Today's Ornament of Grace for Monday of the second week of Advent is St. Sebastian.
from Romans 15:4-9
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s words to the Romans in today’s second reading offer us encouragement. Sometimes our Advent journey becomes a little more difficult by the second week. St. Sebastian, a saint who endured and encouraged, might inspire us to continue.
Sebastian was born in Narbonne, Gaul (now France) around 255 A.D. His parents were from Milan, Italy, and raised him in that city. Sebastian, strong in the Lord, saw Christians being martyred for their faith by Emperor Diocletian. He wanted to help his brothers and sisters in Christ by going undercover. To do this, he enlisted in the army around 283 and quickly became a captain. He distinguished himself and was assigned to guard Emperor Diocletian.
As part of this elite Praetorian Guard, Sebastian was able to bring supplies to persecuted Christians. Secretly teaching many about the risen Jesus, he encouraged them to be faithful, no matter how great their suffering, and to look forward to eternal life.
Twin brothers, Marcus and Marcellinus, were deacons in the Christian Church. They had been condemned to death for refusing to publicly offer sacrifices to the Roman gods. Their parents were not Christians and asked the emperor to give the boys three days for reflection. The parents hoped the boys would renounce their faith and be saved from execution. The request for time was granted.
During that brief period, Sebastian was able to convert the twins’ parents. He also converted the son of the local prefect as well as other prominent officials. Among these were Nicostratus with his wife Zoe. Zoe had been a mute for six years but was able to make Sebastian know she wanted to become a Christian. As soon as she was baptized, she could speak. Her husband Nicostratus then brought 16 more prisoners to Sebastian, and all were converted. Seeing this, the guard with power over the prison set all the prisoners free.
Sebastian, after converting so many high-profile individuals, could no longer fly under the emperor’s radar. In 286, someone reported him as a Christian, and the emperor ordered Sebastian put to death. Sebastian did not blame anyone for reporting him. He kept his eyes on Jesus, accepting even those who betrayed him.
Sebastian was tied to a stake on a training field so soldiers could use him for target practice. His body was filled with arrows. A holy Christian widow went to get his body for burial, found him alive, and secretly nursed him back to health. When he was better, the widow begged Sebastian to get away from Rome. Sebastian, bravely staying on, went to the emperor and told him to stop persecuting Christians. While at first shocked that Sebastian had lived through the target practice ordeal, the emperor had no intention of changing his ways. So, he ordered Sebastian to be cudgeled to death and thrown into the city sewers. Another holy woman found his body and buried it in the catacombs.
We may never find our bodies riddled with arrows, but we may suffer intense pain some time, and we can pray to St. Sebastian for help to endure our suffering. We may not be able to go undercover to support one another in faith, but we might find inventive ways to encourage our brothers and sisters
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