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| San Mercurio Martire, Ora pro nobis |
During the persecution of Christians, the Archangel appeared to Mercurius again and assured him not to be afraid. Betrayed by one of the guards, the Emperor had him arrested, stripped of his rank and brutally tortured for refusing to offer a sacrifice to the pagan deities. Three times St. Michael healed his wounds until finally, the Emperor had Mercurius deported to his native Caesarea in Cappadocia and beheaded.
According to legend, many years later St. Basil the Great was praying before an icon of St. Mercurius and requested that Julian the Apostate would not return from his campaign in the Sassanian Empire and continue the vicious persecution of Christians. Suddenly the image of the saint wielding a spear briefly disappeared from the painting and summarily returned with a bloodied weapon. It seems the iconic warrior saint appeared at the Battle of Samarra and slew the emperor on 26 June 363.
St. Mercurius would repeat the miracle in 1098 at the Battle of Antioch during the First Crusade. Appearing on a hilltop with St. George, St. Demetrius, and an army arrayed in white, the celestial host led the outnumbered Crusaders to victory over the Saracens.
In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Mercurius. The accompanying photo was taken in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church rectory in Newark, New Jersey. Evviva San Mercurio Martire!
Prayer to St. Mercurius
God of power and mercy, you gave St. Mercurius, your martyr, victory over pain and suffering. Strengthen us who celebrate this day of his triumph and help us to be victorious over the evils that threaten us. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen
