January 22 ----St. Vincent of Saragossa, Spain
In 303, the Roman emperors published edicts which condemned all clerics to death. St. Vincent, a deacon, and his friend, St. Valerius were imprisoned soon after.
They were tortured mercilessly and St. Valerius was sent into exile. Now, St. Vincent was at the center of the wrath of the Emperor, Dacian. Unspeakable horrors were cast upon St. Vincent but without success. In fact, his torturers were beaten because they failed to break him. When St. Vincent refused further to give up his ecclesiastical texts, Dacian had him tortured on the gridiron, burnt and lain on a floor strewn with broken pottery.
The result was a victorious saint , a converted jailer, and an enraged Emperor.
Finally, Dacian ordered that St. Vincent be placed on a soft bed to break his resolve and yet, here he died and won his martyr's crown.
It is inevitable that no one could endure such tortures as St. Vincent did without Divine Assistance.
Whether we are asked to be a martyr or to endure the trials of daily life, we have the assurance that God is always with us. Let us ask St. Vincent for the confidence to ask God for the daily help that we need to always be faithful to His Will and to carry our cross with perseverance and calm.
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