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| I took this picture at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. |
St. Perpetua was a 22-year-old noble woman with an infant still breastfeeding. St. Felicity was her slave and was eight months pregnant. They lived in Carthage (northern Africa) during a time when it was illegal to be a Christian according to Roman law. They were imprisoned with a few others and sentenced to death because the authorities found out that they were Christians. Perpetua was able to still breastfeed her baby while in jail because the guards accepted bribes and allowed her baby to be brought to the prison periodically. She prayed that the baby would wean before she died. Felicity prayed that she would deliver her baby prematurely so she could die with her friends and not alone. (Rome thought the unborn were sacred, so they would not kill a pregnant woman.) Both prayers were answered. A couple days before the scheduled execution, Felicity went into labor and delivered a daughter who was adopted by a Christian woman. Both died as martyrs in an amphitheater. Perpetua's last words to her fellow Christians were: "Stand fast in the faith and love one another."
Even though they were both mothers, I think they are still great examples for (infertile) me. They put their love of God and desire to live the truth of their faith above all else--above a comfortable life and above their children. For me, it's a reminder to put God before my desire for children and let Him satisfy me, as difficult as that is sometimes when the sorrow over our infertility is great.
Stayed tuned for some more blog updates (hopefully) soon. :)
Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, pray for us!
P.S. I have been working on DH for years to convince him that Perpetua is an excellent choice for a girl's middle name. No luck so far. I guess I might have a lot of time yet to do so...if, God-willing, we ever have a daughter... No progress in that area, though. :(
I love their story and your take on it through the lens of IF. Thanks for making that connection. I wouldn't have thought of it that way on my own! Looking forward to more blog updates soon. :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband's two favourite saints from the litany!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing their story, I had no idea the background history of them.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful reflection. I'm wishing I could give you a big hug as I read this. I am praying for you daily.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know their stories either! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more updates!
ReplyDeleteI am just now catching up on my blog reading from the past month. After 3 years of infertility, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on March 12th. We named her Felicity! My husband and I love these saints. We were praying that our daughter would be born on March 7th for the feast day, but God had other plans. Oh well.
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