Augustin Sokolowski
On the eve of the day when secular society celebrates the so-called "Valentine's Day", on February 13, the Church celebrates the memory of the holy martyr Tryphaena of Cyzicus. The saint was a contemporary of the Apostles.
According to one version, she received her name in honor of Antonia Tryphaena (+55) - the once glorious queen of Pontus and wife of the ruler of Thrace, who ended her days in retirement. According to another, it was she herself, the heroine of that time. After all, the two Tryphaenas were contemporaries.
Having witnessed the apostolic preaching and trial of the holy equal-to-the-apostles Thekla, Tryphaena came to faith. "Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord," wrote the Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Romans (16:12). For her faith in Christ, Tryphaena was subsequently tried, then subjected to many and incredibly cruel tortures, and then executed.
In our time, when human calling, personal, family and public, is being questioned, and people strive for changes, but ultimately come to betrayal, Saint Tryphaena serves as an example of faith and loyalty to the decision once made. No torment could overcome the firmness of her intention to follow the Apostle in confession.
The ancient Church considered constancy in goodness and faith even to the last breath to be the height of grace. The Orthodox Church prays for this gift, under the words "for a peaceful and Christian end to our lives" even today at every liturgical sevice. Saint Tryphaena is an example not of infatuation, but of firm and irresistible love for the Lord, the Holy Church and her neighbors; in Christian hope, she preserved the faith. With her heavenly intercession and example, Saint Tryphaena inspires the Orthodox to this great virtue.