December: Day 18: Holy Martyr Sebastian and his Companions

December: Day 18:
Holy Martyr Sebastian and his Companions
 
(On the Existence of the Afterlife)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Sebastian, whose memory is celebrated today, was the commander of the palace guard under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. The emperors loved him for his bravery in war and wisdom in counsel, and always kept him with them, showing him complete confidence. But they did not know that Sebastian was a Christian. It was not out of fear of persecution that Sebastian concealed his faith: the time had not yet come for him to openly confess our Lord Jesus Christ; until then, he did not miss the opportunity to help his co-religionists, and with firmness awaited the time when the Lord himself would call him to the sacred feat.

The time had come. Two brothers, Marcellinus and Mark, for confessing the Christian faith, were brought to Rome before the eparch (governor of the city), who demanded that they renounce Christ. The most terrible tortures did not shake the firmness of the two brothers; they were thus condemned to death. They had already bowed their heads under the executioner's axe, ready to joyfully die for the name of Christ, when suddenly the eparch, softened by the requests of their relatives, agreed to postpone the execution for a month. The Martyrs were given over to the care of a pagan named Nicostratus, who was to present them again to the eparch in a month if they did not renounce their faith during this time.

A new struggle began for the brothers, more difficult than the first. Their relatives, the pagans, tried in every way to dissuade them from their holy feat. What neither the fear of death nor the most terrible tortures could do, the prayers of their aged parents, the sobs of their wives and children, the exhortations of their relatives and friends did. The hearts of the steadfast Martyrs wavered: their spirit lost its former courage; they wept together with their families and were almost ready to buy the right to life and its blessings by apostasy from Christ.

Sebastian was in the house of Nicostratus with numerous relatives and friends of Marcellinus and Mark. Noticing that the Martyrs were ready to yield to the supplications and tears of their loved ones, he stood up and, turning to them, exclaimed: "O mighty soldiers of Christ! Will you, who have so magnanimously endured tortures, now lay aside your well-deserved crown for the sake of caresses and tears? Arm yourselves with faith, lift up your glorious banner, and do not give it up for the sake of childish weeping! Those who are now weeping would rejoice for you if they knew what you know. They think there's no life but that which you lose for Christ's sake. If they had known that behind this life there is eternal life, they themselves would have wished to share in your feat and would have despised temporal life. And is our temporal life worth so much cherishing? Does it not deceive us every hour, is it not full of grief, vanity and lies? Does it not teach us all that is evil? When a brother kills a brother, a robber robs a traveler, a proud man offends the humble, a guilty man persecutes the innocent – what is the cause of all this if not love for this life and its blessings? And it is this life that seduces you!”

Sebastian continued, turning to the friends and relatives of Marcellinus and Mark: “For its sake you want to turn your beloved away from the path to eternal life! Temporal life teaches you, parents, to distract your sons from serving the Heavenly King with mad sobs! It teaches you, O wives, to weaken the firm souls of martyrs with caresses and tears. You wish for them not life, but death: slavery, not freedom. Even if they were to yield to your prayers, then, having lived a little while, will they not be forced to part with you? But they will then part in order to suffer eternal torment in the fiery Gehenna, where there is eternal weeping and endless suffering. Let them escape eternal torment and let their example teach you too. Let them prepare for you abodes in the heavenly settlements, where the eternal day shines, where the light never sets and the joy is endless, where there are no tears, no sighs, no sorrow, where the angels eternally glorify the King of heaven! O parents! O friends! O honorable wives of holy men! Do not wish to deprive them of this eternal joyful life! Do not call them from joy to sobbing, from light to darkness! And you, holy men, do not allow yourself to be seduced by the cunning enemy, who acts against you through your household. Remember the words: 'A man's enemies will be the members of his own household' (Matt. 10.36), for they are not your friends who wish to separate you from God. Do not let go of your reward, for you are already standing at the doors of the heavenly palace; a crown is already being woven for you; Christ is already awaiting you! Remember the words: 'Whoever loves father or mother, or son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me' (Matt. 10:37). Do not be so foolish as to finish in the flesh what you began in the spirit! Oh, may the Lord God grant me to lay down my life for His name!"

When Sebastian had finished this speech, an extraordinary light overshadowed him and his face was illuminated by a heavenly radiance. Some of those present saw seven angels above him, clothing him in a shining garment, and a voice was heard saying: "You will always be with Me!" Amazement and reverent awe filled all hearts. Among others, Nicostratus' wife, Zoe, who had lost her tongue six years before, was there. She understood Sebastian's words and, seeing a heavenly radiance around him, fell at his feet. He, raising his eyes to heaven, cried out: "If I am truly a servant of Christ and all that I have told you is true and which this woman has believed, then may the Lord command that the bonds that bind her tongue be loosed." Having said this, he made the sign of the cross over Zoe's lips and she suddenly exclaimed: "Blessed are you, blessed are the words of your lips and blessed are those who have believed through you in Christ the Savior, the living God, for I saw that the angel of God held an open book before you the whole time you spoke. As the dawn with its appearance drives away the darkness of the night, so the light of your words dispelled the darkness of error in my soul, and my lips opened to glorify the Lord."

All the witnesses of this miracle believed in Christ. Marcellinus and Mark, filled with new strength and zeal for God, prepared to stand courageously for His name. “Let us despise the body,” they cried, “that we may save the soul! Shall we fear temporary death, when eternal life is before us? Let those who do not know about the future life fear!” Similar feelings inspired others; all renounced their previous errors, repented of their sins and, having ardently loved God, prepared to lay down their lives for Him.

