Homily by St. John Chrysostom on the Martyr Julian of Tarsus
June 21/July 4. With a brief life.
Before reading the homily, here is a brief account of the martyrdom of St. Julian, commemorated today:
The Life of St. Julian of Tarsus
Commemoration of the Holy Martyr Julian of Tarsus (June 21/July 4)
St. Julian the Martyr was born in the province of Cilicia in Asia Minor. He was the son of a pagan senator, and his mother was a Christian. After her husband's death, Julian's mother moved to the city of Tarsus, where she baptized her son and raised him in Christian piety. When Julian turned 18, Emperor Diocletian (284–305) began persecuting Christians. Among those captured was Julian. He was brought before the governor Marcian for trial, where he was repeatedly urged to renounce Christ. Neither tortures, threats, nor promises of gifts and honors could persuade the pious young man to offer pagan sacrifices or renounce Christ. The holy confessor remained steadfast in his firm faith.
For an entire year, the martyr was led through the cities of Cilicia, where he was subjected to interrogations and severe tortures in each city before being thrown into prison. Julian's mother followed her son and prayed that the Lord would further strengthen him in his faith and endurance. In the city of Aegea, under the pretext of convincing her son to offer sacrifices to idols, she asked the governor for permission to visit the prison. She spent three days in the prison with Julian, pleading with him to remain steadfast until the end.
Julian was brought before the governor again. Believing that the mother had convinced her son to obey the imperial decree, the governor began to praise her wisdom. Unexpectedly, she boldly confessed herself to be a Christian. St. Julian, equally fearless and courageous, continued to denounce pagan polytheism. The governor then ordered that the feet of Julian's mother be cut off for accompanying her son from Tarsus. The holy martyr succumbed to the inflicted wounds. Julian was sewn into a sack filled with sand and poisonous creatures and thrown into the sea. The waves carried his body to the shore near Alexandria, where it was honorably buried by a pious Alexandrian Christian woman.
And the homily of our father among the saints, John Chrysostom:
This word was spoken in Antioch, where the relics of the martyr rested and the temple bore his name. The memory of St. Julian is on June 21.
1. If on earth such honors are given to martyrs, what crowns are woven in heaven for the saints? If their glory is so great before the resurrection, how much greater will their radiance be after the resurrection? If they receive such honor from fellow servants, what favor will they receive from the Lord? If we, wicked as we are, know how to honor those who strive for Christ, how much more will our heavenly Father give countless blessings to those who labored for Him (Matt. 7:11)? Truly, He is generous and loving; but the great honors awaiting them are not only because of this but also because He is their debtor. The martyrs were not slain for us, yet we gather in their honor. If we, for whom they were not slain, gather, what will Christ do for those who laid down their lives for Him? If He gave such great blessings to those to whom He owed nothing, what gifts will He give to those to whom He is indebted? He owed nothing to the universe: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23); or, rather, the debt owed to Him was punishment and suffering, yet, being owed punishment, He granted eternal life. Therefore, if He gave the kingdom to those who deserved punishment, what will He give to those who deserve eternal life? With what honors will He honor them? If He was crucified and shed His blood for those who hated Him, what will He do for those who shed their blood for His confession? If He loved those who turned away from Him so much that He died for them, with what favor and honor will He receive those who loved Him to the highest degree (for greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends (John 15:13))?
Those who strive in external contests both strive and are crowned in the same arena, but with the contestants of piety, it is not so: they struggle in this present age but are crowned in the future; they battle with the devil and overcome here, but are proclaimed victors there. To convince you that this is true, that their crowns are not given here but await them there, listen to Paul, who says: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness; where and when? which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day (2 Tim. 4:7-8). He struggled here, but is crowned there; he conquered here, but is proclaimed victorious there. Listen to what he also cries out and says today: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them (Heb. 11:13). Why is it that for external contestants, victories and crowns are together, but for contestants of piety, victories and crowns are not together but separated by such a length of time? They struggled, labored here, endured countless wounds, and the Lord does not immediately crown them? Not immediately, says the apostle, because the present life by its nature cannot contain the greatness of that honor; this age is fleeting and short, but that one is boundless, immortal, and endless.
