St. Julian Sabbas

From Theodoret, in his Philotheus, or Religious His tory, chap. 2

ST. JULIAN, surnamed Sabbas, or the venerable father, was a native of Mesopotamia, who, following the divine call, withdrew himself in his youth from the world, and took up his habitation in a den or cavern, in a vast wilderness on the borders of Osrhoena, a place, on many accounts, inconvenient to dwell in, but preferred by him on account of its solitude, before the most commodious palace in the world. Here he undertook a life of perpetual penance and incessant prayer, eating but once a week, and then only some coarse bread made of millet, with a little salt, and drinking so small a quantity of water at his meal, as was insufficient to the quenching of his thirst, — continually nourishing his soul with the singing of psalms, in which he took great delight, and with an interior conversation with God in prayer, by means of which the divine love took such possession of his heart, that he had no relish for any worldly thing, passing the night and day al ways thinking of his Beloved, insomuch, that even in his sleep he could dream of nothing else.

The great reputation of his sanctity attracted by de grees many disciples to join him in the desert, who were desirous to learn the science of salvation. These he received into his cavern, and trained up to an imitation of the exercises which he himself followed; teaching them to discard all care and solicitude for this perishable carcase, and be content to lodge and eat like himself. However, as their number increased, and as the dampness of the cavern spoiled the little provisions of pickled herbs which they provided for the sick, he consented that a hut should be built for their better preservation. Having gone out at this time, as he frequently did for greater solitude and recollection,n prayer, to a distant part of the wilderness, employ ing several days by himself in spiritual exercises, and at his returning home, finding they had erected a larger building than he had ordered, he told them: " I fear brethren, that whilst we are enlarging our earthly dwelling, which we can occupy but for a short ime, we shall suffer detriment with respect to our hearenly mansions which are eternal."

The method of prayer and of performing the divine fil6 ST. JULIAN S ABB AS.

Dffice which this saint taught his disciples, was as follows: before day they all sung hymns, psalms, and canticles to the praise of God together within the cave; then early in the morning they went out into the wilderness, two by two, and observed the same manner of worship, with this difference, that one of them sung fifteen psalms, standing upright, whilst the other lay prostrate on the ground in silent prayer and adoration, till the fifteen psalms being ended, he that had sung them prostrated himself in his turn on the ground, ind adored, whilst his companion, rising up, sung other fifteen psalms: and thus alternately singing and adoring, they passed a considerable part of the day. Before sunset, they betook themselves to a little rest, and afterwards meeting all together in the cave, they sung their evening hyrn^s to the praises of their Creator.

As to the Saint himself, he made, as we have already said, frequent excursions to a great distance from hia cave, and spent eight or ten days together in the re moter parts of the wilderness in his spiritual exercises. On these occasions he often took one of the brethren with him, particularly a holy man named James, a native of Persia, but never without desiring his companion to keep himself at a distance, that he might be no occasion of distraction to him in his devotions. One time, whilst James was following him in the wilderness, he found a monstrous serpent lying dead in the way, which the Saint had killed by the sign Oi the cross, as he acknowledged upon his disciple's putting it home to him, but with a strict injunction to keep the matter a secret during his life. Another time, when Asterius, a young religious, endued with more courage than strength, had by his importunity obtain ed leavo to accompany him in one of those excursions in the heat of the summer, which in those deserts is very violent, after two or three days the young man was so parched with thirst by the sun continually beating upon him, and no water being to be found in those sands, he was just upon the point of perishing, had not the Saint by his prayers and tears obtained of the Father of mercies, that a fountain of water should spring up to save the young man's life, in tho very spot which he had sprinkled with his tears; which fountain, says Theodoret, continues to flow to this day. The same Asterius was afterwards one of the most illustrious amongst the disciples ef St. Julian, and propagated the holy discipline he had learnt of his master, by founding a famous monastery near Gindare, in the territory of Antioch, where he trained up many souls to religious perfection.

But these were not the only miracles wrought by the prayers of St. Julian, for he frequently cast out devils, and healed divers diseases. To avoid the concourse of people which the fame of his sanctity and miracles brought to see him, as well as the honors they showed him, which were troublesome to his humility, he withdrew himself from his Mesopotamian cavern, and taking with him some of his disciples, with necessary provisions for a long journey, he tavel led as far as mount Sinai in Arabia, taking care to avoid any town or village that lay in his way. Here he took up his habitation, being charmed with the tranquillity he enjoyed in this holy solitude; but after having built a church, or oratory, and sanctified for some time his new residence with the holy exercises of prayer and penance, it was the will of God he should return again to his disciples whom he had left behind him in his former habitation.

Here he was informed of the threats of Julian the Apostate, who was then engaged in his expedition against the Persians, and of his impious designs against the church of Christ, if he should return with victory. Whereupon, to divert this impending storm, he employed ten whole days in most fervent prayer, to implore the divine mercy and protection for the church. At the end of which time he learnt, by divine revelation, the unhappy death of that prince, and declared the same to his disciples.

Valens, an Arian, who succeeded not long after to the empire, was a great persecutor of the church and and an earnest promoter of such as were addicted to his heresy. In his time the Arians made a great bavoc in the church of Antioch, where also they had the impudence to publish that St. Julian was of their sentiments. Upon this occasion the Saint, at the re quest of the Catholics, leaving his desert, took a journey to Antioch, to bear testimony to the faith, and to repress the insolence of the heretics. In his way thither he miraculously preserved the life of the child of a good woman who had entertained him at her house, that by accident had fallen into a deep well, and was given over for lost, but was afterwards found sit ting and playing upon the water. Upon being drawn out, he declared he had seen the Saint all the while holding him up, and keeping him from sinking to the bottom. When he arrived at Antioch, great multi tudes from all parts flocked about him; some to be hold a man so much renowned for his sanctity, others to seek by his prayers a deliverance from the evils wherewith they were afflicted. Here it pleased God that he himself should be seized by a violent fever. But as the Catholics were apprehensive that the people would be shocked on the occasion, at their desire, he prayed to God, that if his recovery might be of any service to the church, he would be pleased to restore him to health. His prayer being immediately followed by a sweat, his fever abated, and he presently recover ed. Many others were healed upon the spot by his prayers. After which he went to the place, out of town, where the faithful assembled to their devotions, In his way thither he passed by the gate of the emperor's palace, where a poor cripple, who had been deprived of the use of his legs, was instantly cured l>y the touch of his garment, so as to be able to rise up immediately and leap or run. The report of this miracle being noised abroad, brought an immense crowd about the Saint, to the great confusion of the Arians, whose impostures were not only clearly discovered, but confuted by the public testimony the Saint gave to the Catholic truth, and by his confirming it by evident miracles which they could not contradict, as the governor of the eastern district (who being grievously ill, had sent for the Saint), was one of the number of those who were miraculously cured by him.

On his return home from Antioch, he passed through Cyrus, a city of which Theodoret was afterwards bishop. Here the faithful represented to him the danger they were in from one Asterius, an Arian, who had been intruded upon them for a bishop, and was preparing a sermon against the faith of the Trinity, to impose upon them by his eloquent sophistry. The Saint exhorted them to fasting and prayer; and joining with them in these spiritual exercises, by the efficacy of his prayers in their favor, Asterius was suddenly seized upon with a mortal illness, which within twenty-four hours hurried him before the judgment seat of Christ, on the very eve of the festival which he designed to have preached his impious doctrine in the cathedral of that city.

The Saint after this returned to his solitude, and there continued his accustomed exercises, till having attained to a good old age, he exchanged his mortal pilgrimage for a happy immortality. He is spoken of with the greatest eulogium by St. Jerome, Epist. 13, and by St. John Chrysostom, writing upon th« epistle to the Ephesians. His name is recorded in the Roman Martyrology, January ] 4.