May 31: St. Hermias

History

Saint Hermias was a Roman soldier in the second century. When he left the army, he refused to accept his pay and announced he was a Christian. It was illegal to be a Christian then, so he was immediately arrested. The emperor's proconsul told Hermias to reject Christ or be tortured. Hermias was tortued in eight different ways, including being thrown into a furnace, where he lived for three days without being burned and being forced to drink poison twice. Finally the proconsul killed him with a sword. 

Activity

When Hermias was given poison, he made the sign of the cross over the goblet and drank willingly. That took a lot of faith in Christ. In India, people enjoy a green drink that's called "zair" - which means poison, because it's green with grey flecks in it. But it's not poison at all! Make some and say a toast to St. Hermias for his courageous faith. 

1. Put 2 tablespoons of partially thawed limeade concentrate in a glass (it should be slushy). 

2. Sprinkle in 1/4 teaspoon of Indian Kala Namak salt (sold at Asian grocery stores or specialty food stores or substitute a grey or black sea salt).

3. Pour in 1 cup of cold lemon-lime soda. Stir gently

4. Add a couple of ice cubes and enjoy! 

Saint Hermais, pray for us!

More reading for parents: 

Orthodox Church in America
Catholic Online

Last year, we learned about Saint Petronilla.