St. Januarius visited in prison

St. Januarius and his Companions;
St. Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr

by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1882

The holy bishop, St. Januarius, was a native of Benevento, a city in the Neapolitan territory. His parents, not less virtuous than of high lineage, gave him from his earliest youth, a most pious education, and he was so earnest in his endeavors to lead a blameless life, that the clergy and laity, after the death of their bishop, desired no other successor than Januarius. He alone opposed the election and could not be persuaded to consent, until obedience to the command of the Pope forced him to yield. Great as had been the struggle it had cost the holy man to accept the high dignity conferred upon him, he was equally zealous and untiring in discharging his duties when installed into his see. At that period, the tyrants Dioclesian and Maximian raged against the Faithful, endeavoring to destroy all Christendom. The holy bishop, therefore, used all his powers to strengthen his flock in the true faith and to encourage them to allow neither torments nor death to make them forsake their God.

The teachings the holy bishop gave to others he exemplified in his own life, thus showing to his flock how to endure martyrdom. Timotheus, the Governor of Campania, received orders to force the Christians to worship the gods, or, not succeeding in this, to execute them. He resolved to begin with St. Januarius, whose zeal for the Christian faith was everywhere known. Hence the Saint was taken prisoner and presented, at Nola, to the Governor, who, making him acquainted with the imperial mandate, commanded him to obey it. Januarius, however, assured him that he would much rather die than be faithless to the true God, and by worshipping idols, become a servant of Satan. Hardly had he made this declaration, when Timotheus ordered him to be cast into a burning furnace. But it pleased the Almighty to renew the miracle which He had formerly wrought on the three youths in the furnace of Babylon. Januarius remained unharmed, and praised the only true God of heaven and earth. When the tyrant saw that not even a hair on the head of the bishop was burned, he foamed with rage, and had him stretched upon the rack, and his limbs so cruelly torn, that afterwards the holy martyr could not move one of them. Dragging him to prison they thought he would expire.

The Almighty, however, to spare him for still greater tortures, gave him, after a short prayer, the full use of his limbs, to the great astonishment of the tyrant. As the latter had to set out for Puteoli, the holy bishop had to run like a horse before his chariot and was most shamefully treated by the servants. To the same indignity two deacons were condemned who had visited him in his prison. At Puteoli, all three were cast into a dungeon, where they found two other deacons and two laymen, to whom it had already been announced that they should be given to wild beasts. The same sentence was passed upon the holy bishop and his two companions. Hence, they were all seven brought into the amphitheatre, and the wild beasts let loose upon them. The omnipotence of God, who had taken from the fire the power to burn, now also took from the wild beasts the instinct to devour. They looked at the confessors of Christ, and without in the least harming them, lay down at their feet.

Timotheus ascribed this, after the manner of the pagans, to witchcraft, and unwilling to be conquered, he commanded them to be beheaded. No sooner had he given the order, than God punished him with blindness. Januarius taking pity on him, after a short prayer, restored his sight. Awed by this, as well as by the foregoing miracles, a great many of the spectators were converted to Christ. The godless Governor alone remained insensible, and fearing the displeasure of the emperor, he dared not countermand his order but had the Saint and his companions beheaded.

The body of the Saint was first brought to Benevento, but later to Naples, where it is held in great veneration on account of the protection, which, by the intercession of St. Januarius, the city enjoys from the eruptions of Mount.Vesuvius. It has happened several times that when the relics of the Saint were carried in solemn procession, towards the burning waves of lava which was ejected by this mountain and came rolling onwards to destroy the city, the eruption ceased and Naples was saved. To this day, the blood of the Saint is preserved at Naples, in a glass vial. The blood is congealed; but when placed near the head of the Saint, it melts and bubbles up. This miracle, which has continued until the present time, has been witnessed by many, both Catholics and non-Catholics, and although several of the latter have ascribed it to deceit, it is impossible for them to prove their assertion.

