Patronal Feast and Saints

The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, His Sacrifice for the Human Race, and the Theology of Redemption

I. The Eternal Word and the Incarnation

Before recounting the earthly life of Christ, the New Testament reveals the mystery of His eternal being. The Evangelist John begins his Gospel with the words: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1). And further: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the Father" (Jn. 1:14). Jesus Christ is not merely a prophet or a teacher, but the Only-Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, consubstantial with Him, through Whom all things came into being.

In the fulness of time (cf. Gal. 4:4), the Son of God took upon Himself human nature without ceasing to be God. The Gospel according to Matthew opens the canon of the New Testament with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, tracing His lineage from Abraham through David to Joseph, the betrothed of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. This genealogy bears witness that Christ is the promised Messiah, the fulfilment of the covenants made with the patriarchs and of the royal promises given to David.

II. The Nativity and the Hidden Life

The angel, appearing to Joseph in a dream, announced to him the mystery of the conception by the Holy Spirit, and commanded him: "She shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins" (Mt. 1:21). Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, who says: "Behold, a Virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is: God with us" (Mt. 1:23). Thus in the very name of the Saviour the mystery of the Incarnation is revealed — God has come to dwell with men.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, in the days of King Herod, in humble circumstances. He was worshipped by the shepherds and by the Magi from the East, who brought Him as gifts gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Fleeing from Herod, the Holy Family departed into Egypt and later returned to Nazareth of Galilee. There Jesus grew and waxed strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom (cf. Lk. 2:40, 52), living in obedience to Joseph and Mary, and, according to tradition, labouring as a carpenter until the age of thirty.

III. The Public Ministry

Having reached the age of thirty, Jesus came to the Jordan and received baptism from John the Forerunner. In that moment the heavens were opened, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven said: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased" (Mt. 3:17). Here was manifested the mystery of the Holy Trinity.

After fasting forty days in the wilderness, where He repelled the threefold temptation of the devil, Christ began His public ministry, preaching: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Mt. 4:17). He chose twelve Apostles to be with Him, and gathered a wider circle of disciples, including the seventy.

His teaching. In the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5--7), Christ proclaimed the new law of the Kingdom: the Beatitudes, the call to love one's enemies, purity of heart, inner prayer, the "Our Father." He taught in parables — of the Sower, of the Good Samaritan, of the Prodigal Son, of the Pearl of Great Price — revealing the mysteries of the Kingdom of God to those who had ears to hear.

His miracles. Christ healed the blind, the lame, the deaf, the lepers, and the paralytics; He cast out demons, stilled the storm, multiplied the loaves, walked upon the waters, and raised the dead — especially Lazarus of Bethany, who had been four days in the tomb (Jn. 11). These signs manifested His divine power and inaugurated the restoration of fallen creation.

His self-witness. Christ proclaimed of Himself that He is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Good Shepherd, the Door, the Way and the Truth and the Life, the Resurrection and the True Life. At Caesarea Philippi, Peter confessed Him: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt. 16:16). On Mount Tabor, before Peter, James, and John, Christ was transfigured, showing forth the uncreated light of His Divinity; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him" (Mt. 17:5).

IV. The Passion and the Sacrifice of the Cross

Having thrice foretold His sufferings, Christ entered Jerusalem, sitting upon an ass, hailed as the Son of David. At the Mystical Supper, on the night before His passion, He established the Mystery of the Eucharist. Taking the bread and blessing it, He gave it to the disciples, saying: "Take, eat; this is My Body." And taking the cup, and having given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: "Drink ye all of it; for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Mt. 26:26--28). He washed the feet of His disciples, giving them the new commandment — to love one another, as He had loved them.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, His soul sorrowful unto death, He prayed to the Father: "O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt" (Mt. 26:39) — freely accepting the Cup of Sufferings. Betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, forsaken by His disciples, He was seized, tried before the Sanhedrin, mocked, scourged, and delivered to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, who handed Him over to be crucified.

On Golgotha, outside the walls of Jerusalem, the Son of God was nailed to the Cross between two thieves. From the Cross He uttered the seven last words, among which were: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Lk. 23:34) and "It is finished!" (Jn. 19:30). Bowing His head, He gave up the ghost. The veil of the temple was rent in twain, the earth quaked, and the centurion confessed: "Truly this was the Son of God" (cf. Mt. 27:54).

He was buried by Joseph of Arimathea in a new tomb. On the third day, at dawn, He rose from the dead, as He had foretold. The myrrh-bearing women found the tomb empty; the Risen Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the women, to Peter, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, to the eleven, to Thomas, and also to more than five hundred brethren at once (cf. 1 Cor. 15:6). After forty days He ascended into the heavens and sat down at the right hand of the Father, and on the fiftieth day He sent down the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, thereby laying the foundation of the Church.

V. The Theology of the Sacrifice

Why did Christ suffer?

The New Testament teaches that the human race, through the sin of Adam, fell away from communion with God, becoming enslaved to sin, corruption, and death. As the Apostle Paul writes: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). And further: "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23), and "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). No man could redeem himself, for the offence against the Infinite God required an infinite satisfaction, and the renewal of fallen human nature required One who was Himself without sin.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16). The sacrifice of Christ is the free act of Divine Love — the Father sends, the Son offers Himself as a sacrifice, the Spirit bears witness.

The Dimensions of the Sacrifice

The sacrifice of reconciliation. The Apostle Paul writes: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them" (2 Cor. 5:19). The enmity between God and man, caused by sin, has been abolished by the Blood of the Cross (cf. Eph. 2:14--16; Col. 1:20).

