Похвала святому мученику Юлиану *17

The glory of the martyrs on earth and the certainty of greater glory in heaven. The reward for earthly deeds was postponed by God so that it would be eternal and so that the expectation of it would make the deeds themselves easier. History of St. Julian: his origin, the duration of confession and the good consequences of this for the martyr himself and for other Christians; the last torment and death, which likened Julian to Daniel in the lion's den and Noah in the ark. The bodies of the saints were left on earth to teach us. An exhortation to the listeners to refrain from participating in the riotous festival at Daphne the next day; the superiority of the present holiday over tomorrow, both in the type of pleasures and in the results. An admonition to those who themselves will not go to Daphne tomorrow, take care, without fear of false shame, to stop those going there on the road and bring them to the church of the martyr. 1. If such are the honors given to martyrs on earth, then after leaving here what kind of crowns are woven in heaven for their holy heads? If such is their glory before the resurrection, then what will be their radiance after the resurrection? If they receive such veneration from slaves like themselves, then what kind of favor will they receive from the Lord? If we, the evil ones, know how to honor the ascetics of slaves like us and revere them because they fought for Christ, then how much more will our Heavenly Father give countless benefits to those who have labored for Him (Matthew 7:11)? Truly, He is generous and philanthropic; but not only because great honors await them, but also because He is their debtor. The martyrs were not sacrificed for us, and yet we flock in honor of them. If we, for whom they were not slain, flock together, then what will not Christ, for whom they laid down their heads, do? If He gave such great benefits to those to whom He owed nothing, then what gifts will He not repay to those to whom He owes a debt? He owed nothing to the universe before: “for all,” says Paul, “have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23); or - better - He owed execution and torment, and yet, being obliged to repay us with execution and torment, He granted eternal life. So, if He gave the kingdom to those to whom He owed executions, then what will He not give to those to whom He owes eternal life? With what honors will He not honor them? If He was crucified and shed blood for those who hated Him, then what will He not do for those who shed their blood for His confession? If He loved those who turned away and retreated so much that He even died for them, then those who loved Him to the highest degree, for “greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13), with what favor and honor will He receive? The devotees of external competitions on the same lists fight, and win, and are declared winners, and are crowned; but this is not the case with ascetics of piety: they fought in the present century, but will be crowned in the future; they fight the devil and win here, and are declared winners there. And in order for you to be convinced that this is fair, that crowns are not given to them here, but all gifts await them there, listen to Paul, who says: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; and now the crown of righteousness is prepared for me; where and when? which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me at that day" (2 Tim. 4:7-8). Here he competes, and there he is crowned; here he has won, and there he is proclaimed. Listen to what he cries out today and says: “All these died in faith, not receiving the promises, but only saw them from afar and rejoiced” (Heb. 11:13). Why do external ascetics have victories and crowns together, but why do ascetics of piety have victories and crowns not together, but at such a distance in time? They struggled, worked here, suffered countless wounds, and the Lord does not immediately crown them? Not immediately, says (the apostle), because real life, by its nature, does not accommodate the greatness of that honor; the present age is fleeting and short, but that age is limitless, immortal and endless. Therefore, the Lord devoted labor to a short and temporary age, and reserved the crowns for the ageless and endless, so that the burden of labor would be lightened, limited to the brevity of time, and the enjoyment of the crowns would be constant and endless, extending to the eternity of those boundless centuries. Thus He put aside the gift, desiring to honor them more; and not only for this, but also so that they have pure pleasure. Just as someone who first enjoys and enjoys pleasures, and then suffers, does not feel real pleasure due to the expectation of future disasters; So the one who first fights, struggles, suffers countless calamities, and then is crowned, does not feel real evils, encouraged by the hope of future blessings. And not only by hope in the future He made their present work easier, but also by the fact that He arranged for sorrow to be in order before pleasure, so that, looking at Him, they would not be too oppressed by present disasters. Likewise, fighters willingly accept wounds, looking not at the pain, but at the crown; Likewise, sailors, enduring countless dangers, storms and some kind of difficult war, being ready for battle with wild animals and sea robbers, do not think about anything like that, but look at the piers and enrichment from trade. So the martyrs, enduring countless sufferings and experiencing the torment of their bodies with various torments, did not look at anything like that, but fixed their gaze on heaven and the blessings there. And in order for you to be convinced that what is difficult by nature and unbearable becomes light and very comfortable from the hope of the future, listen to the prime minister of such blessings: “For,” he says, “our momentary light suffering produces eternal glory in an immeasurable abundance—in what manner, tell me?—when we look not at what is seen, but at what is unseen” (2 Cor. 4:17-18). 2. I did not say all this simply, but for you, so that when you see someone enjoying and enjoying pleasures in this life, and there he is about to be punished, do not please him for present pleasures, but regret it because of future punishment. And on the other hand, when you see someone who is there to enjoy the great honor in sorrow, in cramped conditions and among countless disasters in this temporary life, then do not mourn him for real disasters, but please him and consider him worthy of jealousy for the sake of the crowns assigned to him in those boundless centuries. The saint now celebrated was produced by the Cilician people, who also produced Paul; he was a fellow citizen of the apostle, and both ministers of the Church from there were offered to us. When the field of piety opened, and time called him to exploits, he ends up with a cruel beast, who was then a judge. And look at the trick! Seeing the saint’s firm conviction and the impossibility of crushing the strength of his determination by the cruelty of execution, the judge uses slowness and delays against him, constantly either summoning the martyr or sending him back. Not in one day, after listening, he cut off his head, so that the speed of execution would not make the feat easier for him, but every day he summoned him and sent him back, interrogated him, threatened with countless tortures, seduced him with flattering speeches, using all his cunning, trying to shake this unshakable foundation - and led him for a whole year throughout Cilicia, wanting to shame him, or better yet, what he did not intend, making him more glorious; the martyr himself exclaimed and sang with Paul: “Thanks be to God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus, and spreads by us the fragrance of the knowledge of Himself in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14). Just as myrrh, while it lies in one place, only fills the air with fragrance, and when it is carried to many places, it fills them all with its goodness - this is exactly what happened then with this martyr. They led him away, intending to shame him, but the opposite happened: through such a send-off, the ascetic became the most glorious and made all the inhabitants of the Cilician country competitors of his virtue. He was taken everywhere so that they would not only hear about his exploits, but also the audience would see the crown bearer himself with their own eyes; and the further distances (the tormentor) arranged for him, the more glorious all his processions became, the greater the obstacles he put in front of him, the more amazing his feats were, the longer he prolonged his grief, the more visible his patience became. Gold, the more time it is exposed to fire, the purer it becomes; so the soul of this saint, tormented then, shone more over time, and the tormentor drove in the martyr nothing more than a trophy of victory over himself and the devil, a denunciation of the cruelty of the pagans, proof of the piety of Christians, the greatest sign of the power of Christ, edification and inspiration to the faithful, so that they too would willingly endure the same feats, a preacher of the glory of God, a teacher in the art of such feats. Truly, he called on everyone to follow his jealousy, not only by his voice advising, but by his very deeds making a sound louder than a trumpet. Just as “the heavens preach the glory of God” (Ps. 18:2), not uttering a voice, but by the splendor of their appearance bringing the viewer into amazement before the Creator, so this martyr accurately told the glory of God, being himself the sky, and, moreover, much more brilliant than this visible one, because it is not so much the choirs of stars that add shine to the sky, as the streams of wounds multiplied the shine of the martyr’s body. And in order for you to be convinced that the wounds of the martyr are more brilliant than the stars established in the sky, look. Both people and demons look at the sky and the stars, and faithful people look at the wounds of the martyr, but the demons do not dare to look directly; if they try to look, their eyes are immediately blinded, not having the strength to bear the brilliance emanating from there. I will prove this not only by ancient cases, but also by cases that still happen today. Taking someone possessed by a demon and raging, bring him to this holy tomb, where the remains of the martyr are, and you will see that he will certainly jump back and run away. As if he had to walk on hot coals, he immediately jumps out from the very vestibule, not daring to look even at the cancer itself. If now, after such a long time, when the martyr has become dust and ashes, the demons do not dare to look at the monument and the exposed bones of the saint, then it is clear that even then, when they saw him stained with blood on all sides, shining with wounds more than the rays of the sun, they were amazed and ran away with amazed eyes. 3. Do you see how the wounds of the martyrs are more brilliant and amazing than the stars of heaven and have greater