On July 26, the Russian Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Julian, Bishop of Cenomanis (now Le Mans), who lived in the first century A.D.
The Apostle Peter proclaimed sternly and solemnly:
“From now on, you are the Bishop of Cenomanis. Keep faith in the Lord, preach the Gospel teaching and take care of your flock.”
St. Julian, Bishop of Cenomanis. Fragment of a twelfth-century stained glass window with scenes from his Life (Le Mans, France)
Some believe that Simon the Leper, who is mentioned in the Gospel (cf. Mk. 14:3), was baptized with the name Julian, and it was to him that the Apostle Peter said:
“Go to Gaul. There you will begin to preach the Gospel.”
Humble and obedient, St. Julian set off on a long journey. After several weeks of a complicated journey through mountains, rivers and the Mediterranean Sea, he arrived in Cenomanis. The local inhabitants—who lived mainly by breeding cattle, looked at the newcomer with bewilderment.
“Where is he from?”
“He speaks strangely, although you can understand him.”
“If he is a dishonest man and is planning something evil against us, we will drive him away.”
The day after his arrival, St. Julian asked the chief of a local tribe to gather his people together. The chief listened to the saint incredulously. A ten-year-old boy, his son, was sitting next to him. The boy stared at the stranger attentively, now turning one of his ears to him, then the other. The child wanted to hear what his father was talking about with the stranger, but he couldn’t, because he was almost deaf. St. Julian noticed the boy’s movements and asked his father:
“I see that the child is hard of hearing. Do you want the Lord to heal him through prayer?”
“I do not know which Lord you are speaking about, but I want my son to regain his hearing,” the chief replied.
St. Julian beckoned the boy, his father nodded his head to his son in approval, and the latter, looking around fearfully, approached the stranger. Laying his hands on the child’s head, St. Julian read a prayer with deep faith in the Lord and pronounced:
“Lord Jesus Christ, heal this boy from deafness—restore his hearing.”
The bishop started saying the prayer again, but the boy suddenly screamed:
“I can hear you!” I can hear everything!”
His father, his mother who was standing in the distance, and with several servants rushed towards the child simultaneously. All of them surrounded the boy, speaking excitedly and interrupting each other. Tears were streaming down his parents’ faces.
The miraculous healing of the chief’s son immediately became known among the pagans. They didn’t even have to be specially called to listen to the preaching. They themselves came to the chief’s family’s home to look at his son, whose hearing the stranger had restored.
“Let me speak to your people,” St. Julian said to the chief.
He nodded silently. And the bishop started speaking. He told the pagans about the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, about His saving sacrifice for the human race, about the holy commandments, about the salvation of the soul and eternal life in the Heavenly Kingdom.
At first, the pagans listened to St. Julian with distrust and suspicion. But his openness, kindness, and sincere faith in what he was speaking about made the people listen to the stranger over and over again. For several days in a row, they got together at the chief’s house and listened to the preacher, with the chief’s healed son often sitting next to him.
Inspired by St. Julian’s sermons, the pagans agreed to get baptized. The above-mentioned chief of the tribe was the first to be baptized, followed by his wife and son, along with numerous servants and villagers.
From that time on, St. Julian began to preach daily, and along with his preaching he healed his flock from various diseases.
One of them was suffering from pain in an arm wounded in battle, another had poor eyesight, and another (a woman) was suffering from severe headaches.
“You healed the little boy—help us too,” they implored the saint.
And by prayer to the Lord St. Julian helped them all. Gradually, many people from the surrounding villages began to come to him, asking for help. St. Julian not only healed their physical infirmities, but also their souls: He enlightened all those who came to him with the light of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The place where St. Julian took up his residence was deserted, and the nearest source of water was far away. And one day the saint’s visitors started grumbling:
“We’re very thirsty!”
“What do we have to suffer from thirst for, having come to this arid corner from our fertile lands?”
“Can’t you find a way to provide us with water, Julian?”
And St. Julian began to pray fervently to the Lord. Then he thrust his staff into the dry ground cracked from scorching heat, and when he took it from the ground, a spring of invigorating water gushed forth from a hole. It was a true miracle! And the numerous pagans who came to the bishop sincerely converted to the Lord Jesus Christ:
“It’s a wonder! The God of Julian is strong!”
“From now on we believe in the Lord as well!”
Finally, the news of St. Julian reached the local prince, who sent his servant to the bishop with an invitation to come to his princely residence.
The next day St. Julian set off. When he approached the prince’s palace, he saw a blind man sitting beside the gate. The saint took pity on him.
“Do you want to recover your sight by prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ?” he asked the blind man.
“Yes, I do! If you are offering me this, it means you are Julian, the news of whom has reached our parts.”
“It’s not me who heals, but the Lord. Do you believe in Him?”
St. Julian, Bishop of Cenomanis “I believe!”
“According to your faith, from henceforth you will see!” announced St. Julian after praying fervently to the Lord.
The prince’s servants, who had come out to meet St. Julian, were witnesses of the miraculous healing of the blind man, who had been sitting at the gate of the prince’s palace for a long time and eaten whatever people had brought him. They ran to the prince and told him about what they had seen. On hearing this, the prince himself left the palace and went to meet St. Julian. The prince fell at the bishop’s feet and asked to get baptized.
Bishop Julian was solemnly ushered into the prince’s palace, where his large household and many servants got together. After the meal and rest, St. Julian told those present about the faith of Christ. The bishop ordered the prince, his family and servants to keep fast for three days, and then baptized the prince, his wife, children and grandchildren, as well as his numerous servants and citizens.
By turning to Christ, the prince set an example for all his subjects, who for many days were going to their ruler’s palace to receive the sacrament of Baptism as well. Seeing the large influx of people, the prince made the following decision:
“I am giving up my large house to be used as a church. I will help you put up your future church, my servants will do the necessary construction work, and don’t worry about money.”
And Bishop Julian stayed to live at the new church. He took great care for the spiritual education of his flock, preached sermons, and baptized newcomers. He also healed the sick, as before.
One day, the bishop was invited to a house where several children had died at the same time. As he was approaching the house, St. Julian heard the parents crying loudly. When he entered he saw the inconsolable mother, who fell at the bishop’s feet and begged him:
“Holy man, you have helped us a great deal. You have healed and continue to heal the sick. Help us—we have lost all of our children!”
The bishop gently lifted up the mother from the ground as she sobbed over her irretrievable loss, patted her on the head, and said tenderly:
“Let’s pray to the Lord together!”
Bishop Julian began to entreat the Lord to help the poor parents who had lost all their children. He prayed incessantly without noticing anyone or anything around him. And the Lord brought the children back to life.
St. Julian served the Lord and people for many years, setting an example of deep faith in God, and converting multitudes to Christ.
He departed to the heavenly mansions at a ripe old age. This happened in the late first century A.D. Bishop Julian fulfilled all the instructions of the Apostle Peter—he became a caring pastor, a preacher of the Gospel truths and the love of God, and a spiritual teacher of people, converting all the pagans of the region to the Lord Jesus Christ.