Therefore, the Lord assigned the labors to the short and temporal age, but kept the crowns for the ageless and endless one, so that the severity of the labors would be lightened, being limited by the brevity of time, and the enjoyment of the crowns would be constant and unending, stretching into the eternity of those boundless ages. Thus, He postponed the gift, desiring to honor them more; and not only for this reason but also so they would have pure joy. Just as one who first enjoys and uses pleasures, but then suffers, does not feel the present enjoyment due to the anticipation of future sufferings; so, one who first struggles, labors, endures countless afflictions, but then is crowned, does not feel the present evils, encouraged by the hope of future blessings. And not only did He ease their present labor with the hope of the future, but also by arranging that sorrow precede enjoyment, so they would not be overly burdened by present sufferings. Thus, fighters gladly accept wounds, not looking at the pain but at the crown; thus, sailors, enduring countless dangers, storms, and a severe war, ready to fight both wild beasts and sea robbers, think of nothing like that, but look to the harbors and the wealth from trade. So, martyrs, enduring countless sufferings and experiencing the torment of the body from various tortures, looked at nothing like that, but directed their gaze to heaven and the blessings there. To convince you that what is naturally grievous and unbearable becomes light and very easy through hope for the future, listen to the chief of such blessings: For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, - how, tell me? - while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen (2 Cor. 4:17-18).
All of this is not said idly, but for your benefit, so that when you see someone enjoying and indulging in pleasures in this life, yet destined to undergo punishment in the next, you do not envy him for his present enjoyment, but rather pity him for the future punishment. Conversely, when you see someone who will enjoy great honor there but is in sorrow, distress, and countless tribulations in this temporary life, do not mourn for his present sufferings, but bless and consider him worthy of emulation for the crowns appointed to him in those endless ages. The saint we now celebrate was produced by the Cilician people, the same people who produced Paul; he was a fellow citizen of the apostle, and both ministers of the church were offered to us from there.
When the arena of piety opened and the time called him to his struggles, he encountered a ferocious beast, who was then the judge. Notice the cunning! Seeing the saint’s firm conviction and the impossibility of breaking the strength of his resolve through the harshness of the punishment, the judge used delay and postponement against him, constantly summoning and sending him back. He did not cut off his head in one day after a hearing, so that the speed of the execution would not make the struggle easier for him, but daily called him and sent him back, interrogated him, threatened with countless tortures, tempted him with flattering words, using all tricks to shake this unshakable foundation, and led him for a whole year throughout Cilicia, intending to disgrace him. But, in truth, he made him more glorious. The martyr himself cried out and sang with Paul: “Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14). Just as myrrh, while it remains in one place, fills the air around it with fragrance, but when carried to many places, fills them all with its goodness, so it happened with this martyr. They led him around, intending to disgrace him, but the opposite occurred: through such proceedings, the athlete became more glorious and made all the inhabitants of Cilicia competitors in his virtue. They led him everywhere so that not only by hearsay people would know about his deeds, but also by seeing the crown-bearer with their own eyes. The further distances the torturer arranged for him, the more glorious his processions became; the greater the obstacles he placed, the more wondrous the struggles appeared; the longer he prolonged the sorrow, the more evident his endurance became. Gold, the longer it is subjected to fire, the purer it becomes; so the soul of this saint, tortured at that time, shone more brightly over time, and the torturer led in the martyr nothing else but a trophy of victory over himself and the devil, an exposure of the cruelty of the pagans, proof of the piety of Christians, the greatest sign of the power of Christ, instruction and inspiration for the faithful to willingly endure such struggles, a preacher of God’s glory, and a teacher in the art of such struggles. Truly, he called all to follow his zeal, not only advising with his voice but also demonstrating with his very deeds, issuing a sound louder than a trumpet. Just as the heavens declare the glory of God (Ps. 18:1), not with a voice but by the magnificence of their appearance, causing the viewer to marvel at the Creator, so this martyr declared the glory of God, being himself a heaven, and much more splendid than the visible one, for the stars do not add as much brightness to the heaven as the streams of wounds increased the brightness of the martyr’s body. And to convince you that the wounds of the martyr are more brilliant than the stars fixed in the sky, look. Both people and demons gaze upon that heaven and the stars, but only the faithful look upon the wounds of the martyr; demons do not dare to look directly; if they attempt to glance, their eyes are immediately blinded, unable to endure the brightness emanating from there. I will prove this not only with ancient cases but with what happens even now. Take someone possessed by a demon and bring them to this holy tomb where the martyr’s remains are, and you will see the demon immediately recoil and flee. As if they were to walk over hot coals, they jump out from the very threshold, not daring to even look at the very casket. If even now, after such a long time, when the martyr has turned to dust and ashes, demons do not dare to look at the monument and the bare bones of the saint, it is clear that back then, when they saw him covered in blood from all sides, shining with wounds more than the sun with rays, they were struck and fled with blinded eyes.
