St. Catherine of Alexandria’s witness to the faith was short, dramatic and even bizarre.
A beautiful Christian noblewoman martyred in the fourth century, St. Catherine, whose feast day is Nov. 25, had a devoted following in the medieval age. Sadly, these days, this saint with an exciting story has since slipped largely out of the public eye — even though it was another female saint, who has enjoyed nearly universal popularity, St. Joan of Arc, who claimed St. Catherine was one of the saints who appeared to her as a heavenly adviser in the warrior-saint’s military campaigns to free her country from foreign occupation.
At 18, Catherine was horrified by the brutal oppression, torture and murder of Christians carried out by Roman Emperor Maximinus II. Determined to put a stop to the suffering of her brethren, she presented herself before the emperor; and with what can only be described as an exponential amount of moxie, she rebuked the emperor for his behavior and demanded that he cease his persecution. She finished her defiant speech with a defense of Christianity itself.
Furious at being so addressed by a young woman, Maximinus brought forth the most famed intellects in his court to disprove Catherine’s arguments. Undeterred, and fortified by the Holy Spirit, Catherine stood her ground, even managing to convert many of the dazzled sophists as they saw the strength of her arguments. The emperor promptly executed the new converts.
In an attempt to silence Catherine, Maximinus proposed marriage, offering her wealth and power if only she gave up her faith.
Catherine refused, and he threw her into prison to be tortured. She suffered unspeakable torments and still kept her faith. Indeed, far from languishing in her cell, Catherine saw a steady stream of visitors, compelling as many as 200 conversions among those souls. Each new soul she won for Christ met a martyr’s end. Finally, determined to put an end to Catherine, Maximinus condemned her to death on the breaking wheel; however, when she touched the wheel, it shattered before the amazed guards. Not to be defeated, Maximinus had her beheaded, and thus ensured that her name was never forgotten.
Catherine’s is an unusual story, and one that is not well known.
The full scope of St. Catherine’s life and death is a difficult story to process. But this modern age yearns for models of holiness such as St. Catherine of Alexandria.
To find proof of this hunger for goodness, look no further than the box-office success of every superhero movie. We want to see the good guys win. But first, we want to see what the victory will cost, to see our heroes prevail after suffering, to come roaring back to win the day. St. Catherine of Alexandria delivers. She stands in defiant reproach of every urge to make Catholicism “polite,” to tone it down to fit modern sensibilities.
Her brief but brilliant life reminds us that the Church was built upon the blood of fearless men and women of faith and bravery. They willingly walked into the Roman arenas out of love of God, so that others could attain eternal life.
Every saint is radical in his or her own way. Likewise, each and every saint is uniquely holy and serves a distinct role. One path to sainthood is not more worthy of honor than another. But in this age of brokenness and cynicism, let us thank God for this brave young woman who silenced a king and who was so filled with burning love for Our Lord that her touch alone shattered instruments of torture.
