On March 24, the day before the Annunciation, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Venerable Zacharias and St. Artemon of Seleucia. Venerable Zacharias was the son of the Egyptian Karion, who left his wife and children and went to a monastery, where he took monastic vows. Karion took Zacharias with him, because his mother could not feed him. Although younger than many elders in the monastery, Zacharias was honored with great gifts of grace. From the grace of God, he felt as if his whole insides were burning. At the inquiry of St. Macarius, what makes a monk a true monk, Zachary replied: That which constantly compels us to fulfill the commandments of God.
And when asked by the elder Moses what it means to be a monk, Zachary threw down his rug and trampled it under his feet, saying:
If a person is not so heartbroken, he cannot be a monk. Zachary was a great luminary among the monks in the desert and at a young age he departed to the Lord. Blessed Artemon was a native of the Pisidian city of Seleucia, where he grew up and was educated. He led a pious life when the holy apostles preached the teachings of Christ to the world. Once the Holy Apostle Paul came to Seleucia, where among the citizens, like a lamp that cannot be hidden, Artemon shone with his good deeds.
Because he was established in the faith of Christ and divine wisdom abounded in him, the Holy Apostle Paul appointed him a shepherd and teacher, and ordained him the first bishop of Seleucia in Pisidia. Blessed Artemon led the flock entrusted to him well and in a God-pleasing way. He was a haven of salvation for all. For widows, orphans and the poor he was an irreplaceable protector, a miraculous healer of souls and bodies. He spent his life piously and God-pleasingly and died in a ripe old age.
The name Zachary means – memory of God.
Happy name day to all who bear the sweet names Zachary, Zacharina, Zarko and Harry!