Feast Day ~ October 13
Since the birth of Christ our God as a human child, there have been those who wanted to eliminate Him, His message of love and forgiveness, and the salvation which He brought to those who follow Him: Herod’s soldiers slaughtered many innocent children but Christ was spared by a flight to Egypt at the command of an angel; the Jewish leaders were able to persuade the Roman authorities to crucify Him but were foiled by the Resurrection; Emperors persecuted and killed hundreds of thousands of Christians but the faith of the martyrs only strengthened the Church. Through the centuries, Christianity has been attacked by secular rulers and by those of other religions who wish to eradicate the true faith. The story of St. Jacob of Hamatoura is a wonderful story of how, through the mercy of God, the persistent effect of this saintly monk on devout Christians ensured that the faith would not be forgotten by them.
Jacob became a monk at the monastery of Our Lady on Mount Hamatoura in northern Lebanon in the late 13th century. He took very naturally to the ascetic life and soon became an example for all Christians living in the area. He also became a target for the Mameluks, the warrior slaves of the Muslim rulers in Lebanon at the time. They first destroyed the monastery, but Jacob was not to be deterred. He and his fellow monks built another monastery at the edge of the ruined buildings and the spiritual life of prayer, work, study, and fasting continued.
The Mameluks then made every effort to force Jacob to convert to Islam. When he steadfastly refused, they dragged him and many other monks and laymen (including one child) from the monastery to the Wali, or ruler, in the city of Tripoli. There the captives were subjected to a year of extreme torture, but when it was obvious that they would not reject the Christian faith, they were beheaded. St. Jacob’s body was also burned in an attempt to prevent his having a proper burial.
To the outside world, it would appear that the enemies of Christ had been successful. Memory of the saint and his companions slipped away; his monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos lay in ruins; and the liturgical documents which would have shown commemorations of the martyrs were either lost or destroyed.
But monastic life continued elsewhere on Mt. Hamatoura and to many faithful Christians, St. Jacob continued to be a powerful presence. Pilgrims who came to the area had visions of the saint or heard him chanting in the church, and some received healing through his intercession. The monk Panteleimon received a clear message from an anonymous martyr saint to rebuild his monastery on Mt. Hamatoura and so work began in the 1990’s in response to that message.
During the work, several skeletons were found buried under the church – one with a severed head and a burned body, which is believed to be the relics of St. Jacob. Visions of the saint continued and a manuscript was found at Balamand Monastery, indicating October 13 as the day of the saint’s heavenly birthday and his feast day. Finally, on October 13, 2002, the rebuilt Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos celebrated the feast day of St. Jacob for the first time in many centuries.
We give thanks to God that the light of the Truth cannot be extinguished and that the story of the steadfast faith and martyrdom St. Jacob of Hamatoura has now been recovered and revealed to the world. We pray for his intercessions that we may also be steadfast in our faith.