November: Day 29:
Holy Martyr Paramonos
(One Should Always Tell the Truth)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
Holy Martyr Paramonos
(One Should Always Tell the Truth)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
I. The Holy Martyr Paramonos, who is now commemorated, suffered during the reign of the Roman Emperor Decius, in the third century. At that time, the ruler of the eastern provinces of the empire was the nobleman Aquilinus, a persecutor of Christians. Once, while traveling through Bithynia, Aquilinus was leading 370 Christian martyrs to be imprisoned. When they passed by a pagan temple, Aquilinus wanted to force the Christians to sacrifice to the idols, but the Christians refused. By chance, a pious man named Paramonos was passing by, and seeing such a multitude of Christians who were awaiting torture, he exclaimed: “Oh, how many righteous people the impious ruler kills innocently! And for what? Because they do not bow down to mute and soulless idols.” Aquilinus ordered his servants to seize Paramonos and kill him, which was done: they pulled out his tongue and pierced his body with spear points. Then the 370 martyrs who refused to sacrifice to the idols were beheaded with the sword in 250 A.D.
II. Brethren! Following the example of the Holy Martyr Paramonos, who was not afraid to tell the truth to the terrible tormentor that he was acting impiously in killing innocent Christians, let us also always speak only the truth.
a) Is it necessary to explain how necessary truth is? “Imagine that you are surrounded by people who do not speak the truth, do not do the truth, that, consequently, assurances of goodwill cannot be trusted, that promises cannot be relied upon, that the one you call upon, or send on a matter, will say: 'I will go,' and will not go; that the debtor will say: 'I will pay,' and will not pay; that the one who listened to your request for protection will say: 'I will protect,' and will not protect. Is it possible to spend even a day calmly and safely among such people? Do you not see that it is impossible to live without truth?
b) Will you say: 'I allow myself only a small untruth, from which there will be no great disaster?' The Wise One answers you: 'He who humiliates a small thing will fall little by little' (Sir. 19:1). If today you allow yourself an untruth in a small word, tomorrow in a small deed; if others, noticing this, will answer you in the same way; if the superior does not observe the truth in the order, the subordinate in the execution of the command; if the one coming to court allows himself to bring unjust requests, and to tempt the judge with gifts, and the judge gives in to the temptation: then the untruth can imperceptibly grow into such a mountain, which, collapsing, will bury many under the ruins.
c) However, truth would not be perfect if it were observed only out of fear of disaster and destruction. Let us love and practice truth because it is lovely in itself; because it is akin to our soul, and even more so because 'the Lord loves the righteous' (Psalm 145:8)” (see the sermon of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, Vol. V, 1885 edition).
III. Through the prayers of the holy lovers of truth, may the Lord help us to avoid untruth in all our words and deeds. Amen.
Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
