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The Departure of Saint Gregory, the Wonder Worker

The Departure of Saint Gregory, the Wonder Worker .

Also on this day, in the year 270 A .D ., St . Gregory the wonder worker, departed . He was thebishop of Neocaesarea, in the province of Pontos, where he was born to rich pagan parents . Helearned philosophy and wisdom at an early age and surpassed many of his colleagues . Then hewent to Beirut, where he studied the Greek and Latin subjects . From there he went to Caesarea,Palestine, where the erudite Origen was, who taught him Christian philosophy . He also learnedTheology and the interpretations of the holy books . In the year 235 A .D ., he went to the city ofAlexandria, the cultural center of the world at that time, to complete his studies .He returned to his town in the year 237 A .D . In the year 239 A .D ., he was baptized in the holybaptism and became a Christian, for he realized the vanity of this world and chose the way of theeverlasting kingdom of heaven . He directed all his attention to the salvation of his soul .When he knew that the Bishop of his town was seeking him to assist him in the bishopric duties,he escaped to the wilderness . He devoted himself to prayers and ardent worship, forsaking theworld and the futility of its glories .When the Bishop of his town departed, they sought him in order to make him the new bishop butthey did not know where to find him . It happened while the people were gathered with St .12The martyrdom of Prince Theodore El-Shotbe is on the Twentieth day of the month of Abib (Vol . IV, P . 562)and Prince Theodore El-Mishreke is on the Twelfth day of the month of Tubah (Vol . II, P . 208) .Gregory, the Theologian, that they heard a voice say, "Seek Gregory the hermit and set him aBishop over you ." They sent a party to search for him in the wilderness and in the mountains .When they did not find him, they decided to take a Bible and pray the prayer of ordination over it,as though he were present . They called him Gregory even though his given name was Theodore .St . Gregory, the Theologian, presided over this service .The angel of the Lord appeared to St . Gregory in the wilderness and said to him, "Rise up and goto your town, for they have made you the bishop over it and refuse not, for it is the Will of God ."He did not hesitate, rose up immediately and descended from the mountain and went to his town .The people went forth to meet him with great honor, and they completed his ordination in theyear 244 A .D .The Lord performed many signs and wonders at his hands, so that he was called the wonderworker . For example, two brothers who owned a lake from which they made a good living bycatching large amounts of fish had a falling out because of it, for each one of them claimed hisownership of it . When they were unable to reach an agreement, they sought the wisdom of St .Gregory to help them settle their differences . He ordered that they should divide the yield of thelake equally between themselves . When they did not heed his judgement, he entreated God andthe waters of the lake dried up and it became a farmland, which they divided between them .Reports of the signs and wonders which he made were heard throughout the land . Finally, whenhe completed his strife, he departed in peace .His prayers be with us . Amen .