My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
On the 17th of June, Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates
the Holy Martyrs MANUEL, SABEL AND ISHMAEL.
These three brothers were Persians, of a pagan father and a Christian mother. Brought up in a Christian spirit and baptized, they were high officials at the Court of king Balanos, and were sent to the Emperor Julian the Apostate to conduct negotiations and confirm the peace between the Persian and Graeco-Roman Empires. The Apostate Emperor had arranged some sort of vile celebration in honor of the idols at Chalcedon, and he went there with his nobles bearing sacrifices for the idols. The Persian delegates absented themselves from the celebration. The Emperor summoned them and ordered them to take part in the festivities and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. They then declared that they were foreign envoys who had come from the king of Persia to establish peace between the two Empires, and not for any other reason. They said that they were Christians and considered it unworthy to bow down before lifeless idols and offer them sacrifice. The Emperor, in fury, had them thrown into prison. They were brought out the next day, and he began to dispute with them about the Faith, but holy brothers were irrefutable and unwavering. They were then bound naked to trees and struck and flayed with iron flails. During their torture, they prayed to God, thanking Him for it: ‘O sweet Jesus, these pains are sent to us for love of Thee.’ And Angel of God appeared to them, comforted them and took away all their pain. Contrary to all understanding of the rights of foreign envoys, the wicked emperor Julian finally issued the order that the three brothers were to be slain with the sword. There was a great earthquake at their execution, thus making it impossible for the pagans to burn them as the Emperor had commanded. Thus earth later gave up the Martyr’s sacred bodies for Christians to find and bury. Many miracles were worked over their holy relics, bringing many pagans witnesses to the Christian faith. When the Persian king heard of the inhuman death that Julian had provided for the envoys, he prepared for war against him. Julian set out for Persia convinced of victory, but he was beaten to his knees and perished miserably.
FOR CONSIDERATION
CHRIST’S enemies always achieve results opposite to those that their actions against Christ would expect. Instead of blocking the river of Christianity, they widen it and deepen it, and make the roar of its flow heard more clearly. Instead of drying it up, they produce a veritable flood of Christianity across the whole world. Where one Martyr fell, a crowd of Christians was created; wherever there was a foul deed, glory sprang from it; wherever it was said that Christianity was finished, there would be an ever-thicker sowing of the Faith. In the face of all considerations and international regulations, Julian the Apostate slew the Persian peace envoys, Manuel, Sabel and Ishmael, because of his insane idolatrous fanaticism. What did Julian achieve by this? He increased the number of Christians, he enlarged the company of the Holy Martyrs and brought closer his own end and that of paganism. Indirectly and unwillingly, the Apostate Julian aided the dissemination and strengthening of Christianity, not merely by his malicious persecution but also by his involuntary statements. For example, in a debate with some Christians he stated: ‘Christ did nothing in His lifetime to merit any glory if we ignore His healing of the lame and the sightless, and His power to drive out demons.’ Oh, wretched fellow! As if opening of the eyes of only one blind man by words alone was not a greater thing than the subjugation of ten kingdoms! How valuable it is that the greatest betrayer of Christ since Judas Iscario, had to acknowledge Christ’s miracles! [Resources: The Prologue from Ochrid]
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 