Житие и страдание святого священномученика Лукиана

To remember the victories of the glorious martyrs over the devil and his servants and the suffering deeds of Christ’s ascetics means to proclaim the glory of Christ our God and preach His power, revealed in the good deeds of the martyrs who suffered for the glory of His most holy name. Christ Himself was the winner in everything, according to His word: “Be of good cheer: I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), and at first He fought the enemy alone for all. The holy martyrs, who suffered after Him, being members (of His Body) (1 Cor. 12:27), make up, according to the apostolic word, “the lack of the sorrows of Christ” (Col. 1:24) in their flesh, and since they, struggling for His most holy name, die undefeated, to that extent in them Christ is the winner, for in them He suffers as in the members of His body, in them He reveals His triumph over the adversary and, being glorified, together with Himself glorifies His members who suffered for Him, that is, the holy martyrs who are as close to Him in glory as they were His imitators in suffering. Therefore, it is fitting for us to glorify and bless the good soldiers of Christ, with whose teachings and example of courageous deeds the Church of Christ shines throughout the entire universe; They themselves are under the altar, dressed in white robes, stained with their own blood, but whitened by Christ, they rest in bliss (cf. Matt. 5:14). Saint Lucian also belonged to the martyrdom; as soon as Divine grace washed him with the bath of baptism, then one could see in him that he would be great and glorious among people. According to the flesh, his parents named him Lucius, in honor of the great proconsul Lucius, from whom he descended; then, by the grace of the Holy Spirit and according to the patristic custom, his name in baptism was changed to a better one. Named by his parents as Lucius, that is, brilliant, with the increase of God’s gifts in him, he acquired the most perfect name, being called Lucian, which means the bright one. This was an indication that in the light of new grace he would be the light of the world in the Lord (Matthew 5:14). He was a Roman by birth, of noble origin, but was even more ennobled by his second birth as a Christian (John 3:3), having been worthy of adoption to the eternal king. He was skilled in wisdom, taught the Greek and Roman languages, but acquired perfect wisdom from the teachings of the Holy Apostle Peter; for he clung to him, became his disciple, and was filled with heavenly wisdom by him. He also learned from him the morals and works of the apostles: after his painful death, he visited many places in Italy, sowing the seeds of the word of God. Lucian had already achieved perfection in the wisdom of God when Saint Dionysius the Areopagite 3602, instructed by God, came to Rome, wanting to visit the holy prisoners, the Apostles Peter and Paul, but he no longer found them alive. Pope Clement ruled the apostolic throne at that time. He received Dionysius in a friendly manner and with great honor for the sake of his holiness and for the sake of the former long-term spiritual love between them in Christ, and Dionysius stayed with him for a considerable time; they were consoled by the sight of each other, enjoyed soulful conversations and strengthened each other not only with words, but also with examples of virtue. One day blessed Clement, filled with the Holy Spirit, said: - O my beloved brother Dionysius! Do you see how abundant the harvest of the Lord's sowing is among the pagans and how few are the laborers in the word of God's preaching (Matthew 9:37). And since you have been fully taught the Orthodox faith and have achieved perfection in the virtues of the Christian law, then, I ask you, go to Western countries for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, as His good warrior, take up arms against the enemies of our Lord and defeat them by the power of God who strengthens you. Saint Dionysius agreed to this with all his heart, and then Blessed Clement began to look for him and gather friends, helpers and co-workers, pious and wise, shining with a holy life. Among them, he chose Saint Lucian, made him a bishop and made friends with Saint Dionysius, so that he would be his companion and associate in preaching the word of God, and, in other ways, a father in the Holy Spirit, teacher and mentor. Having arranged this, blessed Clement affirmed the elect with friendly words, saying: - Go, dear brethren, go, invincible warriors of Christ, and just as the Lord was with our holy fathers, the apostles and with their companions, so may he also be with you, preachers of His holy name: for (many and) countless people from the pagans will be acquired by you for the Lord and brought into His enclosure. After a long conversation, Saint Clement cordially said goodbye to them, blessed them and sent them away in peace; They all went together and preached Christ at first throughout all of Italy. When they approached the city of Ticinus 3603, blessed Lucian, in one place called Parma, preached the word of God to the people and turned them away from vain idolatry. The local residents, unfaithful and overzealous idolaters, unable to bear the insult inflicted on their gods and not heeding the gospel of the word of God, did not hesitate to