The Martyrdom of St . Milius, The Ascetic

On this day, St . Milius, the ascetic, was martyred . This father was an ascetic and fighter all the days ofhis life . He dwelt in a cave with his two disciples in mount Khurasan .The two sons of the king of Khurasan went out to hunt wild animals and they set up their nets . ThisSaint fell in their net, and he was dressed in sackcloth made of hair, and his hair was exceedingly long .When they saw him they were afraid of him and asked him: "Are you a man or a demon?" Heanswered: "I am a sinful man and I dwell here in this mount to worship the Lord Jesus Christ the Sonof the Living God ." They told him: "There is no God except the sun and the fire, offer the sacrifices tothem lest we kill you ." He answered them: "These things have been created by God . You are not awareof the truth . It is preferable for you to worship the true God, the creator of all these things ."They asked him: "Do you claim that he Whom the Jews crucified is God?" He said to them: "Yes, HeWho was crucified for our sins, and Who was killed and died, is God indeed ." The two princes wereraged of him . They seized his two disciples, tortured, and then slew them .As for St . Milius, they continued to torture him for two weeks . Finally, they made him stand upbetween them and shot arrows at him until he departed in peace . On the following day they went onhunting, followed a wild beast, and shot arrows at him, and God turned their arrows into their ownhearts killing them .The prayers of this Saint be with us and Glory be to our God forever . Amen .