Martin of Tours was a bishop who was martyred on this day in 397. Also on this day in 655, Martin of Umbria was martyred during the great Monothelite controversy. Both men demonstrated perseverance in the face of political persecution, personal humiliation, torture, starvation, and eventually, death, made them models of faith during the early medieval period. According to legend, …
More Favorite Chestertonianisms
“There is only one thing that it requires real courage to say, and that is a truism. “Moderate strength is shown in violence, supreme strength is shown in levity.’ “Truth must of necessity be stranger than fiction, for fiction is the creation of the human mind, and therefore is congenial to it.” “Earnest Freethinkers need not worry themselves so much …
Saint Nick
The fourth century pastor who inspired the tradition of Santa Claus, may not have lived at the North Pole or traveled by reindeer and sleigh but he certainly was a paradigm of graciousness, generosity, and Christian charity. Nicholas of Myra’s great love and concern for children drew him into a crusade that ultimately resulted in protective Imperial statutes that remained …
St. George’s Day
The Patron Saint of England, Lybia, Lebanon, and Greece, George was a Syrian Christian soldier who quickly rose through the ranks of the Roman the army into the Imperial Guard by virtue of his valor and vision. However, he had the temerity to confront the Emperor Dioclesian concerning his harsh, unjust, and bloodthirsty decrees. For his candor and courage, George …