November 24 –  Holy Great-Martyr Mercurius (†~250) 

Emperor Decius ruled the Roman Empire from 249-251. Facing threats from Germanic and Persian invaders, plagues, and conflicts within his empire, he decided to do something that might appease the gods. So on January of 250, Decius began the new year by sacrificing to the god of Jupiter in Rome and issuing an edict requiring every free man or woman to burn incense to the Roman gods and pray for the health of the emperor. This had to be carried out in the presence of a Roman official, in exchange for a signed paper confirming that the ritual had been carried out. Only the Jewish community was exempt, as they had long been granted freedom of worship, and the Christian community by this time had come to be recognized as something clearly distinct from Judaism. 

The emperor himself went to Ephesus to arrange a lively celebration in honor of his gods, and slaughter the resistant Christians, among whom were the seven young martyrs that we now refer to and commemorate as the “Seven Sleepers of Ephesus," which you may have read about. But today we will read about the Holy Great-Martyr Mercurius. St. Nikolaj Velimirovic in The Prologue of Ohrid, tells of the life of Saint Mercurius:

When Emperor Decius once waged war against the barbarians, there was in his army the commander of an Armenian regiment called the Martenesians. This commander was named Mercurius. In battle, an angel of the Lord appeared to Mercurius, placed a sword in his hand, and assured him of victory over his enemies. Indeed, Mercurius displayed wonderful courage, mowing down the enemy like grass. Following this glorious victory Emperor Decius made him chief commander of his army, but envious men reported Mercurius to the emperor for being a Christian, a fact which he did not hide but openly acknowledged before the emperor. Mercurius was tortured harshly and at length; he was cut into strips with knives and burned with fire. An angel of God appeared to him in prison and healed him. Finally, the emperor proclaimed that General Mercurius be beheaded in Cappadocia. When they beheaded him, his body became as white as snow and emitted a most wonderful incense-like fragrance. His miracle-working relics healed many of the sick.

Even after his death, this warrior for Christ did much good for the earthly Church. It is said that Saint Basil the Great once prayed before an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, upon which Saint Mercurius was depicted as a soldier holding a spear. He asked God not to permit the emperor Julian the Apostate to return from his war against the Persians and resume his oppression of Christians. (If you remember from our reading of Saint Martin, this was the emperor attempting to revive paganism and persecute Christian after it had been legalized by Saint Constantine before him). As Saint Basil prayed, the image of the holy Great Martyr Mercurius that was beside the image of the Most Holy Theotokos, became invisible, reappearing later with a bloodied spear. It was at that moment that Julian the Apostate, on his campaign against the Persians campaign, was mortally wounded by the spear of an unknown soldier, who immediately disappeared. Legend has it, that the wounded Julian, as he lay dying, cried out, “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!”

As we begin our second week of the Nativity Fast, let us pray for both strength and peace in all we face, like Great Martyr Mercurius and the many saints and martyrs before us, whose lives and deaths have sanctified these very days that lead us to the Nativity.

Optional Resources:

A detailed account of the life and witness of St Philopateer Mercurius

Sources:

Velimirovic, Nikolaj. The Prologue of Ohrid. Lives of Saints, Hymns, Reflections and Homilies for Every Day of the Year. July to December. United States, Sebastian Press, Western American Diocese, 2008.

Great Martyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia. Orthodox Church in America. https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/1995/11/24/103383-great-martyr-mercurius-of-caesarea-in-cappadocia