3. See how the wounds of the martyrs are more brilliant and wondrous than the stars in the sky and have greater power? Thus the saint was brought to the center, surrounded by bitter tortures from all sides – the fear of the future, the severity of the present, the pain from the immediate, the torment from the expected. The executioners, surrounding his body like wild beasts, tore his ribs, scraped his flesh, exposed his bones, reaching his very entrails; but though they searched everywhere, they could not steal the treasure of faith. In royal treasuries, where gold and other invaluable wealth are kept, as soon as you break down the walls or open the doors, you immediately see the lying treasure; but with this holy and Christ-bearing temple, the opposite happened: the executioners broke the walls, tore open the chest, yet did not see the lying treasure nor could they take it. They experienced what the inhabitants of Sodom did, who stood at the very door of Lot’s house and could not find the entrance (Gen. 19:11); similarly, they searched everywhere on the martyr’s body but could not seize the treasure and empty the wealth of faith. Such are the spiritual virtues of the saints: inalienable and invincible, they are enclosed in the steadfastness of their soul, like in some inaccessible refuge, and neither the eyes of the torturers see them nor the hands of the executioners can take them. Even if they tear apart the very heart, which is especially entrusted with spiritual courage, even if they cut it into small pieces, they would not empty this wealth, but rather increase it. The reason is that God dwells in such souls, and it is never possible for the one who fights against God to gain victory, but he must inevitably retreat defeated and suffer a shameful defeat. Therefore, what happened at that time was directly opposite to the usual. Usually, deeds prevail over words; but then words prevailed over deeds. How so? The torturers used fire, iron, tortures; they used scourging, suffering, whips; they completely tore his ribs apart; but the sufferer remained invincible: he only spoke, issued a single voice – and the word prevailed over the deeds. From the martyr’s mouth came a holy voice – and along with it flowed out light more brilliant than the sun’s rays. The light of this ray is such that it cannot cover the entire distance from heaven to earth, or rather, it cannot even traverse that whole distance if in the middle there is a roof, or a wall, or a cloud, or some other body, but is reflected and its further movement is blocked by these obstacles; but the voice of the martyr, coming out of his holy mouth, ascended to the very heaven. It passed the heaven of heavens; angels saw it and stepped aside; archangels saw it and gave way; cherubim and other powers led it upward and did not stop until they brought it to the very royal throne.
After this voice, when the judge of that time saw that all means were used in vain and uselessly, that he was kicking against the goads and breaking adamant, what does he do? He finally proceeds to his manifest defeat and deprives the martyr of present life – because the death of martyrs is a clear defeat of those who kill and a glorious victory of those who are killed. But see what a terrible and cruel type of death he devised, sufficiently showing the cruelty of the torturer and the courage of the martyr. What type of punishment? Bringing a sack and filling it with sand, he placed scorpions, snakes, vipers, and dragons inside, placed the saint along with them, and threw it into the sea. And so the martyr was with the beasts, and again a righteous man was confined with the beasts; I said: again, so you would remember the ancient story of Daniel. He was thrown into the den, and this one was placed in the sack; then a stone was rolled, and here the sack was sewn, making for the righteous man an even tighter prison. But beasts everywhere respect the bodies of saints, to the disgrace and condemnation of those who are honored with the gift of speech and deemed worthy to be humans, but by their excessive cruelty surpass the savagery of wild beasts – as this torturer certainly was. And one could see a marvelous miracle, no less than Daniel’s. Just as the Babylonians marveled, seeing him come out of the lions’ den after many days, so the angels marveled, seeing Julian’s soul ascending to heaven from the sack and the waves. Daniel struck and defeated two lions, though bodily; this one struck and defeated one lion, but a mental one, our enemy the devil, who, as it is said, “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8); but he was overcome by the martyr’s courage, who shed the poison of sin, and therefore he did not devour him, and he feared neither the lion nor the beasts’ fury.
