† இன்றைய புனிதர் †
(செப்டம்பர் 8)
✠ புனிதர்கள் அட்ரியான் மற்றும் நடாலியா ✠
(Sts. Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia)
மறைசாட்சியர்:
(Martyrs)
பிறப்பு: ----
இறப்பு: மார்ச் 4, 306
நிகொமேடியா
(Nicomedia)
ஏற்கும் சமயம்:
ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை
(Roman Catholic Church)
கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை
(Eastern Orthodox Church)
முக்கிய திருத்தலம்:
கான்ஸ்டன்டினோபில் அருகேயுள்ள அர்கிரோபொலிஸ்
(Argyropolis near Constantinople)
ஜெரார்ட்ஸ்பெர்கன், பெல்ஜியம்
(Geraardsbergen, Belgium)
தூய அட்ரியானோ அல் ஃபோரோ, ரோம்
(Church of St Adriano al Foro, Rome)
நினைவுத் திருநாள் : செப்டம்பர் 8
பாதுகாவல்:
பிளேக் நோய், வலிப்பு நோய், ஆயுத விற்பனையாளர்கள், கறி வெட்டுபவர்கள், காவலர்கள், வீரர்கள்.
புனிதர் அட்ரியான், ரோம பேரரசர் (Roman Emperor) “கலேரியஸ் மேக்ஸிமியனின்” (Galerius Maximian) அரச பாதுகாவலராகப் (Herculian Guard) பணியாற்றியவராவார். இவரும், இவரது மனைவு “நடாலியாவும்” (Natalia) கிறிஸ்தவ மதத்திற்கு மனம் மாறிய காரணத்தால் “நிகொமேடியா” (Nicomedia) நகரில், மறைசாட்சியாக துன்புறுத்தப்பட்டுக் கொல்லப்பட்டனர்.
அட்ரியானும், நடாலியாவும், பேரரசன் “மேக்ஸிமியனின்” காலத்தில், கி.பி. நான்காம் நூற்றாண்டின் ஆரம்பத்தில், நிகொமேடியா நகரில் வாழ்ந்தவர்கள் ஆவர். இருபத்தெட்டு வயது அட்ரியான், ரோம அரச மாளிகையின் தலைமை காவலனாக இருந்தார்.
ஒருமுறை, ஒரு கிறிஸ்தவ இசைக்குழுவை துன்புறுத்தும் பணியை தலைமை தாங்கியபோது அவர் அவர்களிடம், “நீங்கள் உங்கள் கடவுளிடம் என்ன பரிசினை எதிர்பார்க்கிறீர்கள்” என்று கேட்டார். அதற்கு அவர்கள், 1 கொரிந்தியர் 2:9ல் எழுதியிருந்ததைப் போல, “தம்மிடம் அன்பு கொள்ளுகிறவர்களுக்கென்று கடவுள் ஏற்பாடு செய்தவை கண்ணுக்குப் புலப்படாமலும், செவிக்கு எட்டாமலும், மனித உள்ளமும் அதை அறியாமலும் இருக்கவேண்டும்“ என்று கேட்டார்கள். அவர்களது தைரியத்தைக் கண்டு ஆச்சரியப்பட்ட அவர், அனைவரின் முன்னிலையில் தமது விசுவாசத்தை ஒப்புக்கொண்டார். ஆனால், அவர் இதுவரை திருமுழுக்கு பெற்றிருக்கவில்லை.
அட்ரியான் தம்மைத்தாமே சிறையில் அடைத்துக்கொண்டார். தம்மைக் காண வருபவர்களை காண மறுத்தார். நடாலியா மட்டும் ஒரு ஆணின் ஆடை அணிந்து, அவர் பரலோகத்தில் நுழைந்தபோது அவரது ஜெபங்களை கேட்க வந்தார்.
கொலையாளிகள், இறந்துபோனவர்களின் உடல்களை எரித்துவிட விரும்பினர். ஆனால், ஒரு பெரும் காற்று எழுந்து, எரிந்த தீயை அணைத்தது. நடாலியா, அட்ரியானின் கை ஒன்றினை தேடி கண்டெடுத்தார்.
வரலாற்று உண்மைகள்:
“நிகொமேடியா” (Nicomedia) நகரில் இரண்டு அட்ரியான்கள் இருந்ததாகவும், இருவருமே மறைசாட்சிகளாக கொல்லப்பட்டதாகவும், ஒருவர் பேரரசன் “டயக்லேஷியன்” (Diocletian) காலத்தில் இருந்ததாகவும், இன்னொருவர் பேரரசன் “லிஸினியஸ்” (Licinius) காலத்தில் இருந்ததாகவும் கூறப்படுகிறது.
† Saint of the Day †
(September 8)
✠ St. Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia ✠
Martyrs:
Born: ----
Died: March 4, 306
Nicomedia
Venerated in:
Roman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Major Shrine:
Argyropolis near Constantinople; Geraardsbergen, Belgium; Church of Sant'Adriano al Foro, Rome
Feast: September 8
Patronage :
Plague, Epilepsy, Arms Dealers, Butchers, Guards, Soldiers
Saint Adrian (also known as Hadrian) or Adrian of Nicomedia was a Herculian Guard of the Roman Emperor Galerius Maximian. After becoming a convert to Christianity with his wife Natalia, Adrian was martyred at Nicomedia.
