THE COMMEMORATION OF ST. JUSTIN, MARTYR
1 June Anno + Domini 2011
"Be Faithful Unto Deathâ€
Rev. 2:9-11; 1 Cor. 1:18-25; Luke 12:1-8
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.†So promises our Lord Jesus the Christ. And today we commemorate one who clung to, and now enjoys the fulfillment of, that promise. St. Justin - who has become commonly known as Justin, Martyr - seemed like an unlikely candidate to heed this promise and receive its rewards. He was born in a pagan family which not only rejected Christ, but viewed the religion founded upon His Blood as a threat to society that needed to be crushed. The word of the cross was folly to St. Justin and his family and St. Justin was raised to put his faith in his own human reason. He sought to uncover the truths of the universe and the purpose of our human existence through worldly wisdom. He became a student of philosophy and grew to become an expert in this discipline, able to out-wisdom all other "lovers of wisdom†with his stellar argumentation.
But, the Lord had other plans for St. Justin. The Spirit blows where He wills, and He willed to blow upon St. Justin, converting him to the Christian faith. The promise of our Lord found this pagan philosopher and he soon became one of the first Christian apologists, defending the Christian faith with great zeal and expertise against those who denied its truth. The word of the cross was no longer folly to St. Justin, but the power of God to save sinful humanity. He remained a philosopher at heart, but the wisdom he now loved was not worldly, but the wisdom of God, Jesus Christ, who makes foolish the wisdom of the world. And so St. Justin began to vehemently put forth the argument that all the philosophies of men are folly - including the philosophies he himself had previously held and defended - when compared to the only true philosophy which exists, namely Christianity. St. Justin shows himself to be a stellar theologian in his writings and his opponents were no match for his apologetics.
And besides his faithful contribution in the area of Christian apologetics, St. Justin also provides us with much of what we know of early liturgical practice. He gives us one of the most ancient descriptions of the Christian Divine Service, which is remarkably similar to the basic ordo followed in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church to this day. Listen to what he says:
"And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president (or, presiding minister) verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun (Sunday), having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.â€
Sunday. Scripture readings. Preaching. Prayers. Holy Communion. Offerings. Blessings. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? These are the holy things done in the holy church of our holy Lord, and through them the Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith in the One who lived, died, rose again, and ascended for all sinners, so that they cling in faith to the folly of the cross, believing that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
We give thanks for the faithful saints of old, and especially on this day for St. Justin, Martyr, who kept the faith till the end and was beaten and beheaded for his refusal to make pagan sacrifices. St. Justin clung in faith to the folly of the cross of His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was faithful unto death and now eternally enjoys the fruit of our Lord's promise - the crown of life.
The same promise is for you, dearly beloved. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. You were born into this world every bit a pagan as St. Justin and his family. But, the Holy Spirit chose to blow on you, marking you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified in Holy Baptism, filling you with the faith to cling to the folly of the cross as the power of God to save sinners. And the Holy Spirit continues to blow on you, pointing you to Christ and guiding you to where He can be found, here in His Holy Church, in His Holy Word and in His Holy Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Talk about folly - there is nothing more foolish to the world than to believe that the consecrated bread and wine is the very Body and Blood of Christ. But, you know it is, for the Holy Spirit assures you of it. Come, then, and receive this power of God unto your salvation, that you may remain lovers of Christ, the Wisdom of God, desiring always to cling to Him alone.
Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. So the Lord promises, and He is always faithful to His promises. And thus you can depart forgiven and free, at peace, knowing that the folly of the cross is the power of salvation for you, and that the crown of life awaits you when you depart this vale of tears.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.