Saint Saturus

Even though it is an optional memorial on the Roman calendar, each year I personally observe the Memorial of Saints Perpetua & Felicity during my celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours. I do so especially by praying the Office of Readings. While none of these are the second reading for the Office of Readings for this liturgical memorial, every year I read one of Saint Augustine's sermons for this observance of the martrydom of his fellow North African Christians (Sermons 280-282).

As to the second reading for the Office of readings for today's memorial, I was struck today by an aspect of this passage "From the story of the death of the holy martyrs of Carthage" that had never really hit me before, focused as I was on the heroic virtue shown by Perpetua. It has to do with the martyr Saturus, who is certainly Saint Saturus.

Entering the arena, by Fyodor Bronnikov, 1869

Serving at the colisieum on the day of this gruesome spectacle, was the Roman soldier Pudens. Apparently, Pudens, too, was a Christian. After being savaged by the hungry leopard who was set upon them, Saturus told Pudens not be frightened by what he was witnessing but to let his faith be strengthened by these things.

Saturus then asked Pudens to hand him "the little ring" Pudens was wearing on one of his fingers. Pudens did so, "After soaking [the ring] in his wound," Saturus returned it to the soldier "as a keepsake." The soldier was gifted a relic.

Saturus, who this account tells us was the first to die, is last seen helping a badly wounded Perpetua. While I admit to being more than a little biased in this regard, Saturus' words and actions strike me as more than a little diaconal.

What follows is an addendum to my original post:

Thinking about Pudens watching his sisters and brothers being devoured by a feral, hungry leopard while serving the power subjecting them to this horrific death, kind of epitomizes cognitive dissonance. Many Christians today find themselves in a predicament similar to that this soldier serving the empire.

What unfolds before this Christian Roman soldier's eyes is nothing less than the kingdom of God, as the Lord Himself taught and lived it, versus the kingdoms of this world. In worldly, existential, terms, winning for Christians often looks like losing- "if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!"

But, Saturus speaks words of hope to his brother who is working on behalf of the power putting him to such a gruesome death while giving him a bloody keepsake to strengthen him. One wonders, strengthen him for what?