Adrian and Natalia lived in Nicomedia during the time of Emperor Maximian in the early fourth century. The twenty-eight-year-old Adrian was head of the praetorium.
Biographical selection:
St. Adrian lived in Nicomedia around the year 300 and was martyred at age 28.
During those times, Catholics were cruelly persecuted under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Thirty-three Catholics in Nicomedia were denounced, and soldiers were sent to seize them. They were brought in iron chains before the tribunal of the Emperor.
“Can it be you have not heard what manner of torments awaits them who call themselves Christians?” asked the judge. They replied: “We know of them, but we cannot obey unjust orders. We do not fear the fury of Satan and his ministers, of whom you are one.”
Three men were ordered to savagely beat the Catholics with whips made of bull nerves. But while they were undergoing this treatment, the holy martyrs told the judge that whatever number of torments he might devise, he would but increase their crowns awaiting them in Heaven, while he would receive his due for his cruelty in Hell.
They were then brought before Galerius, the prepared successor of Diocletian, who ordered new torments. The soldiers took up stones and struck the martyrs about the mouth. The martyrs berated Galerius, telling him that an angel of God would punish and destroy all of his impious households. Enraged, he ordered that their tongues be cut out. In face of this new torment, they told the ruler: “Even if we are unable to speak, the protests of our hearts will rise to the throne of God proclaiming that we are suffering in innocence.”
Hearing this, Galerius was filled with hate and ordered that they should all be taken to prison to see if any of them would become fearful and apostatize. With this, he left. One of those present was a high dignitary named Adrian. Seeing the great honour of the Catholics, he rejected paganism and said to a functionary: “Write down my name among these admirable persons, for I too am now a Catholic and shall die for Christ God in their company!”
One of Adrian’s servants went to warn Natalie, his wife, about what had happened. She ran to the prison and, falling down at the feet of her husband, she said, “Blessed are you, my Adrian, for you have found a treasure. I ask Christ to give you strength, courage, and perseverance in the fight. The goods of this earth are nothing; God desires to give you eternal riches. Therefore, be not weak, but strong and generous like these saints who surround you.”
When Galerius heard this, he became further enraged, and ordered that Adrian be weighed down with iron chains and cast into prison with the other martyrs. They greeted him with great joy, and even those who could no longer walk because of the tortures dragged themselves to him to offer him the kiss of peace. Then Natalie cleaned and bandaged their wounded and bloody bodies.
Adrian was beaten and tortured, returned to the prison, and finally, his legs and arms were smitten off with an anvil.
Comments:
The first point that catches the attention is that these are polemic martyrs. They argued with the judge and threatened him with eternal damnation. They displayed nobility of spirit, telling him that the scourge was but a means for them to gain more pearls in their heavenly crown. Later, they also disputed with Galerius, the man who had been prepared to succeed Emperor Diocletian.
Second, you can imagine the shock these pagans felt upon receiving these challenges from the Christians. Every man by his nature knows that Heaven exists. The pagans said the contrary: No, it doesn’t exist. Even though they denied it, they had considerable internal insecurity. Then a pagan judge came and tortured the Christians, who showed an extraordinary assurance not only that Heaven exists but also that they would enter there by means of the very suffering he was causing them. You can imagine the doubt this generated.
Third, one sees the sudden action of the Holy Ghost in the soul of St. Adrian. Instead of being fearful of suffering the torments the martyrs were undergoing, he felt invited to share the honour of being one of such an extraordinary society. Through them, he saw Heaven, and he was moved to join them and die with them.
Fourth, there is the marvellous position of Natalie, who was probably a secret Catholic. When she received the news that her husband had also become a Catholic, she rushed to the prison to give him all the support she could. You can imagine the beautiful scene in the prison, their meeting, the joy of the martyrs who saw that their good example had caused a high imperial official to convert. Even with the tortures, all the wounds, and blood, a supernatural joy-filled all of them. They came to greet the new convert, even dragging themselves over the floor, to give him the kiss of peace. No natural joy is comparable to this supernatural happiness.
Fifth, from this description and the conversion of St. Adrian, a high dignitary of the Empire, you can realize the perplexity and despair of the Roman Emperors, who realized that Catholicism was invading and undermining their whole world. Taking energetic measures and using violence could not destroy Catholicism. On the contrary, it continued to grow. In a certain way, the violence of the persecutions that increased until Constantine was a consequence of this despair.
Let us ask St. Adrian to give us the same grace he received when he saw Heaven and victory in a situation of persecution, torture, and martyrdom. Today, in many ways we need a similar grace in our fight when the enemies of the Catholic Church persecute true Catholics. We need the grace to see the victory of the Reign of Mary, the restoration of Christendom, in such persecutions.