seize Saint Lucian and, having inflicted many insults on him, threw him alone into the people's prison. Entering it, the blessed one sang with great joy: “Teach me, O Lord, in Thy way, and I will walk in Thy truth” (Ps. 86:11), and again: “Set my steps in Thy ways, so that my feet do not falter” (Ps. 16:5). Thus, rejoicing in the Lord, the holy man remained in prison as if under the roof of God’s wings and, in full hope of the protection of Christ, prayed to Him like this: “Bring out my soul from prison, so that I may glorify Your name” (Ps. 141:6) for those who are to be righteous are waiting for me, so that through me those of the pagans who are predestined to eternal life will turn to You, Christ, the Savior of the world ( Rom.8:28). The saint offered such and similar prayers with all his heart, and his prayer, having passed through heaven, was heard by the Lord: for he asked not to remain on his path, deprived of his companions, with whom he wanted to go to suffering and reach where he was sent. The valiant warrior of Christ prayed for this not because he was afraid to die for his Lord, but he wanted first to increase the Lord’s spiritual fruit, and then, having gathered a bountiful and prosperous harvest, together with his friends to receive the crown of martyrdom and the reward for his labors. And soon he received God's help: some Christians, having learned about the fate of the holy man, came to the prison at night, moved by love for Christ, and in whatever way they could, they brought Lucian out of his bonds and gave him the opportunity to go along with his holy friends. The holy squad, instructed by the Lord, arrived safely in the glorious city of the Italian country Ticinus, otherwise called Pavia; Having rested there a little from their labors, they continued to increase the glory of God, tirelessly and abundantly preaching the word of Christ in various places, so that the fulfillment of the words of the prophets could be seen on them: “How beautiful are the feet of the evangelist on the mountains, who proclaims peace, who brings good news of joy” (Is. 52:7; Rom. 10:15). It is impossible to describe how many thousands of people they converted to Christ in a short time, proclaiming the word of salvation to everyone; and the power of God helped them so much that those who looked at them thought that they were looking at heavenly citizens, for they shone with signs and wonders among everyone, enlightening the souls of God’s chosen ones. Then they left Italy; Having reached the seashore, they boarded the ship and set sail, where the Holy Spirit directed them. They joyfully landed in the harbor of the city of Arelat, landed and were honorably and friendly received by the inhabitants of this city; Here they rested and began, following the example of the holy apostles, to choose countries for themselves to preach the word of God. In order to spread and multiply the Church of God everywhere among the pagans by preaching the Gospel of Christ, even to the British Ocean, Saint Marcellinus with a small number of brethren went to Spain, blessed Saturninus to Gaul, and Saint Dionysius with blessed Lucian and others came to the borders of Paris. From here Saint Lucian, with the presbyter Maxian and the deacon Julian, retired to preach in Belgium. Entirely imbued with the grace of the Holy Spirit, he proclaimed the name of the Lord there, defeated the power of the enemy, planted the Church of Christ and instructed the people to salvation no less by example of a virtuous life than by word. In addition, he was given from God the power to work miracles and heal all kinds of diseases and ailments in people; and he gained such power over the demons that they, as soon as they heard his command, immediately left the people they were tormenting. Day and night, constantly preaching about Christ, Lucian remained in prayer and vigil, in daily fasting, in abstinence and complete mortification of the flesh, and so constantly exhausted himself until, according to the word of the Apostle, “he presented his body as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God” (cf. Rom. 12:1). His usual food was a small piece of bread and greens, and water to drink; but the power of God nourished him and the grace of the Lord strengthened his weary members. The blessed one strove with such desire for the crown of martyrdom that he seemed already dead to the world. This is how this true follower of the Lord Christ wore his cross. He knew that there are two types of torment: one is secret, the other is obvious; and before achieving the feat of obvious martyrdom and being crowned with an unfading crown from the Lord, he exhausted himself in secret, although everyone knew his abstinence. By mortification of the flesh he was exhausted, adorned by patience; Possessing wonderful humility, filled with meekness, he achieved such perfection in virtues that, while living in the flesh on earth, in spirit he seemed to already be living with the Angels in heaven. Therefore, his face was always seen as bright and friendly, and his mind was peaceful, and the whole image of this old man, adorned with wonderful gray hair, revealed an earthly Angel, a heavenly man. When the fame of Lucian spread throughout Belgium, people began to come to him, wanting to be baptized, and were baptized by him in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, then