Feast Day: December 23rd
Stories, Sermons and Prayers of Saint Nephon: An Ascetic Bishop
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Prayers
Apolytikion: Thou wast chosen by God to be a shepherd and herald of His Church, and to teach repentance to the fallen. By thy Prayers thou didst reveal the demons’ deceits, and thy countenance shone like Moses’. O Father Nephon, Pray to Christ our God for those who honour thee.
Kontakion: Thou didst subdue the flesh by fear of God, and didst soar to the heights of knowledge. Thou didst attain to thy desire, O blessed Nephon. Intercede to Christ our God for all who honour thee.
Saint Nephon was born in Paphlagonia and as a child he loved to go to Church. In his youth he began to live a sinful life. At times when his heart came to repentance, he was horrified by the extent of his sins, however Saint Nephon believed he could not receive forgiveness, so he despaired and continued to live his life in sin. One day his friend was staring at him and said face looked black, Saint Nephon understood this was because of his fallen state. He earnestly Prayed to the Mother of God pleading for her intercessions, and after a long time Saint Nephon saw Our Panagia’s face in the Icon was radiant and she was smiling at him. From this time on Saint Nephon would always Pray to the Queen of Heaven, and he noticed when he fell into sin, her face would turn away from him, but after tears of repentance, she would turn towards him again full of mercy. After some time Saint Nephon changed his life and spent his time in Prayer and repentance. He suffered an illness from which he received healing from the Mother of God, he then received the Holy Eucharist and was Tonsured a Monk.
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Saint Nephon lived in Prayer fasting and abstinence, to which he exhausted his body struggling against the passions. For many years he experienced attacks by the demons, but he held onto God Who always helped him. For four years, Saint Nephon struggled with a demon who would constantly whisper to him “There is no God! There is no God!” After four years of this great struggle, Our Lord appeared to Saint Nephon, alive on an Icon, and then Saint Nephon was free from these temptations and also received great power over the demons. Saint Nephon could also now see Angels and demons around men, and also knew the thoguths of men. He received the gift to identify evil spirits and defeat them through Prayer, and to see the departure of the Soul after death. He also often spoke with Angels, and disputed with demons.
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Saint Nephon built a Church in Constantinople dedicated to Our Most Holy Mother of God. Here many Monks lived, and many Souls found salvation. At an advanced age, he was Ordained Bishop of the city of Constantia, on the Island of Cyprus. However not long after he knew his repose would take place in three days time. He was visited by the then Deacon Saint Athanasios the Great and on right before he gave his Soul into the hands of God he saw Angels and Our Panagia. Saint Athanasios relates after Saint Nephon’s repose his face was shining as the sun.
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