St Colluthus of Antinoe
On the 23rd day of the Coptic month of Bashons we celebrate the life of Saint Colluthus of Antinoe.
Colluthus was the son of God fearing parents. His father was a governor over the city of Antinoe, and before Colluthus was born, his father prayed to the Lord Jesus to grant him a son, and God did. He taught him the Christian principles, the church doctrine and Colluthus was pure from his youth. His father wanted him to get married, but he did not accept. However, his sister was married to Arianus who became the governor after her father. When the his parents departed, he built a place for strangers to stay. He also studied medicine and practiced it to cure the sick without charging them money.
When Emperor Diocletian apostatized, Arianus the governor followed him to keep his position, and started to persecute Christians. Then Colluthus rebuked him for forsaking the worship of the one True God, and Colluthus cursed the idols of the Emperor. Arianus did not hurt him for the sake of his sister, but he sent him to the governor of El-Bahnasa, where he was put in prison for three years. His sister meditated for his release until another governor took over who threatened Colluthus and tortured him. The angel of the lord came to him to comfort and strengthen him, until at last, the governor cut off his head. He was granted the crown of Martyrdom. His family prepared his body for burial and kept him in a place until the end of the persecution, when they built a church to honor him.
Lessons from this story
In the parable of the sower, there are four sets of seeds; those that fall to the wayside and are eaten by birds, those that fall on stony ground, grow without deep roots and wither in the sun, those that fall in thorny bush and are strangled as they grow, and lastly those that fall on good ground and grow deep roots.
This parable is an allegory for believers. In comparing St Colluthus to his brother-in-law, there are two of these above mentioned seeds. St Colluthus representing the seeds that fall on good ground and grow with deep roots, yielding crops versus his brother-in-law Arianus who is like the seeds on stony ground. His faith grew for a little while, but when the sun came (Diocletian) his faith withered away.
History is filled with these examples, even among ourselves we see some who grow deep in the faith, while others are caught up in the world (strangled by the thorny bush) or whose faith was only superficial like St Colluthus’s brother-in-law. Faith is not an academic pursuit, though knowing the lives of saints, the scriptures and church writings are important, we must remember that we are blessed with a wealth of resources to help us understand our faith in depth. But these early saints had none of that. Their faith was derived wholly from an inner peace of knowledge, not mentally, but emotionally. They knew the faith by feeling the faith, breathing the faith and living the faith.
We make an effort to make these stories relevant in your daily life to reinforce the importance of personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not just the church, not just the family and friends in the church, but Jesus Christ above all. As you continue to grow, to learn, to mature in your spiritual life always remember if the only thing you know, the only thing hold dear is your trust in Jesus Christ, then no matter what happens here you will be safe there.

Prayer
Oh God you are the great teacher who guides us through this world along the ever-narrowing path that leads to eternal life. Surround us always with your angels and saints that they may pray on our behalf to eventually bet met at the door by the thief on the right who says “welcome.” May the prayers of St Colluthus be with us all, amen.