crushing the idols that they had previously revered. The ancient enemy the devil, seeing the reproach of those whom Christ attracted to Himself through His servants, turned all his cunning and intrigues to the ruin of the holy Church of God; he aroused anger and hatred against Christians in Domitian, who, after Nero, who had already died, launched a second persecution against Christians: he taught him to force Christians throughout the entire empire of the Roman kingdom to make sacrifices to the sculptured gods, and to beat those who were firm in the faith after various tortures. Domitian sent out an impious command to all the cities and villages of his kingdom, so that all leaders, convincing Christians to worship idols and make sacrifices to them, would destroy those who disobeyed with various torments. The persecutors of Christ's name were sent to Gaul to look for the soldiers of Christ, mainly those who came here from Rome, the fame of which had already spread far; They wanted to destroy the very name of Christ along with them. Three persecutors were sent here: Latrin, Arius and Antor. They were given a special command - to find the holy servant of God Lucian, take him and present him to Caesar's court, or even immediately kill him with a sword if he does not want to sacrifice to idols. The persecutors passed through the cities and villages of Gaul, but the one they were looking for was nowhere to be found. Then the news reached them that the man of God Lucian, preaching the Gospel of the eternal kingdom, was enlightening the Belgian people. Hearing this, the torturers, inflamed with extreme rage and anger, quickly headed to Belgium. Saint Lucian learned that the arrival of the tormentors was near before they arrived, through the revelation of the Holy Spirit to him. He remained in the place where he taught the people the words of life, and with him were a great many people who had already been converted to Christ by his preaching. In hope of eternal glory and blessed reward, he exhorted them with all his heart, saying: – Beloved brothers and children in Christ! It pleases my Lord Jesus Christ to show me the fruits of my labors and to grant me the previously promised reward. O dear ones, remain firm and unshakable in the faith of Christ. I am already old and weary, I rejoice in the crown of martyrdom, striving to depart from you to the Lord; you remain unchanged in God’s grace, which you have received. Let the fear of tormentors not turn you away from the faith of Christ, let not threats frighten you, let flattery not catch you, and let not the promises of any honors and riches be rejected, but may you enjoy eternal joy in the future life, where unspeakable rewards are in store for you. I also strive for them in good hope, and for their sake I am not horrified by the fury of the persecutors. Having said this, Lucian raised his eyes to heaven and in front of everyone thanked God for making him worthy of the fate of the holy martyrs and not separating him from his friends. He said: “I thank You, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who made me friends with blessed Dionysius and the companions of his death and made me equal in labor with them; I pray to You, deign me to be with them in the Kingdom of Heaven. Having said this, he left the city of Bellovaca 3604 not because he would avoid torment out of fear, but so that, according to the commandment of the Lord, commanding him to evade persecutors (Matthew 10:23), to set an example for his flock. Walking with his blessed fellow sufferers, Presbyter Maxian and Deacon Julian, he did not abandon soulful conversation and prayer throughout the entire journey; Finally, he reached the top of the mountain to which he was going and which is located near a river called Fara, flowing from the west at a distance of three fields 3605 from the city. When he arrived there, like a city standing on the top of a mountain, he could not hide (Matthew 5:14); for that very mountain, picturesquely rising above the river, was visible from afar. There the blessed one, standing firmly as if in a place open to spectacle, decided to await the crown of martyrdom. The aforementioned tormentors, having reached the city and not finding Saint Lucian in it, began to find out more reliably where he had gone. They were told that he was teaching the people not far from the city; They immediately rushed there on greyhound horses and reached the mountain where the man of God was staying with the people and disciples. First they took the holy servants of God, Maxian and Julian, in order to frighten Saint Lucian with torture and death and attract them to the veneration of idols. They threateningly commanded the captured martyrs to worship the idols and tried to instill fear in them, saying: “If you do not make sacrifices to our immortal gods, we will immediately execute you with the sword.” But the martyrs, firm in their faith, fearlessly answered: – We will never worship idols, for they are vain and created by human hands: we have come to know the one true Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, for whose faith we are ready to die. Hearing this, the wicked immediately killed them with a sword in front of Saint Lucian. So the saints accepted the crowns promised to them from the Lord and were numbered among the