St.
Philopatere Mercurius
Martyred
the Twenty-fifth Day of Hatour
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On the twenty-fifth day of the
blessed month of Hatour, St. Philopatere Mercurius, known as the saint with the
two swords (Abu-Saifain), was martyred.
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St. Mercurius was born to pagan
parents in the year 225 A.D. in Rome. He
was named Philopatere (a Greek name meaning “lover of the Father”).
His father, Gordianus, was miraculously saved from death by an angel of
the Lord, and he and his wife soon converted to Christianity.
They preached, gave alms, and raised their son according to Christian
teachings.
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By the age of 17, St. Mercurius
had already joined the Roman army and gained a reputation as a great swordsman
and tactician. He was promoted to
the rank of commander and given the name “Mercurius,” after the planet
Mercury, which was supposed to signify good luck and glory.
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During that time, the emperor
Decius issued a decree that everyone in the empire must raise incense and
sacrifice to the pagan gods or else suffer severe torture.
The emperor declared that if any Christians were discovered, they would
be subjected to this punishment.
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Soon after this decree, Decius
ordered his army to fight against the barbarians, and St. Mercurius was sent to
battle. One day, at the peak of
battle, the saint had a vision of man surrounded by light, who said, “O
Mercurius, servant of Jesus Christ, fear not, nor be downcast, for I have been
sent to help you and lead you to victory. Take
this sword from my hand by which you will achieve victory, and when you overcome
your enemies, remember the Lord, your God.” When St. Mercurius took the sword from the angel, he felt the
Holy Spirit overwhelm him, and he fought with great bravery.
He conquered the barbarians and their king, and the rest fled in terror.
For this reason, the great saint is called “of the two swords” (Abu-Saifain);
one sword is the military sword, and the other is the sword of divine power.
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When Decius heard of St.
Mercurius’ bravery, he made him supreme commander over the entire Roman army,
at the young age of twenty-five. One
night, the angel again appeared to the saint and reminded him to remember the
Lord, saying, “I am the angel of the Lord who met you in the battlefield and
gave you the victorious sword with which you have conquered the enemy and asked
you to remember the Lord your God after victory. Now, I tell you, do not be afraid or troubled by the
emperor’s decree; God has sent me to tell you that you shall suffer greatly
for His name and you shall receive a crown of victory in Heaven. I will strengthen you until you fulfill your testimony.
Your patience and good fight of faith will be heard of in every quarter
and God’s name will be glorified in you.”
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After the angel of the Lord left,
the great saint was moved by God’s care and encouragement.
He remembered the words and teachings of his father regarding the faith,
and began to confess his weaknesses to the Lord: “Woe to me, sinful as I am
and like a fruitless tree. I have nothing to count upon except God’s mercy.
Look upon me, my God and my Lord. Strengthen
me and preserve me in Your holy name until the last breath of my life.”
St. Mercurius longed with his whole heart to be in God’s presence
and be one of the heavenly King’s soldiers.
He spent the entire night in prayer and spiritual ecstasy.
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As he was finishing his prayers,
two messengers sent from the emperor summoned him, but the great saint
apologized and excused himself from the emperor. The next day, the emperor sent for St. Mercurius again, and
this time the saint appeared before him. The
emperor told him, “Let us go together to the great temple of Artemis and make
an offering to her.” The
hero Mercurius gave no answer, but quietly withdrew from the crowd.
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However, the devil, in his
animosity toward all good, seized the opportunity to discredit St. Mercurius in
front of the emperor. One of the
soldiers of the saint’s regiment informed the emperor that St. Mercurius
refused to worship the pagan gods and persuaded others to cease worshiping pagan
gods. Decius answered, “Perhaps
you are jealous of the man against whom you have said such things.
I will not listen to you unless I learn the truth by myself, face-to-face
with Mercurius. Keep silent now and
do not utter another word against this great man.
And if you have said such things against him out of jealousy or hatred,
you know that you will receive severe punishment.
But if what you have said is true, then you shall receive many blessings
from our gods and will be greatly rewarded by me.”
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The emperor ordered the hero
Mercurius to appear before him. Decius
said to him, “Mercurius, was it not I who bestowed upon you great honor and
promotion? Didn’t I make you
supreme general over all the governors because of your intelligence and the
victory which the gods bestowed upon us in war?
Why should you change this great affection into bitter hatred?
Is it true that you refused to worship the gods who gave you victory in
the war?”
