Translation from the Book

Ὁ Θεός στήν ἱστορία τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, Βοήθημα Κατωτέρου Κατηχητικοῦ Γ΄,

ἐκδ. «Χριστιανική Ἐλπίς» Ὀρθόδοξη Ἀδελφότητα, Θεσσαλονίκη 2016, σσ. 60-65

  What would you like to be when you grow up? I’m sure you have heard this question plenty of times. Honestly, what kind of life do you dream of having? What do you value most and would like to acquire? People usually go after fame, riches, knowledge and beauty. Can anyone possess all these things together? Today, we will learn about a young girl who had everything people admire. She lived in Alexandria, in Egypt, near the end of the 3rd and the beginning of the 4th century AD.
  Katherine was beautiful, rich and intelligent. She was born in a noble and highly esteemed family, that offered her a superior education. From a young age she knew by heart texts written by ancient Greek and Latin poets and philosophers. She had studied the ancient rhetoricians, while she herself was very eloquent. Also, her knowledge in medicine was outstanding.
  The city of Alexandria was amazed by Katherine’s qualities and talents. Everyone admired her beauty, wealth, nobility and knowledge. Who would be the lucky man to have the wise and beautiful Katherine as his wife? Many young men, who were themselves rich, educated and noble, had asked for her hand in marriage. She was the most sought-after bride in Alexandria.
  Katherine, however, loved Jesus Christ with all her heart and she wanted to dedicate all her life to Him. Who else could have as much beauty, riches, nobility and wisdom as our Lord Jesus Christ? Therefore, she was extremely happy to be converted from an idolater to a Christian.
  She lived in difficult times, however; the times when Christians were persecuted for their faith. An imperial decree was sent to Alexandria: Everybody had to offer a sacrifice to the idols. Should anyone refuse to do so, would be severely punished. What did Katherine do? Did she offer the sacrifice? Of course not! Katherine worshipped the one and only God, Lord Jesus Christ. She bravely confessed her faith in Christ.
  Emperor Maximian was informed about it and felt sorry for her. Lord Konstas’ famous daughter, known to everybody for her knowledge and wisdom, would be so imprudent as to look down on his imperial decree and insult the official sacrifice of the state in such a way!
  He decided to try every possible means in order to alter her decision. During a visit to Alexandria, he invited fifty (some sources claim a hundred and fifty) wise rhetoricians to converse with her, and convince her to renounce her Christian faith. He was sure that their arguments would manage to change Katherine’s faith. The outcome, however, was the opposite. A unique fight took place, not with weapons but with words. Who were the two armies? On one side, stood the fifty most intelligent and wise of Alexandria, on the other, a young girl. Even so, wise Katherine was not afraid; she was speaking with the power of the Holy Spirit! She left all her fifty adversaries speechless! She proved that it was incredibly silly to worship idols, created by people, as gods. There is only one true God, who became a man to save us. He is Lord Jesus Christ and He does not have any need of animal sacrifices, but He only wants us to follow His commandments.
  Katherine won against her adversaries. They had nothing to say to defend their false gods. They acknowledged that the young Christian’s faith was true. They believed in Christ and asked to be baptized.
    You can understand how angry the emperor was. He ordered that they should all die. All the fifty of them became martyrs for Christ!
The emperor ordered for Katherine to be imprisoned and whipped. He was determined to torture her until she would yield and deny her faith. Katherine, however, remained stable, she did not deny Christ. She was ready to endure the worst of tortures for His love.
  In prison, she received an unexpected visitor. Suddenly, the door of her prison opened and in comes the empress, Faustina. Why had she come to prison? Faustina had heard about Katherine, this wise young girl, everyone in Alexandria admired. She had also learned about her debate with the rhetoricians and was greatly impressed. She was moved by the tortures Katherine had endured in prison as well. She admired her courage and patience. For these reasons, she wanted to meet her herself. So, she was now, right in front of her.
  Katherine did not throw away this chance. So, what if she was in a dark and dreadful prison. She talked to Faustina about Lord Jesus Christ, whom she loved and believed. The result? Alexandria was astonished with the news: The empress became a Christian! Along with her, thanks to Katherine, the prison guard Porfyrios and 200 soldiers became Christians as well!
  The emperor raged like an untamed beast! He ordered that his wife, Porfyrios and the 200 soldiers should be killed. All of them became martyrs for believing in Christ!
  He ordered to tie Katherine on a wheel with sharp iron spikes. Every turn would tear her skin. God, however, performed a miracle: Katherine remained unharmed from the wheel. The emperor saw that nothing could make the young Christian girl deny her faith, so he ordered to cut off her head. It was the 25th of November. On her feast day we celebrate Saint Faustina, Saint Porfyrios, and the 200 soldier martyrs, too.

Loving Christ

  Saint Katherine, as we mentioned above, had all those endowments that people are jealous of. What are they? Beauty, wealth, fame, wisdom. All those gifts, however, easily wither and disappear. For how many years can people remain beautiful? Have you ever thought about how many rich people lost their wealth at some point? How many others lost their high positions and fame? How many have seen their knowledge be torn apart by new discoveries?
  So, we do not honor Saint Katherine for her endowments. We venerate her because she loved Christ above all, that was her greatest virtue and the reason why she was honored to be a martyr. This love for Christ was what made her endure such horrible tortures and give her life for her faith. She managed with this love to convert so many idolaters to Christianity! This is why we keep her memory throughout the centuries; there are many girls named after her, we venerate her icon, many churches are dedicated to her. The Holy Monastery of Saint Katherine on mountain Sinai is well-known. Each year, many pious pilgrims visit it.
  The greatest honor, however, for St. Katherine is to try and be like her. Could we reach such a goal? Yes, if the goal of our lives is to love Christ as much as she did. However, in our days there are no persecutions for us to be martyrs for Christ! Is there a way for us to show Him our love? Of course, there is! He told us so Himself: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn 14:15). For those we love we are ready to do anything for them, isn’t it so? We happily agree to do what they wish. So, let’s ask Christ plenty of times a day: My Lord:
- Do You like what I am watching right now?
- Do You like what I am listening to?
- Do You like what I am doing?
- Do You like what I am saying?
- Do You like the place I am planning to go to?
- Do You agree with the friends I keep?
  The ones who try to do what Christ wishes are indeed admirable! They do not get carried away by the evil they see around them; they do not pay attention to other people’s behaviour. They love Christ and the only thing that matters is this: to keep His commandments. These are the ones that the angels and Saint Katherine and all the saints are proud of! These are the ones that Christ Himself will celebrate and crown them!

Like Saint Katherine did,
I take as my life’s goal,
any secret or known deed,
to be liked by God!

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