The Miraculous Saint Mena

The Great Egyptian and Coptic Martyr.  The tortures of the martyrs and confessors are more desirable and beautiful to God's heart than the prayers of hermit monks and the praise of angels.  In other words, their awesome, powerful and intense love for God caused them to endure all for His sake.

The Holy Church places martyrs in a higher rank than hermit recluses and remember them in her prayers and intercessions ahead of Popes, Bishops, and Saints.  They occupy a higher and nobler position than those in direct service to God.  They experienced the place of inexpressible love; a love that is felt and known in the suffering heart of God, who endured pain for us. 

If we honor monks for their desertion, in part, of the world and the martyrs who left the world totally and died in action, what would be our honor for someone who combined both characteristics and obtained the crowns of monk and martyr?  St. Mena was one of the spiritually strong men whose life combined both crowns.  He obtained the crowns for purity, solitary hermitage, and martyrdom.  May we have the blessing of the prayers of the great martyr, the miraculous Saint Mena, and all the martyrs and saints be with us.  Amen