February 9
Apollonia (+249)
Secular
Saint Apollonia (+249) During the rule of Emperor Decius, there came a time, in Alexandria, when pagans could, with impunity, capture and kill Christians as they pleased.
Biography
The authorities allowed them to be done or even approved them. On one occasion, the neighbors took over Apolonia. She was no longer a young woman and was part of a group of consecrated virgins. Once they had destroyed her jaw, they threatened to throw her into the flames if she did not repeat all kinds of insults against Christ after them. Apolonia politely apologized for not being able to give them that satisfaction, which earned her death at the stake. The account of this martyrdom appears in a letter from Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, to his friend Fabian, bishop of Antioch.
Practical advice
With the desire to sanctify the everyday, support anyone who feels alone or intimidated and end with a brief thanksgiving.