Feast Day ~ July 16
The Church’s calendar of saints provides us with wonderful examples of those who lived according to the teachings given to us in the Holy Scriptures. St. Julia of Carthage is one who was able to courageously face a life of slavery and the death of a martyr by following those teachings.
Julia was the daughter of Christian parents living in Carthage in the fourth century. Christianity had been brought to North Africa first through the missionary efforts of the Apostle Philip and had spread rapidly and quickly flourished in the area. As one of the largest cities, Carthage became an important center for the Church and when persecution of Christianity began, its Christian inhabitants were strengthened in their faith by the examples of Saints Perpetua and Felicity (martyred in 203) and the bishop Cyprian (martyred in 258) among others. So a young girl from a Christian family would have been taught the Holy Scriptures and would have been strong in her faith.
This early stable life with her family ended suddenly for Julia when she was stolen from her home by a gang of Persian slavers, who then took her to Syria and sold her to a pagan merchant. Julia was purchased to be a maid in the merchant’s household, performing her duties as St. Paul had directed in his Epistle to the Ephesians: Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. [6:5-8] Julia deported herself with humility, praying as she worked, and quietly but firmly, she refused to participate in her master’s pagan religious practices.
As she grew older, Julia’s intelligence and abilities were noticed by the merchant and she was given greater responsibilities in the financial management of his business. When he made plans for a business trip to Gaul, he decided to take Julia with him because of her financial expertise. On the way, their ship stopped on the island of Corsica where a pagan festival was taking place. While the master embarked to participate in the festival, the young Christian slave woman stayed on board to pray to the one True God.
But the Corsicans found out about this young slave and determined to force her to make obeisance to their idols. They took her from the ship and brought her in to the center of their festivities. Remembering the words of St. Peter in his first Epistle: But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, or be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts…[3:13-15] she steadfastly refused their demands. She endured their torture and, remembering our Lord’s words as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew: whoever loses his life for my sake will find it [16:25], she faced her martyrdom with prayer. Having gotten the merchant drunk in their revelries, the pagans quickly constructed a wooden cross and crucified his Christian slave. St. Julia gave up her earthly life defending Christ.
An angel of the Lord revealed this martyrdom to Christian monks whose monastery was on a nearby island. They came and retrieved the saint’s body so that she could have a proper Christian burial.
We pray that St. Julia intercede for the young victims of human trafficking, and may we, like St. Julia, live according to the teachings in Holy Scripture. Holy Julia, pray for us.
Resources: websites of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese and the Orthodox Church in America; Lives of Saints for Young People, Volume I, by Archimandrite Lazar Puhalo.