(The following are the Legends of those Fourteen Holy Helpers whose feast days occur during the Spring months:)
St. George as honored throughout Christendom as one of the most illustrious martyrs of Jesus Christ. In the reign of the first Christian emperors numerous churches were erected in his honor, and his tomb in Palestine became a celebrated place of pilgrimage. But his history is involved in great obscurity, as no early records of his life and martyrdom are at present in existence. The following are the traditions concerning him which have been handed down to us by the Greek historians, and which are celebrated in verse by that illustrious saint and poet of the eighth century, St. John Damascene.
St. George is said to have been born in Cappadocia of noble Christian parents (both of whom are honored
as saints in the East). After the death of his father, he traveled with his mother into Palestine, of which she was
a native. There she possessed a considerable estate, which fell to him upon her death. Being strong and robust in body,
he embraced the profession of a soldier, and was made a tribune, or colonel, in the army. His courage and fidelity
attracted the attention of Emperor Diocletian, who bestowed upon him marks of special favor. When that prince declared
war against the Christian religion, St. George laid aside the signs of his rank, threw up his commission, and rebuked the
emperor for the severity of his bloody edicts. He was immediately cast into prison, and alternate threats and promises
were employed to induce him to apostatize. As he continued firm, he was put to the torture and tormented with great cruelty.
I despise your promises,
he said to the judge, and do not fear your threats. The emperor's power is of short
duration, and his reign will soon end. It were better for you, to acknowledge the true God and to seek His kingdom.
Thereupon a great block of stone was placed on the breast of the brave young officer, and thus he was left in prison.
Next day he was bound upon a wheel set with sharp knives, and it was put in motion to cut him pieces.
Whilst suffering this cruel torture, he saw a heavenly vision, which consoled and encouraged him, saying,
George, fear not; I am with thee.
His patience and fortitude under the torments inflicted on him so affected
the numerous pagan spectators that many of them were converted to the Faith and suffered martyrdom for it. On the next day,
April 23, 303, St. George was led through the city and beheaded. This took place at Lydda, the city in which,
as we read in the Acts of the Apostles (ix), St. Peter healed a man sick of the palsy. (The city of Lydda is the
same as the modern-day Lod, where the Saint's tomb is located).
St. George is usually represented as a knight tilting against a dragon; but this is only emblematical of the glorious combat in which he encountered and overthrew the devil, winning for himself thereby a martyr's crown.
We too, like St. George, often have opportunity to confess our Faith in Christ. We confess It by patiently bearing adversity, by suppressing our evil inclinations, by suffering injustice without retaliating evil for evil, by using every opportunity of performing deeds of charity, by devoting ourselves unremittingly to our daily duties, by carefully guarding our tongue, etc. Examine: Is there confession or denial of the Faith in your words and works?
O God, Who dost rejoice us by the merits and intercession of Thy blessed Martyr George; graciously grant that we, who through him implore Thee for Thy bounty, may receive thereby the gift of Thy grace. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Of the Saints named Achatius, that one is reckoned among the Holy Helpers who, as a Roman soldier, died for Christ.
Achatius, too, was a native of Cappadocia and as a youth joined the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Hadrian,
attaining the rank of captain. One day, when leading his company against the enemy, he heard a voice saying to him,
Call on the God of the Christians!
He obeyed, was instructed, and received Baptism. Filled with zeal,
he henceforth sought to convert also the pagan soldiers of the army. When the emperor heard of this,
Achatius was thrown into prison, then placed on the rack; after which he was bound to a post and scourged,
because he refused to offer sacrifice to the idols. When all these tortures availed nothing, he was brought
before the tribune Bibianus.
Asked by him what was his name and country, Achatius replied, My name is Christian, because I am a follower
of Christ; men call me Achatius. My country is Cappadocia. There my parents lived; there I was converted to the
Christian Faith, and was so inspired by the combats and sufferings of the Christian martyrs that I am resolved to
shed my blood for Christ to attain Heaven.
Then Bibianus ordered him to be beaten with leaden clubs,
after which he was loaded with chains and returned to prison.
After Achatius had been in prison seven days, Bibianus was called to Byzantium, and ordered all prisoners to be
transported there. On the journey Achatius suffered greatly, for his entire body was covered with wounds,
his chains were galling, the guards were cruel and the roads were bad. He thought himself dying. Praying to God,
a voice from the clouds answered him, Achatius, be firm!
