October: Day 7: Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus

 

October: Day 7:
Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus
 
(On Why Christians Should Always Rejoice in the Lord)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, distinguished warriors whose memory is celebrated today, were favorites of the Emperor Maximian and enjoyed great respect at the Roman court. Despite the general respect for them as "wise in counsel and brave in war," Maximian, a hater of Christians, having learned that they also belonged to the believers in Christ, first used all efforts to turn them away from the true faith, but, having failed to influence them either with promises or threats, sent them to Antiochus, the governor of one of the Syrian regions, with orders to persuade Sergius and Bacchus to renounce Christ or to subject them to the most severe tortures and death. The Christians joyfully made their way, not at all fearing torture.

Meanwhile, Antiochus, although he was known for his hatred of Christians, but remembering that he owed his rise to the former royal favorites Sergius and Bacchus, did not want to contribute to the death of his benefactors and therefore diligently persuaded them to renounce the Christian faith, or which they would have to accept the death penalty.

“Your words are in vain,” the Christians objected to him, “both honor and shame, both life and death, all this is nothing for one who thirsts for eternal life: Christ is our life, and death for Him is our true glory.”

Seeing the impossibility of shaking the faith of the confessors, Antiochus ordered Sergius to be taken to prison and at the same time to begin torturing Bacchus; Bacchus died amidst the torments. His mangled remains, cast out to be eaten by beasts and birds, were secretly carried off by Christians and buried in the cave in which they themselves were hiding.

That same night, Bacchus, shining with blessedness, appeared in a dream to Sergius, who was grieving for him in prison, and consoled him with the news that he had already passed into the world of eternal joy, and Bacchus strengthened his friend for the martyrdom that lay ahead of him.

Sergius did not have to wait long for the fulfillment of this joyful announcement of his friend. The very next day, wearing iron boots with long and sharp nails inside, he had to accompany Antiochus to various cities where he was going on official business. Having arrived with the ruler in the Syrian city of Resafa (Sergiopolis), exhausted by the torture endured on the way, Sergius was given over to new cruel tortures and in the midst of them, "joyfully singing psalms and prayers," his life ended under the executioner's sword.

II. You, beloved Christian brethren, have probably noticed that the Holy Martyrs, despite the torments that lay before them and even during the torments themselves, did not cease to rejoice in the Lord, that these sorrows and torments lead to eternal joy and blessedness. Consequently, true Christians, in all, even the most disastrous, circumstances of life, have many reasons for true joy in the Lord.

a) God's love for people is the first reason for Christian joy. "In this the love of God was revealed toward us," says the apostle, "in that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (1 John 4:9; John 3:16). This is the initial action of God's love for those who believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the first reason why we Christians should rejoice "in the Lord!"

In order to judge better what a great benefit God has shown us in sending His only-begotten Son into the world for our salvation, let us recall, brethren, what the Son of God did for the salvation of men? By His divine teaching He enlightened their minds, dispelled the darkness of pagan errors, and poured out into the world the light of true knowledge of God; in His most holy life He presented them with a model of moral perfection, and at the same time an incentive to behave virtuously. At the same time He suffered, shed His blood, and died on the cross “for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2), with His blood He washed away our sins and reconciled us with the heavenly Father, by His death He trampled upon our death and called us to eternal life, by His sufferings He delivered us from the torments of hell and granted us the right to blessedness in the heavenly abodes of God. Is it possible not to rejoice at such a blessing from Him, is it possible not to bless the Lord for it? The very thought of Him should bring the heart of the believer into rapture, “Rejoice,” brethren, “always” in “the Lord, and again I say, Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4).

b) But, besides this reason for rejoicing in the Lord, which we have indicated, there is another. It consists in the fact that the merciful God, having accomplished through Jesus Christ the great work of our redemption from sin, death and hell, did not leave us Christians without care; but paternally cares for us, and by His most wise providence disposes everything for our good, even the very sorrows and misfortunes, according to the assurance of the apostle, He turns "to our advantage" so that through them we could "have part in His holiness" (Rom. 8:18; Heb. 12:10). And truly, if we pay attention to ourselves and to our life, if we examine its circumstances, delve into the causes and consequences of what happened in us and with us: then we will inevitably discern traces of God's wondrous providence for us. Only a blind man can fail to see them, only a foolish person can explain everything by one incident and coincidence of circumstances. "Are not two sparrows," says the Savior to His disciples, "sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 3But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. 10:29-31). “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” He said to all who believed in Him in the person of the apostles (Matt. 28:20); this means that He is as present to us as He was to the apostles, and cares for us as He cared for them. Should not this fill our hearts with delight and hope in the Lord? “Rejoice always in the Lord, and again I say, Rejoice!”

c) We invite you again to rejoice, because Christians have a new reason for it. Why did the Lord redeem the human race and care for us now? So that with His help we might attain the blessedness that is destined for those who believe in Christ in the future life (Tim. 2:11-13). This blessedness gives us a new reason to rejoice in the Lord. The word of God testifies that before entering eternity, all the dead will be resurrected with renewed bodies, and the living will be changed for a new, never-ending life. Their bodies after the resurrection will be spiritual, incorruptible and immortal, like that with which Christ was resurrected. Christ is “the firstfruits of the dead” (Rev. 1:5); and their souls, in accordance with the state of their bodies, will probably receive the highest spiritual development, will approach the nature of pure spirits, before whom even now they are “a little lower” (Ps. 8:6), and in some way will become like God Himself, “for they will see Him,” in the words of the apostle, “as He is” (1 John 3:2). Having risen from the dead and spiritually changed, believers in Christ “will be caught up in the clouds into the air, to meet the Lord,” who is to come in glory to the terrible judgment, to reward everyone according to his deeds (1 Thess. 4:15-17). At this judgment, before the whole universe, they will hear from the lips of the righteous Judge this longed-for sentence: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom of heaven prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). Then they will enter this blessed kingdom, be clothed with heavenly glory, be illuminated like the sun, sit around the throne of God, be always with the Lord, behold Him face to face and enjoy such blessings as “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man” (Matt. 13:43; Rev. 22:1-5; 1 Cor. 2:9). Their blessedness will be so great, and the feeling of it so strong, that in an abundance of delight, according to the insight of the Seer, they will unceasingly glorify and thank the Lord for the salvation granted to them (Rev. 5:19-14; Rev. 7:10-17). This is the inexpressible blessedness that is destined for believers in Christ in the future, never-ending life! We, brethren, can also participate in this blessedness by the grace of God.

How can we not rejoice when we envision Him, how can we not thank the Lord for blessing us so much? “Rejoice always in the Lord, and again I say, rejoice!”

III. In rejoicing now that the Lord has redeemed us, cares for us, and has destined for us eternal blessedness in heaven, let us take care, brethren, that our joy over this may not be in vain. The Lord has redeemed us from sin and its pernicious consequences for this purpose, says the Apostle, "that we, having been delivered from sin, might live for righteousness" (1 Peter 2:24); the Lord paternally cares for us and sends us His saving grace for this purpose, says the same Apostle, "that we, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, might live soberly, righteously, and godly, in the present age" (1 Tim. 2:11, 12). Therefore, we must live in such a way that the grace of God may not be in vain in us and that God may not subject us to punishment for neglecting it and being careless about our salvation, about which He cares so much. The Lord has destined for all Christians eternal blessedness in the kingdom of heaven, but He grants it only to those who are worthy of it, only to those who are pure in heart, thirst for righteousness, strive to be morally perfect, “but the unrighteous,” according to the assurance of the Apostle, “will not inherit the kingdom of God (Matt. 3:3-10; 1 Cor. 6:9, 10).

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