MEMORIAL OF SAINT JUSTIN, MARTYR AND SAINT PAMPHILUS, PRIEST AND MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY: JUNE 1ST: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr and Saint Pamphilus, Priest and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for all lecturers, teachers, philosophers, speakers and those who proclaim the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for the poor and the needy, for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏🏽
SAINT JUSTIN, MARTYR: St. Justin, Apologist and Martyr (100–165 A.D.) was a pagan philosopher from Samaria, born at Nablus (ancient Shechem), Palestine, about 100. St. Justin came from a pagan family, the son of Priscus, was a Greek by race. He passed his youth in the study of letters. When he grew to manhood he was so taken with the love of philosophy and the desire of truth, that he became a student of philosphy and examined the teaching of all the philosophers. He found in them only deceitful wisdom and error. At the age of thirty-three years of studying the various systems of Philosophy, he became converted to Christianity by way of Platonism. Thereafter, his whole life was devoted to the propagation and defense of the faith in Asia Minor and at Rome. Though he retained the garb of a philosopher, he is most important Christian Apologist of the 2nd century and the first of whom we possess written works.
After meeting a Syrian Christian, venerable old man, who was a stranger to him, he received the light of heaven and embraced the philosophy of the true Christian faith. Henceforth he had the books of Holy Scripture in his hands by day and night, and his soul was filled with the divine fire enkindled by his meditations. Having thus acquired the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ, he devoted his learning to the composition of many books explaining and propagating the Christian faith. He was convinced that the biblical prophets were more trustworthy in the pursuit of truth than worldly philosophers, St. Justin renounced his paganism and studied Sacred Scripture. The bold witness of the early Christian martyrs led to his own conversion to the Catholic faith. St. Justin then used his philosophical and rhetorical skills to defend Christianity, the “true philosophy,” against rival pagan philosophies and political powers which maligned and persecuted the Church. He traveled throughout Asia Minor teaching, arguing, and persuading others to accept baptism and follow Christ, before arriving in Rome where he settled and started his own school.
St. Justin is particularly celebrated for the two Apologies which he was courageous enough to address in succession to the persecuting emperors Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius. One of them contains a description of the rites of baptism and the ceremonies of Mass, thus constituting the most valuable evidence that we possess on the Roman liturgy of his day. In 165, while bearing witness to the Faith in Rome, St. Justin was denounced as a Christian, most likely at the instigation of a Cynic philosopher whom he had outshone in a public debate. St. Justin was arrested for his faith in Rome and ordered to make sacrifice to false gods, which he refused, he replied: “No right-minded man forsakes truth for falsehood.” He was martyred by beheading along with several of his students, the six others who were with him and remained steadfast with him and they all attained the palm of martyrdom. St. Justin is also referred to as “the Philosopher.” He is famous for writing the Church’s first “Apology,” or defense of the Christian faith, showing that Christianity was superior to the pagan religions, and that Christians were model citizens and should not be mistreated. His writings are a prime source of the history of the primitive Church in worship and sacraments, including the Holy Eucharist. He is one of the first great apologists of the Church, and for this he is the Patron Saint of speakers, apologists, and philosophers, lecturers; orators. His feast day is June 1st.
Quotes of St. Justin, Apologist and Martyr:
“We used to hate and destroy one another and refused, to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies ”
“Let it be understood, that those who are not found living as He taught, are NOT Christian- even though they profess with the lips, the teaching of Christ.”
“Not as common bread or as common drink, do we receive these…..We have been taught, that the food, that has been Eucharistised, by the word of prayer, that food, which by assimilation, nourishes our flesh and blood, is the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus.”
“We have strayed from the Immortal’s ways and worship with a dull and senseless mind, Idols, the workmanship of our own hands!”
PRAYER: God, in a wonderful manner You taught St. Justin, the Martyr the lofty science of Jesus Christ manifested in the folly of the Cross. Through his intercession grant that we may never fall into error but remain firm in the Faith. Amen🙏🏽
SAINT PAMPHILUS, PRIEST AND MARTYR: St. Pamphilus, a scholar and martyr of the early fourth century. He was born latter half of the 3rd century at Beirut, modern-day Lebanon to a rich and honorable family, was a native of Berytus in Phenicia. That city was famous then for its schools, and St. Pamphilus in his youth pursued studies in all the existing branches of learning; afterwards he went to the renowned Christian school of Alexandria, where he had as master a celebrated Christian philosopher named Pierius. Then he journeyed to Caesarea in Palestine, and was there ordained a priest. After he began to know Christ, he could relish no pursuit but that of the doctrine of salvation, and he renounced all other occupations to apply himself wholly to the study of Holy Scripture and the practices of virtue. At his own expense, he collected a great library of thirty thousand volumes and bestowed it on the church of Caesarea. The Saint also established there a school of sacred literature open to the public, and to his labors the Church was indebted for a corrected edition of the Holy Bible. This, with infinite care, he transcribed himself. Nothing was more remarkable in Saint Pamphilus than his extraordinary humility. He distributed his paternal estate among the poor; his behavior towards his servants was always that of a brother or a tender father. He led a very austere life, sequestered from the world and its company, and was indefatigable in his scholarly labors. He attached himself to the “perfect men”. This virtue was his apprenticeship for the grace of martyrdom.
St. Pamphilus was giving public lessons in the city of Caesarea, when the persecution of Maximius Daius interrupted them. In the year 307, Urbanus, the cruel governor of Palestine, had him arrested, and after trying unsuccessfully to win this important personage by promises and flattery, commanded him to be inhumanly tormented. But the iron hooks which tore the holy priest’s sides served only to cover the judge with confusion, for no means could alter his holy convictions. The governor had Saint Pamphilus transported half-dead to a prison, where he remained virtually forgotten for two years, his cruel persecutor himself having been reproved and executed by orders of the Emperor, and another having replaced him. Finally, with nine other imprisoned Christians, Saint Pamphilus was sentenced to death without burial. But no wild creatures approached the bodies of Saint Pamphilus and the other martyrs who died on the same evening. Their guards were impressed, and finally the faithful were allowed to carry away the blessed martyrs for honorable burial. St. Pamphilus died on February 16, 309 at Caesarea Maritima, Palestine. His feast days are February 16th and June 1st.
Saint Pamphilus, Priest and Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏🏽