Saint Christina's Life
Saint Christina lived during the third century. She was born into a wealthy family. Her father was a general named Urban. Christina was graced with great beauty and many men asked her father for her hand in marriage. He refused their offers because he wished for her to become a pagan priestess and so he locked her in a tower where he had set up idols and ordered her to offer incense to them.
God revealed Himself to Christina through an angel, who instructed her in the true faith in Christ. The angel, called her a bride of Christ and told her that she would suffer for her faith. Christina smashed all the idols in her room and threw them out the window. Shortly thereafter, Christina’s father visited her and questioned her about the whereabouts of the idols. She remained silent. Her father then learnt that Christina had destroyed the idols from her servants.
In a rage, Christina’s father began to slap her face. At first, she was quiet, but then she told her father about her faith in the One True God, and that she had destroyed the idols with her own hands. Her father gave orders to kill all the servants who had attended his daughter, and he fiercely beat Christina and threw her in prison. Having learned about what had happened, Christina's mother came crying to her daughter’s cell and urged her to renounce Christ. However, Christina remained unyielding. The next day, her father brought Christina to trial and ordered that she worship the pagan gods and ask forgiveness for her sins. Instead, she gave a firm and steadfast confession of her faith in Christ. Her father then tortured Christina and decided to execute her in the morning. However, that same night, he suddenly died.
Governor Dion was sent in his place. Dion ordered Christina to renounce Christ, but seeing her unyielding firmness, he again subjected her to many tortures. She was then thrown back into prison where Dion thought she would eventually perish. However, people began to flock to her, and she converted about 300 people to the true faith in Christ.
In place of Dion, a new governor, Julian, arrived and resumed Christina’s torture. Julian ordered that she be locked in a red-hot furnace. After five days the furnace was opened and Christina was found alive and unharmed. Seeing this miracle, many came to believe in Christ the Savior. Saint Christina gave up her soul after her heart, which so fervently loved Christ, was pierced by soldiers' lances. Her memory is commemorated on July 24th.