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St. Mercurius said to Decius in a
brave but gentle tone, “Let this honor that you speak of be yours, for even
though I did go to war and fight, it was not I who conquered, but God Who has
been gracious to me in Christ. Take
away this honor that you have given me, for ‘naked I came from my mother's
womb, and naked I shall return.’” (Job 1:21)
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And taking off his military cloak
and his golden belt, he threw them at the emperor’s feet, and cried, “I am a
Christian. Hear, all of you, that I
am a Christian. Here are your
titles and your dignities. Take
them back, for they will perish with every vanity in the world.”
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Decius was stupefied.
He marveled at the saint’s handsomeness, greatness, and strength.
Decius tried to persuade the great saint to change his mind, for he loved
the honorable youth. St. Mercurius
refused to yield to the emperor’s pleas:
“I will never stop worshiping my Master Jesus Christ for temporary
honors, but by His grace, I will remain faithful to Him until death.”
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Decius became furious and ordered
St. Mercurius to be thrown into prison, saying, “Let this man who did not
appreciate honor experience some disgrace.” While he was being led away to prison, the martyr rejoiced in
the spirit and glorified God that he had been “counted worthy to suffer shame
for His name.” (Acts 5:41)
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That night, the angel of the Lord
appeared to the great saint, saying, “Rejoice, Mercurius, and do not fear the
tortures of this tyrant. Trust in
Christ, to Whom you have testified openly, for He will save you from every
tribulation.” The angel
disappeared and St. Mercurius was strengthened by these words.
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The following day, Decius seated
himself at the tribunal and called St. Mercurius before him, trying to persuade
and threaten the great saint to renounce Christ. The martyr remained unmoved and replied, “I do not fear
tortures, and I am not moved by death, because Jesus, our Lord, taught us in the
Scriptures, saying: ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after
that have no more that they can do. But
I will show you who you should fear: fear Him Who, after He has killed, has
power to cast into hell.’ (Luke 12:4-5)
You have no power over me except over my body; you can do with it
whatever you please.”
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Despite the saint’s
straightforward answers, Decius still tried to persuade him to change his mind
by offering to make the saint second to the emperor in the kingdom.
St. Mercurius replied, “Your majesty, your gods are the ones that our
master King David sang about in the psalms: ‘Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak.
Eyes they have, but they do not see.
They have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have, but they do not
smell… Those who make them are like them, so is everyone who trusts in
them.’” (Psalm 115:4-6,8)
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Even still, Decius tried to
appeal to the saint to raise incense to the gods by telling him how much he
loved him. St. Mercurius daringly
replied, “Being tortured for the name of Christ is a great honor for me.
I have voluntarily taken off all of your perishable honors and dignities.
As a Christian, all I want is to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
My master and king, I have told you that I will never take your advice.
Save yourself the trouble and do not ask me again.
I am ready not only to suffer, but also to die for His holy name.
Therefore, whatever you want to do to me, do not hesitate.”
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The emperor asked about the
saint’s origin and background. St.
Mercurius said, “If you want to know about my race and my native land, I will
tell you. My father’s name was
Gordianus, a native of Scythia. He served as a commander in the Martusian
regiment. He is a follower of the
true God Jesus Christ, my heavenly Father.
Thus, my native city is the heavenly new Jerusalem, the city of the great
King, the King of kings.” The
emperor asked the saint about who gave him the name “Mercurius.”
The martyr replied, “My father named me Philopatere, but I was called
Mercurius by my commander when I joined the army.”
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The emperor gave the great saint
one last opportunity to raise incense to the pagan gods.
The great saint replied, “I have come to this place to conquer you and
your father, Satan, through whom all evil exists.
And when I conquer, a crown will be placed upon my head by the true
Master, my Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore,
whatever you wish to do to me, do it quickly.
For I am wearing the armor of God, and the shield of faith, by which I
will overcome all your schemes and tricks set against me.”
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The emperor, filled with fury,
ordered soldiers to tie the saint’s body to four stakes, so that he would be
stretched and suspended above the ground. Then
Decius ordered the soldiers to strike St. Mercurius with nails instead of
scourges. The great martyr endured
these tortures with patience. Decius
mocked the great saint, saying, “Where is your armor that you have spoken
about? Where is your courage and great military power?
Where is your God to save you from Decius?”
The saint did not reply to the emperor, but instead looked up to heaven
and said, “My Lord Jesus Christ, help me.”