The sacrifice of ransom. Christ "gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:6); "the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many" (cf. Mk. 10:45). He redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us (cf. Gal. 3:13), and from the dominion of the devil, who had the power of death (cf. Heb. 2:14--15).

The sacrifice of expiation. Christ is "the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1:29) — the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah 53: "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities... and with His stripes we are healed." He is our true Passover, whose slaying was accomplished for us (cf. 1 Cor. 5:7), and His Blood cleanses us from all sin (cf. 1 Jn. 1:7).

The High-Priestly sacrifice. The Epistle to the Hebrews reveals the teaching that Christ is the eternal High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, who offered not the blood of bulls and goats, but His own Blood, and entered once for all into the sanctuary that is truly heavenly, "having obtained eternal redemption" (cf. Heb. 9:11--12, 24--28).

The Victory of the Resurrection

The Sacrifice of the Cross is inseparable from the Resurrection: "And if Christ be not risen, then is your faith vain; ye are yet in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17). By His death, Christ has trampled down death, and by His Resurrection He became "the firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Cor. 15:20). In Him, human nature is raised up, deified, and seated at the right hand of the Father. As the Holy Church confesses: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life."

The Fruits of the Sacrifice for the Human Race

Through the Sacrifice of Christ, the gates of Paradise have been opened, communion with God has been restored, the forgiveness of sins has been granted, human nature has been healed and deified, death has lost its sting, the devil has been cast down, and the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon all flesh. In Baptism, the faithful are united with the death and Resurrection of Christ (cf. Rom. 6:3--5); in the Eucharist, they commune with His Body and Blood unto life everlasting (cf. Jn. 6:54); in the Church — His Body — they grow up into the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (cf. Eph. 4:13).

VI. The Measure of the Divine Love

The New Testament shows us Jesus Christ not as a mere moral example and not as the founder of a religion, but as God Himself, who came down from heaven for our salvation, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, rose on the third day, ascended into the heavens, and shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead — as the Symbol of Faith confesses, received from the apostolic witness.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (Jn. 15:13). On the Cross, the eternal Son of God laid down His life not only for His friends, but also for His enemies — that sinners might become sons of God, and that in Him man might have life, and have it more abundantly (cf. Jn. 10:10).

"For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" (Jn. 3:17).

The Life of Saint Hierarch Julian of Cenomanis

Commemorated on July 26

Origin and Identification with Simon the Leper

According to ancient tradition preserved in the Menaia, Saint Julian of Cenomania is identified with Simon the Leper, the biblical figure mentioned in the Gospel of Mark (14:3). He was a man from Bethany who had been miraculously healed of leprosy by the Lord Jesus Christ. After his healing, Simon received Christ in his home, where a woman poured precious myrrh upon the head of the Saviour — an episode recorded in the Holy Gospels.

Upon receiving Holy Baptism, Simon took the name Julian, leaving behind his former identity and beginning a new life in Christ. Becoming a close disciple of the Holy Apostle Peter, he showed himself zealous in faith and in the work of the Gospel.

Ordination and Sending on Mission

The Holy Apostle Peter, seeing Julian's worthiness and spiritual purity, ordained him bishop and sent him to Gaul (the territory of present-day France, although some traditions initially place his activity in the region of the Po River, in the north of present-day Italy) to preach the Gospel to the pagans among the Cenomani tribe. Thus, according to tradition, Saint Julian became the first bishop of the city of Cenomanis (Le Mans).

Missionary Activity and Miracles

Having arrived at Cenomanis, Saint Julian settled into a modest hut outside the city and began to preach the Gospel among the pagans. At first, the idol-worshippers regarded him with distrust, but his preaching was accompanied by great miracles:

The Miraculous Spring. The city was suffering from an acute shortage of water. To quench the thirst of the numerous visitors who came to him, Saint Julian, after praying to the Lord, thrust his staff into the dry ground, and from that barren place a spring of living water gushed forth. This miracle converted many pagans to Christianity.

The Healing of the Blind Man. One day, as he was going to the dwelling of the local ruler, the Saint encountered a blind man at the gate. Having pity on him and praying, he restored his sight.

The Conversion of the Prince. Impressed by the miracle, the prince of the city came out to meet the hierarch and, falling at his feet, asked for Holy Baptism. After three days of fasting and catechesis, Saint Julian baptized him together with his entire family. Following the example of their ruler, the greater part of his subjects also turned to Christ.

The Church in the Prince's Palace. The prince donated his own dwelling to the bishop to be transformed into a church and provided the means necessary for the building up of the local Church.

The Raising of Children. Moved by the grief of mourning parents, the Holy Hierarch prayed to God and raised to life children who had died, giving them back alive to their parents.

The End of His Life

Saint Julian remained for a long time upon the episcopal throne, teaching his flock the way of salvation. Until a ripe old age he preached Christ, uprooting idolatry from the land of the Cenomanis. He fell asleep in peace, at an advanced age, leaving behind a flourishing Church and a people enlightened by faith in the True God.

His Legacy

Saint Hierarch Julian of Cenomanis is honoured as an apostolic luminary of Gaul and as the founder of the bishopric of Le Mans. His life bears witness to the power of divine grace, which can transform a man healed in body into a healer of souls, and to the living bond between the Church of the West and the primary apostolic tradition piously preserved by the Orthodox Church.

Through the prayers of Saint Hierarch Julian, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Amen.