January 14--St. Felix of Nola, Priest and Confessor

 

St. Felix of Nola @ Catholic Online.

What happens when a person is persecuted for the faith, but does not die? That person is called a “confessor”. That is our saint today, St. Felix of Nola. Nola is near Naples. He was ordained a priest by the bishop, St. Maximus of Nola, and became his right-hand man. During the persecution of the Emperor Decius in A.D. 250 the bishop went into hiding so he could better administer the diocese. However, upon not finding him, the Roman troops turned upon St. Felix, torturing and imprisoning him. According to legend, St. Felix was released from prison by an angel. He was then guided to St. Maximus, who was sick and near death, and returned him to Nola. St. Maximus died soon after the persecution ceased in 251 and the people acclaimed St. Felix as bishop. He declined, retiring to a farm where he raised crops for himself and the poor. He died around 260.

Much of what we know about St. Felix comes from St. Paulinus of Nola, who took him as his patron. St. Paulinus wrote a poem each year to celebrate Felix’s feast day: “This festive day celebrates Felix’s birthday, the day on which he died physically on earth and was born for Christ in heaven, winning his heavenly crown as a martyr who did not shed his blood. For he died as a confessor, though he did not avoid execution by choice, since God accepted his inner faith in place of blood.” 

We can learn two things from St. Felix: one, doing God’s will does not always require martyrdom, although it can involve suffering; two, we need to lean on our patron saints, men and women who intercede for us and can help us do God’s will throughout our lives. St. Felix, pray for us!

September 19--St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr

If you like weird stories, here is a doozy! St. Januarius’s blood liquifies up to 18 times each year for the past 600 years! Keep in mind that St. Januarius has been dead since A.D. 305, when he was martyred under the Great Persecution of the emperor Diocletian, the last and worst persecution in the age of the martyrs. His blood has been kept in a reliquary and routinely liquifies on certain days, including his feast day of September 19. When Pope Francis visited Naples in 2015 the blood liquified, the first time that has happened in the presence of a pope in over 150 years. According to Neapolitans, when St. Januarius’s blood does not liquify on the usual days it is a sign of trouble to come. So why is liquification unusual? The fact of St. Januarius’s blood changing form is scientifically inexplicable, PERIOD! 

St. Januarius was a bishop and martyr, which makes him amazing enough! However, because of the constant liquification of his blood, or lack thereof, he is in the news quite a bit. We may not really know about him, except for this amazing miracle. What does this mean for us today? Perhaps it is to remind us of another miracle concerning blood.

There is a miracle that occurs every day throughout the world in every Catholic church: the transubstantiation of the bread and wine offered at the sacrifice of the Mass into the Body and Blood of Jesus. This miracle is seen and experienced by faithful. It is more amazing than the liquification of St. Januarius’s blood. We get to receive Jesus—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—every time we receive the Eucharist. We honor St. Januarius for his witness and his miracle, but we worship our Lord, Jesus Christ for his great love and sacrifice for our salvation.