What Saints Perpetua and Felicity Can Teach Us Today About Faithfulness

“But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.” (Jeremiah 7:24) This passage from the first reading of today’s Mass is both sad and terrifying because most of us can think of a time(s) when we, like the Israelites, have completely turned our backs and disobeyed God. We betray God for various reasons: out of fear, selfishness, pressure from those around us…all in pursuit of something or someone that we think may make us happier only to find that it fades away and our hearts are left empty.  We betray the very one who died for us out of love instead of following Him in trusting obedience. We may face many obstacles in our pursuit of the Truth and love for God, many of which will bring us to a crossroads: love of God or self-preservation in its numerous forms. Today the church remembers the martyrdom of two heroic women who lived in the early 3^rd Century: Saints Perpetua and Felicity. When it came down to it, these women bravely endured persecution and death rather than turn their backs on God.

Perpetua was a well-educated daughter of nobleman of Carthage.  She discovered Christianity during the persecution of Emperor Septimius Severus, a time when declaring yourself a Christian was almost certain death. At the age of 22 Perpetua was a catechumen (one who is studying Christian teaching before baptism) and her father, who was a pagan, begged her not to embrace Christianity fearing her death and that of her infant son. The human inclination to survive and protect one’s child would surely make embracing the Truth a difficult decision but Perpetua stood firm and pointing to a water jug, she asked her father, "See that pot lying there? Can you call it by any other name than what it is?" Her father answered, "Of course not." Perpetua responded, "Neither can I call myself by any other name than what I am – a Christian." Wow! What a response! Shortly after this Perpetua was baptized and because she would not deny her faith when questioned, she was thrown into prison with several others who chose to face death rather than deny Christ.

Among them was a servant woman named Felicity, who like Perpetua, was a young mother only she was eight months pregnant. Knowing she too faced certain death and the life of her child was uncertain, she bravely remained firm in her belief and trust in God. Felicity endured great suffering in the stifling heat of her prison and was laughed at and mocked by the guards as she labored to give birth to her daughter. It’s recorded that the soldiers said "If you think you suffer now, how will stand it when you face the wild beasts?" Felicity calmly answered her tormenters by saying "Now I'm the one who is suffering, but in the arena Another will be in me suffering for me because I will be suffering for him." She gave birth to a daughter who was adopted by a Christian woman from Carthage and the prisoners were thereafter sentenced to death in the arena for public entertainment.

Perpetua and Felicity’s companions (including Perpetua’s brother) were ripped apart by wild beasts and eventually they were all martyred when their throats were cut.  Perpetua’s last words to her brother were “Stand fast in the faith and love one another.” Eyewitnesses say that they calmly went to their deaths with joy.  They had confidence in the life that was to come. They knew that as Christians, they could not turn their backs on God regardless of the cost.

Can we truly take the name of Christian? Can we, like them, remain faithful to God even if we are being pressured to deny the Truth in some way? Yes we can! God will give you the grace to endure suffering for His sake. Each and every day is a chance to show forth our love for God. While we may not face physical death when we come to a crossroad in life, we may have to deny ourselves, suffer humiliation, persecution, endure heavy crosses, etc. in our walk with Christ and He will be walking with us so we can remain faithful to the Father and experience God’s joy. Remember the last words of St. Perpetua: “Stand fast in the faith and love one another!”