Family - Saint Sophia
![[Saint Sophia]](/images/st_sophia.gif)
Saintly Lives: St. Sophia, and Her Three Daughters: Faith, Hope and Love
(Commemorated on September 17th)
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
O Lord Jesus, unto Thee Thy lamb doth cry with a great voice: O my Bridegroom, Thee I love; and seeking Thee,
I now contest, and with Thy baptism am crucified and buried. I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee;
for Thy sake I die, that I may live in Thee: accept my offered out of longing to Thee as a spotless sacrifice.
Lord, save our souls through her intercessions, since Thou art great in mercy.
These Saints were from Italy and were persecuted for their strong Christian faith in the 2nd century, during the
reign of the Emperor Hadrian. Faith was only twelve years old; Hope, ten; and Love, nine—each was tormented and
then beheaded, from the eldest to the youngest. Their mother, Sophia, mourned at their grave for three days,
where she also fell asleep in peace. Because of her courageous endurance in the face of her daughters' sufferings,
she is also counted a martyr. The name Sophia means "wisdom" in Greek; as for her daughters' names, Faith, Hope,
and Love—they are Pistis, Elpis, and Agape in Greek, and Vera, Nadezhda, and Lyubov in Russian.
Making it real. Talk to your children about martyrdom—what does it mean to give all for Christ? These three little
girls gave their lives for Him so long ago; what does it mean for us to be martyrs? Sacrificing time for Liturgy,
family time, and some of our wants and desires can also be a type of martyrdom. And it is not a type of giving that
we do angrily, but of our own free will with joy. We give out of love, and we love to give! As always, never hesitate
to contact Fr. Alex for advice on how you can help make our faith real in your household.
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