St. Alexios – Man of God

Alexios was born in the ancient city of Rome during the reign of Theodosios the Great. His parents decided to marry him young, despite his desire to serve God. After he agreed to the marriage he had a vision of St. Paul, who said he should answer the call to God at all costs, reading to him the passage in Matthew which says: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." The feeling that he should go the other way gnawed at him even as he stood at the altar, and when the ceremony had been completed he looked upon the Cross of Jesus and without a word walked away from bride, family and friends to do what he had to do. For eighteen years he lived in monastery in Syria and transformed into a respected holy man whose solemn dedication to Jesus was the subject of many discussions among not only the monks but also the community which he served. He kept his true identity a secret for an entire lifetime and he suffered in silence for the sake of his commitment. When he felt the call he answered with a hesitation for which he judged himself too harshly and which he bore in mute secrecy. The rare title, "Man of God," was bestowed on St. Alexios for the manner in which he gave himself over to Jesus Christ.
Today we celebrate the name day of Alexios, Alexis, Alex, Alexa, Alexei, Aleko.