SAINT  SEBASTIAN 

Today, January 20^th, we celebrate the feast of Saint Sebastian.

It's interesting that just a week ago or so - we visited the Cathedral of San Sebastian - the patron saint of Rio de Janeiro - and here it is his feast this week. The Portuguese king was  Sebastiao back in 1565 - when the city was founded - so it was called, "Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro". That's Portuguese for “St. Sebastian of the January River”. 

And if you check out the city you'll find on the Seal of the City the arrows of Sebastian - and pictures of him everywhere.

He’s the early Christian martyr who wouldn’t give up his Christian faith - during the persecution by Diocletian - the Roman Emperor - around the year 288.

The legend and the story is that he was tied to a tree and soldiers shot arrows into him.

Because of the violence and vividness of his martyrdom - it’s easy to picture the scene. I say this because paintings of Saint Sebastian can be found in all the major art museums.

There are alternative stories that he was thought dead - but a Saint Irene found his wounded body and nursed him back to health.

How many cowboy movies - with Clint Eastwood and others have we seen that someone is shot and wounded or beaten up and someone saves the hero - by sneaking him out of town - and nursing someone back to health.

Sebastian becomes in time the patron saint of soldiers - as well as athletes who have to work hard and struggle and suffer to achieve victory.

Next - keeping Shakespeare’s in mind, everyone remembers Hamlet’s words in his “To be or not to be speech” - when he says, “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune  / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them?”

We all know there are times when arrows come flying at  us - and to have the courage of Saint Sebastian to deal with the sharp arrows of attack.   We all know that the image of arrows is very clear - when it comes to describing life at times. We all understand Psalm 91- when it talks about the terrors of night and the arrows that fly by day - a thousand arrows - ten thousand arrows - fly towards us - God will protect us.

I would think that image of arrows  - the arrows that are shot at us - is what makes St. Sebastian so popular.

Amen.