St. Sebastian:
The great hero of God
By Rear Admiral Shemal FERNANDO
In the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, the feast of Saint
Sebastian is celebrated on January 20 and our thoughts are particularly
drawn to the hallowed shrine dedicated to St. Sebastian in Kandana. The
devotion of Catholics in Kandana to this shrine, down the years has
always been so fervent, that for generations they have not failed to
celebrate the annual feast.
This shrine through which many favours have been received over the
years has now become one of the biggest attractions for the Catholics in
Sri Lanka.
The Administrator of the shrine, Rev. Fr. Nihal Ivan Perera has taken
meaningful steps to uplift the spiritual needs of the pilgrims as well
as parishioners to their admiration. Also, he has made elaborate
arrangements to conduct the 144th feast in a befitting manner following
the rich customs and traditions. The administrator is ably supported by
his two assistants, Rev. Fr. Sudath Hemantha Fernando and Rev. Fr.
Mahesh Chrishantha Fernando in conducting the feast.
The theme for this year's feast was, "St. Sebastian helps us to
combat sin through the power of God's Word".
The eight novenas preceding the feast were focused on the 'Seven
Deadly Sins' and the preacher was Rev. Fr. Shanil Jayawardena, OMI. The
vespers on January 19th was graced by His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Harold
Anthony Perera, the Bishop of Kurunegala whilst the Festive High Mass on
January 20th was presided over by His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Cletus
Chandrasiri, the Bishop, Ratnapura.
Military Martyr
St. Sebastian is undoubtedly one of the most illustrious martyrs
honoured and venerated by the Catholic Church. He belongs to the class
of "Military Martyrs" of early Christian Church and his intercession is
sought by many Sri Lankans. After the Saints Peter and Paul, St.
Sebastian is the third 'Patron of Rome'. He is also the 'Patron Saint of
Soldiers' as he entered the Roman Army in order to defend the confessors
and martyrs of his day and for his goodness and bravery. Further, he is
the 'Patron Saint of Athletes' due to his physical endurance and
energetic ways of spreading and defending the Faith.
St. Sebastian is the refuge of Catholics in times of sickness and
pestilences and is considered the saint unto whom the God has granted
power over all diseases. Many countries stricken with plagues and other
diseases had been protected through the intercession of St. Sebastian.
In the year 680, Rome was freed from a raging pestilence by his
patronage. Later, in 1575, Milan and in 1599, Lisbon as well as many
other places have experienced the effects of his intercession with God
on their behalf in similar calamities.
St. Sebastian is popularly known as the 'Most Sweet Flower of
Narbonne' and as the 'Glory of the City of Milan'. He lived as a
glorious scion of a noble house and his exalted pattern of Christian
virtues earned him many laurels.
His pure soul was pleasing to kings whilst his intrepid valour
pleased the God Almighty. His power to grant favours and work miracles
is a well- known fact all over the world. The name of St. Sebastian is
invoked in almost every Catholic household with pious fervour and great
confidence.
Saint's earlylife
St. Sebastian, a Roman was born at Narbonne in Southern France but
his parents were from Milan in Italy and he was brought up in that city.
He was a fervent servant of Christ, and though his natural inclinations
gave him an aversion to a military life, yet to be better able, without
suspicion, to assist the confessors and martyrs in their sufferings, he
went to Rome about the year 283 and entered the Army under the Emperor
Carinus.
Emperor Diocletian named him Commander of the Praetorian Guard,
unaware that he had become a Christian. As an officer in the Roman
imperial he had secretly done many acts of love and charity for his
brethren in the Faith. His devotion to duty, his courage and his
efficiency earned for him the praise and esteem of all including the
Emperor himself. St. Sebastian's prudence merited him the rank of
Captain in the Roman Emperor's Guard.
His zeal and success in the service of the church brought him the
name of Captain in the Army of God.
The Miracles
He was well-known for feeding the poor and strengthening the weak
unto martyrdom. He found the twin brothers Marcus and Marcellianus in
prison and when they were near yielding to the entreaties of their
relatives, encouraged them to despise flesh and blood, and to die for
Christ. He was also God's instrument in conversion and cure of their
crippled father, Tarquillinus.
Zoe, the wife of Nicostratus, who lost the use of speech by palsy in
her tongue, fell at his feet and spoke distinctly after he made the sign
of the Cross on her mouth. She with her husband Nicostratus, who was
Master of the Rolls, the parents of Marcus and Marcellianus, the jailer
Claudius, and sixteen other prisoners, were converted and Nicostratus,
took the prisoners to his own house, where Polycarp, a holy priest,
instructed and baptized them.
Chromatius, Governor of Rome, being informed of this, and that
Tranquillinus, the father of Saints Marcus and Marcellianus had been
cured of the gout by receiving baptism, desired to be instructed in the
faith, being himself grievously affected with the same distemper.
