The Lives of the Saints
1. THE HIEROMARTYR ATHENOGENES, BISHOP OF SEBASTIA IN ARMENIA
He lived in a monastery near the city with ten of his disciples. In the time of Diocletian, a certain fierce persecutor of Christians, Philomarchus, came to Sebastia. He seized and slew many Christians in the city. When he saw Athenogenes and his disciples, he told the elder to offer sacrifice to the idols, lest he perish as the other Christians had perished. Athenogenes answered him: "O tormentor, those whom thou callest perished have not perished but are in heaven and rejoice with the angels." A touching scene occurred when a doe, which the merciful Athenogenes had fed with his own hand, came running to him and, seeing him in distress, shed tears. Even the wild beasts of the mountains had more compassion for the martyrs of Christ than did the pagans! After terrible tortures, during which an angel of God eased the suffering of the martyrs, all were beheaded by the sword — first the priests and co-laborers of Athenogenes, and then Athenogenes himself — and they departed to their heavenly homeland, in the year 311.
2. THE HOLY VIRGIN MARTYR JULIA
A native of Carthage, of a distinguished family. When the Persians conquered Carthage, many people were led away into captivity. Holy Julia also was seized and enslaved, and fell into the hands of a certain merchant in Syria. This merchant was a pagan. Seeing that Julia was a Christian, he counseled her many times to renounce Christ and become of one faith with him, but Julia would by no means consent to this. But since Julia was faithful and reliable in service, the merchant left her in peace and spoke no more to her about religion. Once the merchant loaded a ship with goods, took Julia with him, and set out by sea to distant lands for trade. When they reached Corsica, there was a certain pagan feast, and the merchant joined in the abominable sacrifice, while Julia remained in the ship weeping that so many people lived in foolish delusion and did not know the truth. But somehow the pagans learned of her, dragged her from the ship — even though her master opposed it — and began to torture her terribly. They cut off her breasts and cast her upon a stone, and then crucified her on a cross, upon which holy Julia surrendered her spirit to God. Her death was announced by an angel of God to monks on a nearby island, Margarita (or Gorgona), and they came and reverently buried the body of the martyr. Many miracles were manifested at the grave of Saint Julia through the ages, and she herself also appeared to some from the other world. She suffered honorably in the sixth century. After many years the faithful wished to build a new church on another site in honor of Saint Julia, since the old church was both small and dilapidated. They gathered, then, the materials: stone, brick, sand, and everything else needed at that new site. But it happened that during the night before the day on which they intended to lay the foundation, all that material was carried by an invisible hand to the old church. In perplexity the people again transferred the material to the new site, but the same thing happened again: the material was found at the old site beside the old church. And the night watchmen saw a most radiant maiden transporting the material to the old church on white oxen. From this everyone understood that Saint Julia did not wish her church to be built in another place, so they demolished the old church and on that very same spot erected a new one.
3. THE HOLY 15,000 MARTYRS
They were beheaded by the sword for the Faith of Christ in Persia.
4. THE HOLY MARTYR ATHENOGENES
The composer of the evening hymn: "O Gladsome Light" (Svete Tikhiy). He ended his life for Christ in fire and was deemed worthy of eternal glory in the Kingdom of God.
5. COMMEMORATION OF THE SIX ECUMENICAL COUNCILS
This joint commemoration of the first six Councils is observed on the Sunday that falls between July 13 and 19.
“O tormentor, those whom thou callest perished have not perished but are in heaven and rejoice with the angels.”
Hymn of Praise
The martyr Julia,
For her Christ crucified,
Invokes the power of Christ,
The power of the Precious Cross.
From six wounds she shed her blood,
With blood she stained the earth,
For she believed in Christ
And did not hide her faith.
Nor did Christ hide her —
He proclaimed her to the whole world,
And in the immortal kingdom
He glorified her in heaven.
When Julia breathed out
Her spirit, pure and holy,
From her lips a white dove
Soared aloft on high...
