Demetrios devoted despite dangers

What's in a name? Today, it seems that people like to choose unusual names. Many times old historical names are used, and sometimes a combination of names is used. For example, one popular name is Demetrios. This name is of a very beloved saint in our Orthodox Church. We commemorate the feast of St. Demetrios on Wednesday. He was born in Thessalonika, Greece, in 270 A.D.
Demetrios' parents were very rich and respected in their region. He was honored for his goodness and innocence but more so for his appearance. He was a very handsome young man. When he matured, he was taught the ways of a gentleman and athlete since these were very important studies at the time.
Highly respected
Demetrios was well known for his strength and for his good deeds in battle. He was so well noted for these that Maximilian, the emperor of Rome, invited Demetrios to the palace to make him head of the armies of Thessaly. Maximilian was a pagan and demanded that everyone in his service worship the many gods. Christianity not only was not accepted but was considered an enemy to the Roman Empire. Maximilian had no patience for Christians.
Under this frightful emperor, and others like him, Christians were put through terrible tortures. A popular torture was putting Christians in arenas to fight giants, wild animals and great Roman soldiers. Of course, the Christians were always underarmed and ill-prepared.
Before Maximilian bestowed this honor upon him, Demetrios pretended to be an idolater. Afterwards, however, he no longer hid the fact that he was a Christian. He made this known by teaching the words of God and Christ. His teaching was not done secretly, but openly, so that everyone would hear him.
Sharing his faith
His major accomplishment was to plant the seed of respect in the souls of those he taught. He told them that man was created by God and that man was placed in Paradise to be happy and content; however, the devil convinced man to disobey the will of God. This was why he was exiled from Paradise. God, to save mankind, sent his only begotten son to earth. Christ was born to the Virgin Mary and was a perfect man; he was crucified and resurrected; he ascended into heaven and would come again to judge the living and the dead. This was the message of St. Demetrios.
Demetrios found many people who believed his teachings. Many of the Greeks who heard him destroyed the idolsthat they worshiped. Demetrios, however, considered his efforts worthless if he could not convince the people of Thessalonika to accept Christianity as their religion.
The enemies of Demetrios were disturbed by his teachings. Because they saw Christianity growing, which was something they could not stand, they did anything they could to stop him. The best way to accomplish this, they decided, was to have Demetrios murdered.
Punished
Maximilian, upon returning to Rome having suppressed the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire, stopped in Thessalonika. The enemies of Demetrios found this to be an opportunity to accomplish their evil deed.
They told Maximilian about Demetrios' teachings and that many Greeks in Thessalonika were converting to Christianity because of these teachings. Maximilian grieved greatly when he heard this, because he had much respect and love for Demetrios. Under normal conditions, a Christian would have been severely tortured and killed immediately. The emperor, hoping that Demetrios would change his ideas, decided to imprison Demetrios instead.
While in prison, Demetrios continued to preach about the Christian God. Many more people converted to Christianity. One friend and follower of Demetrios by the name of Nestor could not sit back and watch the evil emperor anymore. With Demetrios' blessing, he walked into the arena and demanded to fight the giant Lyaeus (Maximilian's best fighter.) Although small in stature, Nestor was able to defeat the giant. Nestor, in front of a packed arena and the emperor, proclaimed his allegiance to Christ and announced that he was a follower of Demetrios. Maximilian then beheaded both Demetrios and Nestor.
Continuing to inspire
After Demetrios' death, many miracles have been attributed to this blessed saint. Many people were healed after they sought his intercessions. He is called the myrrh flowing. After his death, his relics gave off a sweet fragrance and a holy oil flowed from his tomb. When people were anointed with this oil, they were healed of their sickness. Even today, miracles occur through the icons of St. Demetrios that still gush this holy myrrh.
St. Demetrios is also considered the patron saint of Thessalonika. After 400 years of occupation and oppression, Greece fought and received independence in 1821. As the soldiers of Thessalonika attacked their enemy attempting to gain their freedom, St. Demetrios was seen leading the soldiers in battle. This vision gave the soldiers hope and encouragement.
The life of St. Demetrios should be an inspiration to all of us. Even during times of adversity and danger Demetrios continued to teach about Christ. His entire life was a living icon of Christ. Today, we may not be threatened with death by being a Christian; however, it is harder and harder to live a Christian life in today's world. Examples like that of St. Demetrios can inspire us to continue to fight the good fight and to live for Jesus Christ our Lord.
XThe Rev. Thomas M. Constantine is pastor of St. John The Forerunner Greek Orthodox Church in Boardman.