Synaxarium

On this same day, Saint James the Apostle, son of Alphaeus, was martyred. After he preached the good news in many lands, he returned to Jerusalem, entered the Jewish temple, and openly preached the Gospel and the faith in the Lord Christ and the resurrection of the dead. The Jews seized him and brought him before Clodius, the deputy of the Roman king, saying to him that this man preaches another king besides Caesar. He ordered that James be stoned, so they stoned him until he peacefully fell asleep. Some of the faithful took his body and buried it beside the temple. May his prayer be with us. Amen.

On this day, we commemorate the venerable Saint Philo, Bishop of Persia, who was martyred by the Persian king because he refused to worship fire or bow to the sun. They tortured him with all kinds of torment, and finally they beheaded him with the sword. May his prayer be with us, and to our Lord be glory forever and ever. Amen.

On this same day, Saint Justus, son of King Numarius, was martyred. When he returned from war, he found that Diocletian had married his sister and become king, and that he had apostasized from the faith in the Lord Christ, which grieved him greatly. When the nobles and elders of the kingdom gathered to crown him king in place of his father, he refused, preferring the heavenly kingdom over the earthly. He went to Diocletian and confessed the name of Christ before him. Diocletian sent his son Abali, his wife Theoclia, and Justus to the governor of Alexandria, ordering him to first treat them kindly, but if they did not submit, to behead them. When they arrived in Alexandria with some of their servants, the governor received them kindly. When he could not turn them away from the faith in Christ the Glorious, he sent Justus to Ansena, Abali to Bosta, and Theoclia his wife to Sa. Each took a servant with them so that when their struggle was complete, their bodies might be cared for. They were tortured and beheaded, thus receiving the crown of martyrdom. May their prayers be with us. Amen.

On this day, the holy ascetic and scholar, Anba Isidore the Farmer, rested. His parents were among the wealthy and prominent people of Egypt, and he was related to the saints Theophilus and Cyril, Popes of Alexandria. He had no siblings, so they raised him with great care and taught him the church books. Then he learned the Greek language, mastered it, and excelled beyond many. Despite this, he was a humble ascetic. When he learned that the people of the country and the bishops intended to advance him as Patriarch over the See of Mark, he fled by night to the mountain of Farma and became a monk in a monastery there. Then he moved to a small cave, where he lived alone for several years. During that time, he wrote several books, most of them about kings and rulers, and explained many books from both the Old and New Testaments. It is found in some biographies that the number of letters he sent to patriarchs, bishops, and others reached eighteen thousand letters. The gifts of the Holy Spirit flowed upon him. When he reached a righteous and pleasing old age, he departed to the Lord. May his prayers be with us. Amen.

The Nawa

In the winter months, the regions overlooking the Mediterranean Sea are exposed to the phenomenon of the formation of cyclonic atmospheric depressions that characterize the climatic conditions in the Mediterranean region and are known in Alexandria as the Nawa.

The Nawa:

They are atmospheric disturbances that give rise to a circular or oval air vortex with low pressure in the center surrounded by a high-pressure area, in which winds spiral towards the low-pressure center in a counterclockwise direction.