Browsing: prodigal

Source: Everyday Saints, by Archimandrite Tikhon In a town in Byzantium, there was once a bishop who was very much beloved by the townsfolk, but then something terrible happened:  whether through his own weakness or light-heartedness or through the conniving of the devil, this bishop fell into the sin of fornication. On a Sunday, when the entire town had gathered for the Divine Liturgy, the bishop addressed the people and removed his bishop’s stole, the symbol of his episcopal rank, said:  ” I can no longer be your Bishop, for I have fallen into the sin of fornication.”  At first,…