Against Blasphemy
October 20
(A Tale from the Miracles of the Holy Great Martyr Artemios)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
October 20
(A Tale from the Miracles of the Holy Great Martyr Artemios)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
The third commandment of God, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain," forbids the sins of blasphemy, false oaths, perjury, breaking vows made to God, swearing, grumbling against God, and inattentiveness in prayer. It also forbids the sin of blasphemy, that is, turning sacred objects into a joke and a mockery. This sin is one of the most widespread among Christians. How many people are there today who, with some kind of malice, mock the objects of faith and the Church! Many so-called educated people, who have no desire to know God, mock and ridicule them; many schismatics mock them, especially, for example, at the newly-appeared saints and their multi-healing relics; and finally, many of the completely ignorant, who do not know and do not wish to know the truth of the Christian faith, mock them. And light jokes about sacred things are heard everywhere in ordinary conversations and are not met with resistance even by pious people. Brethren, need I say that those guilty of blasphemy will pay dearly for the sin of blasphemy in the life to come? You yourselves know that God is not mocked. But I will tell you that blasphemers do not go unpunished in this life either. Listen to something on this subject from the story of the miracles of the Holy Great Martyr Artemios.
A pious man who held a special devotion to the Holy Great Martyr Artemios took candles and oil and went to his relics. Along the way, he was met by an acquaintance who asked, "Where are you taking the candles and oil, my friend?" "I am going to pray to Saint Artemios," was the reply. The acquaintance, mocking him, said, "Don’t forget to catch a disease from him and bring it back here when you return." The man going to the Great Martyr did not respond to the mockery, and having offered his prayer before the Saint’s relics, he proceeded home. What happened next? On his way back, he was indeed seized by a severe illness; he felt unbearable pain throughout his body – which in places began to swell – and he was rendered unable to reach his home. Since in his path stood the house of the friend he encountered, who mocked the Holy Great Martyr, he trudged there with the greatest effort, and upon arriving, he felt that his illness had grown even worse. He was seized by something resembling a frenzy; his tongue became numb, and the illness seemed mortal. However, after some time, he regained consciousness and, believing that the illness had befallen him because of his friend's mockery, said, "Why do I suffer so? Is it not on account of my friend's mockery?" The friend, in turn, began to reproach the sick man and mocked him again, and between the two, the matter escalated into an open quarrel, so that many passersby stopped to inquire about the cause of the dispute. The sick man conveyed to them about his meeting with his friend on the way to Saint Artemios and about his blasphemy, and upon saying this, he immediately felt completely healed. But - O, the horror! - His illness instantly transferred to the blasphemer, who then began to cry out: "Woe is me! Misery upon me!" Those present were horrified upon witnessing this, and, glorifying God and His holy servant, said: "The judgment of God is righteous! For what you sought, you have found, and through you others will be admonished not to interpret as blasphemy or stumbling the miracles performed by God through His holy servants."
Oh you who are not terrified to treat with disgrace the great works of God and His holy saints! See that you too do not have to cry out in this life: "Woe is me! Woe is me!" And that you will not escape this in the future life is certain; for the word of God is true: "Woe to you who laugh now, for how you will weep and mourn." Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
A pious man who held a special devotion to the Holy Great Martyr Artemios took candles and oil and went to his relics. Along the way, he was met by an acquaintance who asked, "Where are you taking the candles and oil, my friend?" "I am going to pray to Saint Artemios," was the reply. The acquaintance, mocking him, said, "Don’t forget to catch a disease from him and bring it back here when you return." The man going to the Great Martyr did not respond to the mockery, and having offered his prayer before the Saint’s relics, he proceeded home. What happened next? On his way back, he was indeed seized by a severe illness; he felt unbearable pain throughout his body – which in places began to swell – and he was rendered unable to reach his home. Since in his path stood the house of the friend he encountered, who mocked the Holy Great Martyr, he trudged there with the greatest effort, and upon arriving, he felt that his illness had grown even worse. He was seized by something resembling a frenzy; his tongue became numb, and the illness seemed mortal. However, after some time, he regained consciousness and, believing that the illness had befallen him because of his friend's mockery, said, "Why do I suffer so? Is it not on account of my friend's mockery?" The friend, in turn, began to reproach the sick man and mocked him again, and between the two, the matter escalated into an open quarrel, so that many passersby stopped to inquire about the cause of the dispute. The sick man conveyed to them about his meeting with his friend on the way to Saint Artemios and about his blasphemy, and upon saying this, he immediately felt completely healed. But - O, the horror! - His illness instantly transferred to the blasphemer, who then began to cry out: "Woe is me! Misery upon me!" Those present were horrified upon witnessing this, and, glorifying God and His holy servant, said: "The judgment of God is righteous! For what you sought, you have found, and through you others will be admonished not to interpret as blasphemy or stumbling the miracles performed by God through His holy servants."
Oh you who are not terrified to treat with disgrace the great works of God and His holy saints! See that you too do not have to cry out in this life: "Woe is me! Woe is me!" And that you will not escape this in the future life is certain; for the word of God is true: "Woe to you who laugh now, for how you will weep and mourn." Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
