Byzantine Saints: Saint Niphon, Bishop of Constantia, Cyprus (23 December)

About this sermon

St. Nephon, Bishop of Constantia on the island of Cyprus, is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on December 23rd. Born in Pagonia in the 4th century, St. Nephon’s life is a powerful witness to repentance, humility, and God’s mercy. Though gentle and devout in childhood and educated in Constantinople, Nephon fell into a wild and sinful life in his youth. Believing himself beyond forgiveness, he continued in sin—until a single moment of truth shattered his illusion. A friend, shocked by Nephon’s spiritual state, told him his face appeared darkened by sin. These words pierced his heart. In despair yet hope, Nephon turned fervently to the Most Holy Theotokos, begging for her intercession. After long prayer, he witnessed the icon of the Mother of God become radiant and smile, a sign of divine mercy. From that day forward, Nephon lived in constant repentance, learning that God never abandons those who return with tears. Through years of prayer and struggle, St. Nephon was granted the gift of discernment, able to perceive the workings of evil spirits and even witness the departure of souls after death. Later in life, while in Alexandria, God revealed His will through St. Paul the Apostle, who appeared in a vision to Patriarch Alexander, commanding that Nephon—despite his humility and reluctance—be consecrated as Bishop of Constantia. Though he governed his flock only briefly, St. Nephon’s holiness was evident to all. After his repose, he was laid to rest in the Church of the Holy Apostles, and the faithful glorified God, who is wondrous in His Saints. 🙏 May St. Nephon pray for us, that we never despair of repentance. 0:00 – Introduction: St. Nephon of Constantia 0:21 – Birth and Early Life in the 4th Century 0:33 – A Childhood of Gentleness and Faith 0:38 – Falling into Sin and Despair 0:52 – The Friend’s Warning and Awakening 1:05 – Repentance and Prayer to the Theotokos 1:12 – The Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God 1:20 – A Life of Continual Repentance 1:59 – Gift of Discernment and Spiritual Sight 2:07 – Seeing the Departure of Souls 2:12 – Journey to Alexandria 2:26 – Vision of St. Paul the Apostle 2:37 – Chosen as Bishop Against His Will 3:01 – Consecration and Pastoral Ministry 3:28 – Repose and Burial 3:42 – Glorifying God in His Saints https://www.oca.org/saints/lives 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SensusFidelium.TV - https://sensusfidelium.tv/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StNephon #OrthodoxSaints #LivesOfTheSaints #OrthodoxChristianity #Repentance #Theotokos #SaintStories #OrthodoxFaith #ChurchHistory #December23