ST LAZARUS, DEACON AND MARTYR - 12 APRIL

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN APRIL

Saints celebrated on the 12th of April

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SAINT LAZARUS, DEACON AND MARTYR

Saint Lazarus, a deacon in Trieste (Tergestum) in Istria, was martyred for his faith during the reign of the Emperor Antoninus Pius. Born of Christian parents, Lazarus was honoured and loved by the whole city already as a youth because of his edifying services to the local church and because of the obvious signs of his future holiness. When Lazarus reached the required age, he was ordained a deacon, after which event he immediately distributed all his wealth among the poor. Around this time the emperor appointed a certain Pompeius as governor to Trieste, who set about seizing the Christians there. He arrived in Trieste in the dead of the night and immediately called together the leaders of the city to spy out the Christians there. Saint Lazarus, betrayed by an accuser, was sought out and discovered while he was at prayer with a group of fellow Christians. After several grievous mistreatments, he was bound and imprisoned until the next morning. He prayed until daybreak. Brought before Pompeius, he steadfastly confirmed his name, publicly reiterated his faith in the Holy Trinity, and declared his willingness to endure anything rather than to turn away from God. Pompeius made every effort to persuade him to deny his faith, but in vain.

Thereupon the saint's teeth were knocked out, and when he continued to joyfully confess his holy faith, he was cruelly beaten with clubs and finally beheaded. These events took place in the year 151.

One of the sources describes Lazarus as a venerable 78-year-old old man at the time of his martyrdom.

A Christian woman named Eutropia honourably buried him the following night.

On May 22, 755, the relics of the holy Tergestine Martyrs Marcus, Lazarus, Primus, and Apollinaris were acquired by Maria, the sister of Saint Anno, Bishop of Verona, and transferred to Verona, where they rest in the Church of St Firmus the Greater (S. Fermo Maggiore). However, not all of his mortal remains can have been taken to Verona, since the Triestans still believe they possess his body in the altar of Saint Lazarus. His name is not included in the Roman Martyrology, but the Bollandists* list him on April 12, based on recent Italian manuscripts (II. 66-68).

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 3, Augsburg, 1869, pp. 724-25)

*A hagiography source used by the authors 

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Lazarus may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org