By Ian Wilson (Rated G)
St. Adrian lived during the time of Emperor Maximian in the fourth century. Before his conversion to Christianity, Adrian had been a member of the Praetorian Guard, and was witness to the sufferings of the early Christians. So impressed was he by their courage and refusal to bend in the face of great suffering, Adrian asked these soon to be martyrs what rewards their God offered them for their sacrifice. One of the Christians answered “Such rewards as we are not able to describe, nor can your mind comprehend.”
Without a second thought, Adrian gave his life to Christ, joining himself to these great men of faith who were about to be given over to death. Despite the emperor’s urging to forsake his newfound faith and ask the gods for forgiveness, Adrian stood firm; he would not deny the Christ whom he had known for only a short time.
Hearing about Adrian’s conversion, his wife, Natalia, was overjoyed, for she had secretly been a Christian. She rushed to the prison to encourage her husband in the faith, telling him: “You are blessed, my lord, because you have believed in Christ. You have obtained a great treasure.”
Though the torture was great, and Maximian pleaded with Adrian to renounce his faith, the former praetorian stood firm in his beliefs, even as his hands and legs were severed on an anvil, and died from his torture shortly after. Natalia soon joined her husband in glory.
Let us pray that we all have the courage of our convictions like Adrian.
Source: oca.org
Image Source: johnsanidopoulos.com
LogoSophia Magazine 