08/09/2020
† Saint of the Day †
(September 8)
✠ St. Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia ✠
Martyrs:
Born: ----
Died: March 4, 306
Nicomedia
Venerated in:
Roman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Major Shrine:
Argyropolis near Constantinople; Geraardsbergen, Belgium; Church of Sant'Adriano al Foro, Rome
Feast: September 8
Patronage :
Plague, Epilepsy, Arms Dealers, Butchers, Guards, Soldiers
Saint Adrian (also known as Hadrian) or Adrian of Nicomedia was a Herculian Guard of the Roman Emperor Galerius Maximian. After becoming a convert to Christianity with his wife Natalia, Adrian was martyred at Nicomedia.
Adrian and Natalia lived in Nicomedia during the time of Emperor Maximian in the early fourth century. The twenty-eight-year-old Adrian was head of the praetorium.
Biographical selection:
St. Adrian lived in Nicomedia around the year 300 and was martyred at age 28.
During those times, Catholics were cruelly persecuted under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Thirty-three Catholics in Nicomedia were denounced, and soldiers were sent to seize them. They were brought in iron chains before the tribunal of the Emperor.
“Can it be you have not heard what manner of torments awaits them who call themselves Christians?” asked the judge. They replied: “We know of them, but we cannot obey unjust orders. We do not fear the fury of Satan and his ministers, of whom you are one.”
Three men were ordered to savagely beat the Catholics with whips made of bull nerves. But while they were undergoing this treatment, the holy martyrs told the judge that whatever number of torments he might devise, he would but increase their crowns awaiting them in Heaven, while he would receive his due for his cruelty in Hell.
They were then brought before Galerius, the prepared successor of Diocletian, who ordered new torments. The soldiers took up stones and struck the martyrs about the mouth. The martyrs berated Galerius, telling him that an angel of God would punish and destroy all of his impious households. Enraged, he ordered that their tongues be cut out. In face of this new torment, they told the ruler: “Even if we are unable to speak, the protests of our hearts will rise to the throne of God proclaiming that we are suffering in innocence.”
Hearing this, Galerius was filled with hate and ordered that they should all be taken to prison to see if any of them would become fearful and apostatize. With this, he left. One of those present was a high dignitary named Adrian. Seeing the great honour of the Catholics, he rejected paganism and said to a functionary: “Write down my name among these admirable persons, for I too am now a Catholic and shall die for Christ God in their company!”
One of Adrian’s servants went to warn Natalie, his wife, about what had happened. She ran to the prison and, falling down at the feet of her husband, she said, “Blessed are you, my Adrian, for you have found a treasure. I ask Christ to give you strength, courage, and perseverance in the fight. The goods of this earth are nothing; God desires to give you eternal riches. Therefore, be not weak, but strong and generous like these saints who surround you.”
When Galerius heard this, he became further enraged, and ordered that Adrian be weighed down with iron chains and cast into prison with the other martyrs. They greeted him with great joy, and even those who could no longer walk because of the tortures dragged themselves to him to offer him the kiss of peace. Then Natalie cleaned and bandaged their wounded and bloody bodies.
Adrian was beaten and tortured, returned to the prison, and finally, his legs and arms were smitten off with an anvil.
Comments:
The first point that catches the attention is that these are polemic martyrs. They argued with the judge and threatened him with eternal damnation. They displayed nobility of spirit, telling him that the scourge was but a means for them to gain more pearls in their heavenly crown. Later, they also disputed with Galerius, the man who had been prepared to succeed Emperor Diocletian.
Second, you can imagine the shock these pagans felt upon receiving these challenges from the Christians. Every man by his nature knows that Heaven exists. The pagans said the contrary: No, it doesn’t exist. Even though they denied it, they had considerable internal insecurity. Then a pagan judge came and tortured the Christians, who showed an extraordinary assurance not only that Heaven exists but also that they would enter there by means of the very suffering he was causing them. You can imagine the doubt this generated.
Third, one sees the sudden action of the Holy Ghost in the soul of St. Adrian. Instead of being fearful of suffering the torments the martyrs were undergoing, he felt invited to share the honour of being one of such an extraordinary society. Through them, he saw Heaven, and he was moved to join them and die with them.
Fourth, there is the marvellous position of Natalie, who was probably a secret Catholic. When she received the news that her husband had also become a Catholic, she rushed to the prison to give him all the support she could. You can imagine the beautiful scene in the prison, their meeting, the joy of the martyrs who saw that their good example had caused a high imperial official to convert. Even with the tortures, all the wounds, and blood, a supernatural joy-filled all of them. They came to greet the new convert, even dragging themselves over the floor, to give him the kiss of peace. No natural joy is comparable to this supernatural happiness.
Fifth, from this description and the conversion of St. Adrian, a high dignitary of the Empire, you can realize the perplexity and despair of the Roman Emperors, who realized that Catholicism was invading and undermining their whole world. Taking energetic measures and using violence could not destroy Catholicism. On the contrary, it continued to grow. In a certain way, the violence of the persecutions that increased until Constantine was a consequence of this despair.
Let us ask St. Adrian to give us the same grace he received when he saw Heaven and victory in a situation of persecution, torture, and martyrdom. Today, in many ways we need a similar grace in our fight when the enemies of the Catholic Church persecute true Catholics. We need the grace to see the victory of the Reign of Mary, the restoration of Christendom, in such persecutions.
