How often do you hear something defined as immoral?

Probably not often enough in our culture. And that is a problem, because when we lose our ability to identify something as immoral, we lose our sense of good and evil. When we pretend that there is no such thing as right and wrong, good and bad, this will inevitably lead to the proliferation of evil. And it has. 

But this is not the first time it has happened. In fact, the normalization of evil has plagued human societies throughout history.

Saints Perpetua and Felicity became martyrs for the Christian faith during a time in the Roman Empire when evil was normalized, and senseless violence was rampant.

Perpetua, a new mother, and Felicity, who was pregnant, were both catechumens preparing for baptism in a period when Christianity was deemed illegal under Roman law. The killing of Christians had become so common in the Roman Empire that few people deemed it immoral to execute a new mother and pregnant woman. People packed the arena to watch. It wasn't just normal. It was entertainment.

While in prison, Perpetua kept a diary documenting her experiences and visions, making it one of the earliest, most vivid accounts of Christian martyrdom. In one vision, she saw a golden ladder reaching to heaven, beset with dangerous weapons symbolizing the trials of evil they would face on the path to living out their faith.

They both refused to abandon their faith and went joyfully to their own deaths. Their virtue and goodness were a stark contrast to the evil unfolding around them.

How do we resist this normalization of evil in our own time? By living out our faith to the fullest. Just one hundred years after Saints Perpetua and Felicity died for their faith, Christianity became the official religion of Rome. Holiness exposes evil for what it really is. Holiness grabs the attention of all who witness it. And holiness is possible for all of us, right here and right now, one moment at a time.

Fill your life with Holy Moments, and you will be resisting the evil of our own time.

Patron Saint of: Mothers, Expectant Mothers, Ranchers, Butchers, Carthage, and Catalonia

Feast Day: March 7

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Teresa Margaret Redi