Holy Confessor John the Russian
Born in Little Russia in the 17th century, Saint John was raised in piety and love for God. A soldier in the Russo-Turkish war, John was captured and taken as a slave by the Turk commander. He tried to convert the devout Christian to Islam: first with enticements, then with beatings and torture. Saint John endured bravely and refused to deny Christ. The saint's fearlessness and unbreaking faith finally humbled the heart of the Turk, who ceased tormenting him and gave him a cot in the stable where John spent every night in solitary prayer. John served his owner zealously and comforted the other slaves and his sincere kindness affected their souls. The Turk began to confide in John and eventually offered to free him but John chose to stay and remain a light to the others. At the end of his difficult life, a priest secretly brought the Holy Mysteries to him, hidden in an apple. Saint John communed and reposed in Christ and three years later his relics were found to be incorrupt.
Image qui veut dire que l’Eglise Orthodoxe est une Arche de Salut ; et en dehors elle – il n’est pas possible de se sauver.
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