Would you like me to tell you another ancient story where the righteous and beasts are involved? Remember the flood during Noah’s time and the ark. Even then, the righteous and the beasts were together; but Noah entered as a man and left as a man, whereas Julian entered as a man and left as an angel. Noah entered from the earth and returned to the earth, but Julian entered the sack from the earth and from the sack ascended to heaven. The sea took him not to kill him, but to crown him, and after crowning 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: taking their souls Himself, He gave us their bodies so that the holy bones would be a constant reminder of their virtue.
Indeed, if someone looks at the blood-stained weapons of a fighter, at his shield, spear, and armor, they immediately, even if the laziest of all, leap up, become eager, and strive for war, driven by the sight of these weapons to similar feats of courage. So, looking not at weapons but at the very body of the saint, honored to be blood-stained for the confession of Christ, even if we are the most fearful of all, can we not feel great zeal when this sight, like a fire, penetrates our soul and calls us to the same struggle? For this reason, God left us the bodies of the saints until the time of resurrection, so that we might have in them a lesson in the greatest wisdom. However, let not the praise of the martyr be diminished by the weakness of our language, but let it await the bestower of the struggles - God. He who gives them crowns will also praise them; their praise is not from men, but from God. What we have said, we said not to make the martyr more radiant, but to make you more zealous. Leaving his praises aside, let us turn our speech to you - or rather, it is impossible to cease praising the martyrs when speaking in the church about beneficial subjects.
Be attentive; I want today to eradicate an old bad custom, so that we not only come to the martyrs but also emulate the martyrs, as honoring the martyrs is not only in coming to them but even more in emulating their courage. Therefore, first of all, we must point out the bad custom because it is difficult to apply the remedy without knowing the illness. I will reveal the wound first and then apply the medicine. What is this bad custom? Some of those gathered here today (I will not accuse the whole church) will, out of negligence and simplicity, leave us tomorrow and rush to Daphne, scattering tomorrow what we gathered today, and destroying what we created. So, to ensure their presence here is not fruitless, let us say a few words about this and conclude our speech.
Why, tell me, do you rush to this suburb of the city? Here is the suburb of the heavenly Jerusalem; here is the spiritual Daphne! There, springs of water; here, springs of martyrs; there, cypresses, barren trees; here, the remains of saints, the roots planted on earth, and their branches reaching to heaven. Do you want to see the fruit of these branches? Open the 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 perishable and corruptible, but the healing of maimed bodies, the remission of sins, the destruction of vice, the healing of soul’s illnesses, unceasing prayer, boldness before God, everything is spiritual and filled with heavenly blessings. These fruits, constantly being plucked, always remain in abundance, and there is never a lack of them for those who cultivate them. Besides, trees growing on earth 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 rot and fall off; but these neither know winter nor summer, are not subject to the influence of the seasons, and you can never see them bare of their fruits, but they always stand in the same beauty; neither decay nor change of seasons touches them.
Thus, how many have gathered countless healings from this holy tomb since this body was planted on earth, and yet the fruits have not diminished; the harvests are reaped, but the ears do not run out, they draw from the source, but the streams do not dry up. On the contrary, there is some constant inflow, never drying up, but in place of what is drawn, always producing even more abundant miracles. However, not only are miracles performed, but lessons in wisdom are also given. If you are rich and proud and have a haughty soul, come here, see the martyr, and contemplate the difference between your wealth and his abundance; you will immediately humble your pride, lay aside your haughtiness, and leave here with full spiritual health. If you are poor and consider yourself despised, come, see the martyr’s wealth, and laugh at earthly riches; you will leave here filled with great wisdom, and even if insults, losses, or wounds have been inflicted upon you, seeing that you have not suffered as much as this holy martyr, you will also receive sufficient consolation.
