Brother Giles' Desk

Today, August 6, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration. But it also celebrates the Feast of St. Afra. St. Afra was a martyr who died around the year 304, in Augsburg, in what is now Germany. This was during the Diocletian persecution, and St. Afra's martyrdom was similar to that of many Christians. Except for one thing: she was a prostitute. When she was hauled before the magistrate to answer charges that she was a Christian, he was incredulous. "I am informed that you are a prostitute," he said. "Sacrifice to the gods, therefore, as you cannot be accepted by the God of the Christians." She refused. "My Lord Jesus Christ has said that He came down from Heaven to save sinners," she said. "The Gospel says that a sinful woman washed His feet with her tears and obtained pardon." To the end, she refused to sacrifice to the gods, saying that she would not add new crimes to her old ones. So they tied her to a post and burned her ali...