SAINT OF THE DAY: Great-martyr James the Persian (the Sawn-Asunder) is commemorated today. He was born in the fourth century into a pious Christian family, both wealthy and illustrious. James occupied a high position at the court of the Persian emperor. But on one of the military campaigns James, seduced by the emperor’s generosity, was afraid to acknowledge himself as a Christian, and so he offered sacrifice to idols with the emperor. Learning of this, James’ mother and wife wrote him a letter, in which they rebuked him and urged him to repent. Receiving the letter, James realized the gravity of his sin. Faced with the horror of being cut off not only from his family but also from God Himself, he began to weep loudly, imploring the Lord for forgiveness. His fellow soldiers, hearing him pray to the Lord Jesus Christ, reported this to the emperor. Under interrogation, Saint James bravely confessed his faith in the one True God. The emperor then ordered the saint to be put to death. They began to cut off his fingers and his toes one by one, then his hands and his feet, and then his arms and legs. During the prolonged torture, Saint James offered prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord, Who had granted him the possibility of redemption from his sins by enduring these terrible torments. Finally, the martyr was beheaded. Christians gathered up the pieces of his body and buried them with great reverence.