Saint Apollinaris the Sower

"A sower went out to sow." Matthew 13:3

Jesus spoke of a farmer sowing seeds on different kinds of soil, until finally the seeds fell on good soil and yielded grain a hundred fold. One saint who was like that farmer was Saint Apollinaris. He was amazing! Saint Peter ordained him Bishop of Ravenna. Many miracles of healing followed where he went and he won many to the Christian faith, but at what price?!

Unbelievers and idolaters were so furious with him that he was beaten cruelly several times until he was half dead. He was captured and forced to walk on burning coals, he was stretched on a rack, and plunged into boiling water. Even if he was driven from Ravenna, he would return and be subjected to all sorts of torture just to get rid of him. He was hacked with knives, imprisoned in a dungeon, left to starve, attacked with stones on his mouth so he would stop preaching! Through all this, Saint Apollinaris was Bishop for 26 years. He is one of the first great martyrs of the Church. In the Tridentine calendar, his feast day is today, the 23rd of July, the day he is alleged to have been martyred. Can you imagine how powerful and stirring his homilies would have been? 

“We therefore grossly deceive ourselves, in not allotting more time to the study of divine truths."This quote is often attributed to Saint Apollinaris and shows how dedicated he was to the Scripture. 

Thank You Lord for the example and inspiration of the saints and martyrs. Even if today Christians are not tortured in most places of the world, may there be enough evidence to convict us, Your followers, of being Your disciples!