Sebastian, Marcellinus and Mark taught the new believers the law of the Lord. Under the patronage of Nicostratus, they went to prisons and brought there the light and consolation of the Christian faith. In this holy work they were assisted by Saint Polycarp the presbyter. “Blessed are you,” he said to the new Christians, “for you have believed the words of Christ, who said: 'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart'" (Matt. 11:28-29). The Lord blessed the deeds of His faithful servants and the number of believers increased daily; many received holy baptism and were miraculously healed of their ailments, which further aroused in them feelings of love and gratitude to God. Finally, they all suffered martyrdom for Christ, from Whom no suffering could now separate them.

II. What remains for us, beloved brethren, to add to that living sermon on the existence of the afterlife, which you have just heard, delivered in the words of the Holy Martyr Sebastian, who, although he died a martyr for Christ many centuries ago, still abides with us in spirit? Whom will not be convinced by this sermon that after this temporary life, filled with sorrows and all kinds of deprivations, there exists another, eternal and blessed for the righteous and inexpressibly painful for the unbelievers and unrepentant - a sermon, the truth of which was also attested by past miracles. Can other proofs set forth by our weak words convince him?

We will dwell here on only one objection to the unbelieving thought.

a) In justification of their insufficient faith in the future life, they sometimes say: if only someone would appear to me from the other world, then it would be possible to believe that people live there. A miserable excuse! It was exposed by Jesus Christ, who said of such people: “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31). People sometimes reach such madness and such inordinate vanity that they do not believe anything and want God to perform miracles for each of us separately. Meanwhile, so many cases of the appearance of dead people to living people have already been recorded that a whole large book could be compiled. Of the many such cases, we will cite to you, brethren, only one, recorded by Bishop Hermogenes. This case is especially good because it is taken from the life of educated society, and not simple and ignorant people.

Prince Vladimir Sergeevich Dolgorukov

The actual privy councilor Prince Vladimir Sergeevich Dolgorukov, being in the rank of envoy to the Prussian court, during the reign of Frederick, was infected with freethinking there. Having learned about this, his brother, Prince Peter Sergeevich, wrote letters to him more than once, in which he assured him that he was mistaken, that without true faith there is no happiness on earth, that faith is essential for the future life, etc. But it was all in vain. Constantly reading Voltaire and other freethinkers, Prince Vladimir Sergeevich laughed at the convictions of his pious brother. One day, returning from the king and feeling very tired, he undressed quickly, threw himself into bed and soon dozed off. Suddenly he heard someone pull back his curtain, approach him, a cold hand touched his hand, even squeezed it. He looked, saw his brother and heard from him: "Believe." Delighted by the unexpected appearance, the prince wanted to throw himself into the arms of his brother and friend, but suddenly the vision disappeared. He asked the servants where his brother had gone, and, hearing from them that no one had entered to him, he tried to convince himself that this was a dream, a fantasy, but the word "believe" did not stop ringing in his ears and did not give him peace. He wrote down the date, hour and minute of the vision, and soon received news that on that very day, hour and minute his brother, Prince Peter Sergeevich, died. From then on he became a devout and believing Christian and often spoke to others about this vision. Let us marvel at God's goodness, turning unbelievers and doubters to the path of truth. (See the brochure of Bishop Hermogenes: "Consolation in the Death of Those Close to the Heart," p. 95).

b) To this we add the following formidable and powerful words of Saint John Chrysostom about the existence of the afterlife:

“The present life is not so well known as the future one. We see this (present) one with our own eyes, and we contemplate that one with the eyes of faith; we see this one already in our hands, and that one is still hidden in the promises of God. But the promises of God are much more powerful than our hands... When God promises, no change touches (His) promises. Consequently, those (future) blessings are in the highest degree constant, because they are firmly kept in the hand of God. No one can snatch from the hand of God, as Christ says: 'No one can snatch them from the hand of My Father'" (John 10:29). (“Homily Three on the Change of Names.")

The same Holy Father of the Church also says: “I will ask you, and you answer me: is God, in Whom you believe, just and will He reward everyone according to their works, or, on the contrary, does He want the wicked to prosper and rejoice, and the good to suffer? By no means, you answer, for even man will not tolerate this. Where will those who have lived virtuously here enjoy the blessings? Where will the wicked receive punishment, if there is no other life after this one, if there is no retribution? ... Both Greeks and barbarians, poets and philosophers, and in general the entire human race agree with our opinion, although not all to the same extent; for all admit some kind of judgment in hell. So this is clear and indubitable for everyone.”

III. "Let there be, brethren, to use the words of one great ascetic, Anthony the Great, a common concern for all to not weaken in their work, not to be discouraged in their labors, not to say: we have been striving for a long time. It is better, as beginners, to multiply our zeal every day, because the whole human life is very short in comparison with future ages, and therefore the whole time of life before eternal life is nothing. And although every thing in the world is sold for a proper price, and a man exchanges equal for equal; but the promise is bought for a small price, for it is written: 'The days of our years are seventy years, if in strength eighty years, and more than that is labor and pain' (Psalm 89:9). Therefore, even if we remain in the feat for seventy years, even a hundred years, we will not reign for a time equal to a hundred years, but, instead of a hundred years, we will reign forever and ever.”

 

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