The life of St Alexander of Comana
He took up a life of deliberate poverty, working as a charcoal burner in the marketplace, his face and hands always black with soot, and for this many held him in contempt without knowing who he truly was.
When the bishop of Comana died, the city argued over what a new bishop should be, some wanting nobility, some learning, some wealth. Gregory, the bishop of Neocaesarea who had been asked to preside over the election, insisted that holiness of life mattered more than any of these, and when someone joked that by that measure even Alexander the charcoal burner might qualify, Gregory took the words seriously and sent for him. Beneath the grime, Gregory found a man of deep learning and humility, and had him washed and questioned before the assembly, whose scorn turned to wonder at his answers. Alexander was ordained and consecrated bishop, and governed his see with wisdom for years afterward. When persecution came, he refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, and for this was tortured and put to death by fire; sources differ on which emperor's reign this fell under.
