Wednesday, February 12, 2025

*** This is a rough transcript of today’s show ***

It is the 12th of February 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Apologies if I told you yesterday was the 12th- but if you are listening ‘out of time’- eh, everything’s fine.

It is impossible to do church history, especially in this manner of a day-to-day almanac- that does not take into consideration “patron saints”- depending on your tradition or background calling thee into question might be routine, or like insulting your grandmother.

But there is no denying that each calendar day is devoted to a litany of saints- and many places in the new world are named as such because they were “discovered” on that saints day (San Antonio Texas, for instance was named after the Spanish expedition landed in that area on the feast of St. Anthony).

And we are not strangers to “patron saints” and “feast days”- even as an organization on the side of the Protestant Reformation- these are not “Catholic” things exclusively, although we might wonder about some of the more… fantastical (?) stories. And today we remember the patron saint of, among other things- murderers- so… let’s take a minute here.

The early church lived amidst active persecution and martyrdom. They worshipped, sometimes, in catacombs amongst the dead. There was little space between the church on earth and the church in glory. And as we are called to imitate Christ we might find ourselves also imitating others who are imitating Christ- check out 1 Corinthians 11:1!

Patron saints proliferated throughout the Middle Ages- and few would be as popular as St. Julian- whose feast day is today, the 12th of February would become the patron saint of- among other things- innkeepers, hunters, circus performers and… murderers, which is wild. Also, he didn’t exist- but is a compilation of various “Julians” one of which certainly took up the call to heal the sick and thus helped popularize that distinctly Christian institution in the Late Roman Empire and Middle Ages: the hospital.

So, what’s his story? We have many versions (he was popular!) but a composite story could look like this: Julian is born to pious and well born parents who only have one child. BUT, at his birth his father learns that the baby has been cursed by a coven of witches such that he is fated to kill his own parents. At a young age either his parents tell him this fate- or he is told by a magical talking stag while hunting! Being a pious lad he decides to run away as far from his parents as possible- he gets married, all is well. Until his parents come looking for him- they find his wife who says “Julian is out hunting- he’ll be stoked you are here- come stay at our house and sleep in our bed”- and then the devil gets into Julians head and he comes home and thinks the two people sleeping are his wife and someone else and in a rage kills them- fulfilling the prophecy.

BUT- despite having committed this terrible sin he and his wife repent and 1) open a hospital to help the sick and poor and 2) end up on the edge of a river and they spend their time ferrying people for free across the rapids.

And so we have a story of fate and murder and repentance and service… such stories can move us- even if they aren’t real (do you ever watch movies or read books about characters you know aren’t “real”?) but we might question that excessive attention paid to one person- who, were they a saint worth their salt would say “stop looking at me, look to Jesus!”. And the impetus to consider greek notions of fate, seemingly unforgivable sins and lives still redeemed will hopefully point beyond Julian the Hospitaller- the famous medieval saint and patron saint of hunters, murderers, etc… and to Jesus- the author and perfecter of our faith. A happy Feast of St. Julian the Hospitaller- whatever characters he is based on and for all who have been encouraged by his story of forgiveness overcoming fate….

The last word for today is from the daily lectionary and Luke 5:

27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 12th of February 2025 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who takes from this lesson to look before shooting… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who can’t hear from the Gospel of Luke without saying in my head, “Luke, who’s Luke?” I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.