July 9: Saints Felicitas and the Seven Brothers
Felicitas was a very pious widow, who was in the upper class in Rome. This brought her to the notice of the officials, who ordered her to make the customary sacrifice to the pagan gods, which she refused. She was condemned with her seven sons to death. She and her sons valiantly fought off the evil suggestions of the people, who were urging them to apostasy from the Faith. She said: Lift up your eyes to heaven; look up, my children; there Christ awaits you; fight for your souls; stay firm in His love. They all obtained the crown of martyrdom.
Let us take Saint Felicitas' advice and look up to heaven and fight for our souls. In her day, it was easy, simply hold firm and die a martyr. Today, however, we all have sacrificed to the false gods of the world by living by the rules of the world rather than the Sacred Law of God. We have offered the sacrifice of numerous hours to the gods of television and drink, to the gods of sugar and gossip, and above all to the god of luxury. We have sacrificed to false gods, let us now offer our lives as a living sacrifice to the True God, Who will reward us with an eternity of pleasure; whereas these false gods will reward us with an eternity of misery that starts here on earth.
PRAYER: Oh holy family of Saint Felicitas, lead all families to be so full of virtue that all would rather die than sin. Amen.
