Beloved in Christ,
Today, our Holy Church commemorates all the saints of Antioch—from the preeminent apostles Peter and Paul to the martyrs, hierarchs, ascetics, and righteous men and women whose lives have emblazoned the history of salvation with faith, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion.
On this solemn day—June 22, 2025—when our Antiochian Church honors the memory of All the Saints of Antioch, we are confronted with the sobering and sanctifying mystery of martyrdom, which lies at the very heart of our Orthodox inheritance. This evening, the veil of peace was pierced by the hand of evil: a deadly explosion struck the faithful gathered at the Church of the Prophet Elias in Dweilaa, Damascus, during the Divine Liturgy. In an instant, many of our brothers and sisters were ushered from the earthly altar to the heavenly one, sealed with the blood of martyrdom.
This tragedy, unspeakable in its pain, is not a defeat but a spiritual victory—an incorruptible crown bestowed upon those who surrendered their lives for the sake of Christ. To die as a martyr is to ascend in glory, to conquer not by the sword but by the Cross, joining the triumphant ranks of those who chant the heavenly doxology without ceasing.
Martyrdom, in the Orthodox ethos, is not a tragic end, but the highest testimony of faith—a theophany of courage, love, and unwavering hope. It is communion with the suffering Christ and an unshakeable proclamation that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The blood of the martyrs is not the silence of death, but the seed of resurrection—the beginning of eternal life. Their witness summons us to deepen our own faith, to endure with fortitude, and to walk with unshakable resolve the narrow path that leads to the Kingdom.
Let us beseech the holy martyrs to intercede for us, that we may be granted the grace to bear witness to the Gospel amid the darkness of this age. May we honor their memory not merely with words, but with lives transformed—lives patterned after Christ, radiant with mercy, meekness, and steadfast hope.
With the radiant hope of the Resurrection, the entire AHOS family extends its deepest condolences and unwavering solidarity to His Beatitude Patriarch John X, to His Eminence Metropolitan Saba, to all our hierarchs, to the families of the martyrs and the injured, and to the entire Antiochian pleroma. We entreat the Lord to grant the newly crowned martyrs rest in the bosom of Abraham, where the just repose and the righteous shine like the stars of heaven.
May their memory be eternal! Christ is Risen!
Fr. Michel Najim Fr. Fadi Rabbat
President Academic Dean
Resources:
Statement Issued by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
