March 7 | Saints Felicity and Perpetua

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine you are standing in the middle of a massive arena. The year is 203 AD. The ground beneath your feet is sand, packed hard. All around you, thousands of people are screaming. But they aren't cheering for a football game or a concert.

They are cheering for you to lose. You've just been thrown to the ground by a wild, rabid bull. You are bruised, bleeding, and terrified. You know this is the end. In a moment like that, what is your priority? What is the one thing you do before you face the end? Do you scream? Do you run? If you are Saint Perpetua, a 22-year-old noblewoman from Carthage, you do something absolutely unbelievable.

You reach up and you fix your hair. Today, we are looking at two of the bravest women in history, Saints Perpetua and Felicity. Saint Perpetua was a young Christian noblewoman living in the Roman Empire. She had a good life. She was only 22 years old, and she was a new mom. She was actually nursing her infant baby during the time she was arrested. This was a time of intense Christian persecution. When Perpetua openly proclaimed her faith, she was arrested. Many people, including her own father, urged her to renounce her faith.

Imagine the pressure. Your dad is begging you to just say the words, just deny Jesus so you can come home to your baby. But Perpetua refused. She chose truth over safety. While she was in prison, she wasn't alone. She was with Saint Felicity.

Felicity was in a terrifying position. She was also a Christian woman imprisoned for her faith, but she was expecting a child. Can you imagine being in a Roman dungeon facing torture while pregnant? Felicity was tough. She suffered torture while in prison, but she held on. The historical accounts tell us that a few days before her execution, she gave birth to a daughter. To ensure the baby would be safe after Felicity was gone, the little girl was adopted by another Christian woman.

So, here you have two mothers, one noble, one likely a slave or servant, both bound together by a courage that terrified the Roman Empire. Now, let's go back to that arena. It is March 7th, the day of their martyrdom. They are brought out as a public spectacle. The crowd wants a show. The animals are released. Perpetua is targeted by a rabid bull, some translations say a heifer. She is tossed in the air. She hits the ground hard. Her robe is torn.

Her hair is a mess. Most people would be curled up in a ball, but Perpetua sits up. She notices her hair has fallen loose. Now, listen to this quote from the account of her martyrdom. It says, Next, looking for a pin, Perpetua likewise pinned up her disheveled hair, for it was not meet that a martyr should suffer with hair disheveled, lest she should seem to grieve in her glory. Let's break that down. She didn't fix her hair because she was vain.

She didn't do it because she wanted to look pretty for the cameras. She did it because, in her culture, disheveled hair was a sign of mourning, a sign of sadness. Perpetua wanted the world to know that this was not a sad day. This was her victory day. This was her glory. She refused. To look like a victim. She persevered until the end of her young life, maintaining her dignity even while facing a violent death. It is absolutely fascinating that a 22-year-old woman amidst blood and sand had the presence of mind to say, no, I will not look defeated.

Saints Perpetua and Felicity are the patron saints of mothers and expectant mothers. Because of the animals involved in their story, they are also the patron saints of ranchers and butchers, and, geographically, they look after Carthage and Catalonia. You probably aren't going to be thrown into an arena with a wild cow anytime soon. But think about that hairpin. Perpetua's life was falling apart. Her father was against her, the government was against her, and she was physically attacked. Yet, she controlled the one thing she could, her attitude and her dignity.

When things go wrong this week, maybe you fail a test, maybe you get Cut from the team, or maybe you just have a really bad hair day. Don't slouch, don't complain, and don't play the victim. Stand up tall. Show the world that your joy and your confidence come from something bigger than your circumstances. If Perpetua could find the composure to pin her hair in the middle of an arena, you can find the courage to keep your head held high in the hallway at school. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.