Augustine Sokolovski
In Scripture, the Lord literally equates helping others with serving Himself. “For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me,” says the Gospel of Matthew (Matt. 25:35-36). A very few, chosen saints, by the power of grace, made their lives a visible embodiment of the virtue of such total service.
When Emperor Constantine the Great founded Constantinople in 330 to create the first Christian city on earth without idols, Saint Zoticus left Rome and settled in the new capital to serve his neighbors with the funds he had previously collected. Soon the hospital he founded became a haven for many orphans, the sick and the destitute. After Constantine's death, supporters of the Arian heresy ascended to the throne. Zoticus was accused of embezzling funds received from the previous emperor.
Suddenly, a certain epidemic spread through the city, which was said to be leprosy. Zoticus did not disdain to care for the sick, gave them shelter, saved them from popular reprisals. Then the crowd, referring to the will of the authorities, tied the saint to two mules, which dragged him through the streets of the city. The saint died in agony. At the place of his death, a spring gushed out, and healings occurred. Almost nine hundred years later, archbishop Saint Anthony of Novgorod (+1232) testified to the unceasing veneration of the saint during his pilgrimage to Constantinople.
In the tradition of the Church, Saint Zotik is revered as the patron saint of lepers; in the calendar he is called "Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans." He lived the Gospel in action and was convinced that medicine should be accessible to all and free of charge. This makes his testimony incredibly modern and relevant.