The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Psalm 103:8)
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)
Today the Church honors the memory of St Juliana the Merciful (d. 1604AD). As her moniker indicates, she was noted for her acts of charity and mercy to others. She was married to a nobleman, so lived in a prosperous household, but denied herself the privileges of a noble woman’s life, instead using her wealth to help the poor.
Once, when a famine struck the land, Juliana took some of the food meant for herself and secretly distributed it to the poor. Her mother-in-law confronted her about why she took extra food during a time of famine; Juliana hid what she was doing and replied that she was hungry at night, but ashamed to ask for more food. Her mother-in-law gave her even more food, which, unbeknownst to her, Juliana also gave to the poor.
Juliana gave birth to several sons and daughters, but several died in childhood. Two sons died later in life – one killed by a servant and the other in army service. Despite these tragedies, she continued to be merciful to others.
Through the centuries she was also memorialized as a patron saint of the kitchen and the home. Her troparion:
By your righteous deeds you revealed to the world an image of the perfect servant of the Lord. By your fasting, vigil and prayers, you were inspired in your evangelical life, feeding the hungry and caring for the poor, nursing the sick and strengthening the weak. Now you stand at the right hand of the Master, Christ, O holy Juliana, interceding for our souls.
[As an aside, I named my daughter for St Juliana. Recently my daughter, a nurse, did a spiritual gifts assessment at her church. Her spiritual gift? Mercy!]
Happy Namesday to all those who bear the name of Juliana!
Fraternized 