When the people saw this,
All cried out in fear:
"Woe to the wicked judges
Who shed the righteous blood!"
“When Julia breathed out her spirit, pure and holy, from her lips a white dove soared aloft on high.”
Reflection
The Ecumenical Councils were the greatest battlefields of the struggle of Orthodoxy against heresies. Under today's date the Church commemorates the first six Councils collectively, namely: the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in the year 325, with the participation of 318 holy Fathers. It is separately commemorated on May 29 and the seventh Sunday after Pascha. This Council refuted the heresy of Arius against God the Son. The Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in the year 381, with 150 holy Fathers. It is separately commemorated on May 22. This Council refuted the heresy of Macedonius against God the Holy Spirit. The Third Ecumenical Council in Ephesus in the year 431, with 200 holy Fathers. It is separately commemorated on September 9. This Council refuted the heresy of Nestorius against the Theotokos. The Fourth Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon in the year 451, with 630 holy Fathers. It is separately commemorated on July 16. This Council refuted the Monophysite heresy. The Fifth Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in the year 553, with 160 holy Fathers. It is separately commemorated on July 25. This Council refuted the heresy of Origen. The Sixth Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in the year 691, with 170 holy Fathers. It is separately celebrated on January 23. This Council refuted the Monothelite heresy. The Seventh Ecumenical Council, which met in the year 878 with 367 holy Fathers, is not commemorated on this occasion but only separately on October 11. This Council refuted the Iconoclast heresy. At these Councils, by the action of the Holy Spirit, all heresies were condemned and the Orthodox faith was explained and confirmed for all time.
Contemplation
Contemplate the miraculous drawing of water from the rock at Kadesh (Numbers 20), namely:
1. How Moses, by the command of God, struck the rock with his staff but without faith, and how by the will of God water flowed forth;
2. How God punished Moses and Aaron for their lack of faith by not permitting them to enter the Promised Land;
3. How thereby it was shown that even a great righteous one such as Moses is prone to sin — so that none among mortals would boast of his own virtue.
“Even a great righteous one such as Moses is prone to sin — so that none among mortals would boast of his own virtue.”
Homily
On the Share of the Faithful in the Divine Nature
That by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:4)
How can a mortal man, brethren, have a share in the divine nature? How can the eternal be united with the temporal, and the glorious with the inglorious, and the incorruptible with the corruptible, and the pure with the impure? It cannot be without certain conditions. And those conditions the Apostle mentions, namely: one condition on God's side and another on the side of man. As the condition on God's side he mentions His divine power that gives us all things that pertain unto life and godliness; and as the condition on man's side — having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. God has fulfilled His condition and given us His divine powers through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Now it is man's turn to fulfill his condition, that is, having come to know Christ the Lord, to escape from the carnal lusts of this world. The Lord Christ first opened heaven and all the treasures of heaven, and then called men to draw near and receive those treasures. How did He call them? Only by words? By words too, but not by words alone — rather by glory and virtue: by glory, that is, by His glorious Resurrection; by virtue, that is, by His wondrous ministry and suffering. Thereby He called us to receive the exceedingly great promises, so that for their sake we might have a share in the divine nature. But in order for us to know Christ and to hear His call, we must first escape from the carnal lusts of this world. If we do not escape, then we shall remain blind before Him, before His glory and virtue, and deaf to His call.
O brethren, how exceedingly great is the mercy of God toward us! By that exceedingly great mercy of God, adoption by the Immortal One is offered to us mortals, and to us sinners incorporation into the glorified Body of the Lord Jesus. But — only under a condition, which is neither a great burden nor a heavy cross.
O Lord Jesus, fulfillment of all promises and source of all good things, heal us of our blindness and our deafness, and grant us the strength to escape from the carnal lusts of this world. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“How can the eternal be united with the temporal, and the glorious with the inglorious, and the incorruptible with the corruptible?”