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The Passion of the Saints

Notes from the film Passion of the Saints made by the Discovery Channel.
Saints are loving people. They have given themselves to the faith. They died like Jess
! "mitatio Christi #
The Martyrs during the Persecution by the Romans
$omans are polytheists. They live in a violent %orld. They love spectacles. The
Christians %ere regarded as anti&social' they gathered early in the morning for their
prayers. They %ere deemed as a private society. Secret societies made the $omans
paranoid. They %ere thoght as cannibals becase of their practice of the (charist and
sspected as se)ally promiscos. "n the midst of this atmosphere of distrst and
sspicion' Nero created the greatest spectacle' the fire of the city of $ome. *hen %ords
%ent ot that Nero himself brned the city the scenes of the street became gly he fond
a scapegoat by declaring an edict that the Christians are responsible for the brning of the
city of $ome.
Christians %ere pored pitch of tar and hoisted on the pole and illmined the garden of
Nero. +thers %ere made prey to the hnting dogs' others %ere fed to the hngry lions.
Stephen' the first Christian martyr
Stoned to death for being a blasphemer' ,e chose death rather than renonced his faith in
Christ.
Saul %ho fettered ot Christians in Damascs bt on his %ay to persecte the Christians
he encontered the -ord. ,e inflenced the Christian thinkers p to this day.
The sal reason for the e)ection of the Christians %ass their refsal to %orship the
$oman gods. The $oman has a strong sense of Pietas. "t refers to that respect that
children sho% to their parents and families to the State. *hen pietas fnctions there is
peace. .t the Christians refsed to sho% pietas to%ards the $oman gods.
.efore the persection Christians %ete sb/ected to a trial. They %ere asked to ans%er the
follo%ing 0estions11
2re yo a Christian3
*ill yo renonce yor faith3
Perpetua and Filicity
Perpeta a mother of an infant chose to die despite the plea of his pagan father.
She recorded a series of visions in her diary. ,er last vision %as abot van0ishing an
(gyptian looking beast in a hand to hand combat. *hen she a%oke she %rote that "
perceive that " %ill be battling against the devil and " kno% that victory %ill be mine.
4or both %omen' the end %as spposed to come throgh the horns of a mad bll. .t as
they strggled to their feet the animal left them. They %ere both beheaded to death.
St. Lawrence %as grilled alive on the process he declared " am done on one side flip me
over.
St. Ignatius %rote to the $omans e)pressing his desires to be fed to hngry lions.
Sixtus II' %as beheaded %here he sat %hile preaching to his flock inside a catacomb..
Agatha %as martyred as she sprned the advances of the $oman Consl. ,er body %as
desecrated and %as thro%n to the brning coals.
Sebastian was a member of the imperial gard %ho rose to rank bt %hen the emperor
fond ot he %as a Christian' he %as made a target practice for archers.
Apolonia refsed to crse Christ. She %as accsed as a vampire. She is remembered as
the patron saint of those %ith toothaches.
Venancius, %as %hipped' hanged p side do%n' smashed to the /a% and thro%n to the
lions %ho sho%ed no interest. "n the end his head %as ct off to silence his prayers.
5ear 67 Christianity %as active in Spain ' in the 5ear 877' in the .lack Sea. (arly the
second centry there %ere Christians in 4rance and (ngland.
Christians provide care for the least fortnate1 %ido%s and orphans

