On May 14 every year, men named Sider celebrate their name day. The name comes from Greek and means iron, writes dariknews.bg.
St. Isidore lived in the 5th century († 435). He was born in Egypt to wealthy parents, received a good education and at a young age left the world, desiring solitude. He was tonsured a monk, then settled in a desert place near the city of Pilusia in Lower Egypt. Here he lived in strict abstinence, wore rough clothing and ate only roots. He prayed unceasingly and raised his thoughts to God.
The news of his strict and pious life attracted other ascetics to him, and he was elected abbot of the monastery. Constantly caring for the spiritual benefit of the brothers, he guided them with his wise instructions, teaching them by word and example humility, meekness, selflessness, and the struggle against passions and worldly thoughts.
The Venerable Isidore did not address his teachings only to monks and desert dwellers. His writings contain many edifying things for people of every rank. In his letters, of which more than two thousand have come down to us, he addressed both governors and bishops with wise advice; He refutes false teachings, sets forth the dogmas of faith, explains the Holy Scriptures, so that everyone can draw useful lessons from them.
Having deeply studied the sciences and literature, Isidore understood how incomparably higher Christian wisdom stands than all else. He advises to study the word of God with attention and grieves that so many people turn "not to that literature that makes a person spiritually pure and wise, but only to that which entertains the listeners; not to that which awakens the soul from slumber, but to that which flatters the ear."
The Venerable Isidore suffered persecution for his strict denunciations, but he did not cease to firmly and consistently stand for the truth and defend before the rulers the innocently persecuted. Thus, he appears as a staunch defender of St. John Chrysostom and severely rebukes his enemy - his relative Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, for his lawless actions against the saint.