JULY 24

Day 24: Christina, martyr (Lebanese).

Christina was born in Tyre City, Lebanon toward the end of the 3^rd century, in a pagan family. Her father, Urban the governor of the city, was quite fanatic in his love for his pagan religion, persecuting the Christians at every possible opportunity. His daughter who used to witness how solid Christians were in their faith, and how they endured with hope and supernatural patience persecution for God’s sake, was touched by the divine grace, and gave up her pagan heritage, and got baptized secretly, growing up in loving Christ and getting more attached to his teachings.

Her father who wanted to protect her from corruption, isolated her from people in a high tower, wherein he provided her with all kinds of golden and silver idols to worship them. And how shocked he was to learn that his daughter destroyed these idols, confessing her faith in Christ Jesus; and when he reproached her, she replied in a childlike simplicity that these idols are not gods, and are useless. Her father then threatened to torture and kill her if she does not turn back to paganism and deny her Christian faith. She courageously answered: “father, you might be able to torture and kill me, but you are incapable of separating me from Jesus Christ, my love and my God.”

At that, her father had her flogged, and beaten by iron nails, until her flesh was torn, and then she was thrown into prison. In the next morning she stood sound in front of her father, as God had cured her. He then ordered her to be thrown in the sea with a big stone tied up to her neck; and again the angel of the Lord saved her from drowning. He then got her back in the prison, and because of his anger and resentment he was found dead in his bed the next day.

His successor Dion was more devilish than him, and had a special big iron barbecue designed to torture Christina; who voluntarily laid down on it, but again God saved her this, and she was joyfully praising the Lord from her hot barbecue-bed. She was brought in the temple of god Apollon to worship him, but she refused. She then was thrown into a burning furnace, then in well with deadly serpents and scorpions, but God saved her from all harm; which led her torturers to believe, crying out that: “there is no God, but the one worshiped by the Christians”, and thus they announced their death penalty and were martyred.

At then the governor ordered that the breasts of Saint Christina be cut off, as she shouted: “Our God is in heaven, but the idols of the gentiles are nothing but human handmade of gold and silver.” Finally they hanged her on a wooden beam and hit her with arrows until she was martyred in the year 300 AD. May her prayer be with us. Amen!