Today is my name day, the feast of the Holy and Great Martyr Christopher
Thou who was terrifying in both strength and countenance, for thy Creator's sake thou didst surrender thyself willingly to them that sough thee; for thou didst persuade both them and the women that sought to arouse in thee the fire of lust, and they followed thee in the path of martyrdom; and in torments thou didst prove courageous; wherefore have we gained thee as our great protector, O great Christopher!
Kontakion, 4th tone
I have known since a very early age that my name means "Christ bearer," that it is a nigh impossible name to live up to, and that my parents gave it to me intentionally. I later found out about the early Christian martyr, and have found that his life is something that I hope one day to be found worthy to emulate.
Interesting side note: the other person I considered taking as my patron when I joined the Orthodox Church was St. Polycarp, disciple of St. John the Theologian(whose feast was yesterday, and my favorite of the twelve apostles), and good friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch. St. Ignatius, another early martyr, often referred to himself as "Theophoros" (either "Borne by God" or "God bearer" - I'm not so good at Greek), but at least once referred to himself as "Christophoros." I believe this is the earliest reference to my name (all you ortho-geeks feel free to correct me...).
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, most especially those of the Holy and Great Martyr St. Christopher, have mercy on us. Amen.
Kontakion, 4th tone
I have known since a very early age that my name means "Christ bearer," that it is a nigh impossible name to live up to, and that my parents gave it to me intentionally. I later found out about the early Christian martyr, and have found that his life is something that I hope one day to be found worthy to emulate.
Interesting side note: the other person I considered taking as my patron when I joined the Orthodox Church was St. Polycarp, disciple of St. John the Theologian(whose feast was yesterday, and my favorite of the twelve apostles), and good friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch. St. Ignatius, another early martyr, often referred to himself as "Theophoros" (either "Borne by God" or "God bearer" - I'm not so good at Greek), but at least once referred to himself as "Christophoros." I believe this is the earliest reference to my name (all you ortho-geeks feel free to correct me...).
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, most especially those of the Holy and Great Martyr St. Christopher, have mercy on us. Amen.