1 January 2025 (MIA)

Macedonian Orthodox Church Calendar

St. Boniface the Martyr

Martyrdom for Christ makes sinners into saints. This is shown by the example of St. Boniface. He was at first servant to a wealthy and dissolute woman, Aglais, in Rome, and had unclean and unlawful relations with her. Aglais evinced the desire to have the relics of some martyr in her house as an amulet against evil, so she sent her servant to Asia to find and buy for her what she desired. Coming to the city of Tarsus, Boniface saw many Christians undergoing torture: some were having their legs cut off, some their hands, others their eyes put out, yet others were dying on the gallows and so forth. Boniface’s heart was changed, and he repented of his sinful life with tears. He called out among the Christian martyrs: “I too am a Christian!” The judge took him for interrogation and ordered that he be harshly flogged, then that boiling lead be poured into his mouth and, as this did him no harm, that he be beheaded. The slaves then took his body back to Rome to Aglais, who took Boniface’s body, built a church for his relics and placed them there. Those developments took place during the rule of emperor Diocletian.

Catholic Calendar

New Year – Solemnity of Holy Mother of God

Called in the Gospels “the Mother of Jesus,” Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as “the mother of my Lord.” In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father’s eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly “Mother of God”. It would be good, at the beginning of civil war, glorifying Mother of Good, to decide to glorify her during the whole year, praying for her and living in accordance with God’s laws. Let Mary convince us that this year, which is starting today, is to bring us a lot of God’s blessing and peace.