June: Day 17: Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ishmael

June: Day 17:
Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ishmael
 
(An Example of Life Given To Us By the Holy Martyrs: Firmness in Faith and Love)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel, and Ishmael, celebrated today, were Persians, brothers, children of noble parents, raised in the Orthodox faith by a Christian mother. They were once sent to the Emperor Julian to negotiate peace. At first received favorably, they were persecuted when Julian learned that they were Christians. When, during a pagan celebration at which Julian was present, they stood at a distance, praying for the enlightenment of the pagans and refused to take part in sacrifices to idols, Julian ordered that they be tortured. Iron nails were driven into their heads, sharp needles were stuck into the nails of their hands and feet. The Martyrs endured all this with unwavering patience, drawing strength from prayer. Finally, they were executed. When the order was given to burn their bodies, suddenly an earthquake occurred and hid them underground... But two days later, through the prayers of Christians, their relics appeared on the surface of the earth and were buried with reverence.

The Holy Martyrs suffered in Chalcedon in 362.

II. The Holy Church, in establishing days for the pious remembrance of the Holy Martyrs, had the goal of showing us an example of their steadfastness in faith and their love.

a) The Holy Martyrs, celebrated today, give us an example of firmness in faith.

Jesus Christ said: “This is eternal life: that they might know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). All the first Christians believed in one God, the almighty Creator of heaven and earth, and therefore they abhorred idols.

This faith was not merely an intellectual, dead thought about Jesus Christ, but a living, heartfelt certainty in His Divinity – such a certainty that nothing could extinguish it or compel them to abandon it. Their faith and commitment to Christ were unwavering. When asked, "Are you Christians?" they boldly replied, "We are Christians!" When demanded to offer sacrifices to idols, they said, "We cannot! Only the Creator of heaven and earth is deserving of glory, honor, and worship!" They were promised various honors and gifts if they renounced Christ; they recalled the words of the Lord: "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26), and thus, they were not tempted by any promises. They were threatened with various tortures and death if they did not abandon their faith; they immediately recalled the words of the Lord: "Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" (Matt. 10:28) – they remembered this and were not afraid of any tortures or death. Thus, thousands of young men and women, fathers and mothers, widowers and widows – thousands of all ranks, genders, and ages died. Therefore, the Holy Martyrs truly provide us with a great example of steadfastness in faith.

b) Secondly, the Holy Martyrs give us an example of love. It was precisely out of love for God and their Savior and out of love for their neighbors that they went to torture and death. If they had not had love for God, their Savior and their neighbors, they could not have taken a step towards martyrdom. What prompted the Apostle Paul to undergo the constant danger of death while preaching the gospel? Only love for his neighbors and for God, Who so strongly desires the salvation of all. He knew that the gospel of Christ is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16); and therefore, “presenting the truth to every conscience of men” (2 Cor. 4:2), “he became all things to all people, that he might in every way save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). The same feeling inspired all the Holy Martyrs, because the ones who suffered martyrdom were the spreaders of the Christian faith: bishops and priests. If they had not been bound by love to the Savior and to their neighbors, then they only had to leave their places or their work in the place, and no persecution, no violent death would have befallen them: even many of them would have been praised and loved. But they looked with the greatest contempt on all the earthly benefits that were promised to them for renouncing Christ, and tried to be useful to people by spreading the teaching of their Lord.

III. Brethren! The example of the Holy Martyrs should not remain without power for us! He who does not strive to have faith similar to their faith, courage similar to their courage, love similar to their love; he cannot fulfill any of his duties well, and especially the main duty - to purify his heart and save his soul. He who fears God no more than people, who does not dare to lose for his faith anything at all dear to him on earth: he cannot stand not only in a hot, but often in any spiritual battle; he cannot conquer under any, much less under a strong temptation; he has mostly perished for piety, and goes along the wide road of sin straight to destruction.

May the Lord, in His ineffable mercy, preserve us firm in faith and love through the prayers of the Holy Martyrs Sabel, Manuel and Ishmael, whose memory we celebrate. Amen. 

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.