holy martyrs. Saint Lucian, rejoicing and praising God about their feat, said before everyone: “I rejoice and rejoice in You, O Lord my God, that I see my children who have preceded me in receiving the crown of Your glory. Then Latrin, Arius and Antor, with rage and anger, unanimously addressed a cruel word to the blessed one: “Is it you who by magic entice the people not to obey the command of the mighty Caesar and the Roman Senate, and not to make favorable sacrifices to the immortal gods?” Blessed Lucian answered: “I am not a sorcerer, but a servant of Jesus Christ, taught not sorcery, but Divine wisdom, by the power of which I show the people of God the path of truth, and teach them how they can follow my Lord Jesus Christ without obstacles.” He came down from heaven to earth in order with His blood to redeem His creation from slavery to the enemy, to turn away from the worship of idols, or better yet, demons, and to grant salvation to those who are brought from the darkness of evil into the true light: and it is right that they bow their hearts to Him alone, Who deigned to endure crucifixion and death for the deliverance of all. - How do you confess as God the One Whom you call not only dead, but also crucified? Saint Lucian answered them: - Although you, due to your unbelief, are unworthy to hear the secrets of the Heavenly King, however, for the sake of the many faithful present here, I will tell you something briefly: the true God, the Son of the true God, always abiding with the Father in eternity, at the end of the ages, wanting to renew the human race, which perished as a result of the crime of Adam, deigned to be born incorruptible and ineffably from the Most Pure Virgin, in order to be true God and true man, in one dual person nature by the One Christ, the true Son of God and Man. And He, being dispassionate in Divinity and always being with the Father, became not only visible, but also subject, according to human nature, to suffering for us: for He became obedient to God the Father even to the point of death, death on the cross, for the sake of our redemption (cf. Phil. 2:8). If the Son of God had not wished to be the Son of Man and had not put on the image of a mortal, then neither the human race would have received forgiveness from God, nor mortals would have put on immortality. These and many other words of blessed Lucian filled the tormentors with even greater rage, and they said: “You have already reached a ripe old age, and it’s time for you to leave childish idle talk; That is why you dare to go to death without hesitation, and that is why you are not horrified because you are seduced by great vanity and your reason is taken away by excessive talk. We tell you the truth: if you do not repent soon, do not give up your madness and daring, and do not make a favorable sacrifice to the immortal gods, then we will immediately betray your old age without mercy to fierce torment. Then the tormentors sat down and began to ask him menacingly: - Tell us your name and birth quickly. “I was named by my parents by the name Lucia, but in holy baptism, by which I was reborn into eternal life in Christ, I was renamed Lucian. I am a Roman by birth; this origin is revered throughout the world. But I do not boast in the fact that I am a Roman, but in the fact that I am a servant of my Lord Jesus Christ, which you can clearly see in me: for for me there is no other life and glory besides my Lord Jesus Christ, and to die for Him is gain (cf. Phil. 1:21). “We said the truth: you are a sorcerer and a seducer of those who listen to you, but mainly you are proud, for you do not stop speaking shamelessly and do not even spare your old age.” If you are a Roman, then why did you madly retreat from the veneration of the Roman gods, whom Caesar and the entire Roman Senate and the whole world worship? – By the grace of Christ, into whom I was baptized, and whom I came to know as the true God, in my faith I renounced not only the devil and idols, but also all his works. You do not want to hear or remember my words and preaching about Christ the Lord because your unbelief has blinded you and your Caesar along with his Senate, from whom you received such a command that we, humans, a rational creature, should offer sacrifice to the devils, and bow our necks before the insensitive idols created by human hands. Latrin, Arius and Antor, no longer able to bear the dishonor of their gods and Caesar, laid their hands on the saint, tied him up and handed him over to the soldiers, and they, stretching out the martyr, beat him for a long time without mercy with cruel whips. While enduring torment, the warrior of Christ was not overcome by suffering and was not afraid of threats, but remained firm in the faith of Christ and with cheerfulness of spirit strengthened his weak and vulnerable members from old age. Unchangeable in both face and mind, he did not cease to confess the name of Christ with a loud voice, saying: – I will never stop praising Christ, the Son of God, with my heart, faith and lips. The torturers, even more enraged, ordered to take the life of the holy martyr with a sword; then one warrior drew his sword, struck the holy neck, which was already prepared for beheading, and cut off the most venerable head. When the holy body lay decapitated and was still moving, everyone witnessed, including