Polycarp,
a holy man and bishop of Smyrna, was part of the group of early
bishops. When heresy arose in Asia, violence toward Catholics arose with
it, and Polycarp was persuaded by his friends to go into hiding.
Eventually
Polycarp was found and arrested. When his persecutors arrived at his
hideout, he went to them and served them a meal, asking for a short time
to pray before being taken away. Polycarp was sent to trial, where his
captors tempted him with freedom and tried to convince him to denounced
Our Lord. “Fourscore and six years I have served Him and He hath done me
no wrong,” he said, “how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”
Soon
after this, in the year 155, Polycarp was burnt at the stake – though
there was no odor of burning flesh: instead a smell of incense was in
the air. When the fire seemed to do him no harm, a spear was thrust into
his side, killing him. A dove flew out of the wound, and Polycarp’s
blood quenched the fire, causing part of his body to remain intact.
However, his remains were later burned to ash because the heretics
feared other Catholics would revere the body as a relic.
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
St. Polycarp
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