St. Januarius (Sept. 19)

Every year, the faithful in Naples gather in the cathedral to witness an astounding event: the liquefying of the blood of St. Januarius. Once again, the miracle has taken place this year. This repeated miracle amazes both believers and skeptics.

St. Januarius was martyred around the year 304. Numerous attempts were made on his life before his decapitation: he was thrown into a fire yet unharmed, then unharmed again when thrown to wild beasts. When the man who ordered his decapitation was blinded, St. Januarius healed him and thousands were converted before he eventually died. His relics, including his blood, were taken to Naples, and the miracle of his blood was first recorded about a thousand years later.

This annual miracle is a reminder to us, not only of God's power, but of the fact that the saints are alive in Christ. St. Januarius is more alive today than the time he walked the earth, because in Christ we experience the FULLNESS of life. May we all strive to enter into that fullness!