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Decius then ordered the soldiers
to tear off the saint’s flesh with sharp blades and light red-hot coals
beneath him in order to burn him alive. The
flames were gradually extinguished by the flowing blood of the righteous man.
The great saint endured all these sufferings calmly and bravely by the
power of the Lord Jesus Christ. To
prevent the great saint from dying quickly, Decius ordered St. Mercurius to be
sent to prison again and watched strictly.
The soldiers carried the saint’s half-dead body to the dark prison
cell, and there was little breath left in him.
Decius thought the saint would surely die in prison that night.
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An angel of the Lord appeared to
him that night, saying, “Grace and peace be yours, O valiant fighter!
Have courage, for God has not forgotten you.
He will support you to overcome the emperor and reveal the truth about
his idols. Do not fear torture, ‘for our light affliction, which is
but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory.’” (2 Cor. 4:17) The
angel healed all of St. Mercurius’ wounds and restored him to health, so that
he stood up and praised God, Who had not abandoned him in his time of need.
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The next day, Decius called St.
Mercurius before him, and was astonished to find that the great saint, who had
previously been at death’s door, stood before him with no wounds.
Decius ordered his spear-bearers to thoroughly examine the saint’s
body, and questioned if any physician had been allowed to see the saint during
the night. But the guards told the
emperor that no one had been allowed to see St. Mercurius, because they all
thought the saint would die during the night.
The emperor said, “You see what the magic of the Christians is like!
How is it that yesterday he was fit for burial, and yet today he is
standing up in perfect health?”
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Filled with anger, Decius asked
the great saint, “Who healed you?” St.
Mercurius replied, “It was my Lord Jesus Christ, the true Physician of our
souls and bodies, Who was pleased to heal me.
The sorcerers, charmers, and idolaters are strangers to Him.
He will bind them in chains which can never be broken, and will deliver
them to the eternal fire, because they did not acknowledge the true God who
created them.” The emperor,
enraged, said, “Now I am going to put an end to your life by severe torture;
let me see if Christ, in Whom you believe, will heal you.”
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St. Mercurius replied, “I
believe in my Lord Jesus Christ. It
is true that you have power over my body, but you have no power over my soul,
and all your punishments will not make me renounce my faith, for our Lord said:
‘Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
But rather fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’”
(Matt. 10:28)
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The emperor ordered burning irons
to be applied to the saint’s limbs, cheeks and sides. When this was done,
instead of the expected smoke and stench of burned flesh, a strong sweet smell
of spices rose from St. Mercurius’ body, so that everyone there could smell
it. And, although St. Mercurius was
suffering from the tortures, he did not utter a groan or shed a tear.
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Decius said to the saint,
“Where is your physician? Let him
come and heal you. You even said
that He has the power to raise you if you died.”
St. Mercurius replied, “Do whatever pleases you.
You have power over my body, but God is the Master of my soul.
Even if you destroy my body, my soul shall live, for it is
incorruptible.”
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The emperor ordered the saint to
be hung upside down from a tree with a very large stone tied around his neck, so
that the great martyr would suffocate and die. But by the power of the Lord, the great saint was able to
endure this torture for a long period of time.
Decius, growing impatient, commanded that St. Mercurius be thrown in
prison for the night and bound by chains.
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Despite all the deadly tortures,
St. Mercurius spent the whole night in fervent prayer.
While he was praying, a great light filled the room, and immediately all
of the chains fell off him. The
angel of the Lord appeared to him, saying, “O beloved of Christ, have courage
and win. Do not worry about these temporary tortures.”
The angel wiped away all of St. Mercurius’ wounds, and then
disappeared. The great saint was
filled with peace and continued in fervent prayer, glorifying God Who had
consoled him in his hour of suffering.
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The next day, Decius again became
angered when his officers told him that St. Mercurius had been healed of all his
wounds. Decius pleaded with the
saint to raise incense to the pagan gods, but the great saint remained firm in
the faith. The emperor ordered his
soldiers to flog St. Mercurius with a leather whip with four prongs, until the
ground became saturated with the saint’s blood. During this torture, St. Mercurius prayed: “I give thanks
to You, my Lord Jesus Christ, that You have held me worthy to suffer for Your
holy name.”
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Seeing that the prince Mercurius
would not yield or waiver, and that many of the soldiers and people in the crowd
became attached to the saint and publicly declared their faith in his God,
Decius ordered that St. Mercurius be executed by the sword.
The soldiers tied the saint’s nearly lifeless body to a horse and took
him to the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia to execute him.
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Arriving at the spot of his
execution, the great saint and martyr asked for a little time to pray.
While he was praying, a great light appeared; it was our Lord Jesus
Christ, in great glory with His archangels and angels.
The Lord, with His sweet gentleness, addressed St. Mercurius, saying: “Peace
be to you, my beloved Mercurius. Your
prayers and pleadings have ascended before me as good incense.
Come and rest with Me in My Kingdom, for you have struggled well and kept
your faith, and finished your course. Come
now to receive the crown of glory which has been appointed to you.
You were sincere and testified to My name before kings and princes
regardless of sufferings. I will
let your name be known in every part of the world and great miracles will be
performed in churches that bear your name. Whoever writes down the story of your
testimony and suffering, I will write his name in the book of eternal life.
He who prepares your body for burial on earth, I will give him a
celestial body on the day of judgment.
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“Whoever
builds a church dedicated to your name, I will make him abide in the heavenly
new Jerusalem. I will let Michael
the Archangel be a keeper forever over churches that bear your name, and keeper
over all who come to it on the day of your commemoration to listen to the story
of your suffering and take My blessings. I
tell you, Mercurius, I will endow on them mercy and forgiveness, and accept your
pleas for them. And he who makes
offerings (bread, wine, incense or candles) on the day of your commemoration, I
will reward him. Whoever cares to
make a feast for the poor on the day of your commemoration, I will remember him
at My heavenly feast. Whoever calls
to Me in your name, I will save him from all his suffering.
If any woman in labor asks Me for help in your name, I will relieve her
quickly. Whoever gives your name
for his child, I will bless him.” With
these words, our Lord Jesus Christ departed.
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And the martyr, being
strengthened in peace and joy by the vision of the Savior, said to those who
were appointed to execute him, “Do what you have been commanded to do quickly,
for the Lord Who invites everyone to repentance shall make you worthy of His
grace, for He is rich and shows grace to those who go to Him with a gift and
without envy.” After saying these
words, the great saint and martyr, St. Philopatere Mercurius Abu-Saifain,
offered his head to executors and was beheaded. After he was executed, his body became as white as snow and
emitted a sweet odor of the best incense and herbs. Witnessing these things, many people became Christians.
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On the twenty-fifth day of the
blessed month of Hatour, St. Philopatere Mercurius received the crown of
martyrdom.
An
Important Historical Event that Echoed the Name of St. Mercurius throughout the
Whole Church: Death of Julian the Apostate
Julian
the Apostate
331-363
AD
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Julian, the nephew of emperor
Constantine the great, was born in Constantinople in 331 A.D., and was raised as
a Christian. In his youth, he fell
under the influence of pagan philosophy, despite the fact that he studied
Scripture with St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nazianzus.
Following the death of his cousin, Julian ascended the throne in 361 A.D.
He openly renounced the faith of Christ, and offered sacrifices to the
pagan gods. He deprived Christians
of the rights of citizenship, and stripped them of many privileges, including
membership in the army. He induced
many Christians to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods, and raised a tax against
those who would not sacrifice.
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After hearing of Julian’s many
evil deeds, St. Basil, St Libarius, and St. Gregory went to Julian to confront
him on his behavior. Julian became
angered and ordered that these saints be thrown in prison until he return from
the war in Persia. He threatened
that when he returned from Persia, he would treat Christians with severity and
boasted that the “Son of the carpenter” would be unable to help them.
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While Julian was in the midst of
battle in Persia, a violent wind arose, and the sky and the sun were concealed
by the clouds. During this
darkness, a horseman, riding at full gallop, charged with his lance and fatally
wounded the emperor Julian. After
throwing Julian from his horse, the unknown assailant went away. When Julian had been wounded, he filled his hand with blood
and flung it into the air, crying, “You have won, O Galilean.”
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According to the Ethiopian
manuscript of the church fathers, St. Gregory and St Basil constantly fasted and
prayed while in prison. One night
while praying, an icon of St. Mercurius appeared in front of them.
St. Basil requested the intercession of this great saint, and St.
Mercurius appeared to them saying, “Julian the Apostate was killed.”
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May the prayers of this great
saint, St. Philopatere Mercurius (Abu-Saifain), be with us all, and glory be to
God forever. Amen.