Polycarp belongs to the second generation of Christians. ,e had foreseen his persection
in brning flames. *hen the flames rose p it formed a gentle sails arond his body
refsing to toch it. The soldiers stabbed him to death a dove %as fle% from his body.
,is follo%ers kept the remains of his brnt body.
Since then' the Christians believed that %hen yo pray %ith relics of the martyrs' yor
prayers are more likely heard.
Christians %ere not hiding in catacombs. They go to cemetery' places of brial to
celebrate the day of the death of the martyr. They call it the dias natalis or their
birthday in heaven.
Political Martyrs
"n the beginning of the 9
th
Centry' Constantine had a vision %hile preparing for a battle'
he sa% a brilliant cross in the sky %ith %ords inscribed in it by this sign yo con0er
,e took it to mean that if he accepts Christianity he %ill trimph. "ndeed after %inning'
he declared an edict of religios tolerance in the empire. "n :;7 on' the persection has
stopped. Thirty percent of the poplation of the %orld %ere Christians. Pagan comes
from -atin pagans i.e living otside the city.
"n the 9
th
centry' Christianity began to move North. The Christians destroyed pagan
temples and bilt chrches on it.
2t the beginning of the <
th
centry' it %as decreed that Chrches shold have a bone of
the martyr. This intensified the Traffic of relics !legal of illegal# of Christians martyrs.
The remains of a contemporary man cold still be holy if they die defending their faith.
King Wenceslaus of .ohemia %as mrdered %hile %orking for the conversion of his
pagan kingdom.
King swald of the .ritish 2isle battled for the nity of (ngland bt %as dismembered
by a neighboring pagan king.
!d"und o# !ast Anglia died fighting off =iking invaders.
$ho"as %ec&et
>ing ,enry "" %as sb/ected to a pblic hmiliation for %ishing an old friend?s death.
That friend %as Thomas .ecket. 2t ;9 he %as kno%n to have %eakness for %omen and
%ine. ,e %as made 2rchbishop of Canterbry at the age of 98 by >ing ,enry "".
,e e)commnicated some members of the cort of ,enry "" for mishandling Chrch
estates. Then he fled to 4rance.
*hen he retrned @ years later he e)commnicated the bishops %ho presided the
coronation of the son of >ing ,enry "" as a Prince in violation of the ecclesiastical la%.
+n December ;<'8867' he %as mrdered by the >nights of the >ing %ho heard the
>ing?s %ish of the death of his old friend. ,e %as declared a Saint after three years. 67:
miracles are attribted to him. ,is shrine is the most visited site of pilgrims in (ngland.
'oan o# Arc.
2t the age of 89 she heard voices %here she %as told that she %old lead the 4rench
armies to victory against the .ritish. The >ing pt Joan in charge of the 4rench army and
led them to victory in the .attle of +rleon. *hen the >ing signed a trce %ith the Dke
of .rgandy Joan %as sold to the .ritish. She %as mercilessly interrogated and accsed
of consorting %ith the devil. Joan insisted that she only follo%ed the order of the -ord.
bt she %aivered and signed a confession of heresy only to recant later. +n Aay :7'
89:8 Joan %as brned to death %ith a crime of %itchcraft. Joan?s mother managed to
reverse the decision of the .ritish ecclesiastical cort that condemned her daghter. She
%as declared as Patron Saint of 4rance and %as canoniBed in 8<;8' C77 years after her
e)ection. She %as killed by the arm of the Chrch.
(axi"illian Kolbe
2t arond 87 he had a vision of the .lessed =irgin Aary offering him t%o roses 1 one
red' signifying martyrdom' one is %hite symboliBing prity. ,e entered the 4ranciscan
+rder and %as sent to $ome' earning Doctorate in Philosophy and Theology. ,e %as
ordained in 8<8D. ,e %ent back to Poland and fonded a kno%n magaBine' established
the largest priory and opened a mission to Japan. ,e never refsed anyone %ho soght
for shelter especially the Je%s. "n 8<98 he %as arrested for treason and %as sent to a
concentration camp in 2s%itch. ,e comforted those that lost hope and sometimes faith.
*hen a prisoner had escaped' as reprisal 87 of his cellmates have to die. 2 forty year old
inmate %as called ot' he pleaded for he has a %ife and children. 4r. >olbe volnteered
to die in lie of him. Those that heard of his story %ere a%ed kno%ing that he died to
stand for one %hom he did not even kno%. Pope John Pal "" enlarged the concept of
martyrdom and pt charity as it?s ne% definition. ,e %as canoniBed in +ctober 8<D; and
/oined the ranks of Stephen' Pal' Perpeta and 4ilicity and others Saints and martyrs'

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