Dear Cody,
Straight A’s on your midterms, eh? Congrats. But can I ask you, are you studying for your exams, or are you studying for life? All the information you spilled into those little exam booklets – is it nourishing your soul, or just serving as fertilizer for your report card? Remember, if you’re searching for truth, you are building a healthy intellectual life, but if you’re after vainglory, you’re building a house of cards. That reminds me of today’s saint.
The story goes that Caprisius was a young bishop in southern France during one of the many imperial persecutions of Christians back in the early days of the Church. When the persecution spread to his particular town, his flock scattered, and everybody fled into the hills to save their lives. He went after them in order to continue ministering to them. One of his flock who hadn’t escaped was St Faith, whose remarkable martyrdom he witnessed from a distance. So moved was he by her courage and steadfastness in the face of interrogation, threats, cajolery, and torture, that as soon as she had been executed he marched down into the town and presented him as a Christian to Dacian, the Roman official. Dacian looked at him gravely. After a moment, he encouraged him to remember his youth and his athletic, attractive appearance. Then he offered the bishop a high position, other rewards, and imperial favors, if would offer sacrifice in the Temple of Diana. Unswerving in his faith, Caprisius responded that he would not be able to bring any honors of this world with him into eternity, and he preferred to stay unencumbered for the journey. The prefect thereupon had him tortured. He stayed firm. They threw him into prison. The next day he was beheaded.
If this holy martyr had preferred worldly success to truth, he could have lived a long and pleasant life as a Roman aristocrat – but he might have forfeited his friendship with Christ. I think the Lord would agree that he made the right choice. I hope and pray that your academic success will never inhibit you from doing the same.
God bless,
Uncle Eddy