Accordingly, having sent for Sebastian, he was cured by him, and
baptized with his son Tiburitius. St. Sebastian by healing the Governor
Chromatius of paralysis didst turn his heart from his idols and went on
to obtain freedom to the slaves of Chromatius and the light of faith to
all his people.
God confirmed his words by miracle: light shone around him while he
spoke; he cured the sick by his prayers; and in this divine strength he
led multitudes to the faith. He saw his disciples die before him, and
one of them came back from Heaven to tell him that his own end was near.
It was in a contest of fervour and charity that St. Sebastian found the
occasion of martyrdom. The Prefect of Rome, after his conversion,
retired to his estates in Campania and took a great number of his
fellow-converts with him to this place of safety.
It was a contest of zeal, out of a mutual desire of martyrdom,
between St. Sebastian and the priest Polycarp, which of them should
accompany this troop, to complete their instruction, and which should
remain in the city to encourage and assist the martyrs, which latter was
the more dangerous province. St. Austin wished to see such contests of
charity amongst the ministers of the church. Pope Caius, who was
appealed to, judged it most proper that Sebastian should stay in Rome as
a defender of the church.
A double Martyrdom
St. Sebastian ever zealous for the spreading of the faith didst
boldly preached Jesus Christ before the Emperor Diocletian. History
reveals that when he was finally discovered to be a devout Christian in
286, he was handed over to the Mauritanian archers at the Emperor's
command.
He was steadfast in the faith while the body being bound to a tree
and was pierced with a shower of arrows and left to die. But God raised
him up again. Irene, the widow of St. Castulus, going to bury him, found
him still alive, and took to her lodgings, whereby care she nursed
Sebastian back to health, insisting he remain in hiding to seek safety
elsewhere.
St. Sebastian was very grateful but said that he was not accustomed
to hiding, and on the occasion of a festive banquet held in the palace
he strode into face the man who had supposed him long since dead.
The incredulous Diocletian stood transfixed at the presumed sight of
a dead man and was taken aback when the former guard berated the Emperor
for his callous treatment of the Christians. Recovering from his stupor,
Emperor Diocletian gave orders to beat him to death with cudgels and his
body thrown into the common sewer.
He crowned his labour by the merit of a double martyrdom in 288.
A pious lady, called Lucina, admonished by the martyr in a vision,
got it privately removed, and buried it in the catacombs at the entrance
of the cemetery of Calixtus.
A church was afterwards built over his relics by Pope Damasus, which
is one of the ancient stationary churches at Rome. Vandelbert, St. Ado,
Eginard, Sigebert and other contemporary authors relate that, in the
reign of Louis Debonnair, Pope Eugenius II gave the body of St.
Sebastian to Hilduin, Abbot of St. Denys, who brought it into France,
and it was deposited at St. Medard's at Soissons, on the 8th of December
in 826. A basilica in memory of St. Sebastian now stands by the Appian
Way of Rome.
Shrine in Kandana
A Catholic shrine, the object of a pilgrimage, is God's work. Divine
ways are very different from human ways. To do something great, God
chooses generally the weak and the ignorant of this world, who are
apparently unfit. His work starts in small and insignificant way; the
start is full of tears and bitter struggles. When it is on the verge of
annihilation He interferes and makes His mighty arm manifest. And to the
marvel!
The beginning of the shrine at Kandana is somewhat obscure. The story
which had been handed down to us by tradition reveals that there existed
a small chapel with a thatched roof around 1798 in a place called
Uswatte. And it is said an unknown person set it on fire and destroyed
the chapel and escaped. Thereafter, a permanent and substantial church
had been constructed.
Some years later whilst discussions were on regarding identifying a
saint for dedication of the church, a businessman from a distant place
had brought a statue of a saint for sale.
As the vendor was determined to fetch a good price for the statue, he
had delayed the auction to the following day and had slept.
Surprisingly the businessman had disappeared by the following morning
and only the statue had been there. The people of the area had moved
this statue of St. Sebastian to the newly constructed church and
dedicated the church to St. Sebastian.
The miraculous image now enshrined magnificently in the shrine is
said to be the identical statue discovered in the manner narrated.
The edifice that stands today was constructed over a hundred years
ago under the auspicious of Rev. Fr. Joachin Albaarthu, a missionary
from Goa. And during that era the hamlets of Nagoda, Ragama, Tudella,
Kaleliya, Wawela, Weligampitiya, Midellavita, Batagama, Dehiyagatha and
Kanuwana too fell under the heroic missionaries who worked relentlessly
for God and the salvation of souls.
The feast of St. Sebastian should remind every Catholic that St.
Sebastian teaches us that Jesus loves us individually and as we are.
Like St. Sebastian, we, too, have a gift to give.
Our gift might be to do acts of love and charity for our brethren but
the important thing is to give our gift totally, like St. Sebastian did
to the greater glory of God.
The writer is a parishioner of St. Sebastian's Shrine, Kandana
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