The soldiers of the guard were terrified and asked each other,
What is this? How can the clouds have a voice?
Many prisoners were converted. Next day some of the converts
saw a number of men in shining armor speaking to Achatius, washing his wounds and healing them, so that not even a scar
remained.
Arrived in Byzantium the Saint was again cast into prison, and after seven days dragged before the judge. When neither promises nor the most cruel torments shook the constancy of the brave confessor of the Faith, the judge sent him to Flaccius, the proconsul of Thracia, who imprisoned him for five days, and meanwhile read the records of his former trials. Then he ordered him to be beheaded.
St. Achatius suffered death for Christ on May 8, 311.
St. Achatius manfully and without fear confessed the Faith amid persecutions and sufferings. We, too, are often placed
in circumstances where the profession of our Faith and the practice of the virtues inculcated by it cause us trials.
But so deplorable are the effects of sensuality, avarice, and ambition, and such is the laxity and spiritual callousness
of many Christians, that there is real cause for everyone to be filled with alarm for the safety of his or her soul.
It is not the crowd we are to follow, but the precepts of the Gospel. Therefore we ought to strive to give a good example
by our faithful compliance with the demands of religion. For Our Lord Himself exhorts us: So let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, Who is in Heaven
(Matt. 5: 16).
O God, Who dost give us joy through the remembrance of Thy blessed Martyrs, Achatius and his Companions; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may be inflamed by the example of those for whose merits we rejoice. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
The pious historians of the early Christian times state, as a rule, only what the saints did and suffered for the Faith, and how they died. They deemed the martyrs' glorious combats and their victorious entrance into Heaven more instructive, and therefore more important, than a lengthy description of their lives.
Hence we know little of the native place and the youth of St. Erasmus, except that at the beginning of the fourth century of the Christian era he was Bishop of Antioch in Asia Minor, the city where the name of 'Christian" first came into use. When a long and cruel persecution broke out under the Emperor Diocletian, St. Erasmus hid himself in the mountains of Lebanon, and led there, for some years, an austere life of penance and fasting. Finally he was discovered and dragged before the judge.
At first, persuasions and kindness were employed to induce him to deny the Faith, but when these efforts failed,
recourse was had to the most cruel torments. He was scourged, and finally cast into a caldron filled with boiling oil,
sulfur, and pitch. In this seething mass God preserved him from harm, and by this miracle many spectators were converted
to the Faith. Still more enraged thereat, the judge ordered the holy Bishop to be thrown into prison and kept there in
chains till he died of starvation. But God delivered him, as He had once delivered St. Peter. One night an angel appeared
to him and said: Erasmus, follow me! Thou shalt convert a great many.
Thus far he had led numbers to the Faith by
suffering; now he was to convert multitudes as a missionary.
Delivered from prison by the power of God, he went forth into many lands and preached the Faith. Mighty in word and deed, he wrought many miracles and converted great numbers of heathens. At length he came to Italy, where Emperor Maximin persecuted the Christians as fiercely as Diocletian in the East. As soon as Maximin heard of Erasmus and the conversions effected by his preaching and miracles, he ordered the slaughter of three hundred of the converts. Erasmus himself was most cruelly tortured, but to no purpose. He remained firm. Then cast into prison, he was again liberated by an angel.
At last the hour of deliverance came to this most valiant and apostolic confessor and martyr of Christ.
He heard a heavenly voice, saying: Erasmus, come now to the heavenly city and rest in the place which God has prepared
for thee with the holy martyrs and prophets. Enjoy now the fruit of thy labor. By thee I was honored in Heaven and on earth.
St. Erasmus, looking toward Heaven, saw a splendid crown, and the apostles and prophets welcoming him. He bowed his head,
saying: Receive, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant!
and peacefully breathed forth his spirit on June 2, 308.
(As to his manner of death, it may be significant that he is often pictured with his entrails wound around a windlass.)
The tortures which St. Erasmus suffered for the Faith seem almost incredible, and the events related of him are truly wonderful. Martyrdom and miracles illustrated the doctrine he preached; he converted multitudes and gained the crown of Heaven.
