March 15
Longinus
Roman soldier
Practical advice
Make an explicit act of faith before Christ crucified today, and do not hide that you are a Christian when you must bear witness with serenity.
Biography
We know that beneath Jesus' cross were his mother, several women, and the apostle John. All the others had fled. Beneath the cross there was also a man, a Roman soldier, who struck Jesus' side with his lance to make certain of his death. Tradition has called him Longinus, a name derived from 'lance' and therefore 'lancere'.
Later tradition merges two people into the single figure of Longinus. The first is the Roman soldier mentioned in the Gospel of Saint John, who pierced Jesus' side with a lance, from which blood and water flowed. The second person comes to us from the other Gospels, which tell of a Roman centurion who, seeing Jesus die in this way, professed his faith: 'Truly this man was the Son of God!'
Over the centuries, various legends arose around the figure of Longinus. One of them says that Longinus left the Roman army, was baptized by the apostles, and became a Christian. It was precisely for this that he was martyred.
Perhaps for this same reason, Christians venerated Longinus as the first pagan to convert to Christianity and as a martyr. The Church of Jerusalem celebrates Saint Longinus on October 16.