Have you ever noticed that the normal trials of life are always
worse when you have children? Back when I was single, or newly married,
getting sick wasn’t so bad. To take a day off of work and curl up with a
good book, a cup of tea and a touch of the flu was almost pleasant. But
dealing with the same flu when you have a newborn and a preschooler to
manage, let alone a flock of homeschoolers—it’s horrible.
Or think about your car breaking down on the highway. Never any fun
under the best circumstances. But when there’s a two year old in a car
seat and no more spare diapers, the situation becomes a hundred times
more desperate.
Sts. Felicity and Perpetua are the patrons of Women in Bad
Situations Complicated Further by Children. Both were imprisoned and
facing martyrdom. Normally not a pleasant situation, but had they both
been childless, it might not have been so bad. They were in prison with
four other devout Christian friends. They could all encourage one
another, pray together, and help one another to stay focused on their
heavenly reward.
But thanks to being mothers, Felicity and Perpetua them had an additional problem. Perpetua had a baby at staying at home with her extended family. And she was a nursing mother. Any mother can imagine her misery: in pain from engorgement, probably a soaked, leaking mess, and worst of all, heartbroken from the separation. Her family brought the baby for her to nurse when they visited her each day, but that was hardly adequate.
But thanks to being mothers, Felicity and Perpetua them had an additional problem. Perpetua had a baby at staying at home with her extended family. And she was a nursing mother. Any mother can imagine her misery: in pain from engorgement, probably a soaked, leaking mess, and worst of all, heartbroken from the separation. Her family brought the baby for her to nurse when they visited her each day, but that was hardly adequate.
Her friend, Felicity, had a different kind of baby trouble.
Felicity, you see, was a pregnant widow. She was due pretty soon, but
not soon enough. Romans, for all their pagan cruelty, did have some
feeling for the unborn. The rule was that a condemned pregnant woman was
not to be executed until after giving birth. Felicity was sick with
worry that her friends would be martyred ahead of her. She was
frightened at the idea of possibly having to face death all alone.
We know the story has a happy ending because Perpetua kept a diary
in prison. It’s a remarkable document. “Such anxieties I suffered for
many days, but then I obtained permission for my baby to remain in the
prison with me, and, being relieved of my trouble and anxiety for him, I
at once recovered my health, and my prison suddenly became a palace to
me and I would rather have been there than anywhere else.”
Felicity’s problem was solved as well. The group prayed for her, and
God granted her a slightly early delivery. The baby was adopted
immediately by a Christian couple, and Felicity was able to face
martyrdom with her friends, “rejoicing to come from the midwife to the
gladiator, to wash after her travail in a second baptism.”
So, next time your find yourself spending your own 24 hour virus
lugging a bucket, mop, and basket of soiled bedding as you struggle to
care for other sick family members—ask these two martyrs to help you get
through it. They are sure to understand.
The diary of St. Perpetua to which is added commetary from a Christian observer of their martyrdom, is a remarkable document. You can read it here.
Excerpts from it appear in the Office of Readings on their feast, March
7th. Felicity and Perpetua are among the handful of women martyrs
mentioned at Mass in the Roman canon. (First Eucharistic Prayer)
http://catholicexchange.com/when-kids-complicate-your-life/
http://catholicexchange.com/when-kids-complicate-your-life/
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