March 23 Gregory the Illuminator

Today is March 23rd,  the feast of St. Gregory the  Illuminator, called the Apostle to Armenia.

People often forget that the ancient kingdom of Armenia was  the first country to become officially Christian. This was  before Constantine changed history forever by becoming the  first Christian Roman Emperor.

Armenia was a small kingdom between the powerful empires of  Rome and Persia (Parthia), and both of them fought wars to  control it. Gregory was born there about 257. When he was  still an infant, his father assassinated the King of Parthia,  and friends of the family carried Gregory away for protection  to Caesarea in Cappadocia. His education in Caesarea was  provided by a Christian nobleman named Euthalius. When  Gregory grew up , his thoughts returned to his native land,  and he wanted to introduce the Christian teaching there.

About 280 he returned to Armenia, where he was at first  treated severely by King Tiridates. However, Gregory's  preaching and the example of his life eventually converted the  King, and with him spread the Christian faith throughout the  country. Tiridates became so much a Christian that he made  Christianity the national faith and a majority of his people  converted to the Christian faith. So complete was this conversion, that we know very little of the original Armenian  pagan religion. 

About 300, Gregory returned to Caesarea to be ordained.  Leontius of Caesarea made him bishop of the Armenians. Gregory  set up other bishops throughout the land, along with schools,  monasteries and convents. In 318 Gregory appointed his son  Aristaces to be his successor as Patriarch of Armenia. About  331 he withdrew to a cave in the mountain Sebuh in the  province of Daranalia in Upper Armenia, and there he died a  few years later, unattended and alone but for God.

Armenian Christians to this day remember him with honor and  gratitude.

Micah Jackson of St. Jerome's Chapel asks this question of us, concerning St. Gregory:

"I doubt that Gregory thought that we’d be talking about his achievement nearly 1700 years later. But it’s important to  remember that we can never know what use God will make of our  lives. Ask yourself, if people 1700 years from now were to  recount the events of your life, would you be proud? Would God  be happy with what you accomplished?"

Now that is a sobering thought.

Almighty God, Whose will it is to be glorified in Your saints, and who raised up Your servant Gregory the Illuminator to be a  light in the world, and to preach the Gospel to the people of  Armenia: Shine, we pray, in our hearts, that we also in our  generation may show forth Your praise, Who called us out of  darkness into Your marvelous light; through Jesus Christ our  Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one  God, now and for ever. Amen

Comments

[Eddy E]

Thanks for the post. It's a lot more than what I wrote on mine :)