greek which says, "When you see Christopher, you can
walk in safety." This reflects the belief that whoever gazes upon the icon of St
Christopher will not meet with sudden or accidental death that day.
The
name Christopher means "Christ-bearer." This can refer to the saint carrying the
Savior across the river, and it may also refer to St Christopher bearing Christ
within himself (Galatians 2:20).
(http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=101334)
Note that St. Christopher is considered a patron Saint for travelers and drivers, thus many Christians place his icon in their modes of transportation. And finally, pilgrims to the Holy Mountain can venerate the Holy Skull of St. Christopher at Karakallou Monastery. (http://en.iconskarakallou.gr/about-the-monastery/)
Troparion - Tone 4
Kontakion in the Fourth Tone (amateur translations below)
Bearing Christ in your soul, O glorious one, with strength you deposed the leaders of the enemies, therefore entreat Christ, O Christopher, on behalf of our souls.
Megalynarion
O inscrutable and steadfast martyr, large in form and God-bearing in mind, you astonished the hordes of the enemies, and you struggled beyond nature with fervor for your Creator.
Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs, bestowing life!
Truly the Lord is risen!