Perhaps you say that in our times there are no longer any martyrs, at least not in civilized countries.
Are you quite sure of it? St. Augustine writes: Peace also has its martyrs.
It is certainly not easy to suffer
torments like the martyrs and to receive finally the death-dealing blow of the sword. But is it not also a martyrdom
to suffer for years the pains of a lingering illness? Again, how difficult the combat with the world, the flesh,
and powers of Hell! How carefully must we watch and pray to gain the victory! This is our martyrdom. Let us imitate
the example of the holy martyrs in bearing the trials and sufferings of life, and we shall receive, as they did,
the crown of Heaven.
O God, Who dost give us joy through the memory of Thy holy Martyrs, graciously grant that we may be inflamed by their example, in whose merits we rejoice. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
St. Vitus belonged to a noble pagan family of Sicily, and was born about the year 291, at Mazurra.
His father, Hylas, placed him in early childhood in the charge of a Christian couple named Modestus and Crescentia,
who raised him in the Christian Faith, and had him baptized. He grew in years and in virtue, till, at the age of twelve,
he was claimed by his father, who, to his great anger, found him to be a fervent Christian. Convinced,
after many unsuccessful attempts, that stripes and other chastisements would not induce him to renounce the Faith,
his father delivered the brave boy up to Valerian, the governor, who in vain employed every artifice to shake his constancy.
Finally he commanded Vitus to be scourged, but when two soldiers were about to execute this order their hands and those
of Valerian were suddenly lamed. The governor ascribed this to sorcery, yet he invoked Vitus' help, and behold,
when the Christian boy made the Sign of the Cross over the lamed members, they were healed. Then Valerian sent him back
to his father, telling him to leave no means untried to induce his son to sacrifice to the idols.
Hylas now tried blandishments, pleasures, and amusements to influence the brave boy. He even sent a corrupt woman to tempt him, and for that purpose locked them both together in one room. But Vitus, who had remained firm amid tortures, resisted also the allurements of sensuality. Closing his eyes, he knelt in prayer, and behold, and angel appeared, filling the room with heavenly splendor, and stood at the youth's side. Terrified, the woman fled. But even this miracle did not change the obstinate father.
Finally Vitus escaped, and with Modestus and Crescentia fled to Italy. They landed safely in Naples,
and there proclaimed Christ wherever they had an opportunity. Their fervor and the many miracles which they wrought
attracted the attention of Emperor Diocletian to them. He ordered them to be brought before his tribunal, which being done,
he at first treated them kindly, employing blandishments and making promises to induce them to renounce Christ.
When this had no effect, they were cruelly tormented, but with no other result than confirming them in their constancy.
Enraged, the emperor condemned them to be thrown to the wild beasts. But the lions and tigers forgot their ferocity
and cowered at their feet. Now Diocletian, whose fury knew no bounds, ordered them to be cast into a caldron of molten
lead and boiling pitch. They prayed, O God, deliver us through the power of Thy Name!
and behold,
they remained unharmed. Then the emperor condemned them to the rack, on which they expired, in the year 303.
The heroic spirit of martyrdom exhibited by St. Vitus was owing to the early impressions of piety which he received through the teaching and example of his virtuous foster-parents. The choice of teachers, nurses, and servants who have the care of children is of the greatest importance on account of the influence they exert on them. The pagan Romans were most solicitous that no slave whose speech was not perfectly elegant and graceful should have access to children. Shall a Christians be less careful as to their virtue? It is a fatal mistake to imagine that children are too young to be infected with the contagion of vice. No age is more impressionable than childhood; no one observes more closely than the young, and nothing is so easily acquired by them as a spirit of vanity, pride, revenge, obstinacy, sloth, etc., and nothing is harder to overcome. What a happiness for a child to be formed to virtue from infancy, and to be instilled from a tender age with the spirit of piety, simplicity, meekness, and mercy! Such a foundation being well laid, the soul will easily, and sometimes without experiencing severe conflicts, rise to the height of Christian perfection.
We beseech Thee, O Lord, to graciously grant us through the intercession of Thy blessed Martyrs Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia, that we may not proudly exalt ourselves, but serve Thee in humility and simplicity, so as to avoid evil and to do what is right for Thy sake. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
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