No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what the circumstances of your life have been up until now… 

At some point, we all come face to face with evil. The only question is: how do we respond?

Bibiana was only 15 years old. She was a girl growing up in Ancient Rome, under the rule and persecution of the governor Apronianus. After watching her parents both suffer martyrdom for the faith, Bibiana only became more dedicated to a life with God. One day, Bibiana caught the eye of Apronianus, who attempted to seduce her. This was Bibiana’s moment. It would have been easy to give in to Apronianus, to set aside her faith, to follow the ways of the world. But Bibiana said no. She fought against him. And for that, he had her scourged to death. 

The world will tell you that there is no such thing as sin or evil, no objective truth, and no universal right and wrong. But that is not true. 

You might not face dramatic persecution like Bibiana did. Maybe you face gossip at work. Maybe you face temptations to a hidden addiction you’ve been fighting for years. Maybe you face a toxic relationship or constant discouragement or the wounds of betrayal. No matter what it is, we all deal with evil. And once we consciously recognize that sin and evil exist in our world, we are faced with the problem of history: What do we do about sin and evil?

It would be lovely if we could gather up all the evil people and put them together on one island, leaving them to self-destruct in their collective sinfulness. That is not possible because the line that separates good from evil is not out there somewhere. This line does exist, but not with some people on one side and others on the other side. The line that separates good from evil

is cast down the center of my heart and yours; the battle is within. So the question is, are we willing to fight the battle?

It is crucial to remember: God doesn’t leave us to fight this battle alone. He wants to give us grace. Grace is the power of God alive within us. It heals the wounds that our sins have created and helps us to maintain moral balance. Grace helps us to persevere in the pursuit of virtue. Grace inspires us to love what is good and shun what is evil. Grace is not a magical illusion. It is mystical and real.



Feast Day: December 2

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Pimen, and Saint Silverius

Patron Saint of: Epilepsy, Epileptics, Parishes, Headaches, Mental Illness, Single Laywomen, And Torture Victims

Symbols: A Palm Branch and a Broken Roman Pillar