To the life of St. Januarius, we will add that of St. Cyprian, who was also bishop and martyr, and whose name is recorded, on the 16th of this month, in the Roman Martyrology.

This man, whom St. Jerome describes as a model of eloquence and holiness, was born at Carthage, in Africa, of noble but pagan parents. Growing up, he excelled to such a degree in the art of eloquence, that he was chosen to teach rhetoric. He became acquainted with Cascilius, a pious priest, who, convincing him of his errors, brought him happily into the pale of the Catholic Church. At holy baptism, he took the name Cascilius in grateful memory of him who had instructed him in the doctrines of the true faith. The heathens could not comprehend so unexpected a conversion of their excellent orator, and were greatly provoked, while the Christians rejoiced and praised the Lord.

Cyprian led so pious and holy a life after he had been baptized, that the bishop of Carthage ordained him priest. On the death of this bishop, Cyprian was elected to succeed him, but deeming himself unworthy of so high a position, he fled and endeavored to conceal himself; but being discovered and placed, almost by force, on the episcopal chair, he submitted to the divine will, and entered on his new functions. He was a most watchful shepherd to his flock, a tender father to the poor and afflicted, an invincible protector of the true faith and not only an incomparable teacher, but a perfect model of all virtues.

Some time later, in the reign of the emperor Decius, arose a terrible persecution of the Christians, which the Almighty permitted in order to renew their fervor. The Clergy of Carthage, who knew that the idolaters would first seize their bishop, advised him to leave the city, and live for some time concealed in a quiet place. The holy man at first refused to follow their advice, lest he might have the appearance of not having sufficient courage to make a public confession of his faith, or to suffer for the sake of Christ. But when he had asked counsel of God in prayer, he acted in accordance with the request of the clergy, and concealed himself outside of the city, but in a place known to the Christians. During the persecution, which lasted forty-five months, he encouraged the faithful, as well personally as also by the priests whom he had with him and whom he frequently sent into the city. He strengthened the weak and despairing, and endeavored to bring back into the pale of the Church, those who for fear of torments had apostatized.

He returned to Carthage when the persecution ceased, and labored, with his unwearied zeal, to repair the great damage his beloved flock had suffered. Not long after, the barbarians invaded the land, and besides occasioning other sufferings, they took a great many Christians away as prisoners. The holy bishop gave all he possessed for their ransom, and gathered, for the same purpose, a large sum of money in his diocese. Hardly had this storm passed over, when a terrible pestilence commenced in Africa, making great havoc among the inhabitants of Carthage. The Saint left nothing undone to assist those stricken down with the dreadful disease. He visited them, administered the Holy Sacraments to them, provided them with remedies and food, and animated those who were well to follow his example, and be kind to the sick, although a great portion of the sufferers were pagans, who had proved themselves always the most bitter enemies of the Christians.

This scourge left, only to give place to another; for no sooner had God restored health to the people of Carthage, than a fresh persecution of the Christians broke out under the Emperor Valerian. Aspasius, the Roman Governor at Carthage, knew that Cyprian was the principal support of Christianity at that place, but fearing to cause a revolt, dared not seize and execute him. He therefore commanded him to leave the city, and banished him to Curubis. The holy man obeyed, but succeeded in making such arrangements, that several priests remained to strengthen and encourage the Christians in their faith. He himself wrote several letters to them from the place of his exile, in which he exhorted them to remain true to their God. When, after the expiration of a year, a new Governor came to Carthage, Cyprian left Curubis, and made his residence near the city in a garden which he had bought for the poor. He remained there almost a year, and as the crowd of Christians that visited him increased daily, one of the enemies of the faithful informed the Governor of it. The holy bishop was exhorted to avoid the approaching danger by flight; but he answered that his martyrdom had been revealed to him by the Almighty. He desired nothing more of this world but to end his life in the presence of his flock and to give them an example how to remain constant in their faith.

The desire of the holy bishop was granted. He was taken prisoner and brought before the Governor, whose first question was: "Are you Cyprian ?" "Yes," answered the Saint; "I am Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage!" Upon this, a written order of the Emperor was put into his hands, either to sacrifice to the gods, or to give up his life. Cyprian having read the order with unmoved heart, replied: "I will rather give my life a thousand times than sacrifice to the gods;" on which the Governor sentenced him to die by the sword, as a scorner of the imperial order. Having listened calmly to his death-sentence, the holy bishop said cheerfully: "Thanks be to God." He was followed to the place of execution by a great crowd of people, to whom he gave the most fervent exhortations not to forsake the Lord. Arrived at the place where he was to receive his death, he divested himself of his episcopal robe and handed it to a deacon, and ordered that the executioner should be paid twenty-five pieces of gold, to reward him for the stroke which should promote him to the Kingdom of heaven. He then knelt down, raised his eyes to heaven, and, with invincible fortitude, received the fatal stroke, in the year of our Lord 260. Thus ended the glorious career of this holy bishop, to whom St. Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Gregory Nazianzen, and other fathers of the Church, give the highest praise on account of his great virtues and heavenly wisdom.


PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS.

I. St. Januarius preferred to be cast into a burning furnace rather than offend God by worshipping an idol. St. Cyprian would rather give his life a thousand times than draw upon himself the wrath of the Almighty by sacrificing to the false gods. Both acted wisely; for if they had worshipped the idols they would have committed great sin. If they had died in it, St. Cyprian would not only have lost his temporal, but also his eternal life for evermore; while St. Januarius would have been cast into a much more terrible furnace without any hope of ever being released from its torments. You act in truth very foolishly by committing a mortal sin, as you must be convinced that, if you die in it, nothing is more certain than that the fire of hell, eternal death, awaits you. You flatter yourself that you are not going to die in sin; but who can assure you of this? They also, who are already in hell, flattered themselves as you do, and yet they died in sin. May not the same happen to you? You must at least confess that, by becoming guilty of a mortal sin, you put yourself in danger of dying in it, and thus going to eternal destruction. Is not that folly enough?

Still more apparent will your folly become when you consider why you place yourself in such terrible danger. Speak the truth: why do you do it? What benefit, what advantage do those sins bring you, for the sake of which you placed yourself in such imminent danger? Is it perhaps more than a momentary sensuality, a contemptible gain, a short pleasure? And on account of a momentary, contemptible, short sensuality, will you place yourself in danger of being eternally condemned? Is not that of all follies the greatest? What I request of you is that you would ponder well this point, and you will most certainly avoid all sin. "Consider it well," says St. Chrysostom, "quickly pass the pleasures; eternally remain the pains."

II. St. Cyprian acted most kindly to his bitterest enemies,the heathens, at the time of the pestilence, and exhorted others to do the same. Before he was executed he gave a considerable sum of money to the executioner, who was to take his life. St. Januarius restored the sight of the tyrant who unjustly condemned him to die. That was truly living up to the words of Christ:" Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you." (Luke vi.) How do you act towards those who have wronged you, or who hate and persecute you? Do you not refuse to forgive them, wish them all possible misfortune, and harbor ill-feelings against them in your heart? Do you not seek to revenge yourself, and to repay evil with evil? Oh! if you do this, say not that you are a disciple of Christ. Christ, your teacher, has instructed you to forgive wrongs, to love your enemies, to pray for them, and to do good to them. If you do exactly the contrary, how can you call yourself a disciple of Christ?

Begin today to be a true follower of the Redeemer, and declare before the Almighty that you forgive, with your whole heart, every wrong done to you. Cast all hatred out of your heart. Pray for those who have offended you, and if ever an occasion offers itself to do good to those who have injured you, leave it not undone. Take the crucifix into your hand and ask yourself whether your Saviour does not deserve that you should do this out of love to Him? You have often and bitterly offended Him, and He has pardoned you. He has not revenged Himself. He has prayed for you. He has done so much good to you, and does it daily, even after having been so often offended by you. Does He not deserve that you, after His example, should do good to your enemy? Listen to the words of St. Augustine: "Turn your eyes towards your Lord. Your enemy is wicked, but your Lord is good. Your enemy does not deserve that you should forgive him, but your Lord deserves it a thousand times. He deserves that you forgive for love of Him. Look upon your Lord."







Hymn: Deus, tuorum militum

O God, of those that fought Thy fight,
Portion, and prize, and crown of light,
Break every bond of sin and shame
As now we praise Thy Martyr's name.

He recked not of the world's allure,
But sin and pomp of sin forswore:
Knew all their gall, and passed them by,
And reached the throne prepared on high.

Bravely the course of pain he ran,
And bare his torments as a man:
For love of Thee his blood outpoured,
And thus obtained the great reward.

With humble voice and suppliant word
We pray Thee therefore, holy Lord,
While we thy Martyr's feast-day keep,
Forgive Thy loved and erring sheep.

All honor, laud, and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to Thee,
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete. Amen







St. Januarius, Bishop of Benevento
by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Naples and Benevento both claim the honor of having given birth to Januarius; he is said to have been descended of the ancient family of the Sanniti, who had made war with the Romans, and were masters and dukes of Benevento. There are no historical records of the first years of St. Januarius, but it is certain that his parents were Christians, and that he was esteemed the most learned and pious of the clergy, for which reason he was unanimously chosen bishop of Benevento, upon a vacancy having occurred in that see. The humility of the saint induced him most resolutely to refuse that dignity, until he was obliged to accept it by a command from the Pope, who was at that time St. Caius, or St. Marcellinus.

Our saint undertook the government of his church during the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian, which circumstance gave him noble opportunities of manifesting the extent of his zeal for the faith of Jesus Christ. Not content with propagating and maintaining the faith in his own diocese, he ran through the neighboring cities converting pagans, and assisting and encouraging the faithful.

In the discharge of these duties he became acquainted with a holy deacon of the city of Miseno, named Sosius, with whom he formed a most intimate friendship; for as Sosius was one day reading the Gospel to the people, St. Januarius saw a most resplendent flame upon his head, from which fact he predicted that the pious deacon would be crowned with martyrdom. The prophecy was soon fulfilled; for after a few days Sosius was arrested as a Christian, and brought before Dracontius, governor of the district, who having in vain endeavored with promises and threats to make him prevaricate, caused him to be cruelly scourged, tortured, and sent to prison. He was here frequently visited by the Christians, but the deacon Proculus, and his fellow-citizens Eutyches and Acutius, were particularly attentive to him; and St. Januarius was no sooner apprised of his arrest than he repaired to the prison to comfort and encourage him.

Meanwhile Dracontius was removed to another place by the emperor, and succeeded in the government by Timothy, who upon his arrival at Nola, having heard of the preaching of St. Januarius, and the assistance which he afforded to the faithful in the neighborhood, ordered him to be arrested and brought before him, bound hand and foot. On being presented to the new governor, our saint was commanded to sacrifice, but immediately rejected the iniquitous proposal with horror and contempt; whereupon Timothy ordered him to be thrown into a furnace. The order was instantly executed, but the saint received not the least hurt; and although this miraculous preservation excited the wonder of all present, it was so far from making any salutary impression on the tyrant, that it rendered him more furious and cruel than before, and he accordingly ordered that the saint's body should be stretched upon the rack until his every nerve should be broken.

As soon as these proceedings were known at Benevento, Festus, the bishop's deacon, and Desiderius, his lector, forthwith departed to visit their holy prelate in the name of his entire flock; but Timothy being informed of their arrival at Nola, caused them to be arrested, and their depositions to be taken regarding the motives of their journey. They answered that, holding as they did subordinate offices in the church of the good bishop, they thought it their duty to visit their Superior in prison, and minister to him whatever assistance it might be in their power to afford. Upon hearing this declaration the tyrant commanded that they should be loaded with chains, and made to walk before his chariot to Puzzuoli, to be there delivered to wild beasts together with their pastor.

Immediately after their arrival they were exposed in the amphitheatre, when St. Januarius said to the rest: "Be of good heart, brethren! Behold, the day of our triumph has arrived. Let us confidently give our lives for Jesus Christ, who vouchsafed to give his for us." The beasts were let loose upon them, in the presence of a great multitude; but although they ran towards the martyrs as it were to devour them, they cast themselves before them and licked their feet. The miracle was evident to all, and a deep murmur was heard to run through the amphitheatre: "The God of the Christians is the only true God."

The effect produced by this miracle made Timothy fear a general sedition, and he accordingly gave orders that the martyrs should be led to the public square and beheaded; but St. Januarius, in passing the governor, prayed that the Lord might strike him blind, for his own confusion and the conversion of the people. This prayer having taken instant effect, the tyrant delayed the execution of the sentence, and besought the holy bishop to forgive the maltreatment he had received, and to pray for the restoration of his sight. St. Januarius did so, and the miracle was followed by the conversion of five thousand pagans; but Timothy, fearing lest he should lose the favor of the emperor, ordered his officers to have the last sentence privately but instantly executed.

While our saint was being led to Vulcano, the place selected for his last struggle, an aged Christian followed him, imploring with many tears that he would give him something to keep for his sake; the good bishop, moved by the devotion of the old man, told him that he had nothing to give, except his handkerchief, which, as he needed it to bandage his eyes in receiving the stroke of death, he could not let him have until after his martyrdom. On arriving at Vulcano, St. Januarius tied the handkerchief over his eyes, and repeating the words, "Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit," he was decapitated on the 19th of September, towards the close of the third century, together with his companions, Sosius, Festus, Proculus, Desiderius, Eutyches, and Acutius.

The relics of these holy martyrs were afterwards translated to different cities. Puzzuoli was favored with the bodies of SS. Proculus, Eutyches, and Acutius; while Benevento was honored with those of SS. Festus and Desiderius; that of St. Sosius was removed to Miseno. The body of St. Januarius was first deposited at Benevento, and afterwards at the Monastery of MonteVirgine, until during the pontificate of Alexander IV., St. Severus, bishop of Naples, accompanied by the Neapolitan clergy and a great concourse of the laity, translated it to Naples, and placed it in a church dedicated to God in his honor. From this church, however, which was without the city, the relics of St. Januarius were again translated to the cathedral, together with two vials of his blood, and have been there objects of great religious veneration for fourteen centuries. The Neapolitans honor this saint as the principal patron of their city and nation, and the Lord himself has continued to honor him, by allowing many miracles to be wrought through his intercession, particularly when the frightful eruptions of Mount Vesuvius have threatened the city of Naples with utter destruction. While the relics of St. Januarius were being brought in procession towards this terrific volcano, the torrents of lava and liquid fire which it emitted have ceased, or turned their course from the city.

But the most stupendous miracle, and that which is greatly celebrated in the church, is the liquefying and boiling up of this blessed martyr's blood whenever the vials are brought in sight of his head. This miracle is renewed many times in the year, in presence of all who desire to witness it; yet some heretics have endeavored to throw a doubt upon its genuineness, by frivolous and incoherent explanations; but no one can deny the effect to be miraculous, unless he be prepared to question the evidence of his senses.

All the facts related about St. Januarius are drawn from trustworthy sources, such as the Acts possessed by Baronius, the Greek Acts of the Vatican, the Greek Menology of Basil, the writing of John Diacono, an author of great credit, who lived in the ninth century, and whom Muratori himself praises. To this must be added the very ancient Offices of Naples, Salerno, Capua, and Puzzuoli, and finally the tradition of Nola, where is yet shown at the present day the prison in which the saint was shut up, the place where his bones were dislocated, and the furnace from which he came forth unhurt. These records contain nearly all that we have related: all, or nearly all, are written in the Acts of Baronius, which, resting on other records, deserve our entire confidence.

I repeat here what I have said at the beginning of this book, that it seems to be a kind of temerity to wish to doubt positively about the truth of the facts related by several ancient authors, though they may not be contemporaneous--authors grave and careful to examine into things, especially when these facts are supported by an uncontroverted and ancient tradition.

It is true that we should justly doubt ancient facts against the authenticity of which we may allege some solid reason; but I ask here, which are the arguments that Tillemont, Baillet, and some other modern authors oppose to the facts of the martyrdom of St. Januarius? They say that this antiquity removes them too far from our time; that the tortures related are too violent, and therefore incredible; that these facts are too numerous. They also add other similar objections which are groundless, and which I pass over in silence for brevity's sake. To all these difficulties I reply, that by following this method we should have to reject many Acts that are commonly regarded as genuine, such as those of St. Felix of Nola, of St. Carpus, of St. Theodotus and of St. Tarachus, and many others that we read of in the celebrated Ruinart, and in a host of other good authors.

Some of our writers have approved of what is said by Tillemont and Baillet, because of certain Acts of St. Januarius that were found at Bologna with the Celestin Fathers in the monastery of St. Stephan. But I do not see why we should put faith in these Acts, and not in those of Baronius and of other authors mentioned above. They say with Tillemont that the Acts of Bologna are more simple, because in them no mention is made of the miracles described in the Acts of Baronius, and should therefore the former be preferred to the latter?

Allow me to make here a painful reflection. The present age is called the age of light, because it has a better taste and a more correct judgment of things. But would to God that it had not degenerated in many things, and that it were not growing worse by wishing to subject divine things to be estimated by our feeble intelligence! Some of these who are learned in this fashion deny or call in question most of the miracles related in the lives of the saints; they say that the account of these miracles only makes heretics laugh at the too great credulity of the Catholics, and for this reason refuse to be united to our Church. I answer: Heretics do not wish to believe our miracles, not because they esteem us too credulous, but because among them no miracles are ever seen; this explains why they despise our miracles. And it is by no means true that our too great facility in believing in miracles hinders them from being united to our Church, for it is precisely because they do not wish to unite with our Church, and to submit to her that they refuse to believe in miracles. These unfortunate people do not see that in refusing to submit to the Church they reduce themselves to a state of believing in nothing, as evidently appears from the books that often reach us from the so-called reformed countries. Moreover, they know that the Christian faith was propagated and maintained by means of miracles--just as Jesus Christ and the Apostles propagated it; and the reason of this is clear. For as the revealed truths which are the object of our faith are not of themselves evident to the eyes of our mind, it was necessary to induce us to believe them by means of miracles, which surpassing the forces of nature aid us to know clearly that it is God who speaks to us in the midst of these prodigies. Thus in proportion to the persecutions raised against the Church has the Lord multiplied miracles. In short, the miracles wrought more or less frequently by God through his servants have never been wanting in our Church.

Let us return to our subject. It is not therefore just to prefer the Acts of the Monastery of Bologna to all those that we have quoted, because they are more simple, and because they do not comprise all the miracles related by Baronius, Diacono, and other authors. Besides, these Acts of Bologna, if carefully examined, date only from the sixteenth century. Again, another well-informed author, Xavier Rossi, in a learned dissertation, assures us that these Acts should be regarded as less trustworthy than those that we have followed, since they are encumbered with other narratives that are false, or at least improbable, and since it has become known that they were written by an ignorant person, who collected them without discretion, and in writing committed many faults against the Latin grammar.




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