See the fruits of these roots, how they are inexhaustible, how spiritual they are, how they touch the very soul? I do not forbid you to go to the suburb, but I forbid you to go tomorrow. Why? So that your enjoyment may be blameless, your pleasure pure, without condemnation. On another day, you can both enjoy pleasure and avoid sin. If you want to enjoy pleasure even now, what is more pleasant than this gathering, what is more delightful than this spiritual spectacle, the gathering of your fellow members, your brothers? But you want to partake in a physical feast? After the gathering, you can sit here near the martyrs’ temple, under a fig tree or vine, give rest to the body, and free your conscience from condemnation. The martyr, seen nearby, present at the feast, will not allow the pleasure to turn into sin; but, like a teacher or an excellent father, seen through the eyes of faith, he restrains laughter, cuts off indecent pleasures, and destroys all fleshly impulses, which cannot be avoided there. Why? Because tomorrow, the suburb will be taken over by people’s choruses; and the sight of such people often leads even those who wish to be wise to imitate similar shamelessness, especially when the devil is present among them – called by lewd songs, obscene speeches, and demonic rejoicing. But you have renounced all this rejoicing and dedicated yourself to Christ on the day you were deemed worthy of the sacred mysteries. Remember those words and that vow, and avoid breaking them.
5. I want to speak to those present here who will not go there and entrust them with the salvation of others. So, a doctor, coming to a patient, does not talk much to the one lying down but, calling those close to him, gives them all the instructions regarding medicines, food, and other care. Why? Because the patient does not immediately accept advice, but the healthy person listens with full readiness to what is said. Therefore, I, after them, want to speak with you. Let us take hold of the gates early tomorrow, occupy the roads, pull men from the carts, and women from the carriages, bring them here, and not be ashamed. Where the salvation of a brother is concerned, there is no shame. If they are not ashamed to go to unlawful rejoicing, then we should not be ashamed, intending to return them to this sacred celebration. When the salvation of a brother is at stake, let us not refuse anything. If Christ died for us, we should endure everything for them; even if they start striking, even if they start scolding, hold on and do not let go until you bring them to the holy martyr; even if you have to organize a trial from the passersby, let those willing listen: I want, say, to save a brother, I see a perishing soul and cannot neglect kinship. Let anyone who wants to judge, let anyone who wants to accuse; but, rather, no one will judge, on the contrary, everyone will praise, everyone will approve. Not for money, not in revenge for a personal offense, and not for anything worldly do I argue and fight, but for the salvation of a brother: who will not approve of this, who will not be amazed? We, not bound by any blood kinship, are bound by spiritual kinship with a love stronger than parental. If you wish, let us take the martyr with us – he will not be ashamed to go and save his brothers. Let us present him to their eyes, let them be frightened by his presence, let them be shamed by his exhortations and requests – and he will not be ashamed to request. If his Lord beseeches our nature: “We are ambassadors for Christ,” says Paul, “as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20), then his servant will do even more. One thing saddens him – our destruction, one thing gladdens him – our salvation, and therefore he will not refuse to do anything for this. Let us not be ashamed and let us not consider this excessive. If hunters go through streams, mountains, chasms, and all impassable places, desiring to catch a hare, or a deer, or some other similar creature, or often even some wild birds, then how can you, intending to save from destruction not a trivial animal, but a spiritual brother, for whom Christ died, refuse and be ashamed not to pass through mountains and forests but only to go out to the gates? Tell me, what excuse will you have? Don’t you hear how one wise man exhorts and says: “There is a shame that brings sin” (Sirach 4:21)? But you fear that someone will judge you? Lay the blame on me, the one who said this; say that the teacher commanded so; I am ready to stand trial with the judges and provide justification. But, rather, neither you nor we will be judged by anyone, even if they are very shameless; on the contrary, all will approve, not only the residents of our native city but also the neighboring cities, and they will admire us for our diligence, for such is the power of love, such is the zeal of mutual affection. But what do I say about people? The Lord of angels Himself will approve of us. Therefore, knowing the reward, let us not neglect this hunt, let us return here tomorrow not alone, but let everyone come leading the prey. If you only come at the time when the one leaving the house is about to set out on the road and divert him on the journey here, there will be no difficulty later; on the contrary, after some time, he will bring you great gratitude, and all others will praise you and be amazed; and what is most important, the heavenly Lord will give you great rewards for this, increasing both this profit and this praise. Thus, envisioning the profit that will come to us from this, let us scatter throughout the city, seize our brothers and bring them here, so that tomorrow we have a full assembly and a complete celebration, so that the holy martyr, for our zeal here, receives us into the eternal dwellings with great boldness, which may we all be deemed worthy of by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory, with the Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and forever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Thank you that was a very powerful story. God Bless your work Brother