Feast day of St. Mark, Bishop of Arethusa

The Church today venerates the memory of Mark, Bishop of Arethusa, in Syria.

In the days of St. Constantine the Great, St. Mark, moved with divine zeal, destroyed a temple of the idols and erected a church in its stead.

When Julian the Apostate reigned in the mid fourth century the pagans were able to avenge the destruction of their temple.

St. Mark, giving way to wrath, hid himself; but when he saw that others were being taken on his account, he emerged and let himself be taken. Having no regard to his old age, St. Mark was mercilessly and horrendously tortured. His courage and perseverance, however, caused the saint’s enemies to repent and free him.

The previous day, Sunday, was the second Sunday of Great Lent. The Church commemorated the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, the Wonderworker.

The feast day of St. Gregory Palamas is Nov. 14, however, he is commemorated on the second Sunday of Lent, as the condemnation of his enemies and the vindication of his teachings by the Church in the 14th century was acclaimed as a second triumph of Orthodoxy.

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