December 10- Feast of St. Behnam (Mar Behnam), his sister Sara and the 40 martyrs. Today the liturgical calendar of the Indian Orthodox Church commemorates St. Behnam (Mar Behnam), his sister Sara and the 40 martyrs. Tradition goes that St. Behanam and his sister were the children of the king of Persia Senharib . The royal family were worried about a kind of leprosy which had affected the princess Sara. One day, prince Behnam had gone to hunt and saw a large deer. He followed it, but could not catch it. They had to camp in the valley and during that night, Behnam had a dream. In the dream, an angel told Behnam that there is a saint living on the peak of the mountain and that he shall show him the way to eternity. Prince Behnam followed the words of the angel in the dream and climbed the mountain in the morning. He reached the place wherein a holy monk -Mar Mathai lived. Mar Mathai introduced the prince to the word of Gospel. Prince Behnam brought his sister to the saint. He spoke to the princess about Jesus Christ. She believed in the gospel and decided to get baptised and was baptised by Mar Mathai. When she got out of water, everyone were wondered to find that her illness was cured. The prince Behnam and some people along with him believed in Jesus Christ and requested Mar Mathai to baptise them. Mar Mathai baptised them and warned them about the sufferings they would go through in the hands of the king and the heathens. They stated that they were happy to die for Jesus Christ. When the king learnt about Prince Behnam and Princess Sara’s new faith, he tried to persuade them to denounce Christianity, but in vain. Due to the disturbances they had faced, prince Behnam, Sara and their fellow Christians decided to move to the place of Mar Mathai. But the king sent his soldiers who intercepted them and killed all of them. The prince and the princess died with a prayer to the Lord not to count the sin on their parents but to guide them to the true faith. After the death of St Behnam, his sister Sara and the forty martyrs, the king suffered from mental illness. Mar Mathai was brought to the king to heal him. The prayers of the holy man healed the king, who believed in Jesus and was baptised along with his family and countrymen. The king helped Mar Mathai to build a church and monastery at his place. (Compiled from various sources) We learn about St Behnam, his sister Sara and the forty soldier through our common liturgical hymn (Malayalam): Pershya raajan Seharibin suthane-sothari Saarayum- Naalpathu sahadenmaar oppam Swarga mahabhagyam nedan-vigraha seva vedinjone- mahitan Mar Behnam sahada Njangalkayi prarthicheedaname. (Rough Translation: Prince Behnam, son of king Senharib-king of Persia, together with his sister Sara and 40 martyrs, who left heathen worship to seek the heavenly glory! O pious St Behnam, remember us in your prayers always!) May the prayers of St. Behnam, St Sara and the forty martyrs be a refuge for us always!
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 03:53:00 +0000
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