power? Thus, the saint was brought to the middle, and bitter torments surrounded him from everywhere - fear of the future, heaviness of the present, pain from what had come, languor from what was expected. The executioners surrounding his body, like wild beasts, tormented his ribs, scraped off his flesh, exposed his bones, reaching to his very entrails; but, although they searched everything, they could not steal the treasure of faith. In the royal treasuries, where gold and other invaluable wealth are stored, as soon as you break down the walls or open the doors, you will immediately see the treasure lying; but here, with this holy and Christ-bearing church, the opposite happened: the executioners broke down the walls, tore open the chest, but they did not see the wealth lying in it and could not take it; but what the inhabitants of Sodom experienced, who stood at the very door of Lot’s dwelling, and did not find the entrance (Gen. 19:11), they too - they searched everywhere for the body of the martyr, but they could not take possession of the treasure and empty the wealth of faith. Such are the spiritual virtues of the saints: inalienable and irresistible, they are contained in the steadfastness of their souls, as if in some inaccessible refuge, and neither the eyes of the tormentors will see them, nor the hands of the executioners are able to take them away, but even if they tore apart the very heart to which spiritual courage is primarily entrusted, even if they cut it into small pieces, and thus they would not devastate this wealth, and would increase it even more; the reason is that God dwells in such souls, and it is never possible for someone at war with God to win victory, but must inevitably leave disgraced and having suffered a shameful defeat. Therefore, at that time, the exact opposite of what was usual happened. Everywhere actions prevail over words; and then words prevailed over deeds. How? The torturers used fire, iron, and torture; they used torture, torment, and scourging; His ribs were completely torn; but the sufferer remained irresistible: he only spoke, uttered only one voice - and the word prevailed over deeds. From the mouth of the martyr came a holy voice - and with it a light poured out more brilliantly than a ray of sunlight. The light of this ray is such as the distance from heaven to earth, or better yet, it cannot even travel this entire distance when it encounters either a roof, or a wall, or a cloud, or some other body in the middle, but is reflected and its further movement is blocked by these obstacles; and the voice of the martyr, coming from his holy lips, ascended to heaven itself. He passed through the heaven of heavens; The angels saw him and retreated, the archangels, and stood aside; The cherubim and other forces led him upward, and did not stop until they brought him to the Royal Throne itself. After this voice, when the then judge saw that all means had been used in vain and in vain, that he was going against the grain and breaking the adamant, what did he do? He finally begins to manifest his defeat and deprives the martyr of real life, since the death of martyrs is a clear defeat for those who kill and a brilliant victory for those who are killed. But look at what a terrible and cruel kind of death he invented, sufficiently demonstrating the cruelty of the tormentor and the courage of the martyr. What exactly is the type of execution? Having brought a bag and filled it with sand, he puts scorpions, snakes, echidnas and dragons there, puts the saint with them, and throws them into the sea. And so the martyr was with the beasts, and again the righteous man was imprisoned with the beasts; I said: again, so that you remember the ancient story about Daniel. This one was imprisoned in a ditch, and this one was put in a sack; Then they rolled the stone, and here they sewed up the sack, making an even tighter prison for the righteous man. But animals everywhere respect the bodies of saints, to the shame and condemnation of those who are honored with the gift of speech and honored to be people, but with their excessive cruelty they overshadow the ferocity of wild animals - which, of course, was this tormentor. And one could see a wondrous miracle, no less a miracle with Daniel. Just as the Babylonians were surprised when they saw him many days later emerging from the lion’s den, so the angels were surprised when they saw Julian’s soul from the bag and the waves ascending to heaven. Daniel struck and defeated two lions, although they were physical ones; this one struck and defeated one lion, but a mental one, our enemy the devil, who, it is said, “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8); but he, too, was defeated by the courage of the martyr, who laid aside the poison of sin, and therefore he did not consume it, and therefore was not afraid of either the lion or the fury of the beasts. 4. Do you want me to tell another ancient story, where the righteous man and the beasts are? Think about Noah's flood and the ark. And then the righteous man and the beasts are together; but Noah entered as a man and came out as a man, and Julian entered as a man and came out as an angel; this one entered from the earth, and came out again to the earth, and this one entered the bag from the earth, and from the bag went up to heaven. The sea took him not to kill him, but to crown him, and, having crowned him, returned to us the body of the martyr, this holy ark; We keep it to this day as a treasury of countless blessings. God shared the martyrs with us: Having Himself taken their souls, He gave them to us, as it were, so that their holy bones would be a constant reminder of their virtue. In fact, if someone who looks at the bloody weapon of a fighter, at his shield, spear and armor, immediately, even if he were the laziest of all, jumps up, gets excited and strives for war, being prompted by the sight of this weapon to perform the same feats - then we, looking not at the weapon, but at the very body of the saint, worthy to be bloodied for the confession of Christ, even if we were the most fearful of all, we can Should we not feel great jealousy when this sight, like some kind of fire, penetrates our soul and calls us to the same feat? This is why God left us the bodies of the saints until the time of the resurrection, so that we might have in them a lesson of the greatest wisdom. However, let the weakness of our tongue not diminish the praises of the martyr, but let them wait for the manager of the exploits - God. He who gives them crowns will praise them; their praise comes not from men, but from God; and what we said, we said not to make the martyr appear brighter, but to make you more zealous. Having left the praise to him, let us turn the whole speech to you - or better yet, it is impossible to stop praising the martyrs when someone is talking in church about useful subjects. Be careful; I want today to destroy the bad old custom, so that we not only come to the martyrs, but also imitate the martyrs, since honoring the martyrs is not only that. to come to them, but even before that to compete with their courage. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to point out the bad custom, because, without knowing the disease, it is inconvenient to use medicine; and I will first open the wound, and then apply the medicine. What kind of bad custom is this? Some of those gathered here today (I will not blame the entire church for this guilt), through carelessness and simplicity, having left us, tomorrow will rush to Daphne - to squander tomorrow what we have collected today and to destroy what we have created. So, so that their presence here does not remain fruitless for them, let’s say a little about this and finish the speech. Why, tell me, are you rushing to this outskirts of the city? Here is the outskirts of mountainous Jerusalem; here is spiritual Daphne! There are springs of water, here are springs of martyrs; there are cypresses, barren trees, here are the remains of saints, the roots of plants on the earth, and branches stretching to the sky. Do you want to see the fruit of these branches? Open your eyes of faith, and I will immediately show you the nature of these wondrous fruits. The fruit of these branches is not apples, not nuts, or anything else corruptible and perishing, but the healing of crippled bodies, the remission of sins, the destruction of vice, the healing of mental illness, unceasing prayer, boldness before God, everything is spiritual and filled with heavenly blessings. These fruits, constantly plucked, always remain in abundance, and those who cultivate them never lack them. Moreover, trees growing on the ground bear fruit once a year, and if you do not pick them, then with the onset of winter, the trees lose their beauty when the fruits spoil and fall off; and these know neither winter nor summer, are not subject to the influence of the seasons, and you can never see them naked from their fruits, but they always stand in the same splendor; Neither decay nor the change of times concerns them. So, how many, since this body was planted on earth, have collected countless healings from this holy tomb, and yet the fruits have not diminished - the harvests have been reaped, but the ears of grain have not become scarce, they have been drawn from the source, and the streams have not been emptied; on the contrary, there is a certain constant tide, never drying up, but in return for what is drawn, always producing an even more abundant miracle. However, not only miracles are performed, but also lessons of wisdom are taught. If you are rich, and proud, and have an arrogant soul, then, having come here, seeing the martyr and considering the difference between your wealth and his abundance, you will immediately humble your pride and, putting aside arrogance, you will leave here with complete health in your soul; if you are poor and consider yourself despised, then, having come, seeing the wealth of the martyr and laughing at the external wealth, you will leave here, filled with great wisdom, and even if insults, or losses, or wounds were inflicted on you, seeing that you have not yet suffered as much as this holy martyr, you will also receive sufficient consolation from here. Do you see what the fruits of these roots are, how inexhaustible they are, how spiritual, how they touch the very soul? I don’t forbid going to the suburbs, but I do forbid going tomorrow. For what? So that the pleasure is impeccable, so that the pleasure is pure, so that condemnation does not come. On another day you can enjoy pleasure and avoid sin. If you want to enjoy pleasure even now, then what is more pleasant than this gathering, what is more charming than this spiritual spectacle, the gathering of your fellow members, your brothers? But do you want to take part in the bodily meal? After the meeting is over, you can sit here near the church of the martyrs under a fig tree or under a vineyard, rest your body, and free your conscience from condemnation. The martyr, visible up close, located nearby and present at the meal itself, will not allow pleasure to spill into sin; but, like some mentor or excellent father, contemplated by the eyes of faith, he restrains laughter, cuts off obscene pleasures, destroys all impulses of the flesh that cannot be avoided there. Why? Because tomorrow the suburbs will be captured by round dances of people; and the sight of such people often and wanting to be prudent will involuntarily lead to the imitation of such shamelessness, and especially when the devil is present among them - and he is there evoked by prodigal songs, shameful speeches, and demonic rejoicing. But you renounced all this rejoicing and designated yourself to serve Christ on the day on which you were awarded the Holy Mysteries. Remember those words and that vow, and avoid breaking them. 5. I want to talk with those who are present here and will not go there, and entrust them with the salvation of others. Likewise, a doctor, having come to a sick person, does not speak much to the patient, but, calling those close to him, gives them all the instructions regarding medicines, food and other care. Why? Because the sick person does not immediately accept advice, but the healthy person listens with full readiness to what is said. That’s why I, after them, want to talk with you. Tomorrow we will seize the gates in advance, occupy the roads, remove the men from the carts and the women from the women, we will bring them here, we will not be ashamed. Where there is a brother's salvation, there is no shame. If they are not ashamed when they go to the lawless rejoicing, then we should not be ashamed much more when we intend to return them to this sacred celebration. When we have to save our brother, we will not give up anything. If Christ died for us, then we must endure everything for them; even if they begin to strike, even if they begin to scold, you hold on and do not lag behind until you bring them to the holy martyr; even if it were necessary to organize a trial of passers-by, let those who wish to listen: I want, tell me, to save my brother, I see a perishing soul and I cannot neglect kinship. Whoever wants, let him condemn; whoever wants, let him accuse; but, more precisely, no one will condemn, on the contrary, everyone will praise, everyone will approve. I argue and fight not for money, not in revenge for a personal insult, and not for anything else in everyday life, but for the salvation of my brother: who would not approve of this, who would not marvel? We, who were in no way related to each other by carnal kinship, were bound by spiritual kinship with love stronger than our parents. If you want, we will take the martyr with us - he will not be ashamed to go and save his brothers. Let us introduce him to their eyes, let them be afraid of his presence, let them be ashamed of his admonitions and requests, but he will not be ashamed to ask. If His Master begs our nature: “We are ambassadors on behalf of Christ,” says Paul, “as if God Himself exhorts through us: be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20), then how much more will His servant do this. Only one thing saddens him - our destruction, one thing makes him happy - our salvation, and therefore he will not refuse to do anything for this. Let us not be ashamed, and we will not consider this unnecessary. If hunters walk along rapids, mountains, abysses and any impassable place, wanting to catch a hare, or a chamois, or something else similar, or often even some wild birds, then how do you, having in mind to lead away from destruction not an insignificant wordless thing, but a spiritual brother for whom Christ died, refuse and are ashamed not to pass through mountains and forests, but only to go out to the gate? What excuse, tell me, will you have? Don’t you hear how one wise man exhorts and says: “there is shame that leads to sin” (Sir.4:25)? But are you afraid that someone will judge you? Lay the blame on me for saying this; say that the teacher ordered it; I am ready to sue those who condemn and present an excuse. But, better to say, no one will condemn either you or us, even if he is very shameless; on the contrary, everyone will approve, not only the residents of our native city, but also neighboring cities, and will marvel at us for our care, for the fact that such is our power of love, such is the jealousy of mutual affection. But what am I saying about people? The Lord of Angels himself will approve of us. So, knowing the reward, let us not despise this hunt; we will return here tomorrow, not alone, but let everyone come, bringing with them the prey. If only you come at the hour when the person leaving the house is setting off on the road, and distract him on the journey here, then there will be no difficulty; on the contrary, after some time, he will bring you great gratitude, and everyone else will praise you and marvel at you; and most importantly, the heavenly Lord will give you great rewards for this, will increase both this profit and this praise. Thus, imagining the profit that will come for us from here, let us all scatter in front of the city, seize our brothers and bring us here, so that tomorrow we will have a complete spectacle and a complete triumph, so that the holy martyr, for his zeal here, will receive us into the eternal abodes with great boldness, of which may we all be worthy by the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, with The Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. This word was pronounced in Antioch, where the relics of the martyr rested and the church was named after him. Memory of St. Juliana - June 21. You might be interested in: