Feast of St. James Intercisus (November 27)

Above:  Ruin of of the Sassanid Royal Palace at Ctestiphon (in Contemporary Iraq), 1864

Image in the Public Domain

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SAINT JOHN INTERCISUS (DIED CIRCA 421)

Martyr

How much would you sacrifice for your faith?

King Yezdagerd I (reigned 399-420) of the (Persian) Sassanid Empire, was initially disposed toward toleration of Christianity.  Yet the actions (notably the destruction of a Zoroastrian temple at the capital city, Ctestiphon) of some overzealous Christians persuaded Yezdagerd I to commence persecution of Christianity.  One of the royal courtiers was James, a Christian.  He chose to abandon his faith in the face of the persecution.  Members of his family, however did not, and they influenced him to revert to Christianity.

Meanwhile, Yazdegerd I died, probably due to an assassination.  His son, Bahram V Gor (“the Wild Ass,” for his pursuit of women and his love of hunting) succeeded to the throne.  James confessed his faith to King Bahram, who ordered the courtier arrested, tortured, and executed.  The king’s men cut James into twenty-eight pieces, prolonging his pain and killing him only by decapitating him.  From this manner of martyrdom comes the saint’s posthumous surname, Intercisus, or “cut into pieces.”

King Bahram, after a war (421-422) with the (Eastern) Roman Empire, granted religious freedom to the Christians of his realm.

St. James Intercisus is the patron of lost vocations and torture victims.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 15, 2011 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF REGENSBURG

THE FEAST OF MARGARET MEAD, ANTHROPOLOGIST

THE FEAST OF PHILIP WILLIAM OTTERBEIN, COFOUNDER OF THE CHURCH OF THE UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST

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The collect and lections for a martyr, from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), the hymnal and worship book of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:

Gracious God, in every age you have sent men and women who have given their lives in witness to your love and truth.  Inspire us with the memory of Saint James Intercisus, whose faithfulness led to the way of the cross, and give us courage to bear full witness with our lives to your Son’s victory over sin and death, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Ezekiel 20:40-42

Psalm 5

Revelation 6:9-11

Mark 8:34-38

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Two Related Prayers:

A Prayer for Those Who Are Tortured:

http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/05/28/a-prayer-for-those-who-are-tortured/

A Prayer for Those Who Inflict Torture:

http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/05/28/a-prayer-for-those-who-inflict-torture/

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