Lives of the Saints...
St. Felicity, Mother of the New Maccabees
Saint Felicity was a noble Roman matron, distinguished above all for her virtue, whose life and death were a great boon for the Early Church in the first half of the second century. This mother of seven children raised her sons in the fear of the Lord, and after the death of her husband served God in continence, concerning herself only with good works and prayer. Her good example, and those of her children, brought a number of pagans to renounce their superstitions and seek baptism in this nascent religion. Her courageously outward manifestation of her Faith in all her daily actions encouraged many closet Christians, so gun shy during this time of marathon persecutions, to show themselves worthy of their vocation.
The pagan priests, furious at seeing their gods abandoned, denounced her and lodged a complaint against her with the Emperor, Antoninus They claimed that the boldness with which Felicity publicly practiced the Christian religion drew many from the worship of pagan gods who were the guardians and protectors of the empire, and that it was a continual insult on them; who, on that account, were extremely offended and angry with the city and, by extension, with the whole state. They added that in order to appease the gods, it was necessary to compel this widow and her children to sacrifice to them.
Antoninus, being a very superstitious man, was prevailed upon by this remonstrance to send an order to Publius, the Prefect of Rome, to take care that the priests should be satisfied, and the gods appeased. Publius caused the mother and her sons to be apprehended and brought before him. When this was done he took Felicity aside, and used the strongest inducements to bring her to freely sacrifice to the gods, that he might not be obliged to proceed with severity against her and her sons. She returned him this answer: "Do not think to frighten me by threats, or to win me by fair speeches.
The spirit of God within me will not suffer me to be overcome by Satan, and will make me victorious over all your assaults." The Prefect was equally unsuccessful with her seven sons who followed their mother’s example.
"Wretched woman," Publius said to her, "How can you be so barbarous as to expose your children to torments and death? Unhappy woman, if you wish to die, die! But do not destroy your sons.
Have pity on these poor creatures, who are in the flower of their youth and can aspire to the highest positions in the Empire!" Felicity replied, "If they are faithful, my children will live eternally with Jesus Christ, but they will have only eternal torments to await, if they sacrifice to idols. Your self-proclaimed pity is cruel and false." Then, turning to her children, she cried, "Look towards heaven, where Jesus Christ is waiting for you with His saints! Be faithful in His love, and fight courageously for your souls." These are the words of a mother who sees with saintly clarity and resignation, the ultimate purpose for which God charged her with the care of seven souls.
Publius, being exasperated at this behaviour, commanded her to be cruelly buffeted, saying: "You are insolent indeed, to give them such advice as this in my presence, in contempt of the orders of our princes.
Four judges, taking the children one by one, tried to overcome their constancy.
They began with Januarius, the eldest, but received for his answer, "What you advise me to do is contrary to reason.
Jesus, the Savior, will preserve me, I pray, from such impiety." Felix, the second oldest, was then brought in.
When they urged him to sacrifice, he answered, "There is only one God, and it is to Him that we must offer the sacrifice of our hearts. Use all artifices, every refinement of cruelty; you will not make us betray our faith!" The other brothers, when questioned, answered with the same firmness. Martial, the youngest, spoke last with a conviction and authority that defied his tender age, exclaiming, "All those who do not confess that Jesus Christ is the true God, will be cast into a fire which will never be extinguished!"
When the interrogation was finished, the saints underwent the penalty of the lash and were taken to prison. Felicity implored God only that she not to be killed before her sons, so that she might be able to encourage them during their torture and death, in order that they would remain steadfast to the end.
According to God’s Providence, it so happened. Fortified by the strength only God can give, this wonderful mother accompanied her sons one by one until she had witnessed the death of all seven.
They were murdered in various ways, according to the individual judges who presided over their respective prosecutions: Januarius was beaten until he died by leather straps capped with lead; Felix and Philip were killed with bludgeons; Sylvanus was thrown headfirst from a cliff; Alexander, Vitalis and Martial were beheaded. Felicity, the mother of these new Maccabees, was the last to suffer martyrdom. After each execution she was given the chance to denounce her faith, but she remained resolute, drawing on an unfathomable source of fortitude and perseverance. It is said that she died eight times; once with each of her sons, and finally her own. They suffered and entered into eternal rest in Rome about the year 164, and their feast day is held on January 25. St. Felicity was buried in the catacomb of Maximus on the Via Salaria, beside St. Silvanus. ■ Sources:
magnificat.ca/cal/en/saints/saint_felicity_and_her_ seven_sons.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicitas_of_Rome www.bartleby.com/210/7/101.html
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'The Martyrdom of the Maccabees' (M.Bonnotto)