the murderers themselves, that a great light shone from heaven over it, and along with the light a voice was heard from above: - Rejoice, good servant Lucian, who was not afraid to shed his blood for Me. Come and accept the crown previously promised to you, and be at home in heaven with the saints: come and inherit the abode of eternal glory prepared for you with the Angels. This voice was not for the sake of the saint, who always firmly believed in the reward promised to him by God, but for the sake of the people standing around, so that the latter would be even more confirmed in the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, implanted by Saint Lucian for such a long time. All this happened on the Sabbath day, on the above-mentioned mountain, three miles from the city. Seeing and hearing this, people, both believers and unbelievers, were seized with great fear. Some fled from there, others were surprised with joy, seeing themselves freed from the snares of the devil; however, not being able to look at the shine of the revealed light, they retreated a little from that place. Then Saint Lucian, although dead in body, miraculously received from God the power of movement, rose as if alive from the ground and stood on his feet; then, taking his most venerable head in his hands, he walked unhindered, led by the grace of the Holy Spirit who dwelt in him and the help of Angels, and with firm steps, as if living flesh, he began the journey, carrying his holy head, as did his friend, Saint Dionysius, in the city of Paris. Having walked about three miles and crossed the waters of the above-mentioned Fara River, the man of God reached the place he had chosen for his burial. There he lay down on the ground and rested in peace in the Lord. Pious people, converted to Christ by the preaching of the martyr, came and anointed the holy body with its aromas, wrapped it in clean linen and buried it with many honors, not without the angelic presence: for when the honorable body was given over to burial, it was possible to smell, in addition to earthly aromas, another kind of wondrous and indescribable fragrance. Everyone who was there marveled and asked each other: – Glory to Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, that you have made us worthy to smell such a fragrance as our nostrils have never smelled! Glory to Thee, Christ the Savior: for we have so enjoyed this fragrance that then, we think, we will not be deprived of any good! And while they were saying this, until then a Divine fragrance was given to them. From here the presence of the holy Angels was undoubtedly recognized, who from the beginning of the martyr’s suffering until his death and burial were constantly with him. Having performed an honest burial, the pious burials bowed to the ground, exclaiming with a contrite heart: “We believe, Jesus Christ, that You are the true Son of God, reigning in heaven with the Father and the Holy Spirit, as we heard with our ears and learned to believe in our hearts from Your holy martyr Lucian. The multitude of people who had gathered for the burial from the surrounding towns and villages, seeing this, and the last of those who came, hearing from those who saw them, were touched in their hearts, and on the same day about five hundred souls believed in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and before, by the teaching of St. Lucian in that country, up to thirty thousand of both sexes and of every age were converted to Christ, who, leaving idols, confessed God the Unbegotten Father and His Only Begotten Son, together with the Holy Spirit, in the Trinity of the true and one God. Then some of the converts, out of zeal, built a church over the tomb of the martyr, to the glory of God and in honor of His saint, Saint Lucian. The bodies of the holy martyrs Maxian and Julian were buried on the mountain where they were killed, but then, when the number of Christians increased, they were transferred from there and laid along with the body of blessed Lucian. And many benefits were given there from our Lord Jesus Christ through the intercession of His holy martyrs. Just as they had one faith, one love, and one confession in suffering, so, we believe, they have one cohabitation and inheritance of an eternal kingdom in eternal bliss. We thank our Creator that His three witnesses, confessing the Trinity, achieved perfection through martyrdom; We reverently honor them, knowing that from them is given sight to the blind, walking to the lame: liberation of demons, and many healings from various ailments are accomplished through their holy prayers, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him with the Father and the Holy Spirit be honor and glory forever, amen. St. Dionysius the Areopagite (member of the Areopagus, the highest government seat in Athens) turned to Christianity under the influence of the sermon of St. Paul (Acts 17:34) and was ordained Bishop of Athens by him; then in 90 he was sent to Gaul to preach the Gospel together with Presbyter Rusticus and Deacon Eleutherius. He suffered with them in 96 under Domitian. His memory is October 3 Ticinus, present-day Pavia, is an ancient city in Cisalpine Gaul, on the left bank of the Tinin, near its confluence with the Padus. The field is approximately 690 fathoms. 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