2. Saint Marina

Saint Marina was a little girl, who loved Christ with all the power of her heart. She was born in 270 A.D. in a big city of Asia Minor, Antioch.

She was orphaned since little baby, because her mother died a few days after her birth.

Her father, Aidesius, then gave her to a good and chaste woman to breastfeed and raise her.

That woman loved Christ and all the people very much, and that’s why she became the best example for our little Marina.

Close to this holy mother Marina became a very sweet, modest and kind lady, a real earthly angel.

Marina liked a lot sitting near her foster mother and listening from her the beautiful narrations from the life of Crist as well as the wonderful teaching of love.

She wanted to live, the way her beloved Jesus lived here on earth, with love, mercy and kindness.

She was helping all people with much love and kindness and for this everyone loved her as their own child.

However, Marina as well as her mother, were living secretly their faith and love to Christ. Many people didn’t know the true God yet and for this they adored as their God the sun, the moon and other material things, which were teaching malice and archness.

All those people, since they adored the idols as their gods, were named idolaters. The idolaters hated Christ and were fighting the Christians.

Marina’s father was an idolater as well and actually a priest of those idols. Every day he was praying in front of the fake gods’ statues.

 

She confesses her faith and love to Christ

The years passed by quickly and Marina became a 15 years old lady. She was very beautiful.

There was then a habit, to celebrate with dances and festivals their birthdays, when the young children were turning fifteen years old.

So, Marina’s father decided to celebrate the birthday of his daughter with religious ceremonies and sacrifices to the fake gods.

So, he came along with many other idolaters, friends of his, to take her in tow to the temple of god Aphrodite and there Marina would thank the god for making her a big and beautiful lady.

Marina, understood that the time of confessing in front of the whole world but also her father the faith and love she had into her heart to our Lord Jesus Christ and, if needed, to suffer for His sake the first suffering, had come.

So, with courage without balking at all, she said in front of everyone that she is a Cristian, that she loves the one true God, who created the earth and the sky and that the idols are fake and nests of demons.

Her father was then so mad, that he couldn’t hold back his fury and anger. He rushed upon her to harm her. Fortunately, some people managed to take her away from him and hide her.

Almost one year passed quietly for Marina. With much stronger faith she was spending her days with prayer and works of love. Without fear she was talking everywhere for her Groom Jesus and His wonderful Christian teaching. Many idolaters were abandoning the idols and became Christians.

 

Her suffering begins

An accidental event became the reason and the cause for Marina to confess her Christian faith again and so her great suffering begins.

One day, as she was walking on the road, the idolater commander of the city saw her, Olivrios. He was so much dazed from her beauty, that he decided to make her his wife.

He was displeased, though, when he learnt from her father that Marina was Cristian and that she denied his proposal of becoming his wife.

For this reason, he tried, at first, to convince her with sweet words and many promises, to deny Christ and accept his proposal.

But, when he saw that Marina didn’t want in any way to deny Christ, he started menacing and threatening her with great and horrible tortures.

His threats became real and the soldiers started her suffering.

They first hanged her from the hair upon a tree and then they started beating her with bars, while with iron nails they were lacerating her young body.

Her body was full of wounds and the blood was flowing abundant.

 Even though Marina’s pains should be so great, however, the presence of her beloved Jesus, who was giving her strength and courage, made her feel no physical pain!

Everyone was admiring and wondering about the power Christ was giving to her. Olivrios, embarrassed, ordered to close her into a dark prison.

 

She beats Satan with a hammer

Satan couldn’t stand watching a little girl, loving Christ so much and suffering for His sake so many sufferings. So, he transformed into a terrific dragon with two big horns on the head and dashed upon her, to drill her with his horns.

Marina, without fearing at all, takes the dragon from the horns and with a hammer that she found there, started beating him on the head. As she was beating him, so he was shortening and shrinking, until he became tiny and disappeared, leaving behind him shouts of pain and a great niff.

Marina had managed with the strong faith and love that she had to Christ, to beat Satan.

A glowing light was then spread to the whole prison and a huge shinny Cross appeared. Above the Cross, a white pigeon was flying.

All her wounds were cured, the pains stopped and she glowed from beauty.

So, the soldiers found her in the morning, when they took her out of the prison and brought her again in the court. Everyone was looking our saint and her miraculous cure with amazement.

Many, then abandoned the idols and became Christians.

Of course, this angered much more the disrespectful Olivrios who ordered new tortures.

 

She is shining like the sun

They hanged our saint upon a tree and with lit candles they were burning her body. Then they threw her in a caldron with hot water, to die.

Suddenly a great earthquake happened and a huge shinny cross was formed above the caldron. Then a white pigeon appeared holding a wreath made of beautiful flowers and placing it onto her head.

All people saw our Marina standing up from the caldron, showered with a bright light and her face glowing stronger than the sun, so that they could not look at her face.

Watching all those admirable things, more than fifteen thousand idolaters believed in Christ that day and became Christians.

All those fifteen thousand martyred that day for Christ’s love.

Olivrios was afraid whether others become Christians as well, so he ordered to behead our saint immediately.

Marina lifted her head for the last time towards the sky, to pray.

There, she saw her beloved Jesus among thousands of angels and smiling to her. She smiled at Him sweetly as well and with much love and adoration she told Him:

«Oh, my sweet Jesus, how much I love you! I am coming to You, king of my heart…»

She didn’t manage to finish her prayer, when a soldier lifted his blade and beheaded our Marina.

Her soul flied immediately into the embrace of her beloved Jesus, that she had so much loved and adored with the whole power of her heart!

It was 17 of July 286 A.D.

Saint Marina was just 16 years old.

‘’Saint of God, help us love Christ, as you loved him’’