Saint Christopher
Martyr
(† 251)

The valiant and glorious martyr, Saint Christopher, was by nation a Cananean; being moved by a particular inspiration of God, he came into the province of Lycia to preach and announce the name of Christ to those who were ignorant of him. But first, he armed himself with continual prayer against all encounters and difficulties he was to meet in this holy enterprise. He was a proper and big man, comely, and of an excellent disposition. Whereby he drew his eyes upon him and gained all men’s affections. He carried a wand in his hand; upon a time, he pitched in the ground; it suddenly became green and budded. Which miracle caused the conversion of divers to the holy faith of Christ. And as well as Saint Christopher’s prayers, his preaching, and beautiful signs that our Lord wrought by him, Christian religion in a short time was wonderfully propagated, and the church made the most prosperous progress until Decius came to the empire, Saint Christopher was taken in Samos, which is a city of the province of Lycia.

The judge, who exceedingly desired to draw him to his superstition, and persuade him to worship his idols, left nothing un-attempted which he thought might be of power to work upon his mind. But, on the contrary, he spoke to him fair and promised him great rewards if he would yield. Then again threatened him with all manner of torments if he refused to do what he was urged to do. But finding his courage to be of steel, and that it was to speak to a rock, to go about to entice or intimidate him, he found out a diabolical device and sent two lewd and wanton women to him, to solicit him to sin; thinking that if he could bereave him of virtue, it would be no complicated matter to dispossess him of the faith and love of Jesus Christ, whom Saint Christopher defended and maintained to be God. So these impudent creatures entered the prison where the saint was but presently were seized upon by so dreadful a fear and horror that they were made to acknowledge and detest their wickedness and to cast themselves at Saint Christopher’s feet; whom they besought with many tears to obtain the pardon and mercy for them of Almighty God. And he did well to instruct and confirm them in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they came soon to lay down their lives for the same, together with others, whom the holy man had gained and converted by his preaching. And besides these, diverse others, that were people of good quality, did with great zeal suffer death and shed their blood for our Lord’s sake.

But the most inhuman and barbaric judge, despairing ever to conquer the invincible courage and constancy of Saint Christopher, resolved at least to satisfy his rage and cruelty in revenging himself upon him. And to make him die by some unusual and exquisite torments, he would first have him be most unmercifully whipped. Then he puts on an extremely hot iron helmet that it seemed like fiery coal, glowing and sparking upon his head. Afterward, having commanded a form or bench of iron to be made, in length and breadth proportional to his body, he stretches him upon it, kindles under it a fire, and continually pours upon him seething oil to consume him with a flow fire, and most painful; yet withal long and lingering death.

But the noble martyr was so favored and assisted by the Almighty God that he said to the judge, with a pleasant and smiling countenance, Through the power of Jesus Christ, I feel not thy torments. And so, without being hurt or singed, he rose from that fiery bed. At this point, many of those present believed in Christ.

The judge made him be tied to a post and stand on a mark for all the soldiers to shoot at. But not an arrow could hit him. But, on the contrary, one of the shafts recoiling back fastened itself in the eye of an officer and put it out. But he, taking up some of the sacred blood which had fallen from the martyr while he was scourged and applying it to his eye, recovered sight both of body and soul.

In fine, this glorious saint had his head cut off. But when he was under the sword of the executioner, before the final blow was given, he made a humble prayer to Almighty God and begged of Him, That neither hail, nor fire, nor storm, nor famine, nor plague might annoy the place where his body should be buried. Then, after prayer, he rendered his soul into the hands of his Creator, who had made him victorious over death and torment.

Saint Christopher converted to God by his preaching to 48,000 persons. Saint Ambrose speaks of this glorious saint and martyr, and in the Preface of the Mass, which he puts for his feast, has these words, for they are as it were an abridgment of his life. Lord, sayeth he, thou didst so furnish and adorn Saint Christopher with virtue, grace, and science, that by his divine doctrine and miracles be converted 48,000 persons, dispersing the darkness of gentility and discovering to them the light of faith. He reduced to the glory of chastity Niceta and Aquilina, lewd courtesans that had long weltered in the ordure of sin, teaching them to confess their faith, die for it, and receive the crown of martyrdom. Moreover, when he lay in the fire upon an iron bed, he feared not the raging heat; he could not be pierced by a million arrows, which the soldiers were shooting at him for a whole day. One of the arrows struck out the eye of an executioner, but the blood of the blessed martyr soaked into the ground restored his vision and cured his corporal blindness, giving him sight to his soul. He obtained pardon for sinners and grace that diseases and infirmities might be cured at his intercession. Thus writes Saint Ambrose.

The martyrdom of Saint Christopher was on that day, in which the holy Church celebrates it, to wit, the 25th of July, in the year of our Lord 254, in the reign of Decius emperor, according to the Roman Martyrology and Cardinal Baronius. Saint Christopher is usually pictured with the infant Jesus on his shoulders, passing over a river. No other ground than that Saint Christopher passed through many waters of afflictions, pains, and torments, with strength and virtue which our Lord Jesus gave him. His picture is ordinarily put in some high place because of the grace God gave him to defend us from storms and tempests, according to what he begged God.

Ribadeneyra, Pedro de. “The Life of Saint Christopher, Martyr.” The Lives of Saints, With Other Feasts of the Year, according to the Roman Calendar. Written in Spanish by the Reverend Father Peter Ribadeneyra, Priest of the Society of Jesus. Translated Into English by W.P. (William Petre) Esq; The Second Edition Corrected and Amended, vol. 2. London. Printed by B.S., 1730, pp. 57–58.
Edited by Michael Murphy. Used with permission.

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