SS. PTOLEMY, LUCIUS, AND A THIRD COMPANION, MARTYRS - 19 OCTOBER

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN OCTOBER

Saints celebrated on the 19th of October

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

SS. PTOLEMY, LUCIUS, AND A THIRD COMPANION, MARTYRS 

Ptolemy, a zealous Christian at Rome, had converted a married woman to the faith, whose brutish husband treated her on that account in the most barbarous manner, and never ceased to blaspheme God, the Creator of all things. 

She making use of the liberty which both the Roman law and the gospel gave her in that case, proceeded to a legal separation. The husband, in revenge, accused Ptolemy of being a Christian. 

The martyr lay a long time in a stinking dungeon, and being at length brought to his trial before Urbicius, prefect of Rome, boldly confessed his faith in Christ, and, without more ado, was condemned by the judge to lose his head. 

Lucius, a Christian, who was present, said to the prefect: "Where is the justice to punish a person who has not been convicted of any crime?"

Urbicius said: "I presume you are also a Christian?"

"I have that happiness,"replied Lucius. 

Urbicius, whose heart was hardened in injustice, passed sentence also on him. A third who declared himself to have the same faith, and whose name is not known, was beheaded with them. They received their crowns in 166, in the reign of Marcus Aurelius. 

The saints looked on the goods and evils of this world with indifference, and went with joy to martyrdom, because they regarded this life only as a preparation for a better, and considered that they were immense gainers by death, which puts us in secure possession of eternal happiness. 

(From Fr Butler's Lives of the Saints)