Who has a name day today, September 22, 2024. Congratulations!

Today, the Orthodox Church honors St. svshtmchk Foka, ep. Sinopian. St. prov. Jonah. Rev. Jonah. Rev. Kozma Zografski.

Jonah is an Old Testament prophet from the 8th century BC. According to legends, he was the son of the widow of Sarepta, where the Holy Prophet Elijah lived.

It was him that the prophet raised from the dead with a prayer to God.

Jonah received the gift of prophecy and God commanded him to preach repentance among the Gentiles in the Empire of Nineveh.

“About 800 years before the Nativity of Christ, a man named Jonah lived among the Israelites. Tradition says that he was the son of the widow of Sarepta, where St. Prophet Elijah lived during the famine.

The prophet resurrected him from. the dead with a strong prayer to God. He received from God the gift of prophecy.

At that time the inhabitants of the great city of Nineveh angered God. with his lawless life. And God commanded Jonah to go to that city and preach repentance.

But Jonah was afraid because he knew that the Ninevites were fierce people. You said:
- What if the people of Nineveh do not believe my words and start torturing me?

In his fear, Jonah forgot that he must fulfill the Lord's commands without question, no matter what the danger might be. Greatly embarrassed and excited, he boarded a ship and went in another direction.

But God soon punished him for his cowardice and disobedience. A terrible storm arose in the sea. The ship was in great danger. The pagans who were in it, frightened, began to call on their gods to save them from death. But the storm was getting stronger.

The sailors began to throw the entire cargo into the sea, thus lightening the ship.

At that time, Jonah was sleeping peacefully in the bottom of the ship. Some of the pagans went to him, woke him up and said to him:

– why are you sleeping Can't you see we're dying? Get up and ask your God to save us!

Faced with the great danger of sinking together with the ship at the bottom of the sea, the passengers began to talk to each other:

– Perhaps this calamity was sent to punish one of us. Let's cast lots to find out who among us is the sinful person who has angered God!

They did that. And the lot, according to God's determination, fell on Jonah.

They surrounded Jonah and asked him sternly and angrily:

– who are you Where are you from?

Jonah answered them:

– I am a servant of the Lord. I worship the Heavenly God who created the heavens and the earth. I have sinned before Him, and now I flee from His face.

Take me and throw me into the sea. That way the excitement will die down. Because this storm was sent because of me!

The sailors became convinced that it was impossible to fight the storm. So they caught Jonah and threw him into the waves. The sea calmed down.

Caught in the waves, Jonah was swallowed by a huge whale. By God's will, he remained alive inside the whale for three days and three nights.

Frightened, with heartbreak, he cried out to God to have mercy and save him. God took pity on him. After three days, the whale threw him alive on the shore.

Seeing himself saved, Jonah began to pray, praise God and thank Him. And he heard again the voice of the Lord:

– Go to Nineveh. And there preach what I commanded you. Announce to the inhabitants My will!“

In translation, Ion means "dove".

Today Galabin and Galabina celebrate their name day.