June 16 / June 3
The Holy Martyr Lucillian and those with him at Byzantium: Claudius, Hypatius, Paul, Dionysius and the Virgin Paula
Lucillian grew old as a pagan priest but, as a gray-haired old man, he recognized the truth of Christianity and was baptized. His conversion to Christianity provoked great anxiety among the pagans in Nicomedia, and he was brought to trial. Because he would not deny his new Faith, Lucillian was violently beaten and, completely bruised, was thrown into prison. In prison, he met four young men, Claudius, Hypatius, Paul, and Dionysius, who were also imprisoned because of their faith in Christ. The old man greatly rejoiced in the young men and they in him, and together they spent all their time in pious conversation, prayer, and the chanting of Psalms. When they were led out of prison, they were tortured by various means and finally sent to Byzantium, where the soldiers beheaded Claudius, Hypatius, Paul, and Dionysius, and where Lucillian was crucified by the Jews. The iniquitous Jews pierced Lucillian’s whole body with nails. A virgin named Paula openly took the martyrs’ bodies and honorably buried them. For this, she was accused and, after having been tortured, was beheaded, receiving two wreaths from the Lord: the wreath of virginity and the wreath of martyrdom. Their martyrdom occurred during the reign of Emperor Aurelian, between the years 270 and 275.
The Hieromartyr Lucian, bishop, Maxianus, priest, and Julian, deacon and Martyrs Marcellinus and Saturninus, at Beauvais (Gaul) (ca. 290) Lucian was a Roman renowned for his noble birth, wealth, and learning. For a period of time, he was a disciple of the Apostle Peter. Later, Pope Clement sent him to Gaul to preach the Gospel, together with Dionysius the Areopagite, consecrating him bishop beforehand. With great zeal Lucian sowed the teachings of Christ, at first in Gaul and then in Belgium. When the evil Emperor Dometian began his persecution of Christians, special messengers were sent by him from Rome to Gaul to seek out and capture the Christian missionaries. They first captured St. Dionysius and after that, they went in pursuit of Lucian. Finding Lucian in Belgium with his assistants, the presbyter Maxianus and the deacon Julian, the soldiers killed the latter two in one place and in another place beheaded Lucian. After Lucian had been beheaded, his lifeless body rose up from the ground, took its head in its hands (like St. Dionysius and St. Jovan Vladimir) and then walked to the place where he desired to be buried. There he fell and there he was buried. A church was later built over his relics.
3. The Holy Martyr Dimitri (Demetrius), Crown Prince of Russia
The ambitious Boris Godunov treacherously murdered the eight-year-old Dimitri in the town of Uglich in the year 1591. After his death, Dimitri appeared to a monk and prophesied that a false Dimitri would appear and would cause the death of the murderer, Boris Godunov—which afterward came to pass. A countless number of miracles occurred at the grave of the slain crown prince. After fifteen years his relics were discovered to be whole and incorrupt. They were solemnly translated to Moscow and interred in the Church of the Holy Archangel Michael.
- Achilles, bishop of Alexandria (312).
- Hieria, widow, of Mesopotamia (312).
- Monk-martyr Barsabas, abbot, of Ishtar, and ten companions, in Persia (342).
- Clotilde (Chlotilda), queen of France (545).
- Kevin, hermit, and abbot, of Glendalough (618).
- Monk-martyr Isaac of Cordoba (851).
- Athanasius the Wonderworker, hieromonk of Traiannou Monastery in Bithynia (ca. 933).
- New Hieromartyr Joseph, metropolitan of Thessalonica (1821).
- New Hieromartyr Cyprian (Nelidov), hieromonk, of Moscow (1934).
HYMN OF PRAISE
The Holy Martyr Crown Prince Dimitri
Dimitri, a small child, became a great saint,
And Godunov, a great murderer, remains forever cursed.
Craving power, an ambitious one can never be satisfied;
Lust for power is fire in both worlds—unquenchable fire.
From Boris’s goblet, men are poisoned,
But Boris drank from his own goblet and judged himself.
Down a river of blood Boris sailed to the throne,
But into a sea of maggots that river flows.
On the criminal the crown trembled as from an earthquake.
Afraid of everything, he looked toward the heavens.
Whoever sheds innocent blood, let him prepare to shed his own:
There has never been an exception to this, nor will there be.
Lust for power—a winged horse, with wings of wax.
When it soars to the heights of power, the wings melt!
Then from the heights to the bottom it falls,
lower than a beggar.
And Satan says to his own:
“Behold, the hundredth fool!”
Dimitri, the young crown prince,
innocently suffered;
Crown prince was he then,
and crown prince is he now.
To read the Reflection, Contemplation, and Homily for this day,
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