St Prince Theodore
On the 22nd day of the Coptic month of Baramhat (May 31) we celebrate the life of Prince Theodore known also as Amir Tadros.
Prince Theodore was born in 281 and lived most of his life in Herculea, in the area of Asia Minor. His father John was a Christian Egyptian from a city called Shateb in Upper Egypt.
Theodore’s father was a soldier in the Roman army. He went to Antioch to fight against the Persians. Because he was a man of courage he was given the prince's daughter to be his wife. She gave birth to a child and named him Theodore. Theodore’s mother tried hard to attract her husband John to Idol worshiping, but John had a strong faith in the Lord Jesus. She made him to feel indebted to her father for making hima prince, making John feel very unwelcome in his own house. He prayed for God's help and guidance.
In his sleep, he saw a vision. An angel appeared to him and said, "Do not be afraid John. Leave your pagan wife, and return to your country. Do not worry about your son Theodore. He will become a great Christian, and because of his strong faith, thousands will believe in Lord Jesus." John left his house and went back to Egypt, but he never stopped praying for his son.
Theodore was always bothered that his father had been kicked out of the house because of his faith. One day he told his mother that his father's God was crucified to save the world, but her idols were so weak that it could not even defend itself. Then he pushed the idol to the floor and the statue broke into pieces. A bad spirit came out of the idol in the form of a black giant and burned into smoke in front of them.
Prince Theodore was baptized by a priest called Oliganos at the age of fifteen. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and because of his boldness and courage in the battles, he became very famous. When Diocletian heard about him, he appointed him a commander over five hundred knights, and called him, Prince Theodore the Brave Commander.
One day after Prince Theodore and his soldiers had fought a fierce battle in the desert, they ran out of water, and were about to die from thirst. Prince Theodore prayed earnestly and said, "My Lord Jesus who gave the Israelites water from the solid rock, please quench our thirst," And suddenly, a strong wind blew, and heavy rain started falling. After the soldiers drank as much as they wanted, they knelt down before the Prince, and said, "Blessed is your True God Jesus, who answered your prayer with great might." On that day they were all baptized in Jesus' name.
Later, an angel of the Lord appeared to Theodore and told him to travel to Egypt to see his father. The prince was very happy to learn that his father was still alive. He took some of his faithful soldiers and sailed to Alexandria. Then they walked straight to the church of Shateb to ask about the prince's father, John.
At that time the father was old and was lying sick in bed. Nevertheless, it was a very emotional reunion. Five days later, his father passed in peace having seen his son. Theodore buried him and told the people of that city that his wish was to be buried beside his father, because he knew that he would soon die as a martyr.
Prince Theodore left Egypt, and went back to Antioch. After his departure, the Egyptians built a pillar on the bank of the Nile river. On top of the pillar they hung the picture of the saint, whom they loved.
Shortly after, Prince Theodore went to fight the Persians and with him there was another saint called Prince Theodore El Mishriky. In the battlefield, the Archangel Michael appeared to encourage and support them. After they defeated the enemy, The Emperor proclaimed Prince Theodore of Shateb to be the Hero of the Roman Empire, and appointed him a ruler over the city of Otichos.
Now in Otichos a demon possessed dragon lived in the nearby mountains. The people feared that dragon very much to the point that they used to throw children...