MAR ESHIYA OF ALEPPO (OCT. 15TH)

St. Mar Eshai of Aleppo

Edited by Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West)

In the 3rd century of our Lord, during the golden age of Christian witness in the East, there lived in the city of Aleppo a man chosen by God for the building up of His Holy Church. Saint Mar Eshiya, the son of Sumacus and Maria, was born into a family of both wealth and faith. From his youth, Mar Eshiya was marked by a love for the poor, inheriting from his parents not only their riches but their piety and devotion to serving others. His parents, though well-known for their generosity and godliness, did not foresee the heavenly path their son would take.

At the age of 22, Mar Eshiya was engaged to a pious woman named Hannah, as arranged by his parents. Yet the designs of men are often overturned by the will of God, and before their wedding night, a divine revelation appeared. An angel of the Lord came to Mar Eshiya and declared, “You are not a bridegroom of this earth, but a bridegroom of heaven.” From that moment, he embraced a life of holy dedication to prayer alone as a proto-monastic.

After these three years, Mar Eshiya became a disciple of the great Egyptian monk, St. Mar Awgin, who had brought the monastic life to Syrian Christianity from the deserts of Egypt. Hannah, his former betrothed, entered a women’s convent, where she devoted herself to the life of prayer and asceticism. At the age of 25, Mar Eshiya took the monastic vows, becoming one of the last disciples of St. Mar Awgin. Like his holy parents, he distributed all his wealth to the poor, placing his trust entirely in the providence of God.

Mar Eshiya became a pillar of the faith in the Tur ‘Abdin region, where he preached the Gospel with great zeal, always seeking out the lost and the suffering. By the grace of God, he performed many miracles, healing the sick and even raising the dead. His most renowned miracle was the raising of three who had fallen asleep in the Lord. Through his prayers, they were restored to life, and many who witnessed this miracle came to believe in Christ.

But perhaps the greatest miracle of his ministry was the conversion of 630 souls in the village of Enhil, where in a single day, he baptized all the villagers in the name of the Holy Trinity. A church was later built in that village and dedicated in his honor, and to this day, it stands as a testimony to the power of his prayers and the grace of God. The faithful continue to venerate his relics, which rest in the church of Mar Eshiya in Enhil, a holy place for the Aramean Christians of the Tur Abdin region.

COLLECT

O God, who didst call Thy servant Mar Eshiya to forsake the riches of this world and to embrace the poverty of Christ, grant that we, by his prayers and example, may live as true disciples, seeking not the fleeting pleasures of this age, but the eternal joy of Thy Kingdom. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Mar Eshiya, pray for us!