April 3- SS Agape, Chionia and Irene, Virgins and Martyrs (A.D. 304)
In 303 Emperor Diocletian issued a decree making it illegal to have any portion of the Sacred Scriptures in a person's possession. At that time, there were 3 Christian sisters living in Thessalonica in Macedonia named Agape, Chionia and Irene. Their parents were pagan, but they had become Christians and the owned several volumes of Sacred Scripture. They kept them so well hidden that they were not found until the following year, in 304. At that time, their home was searched after the sisters had been arrested on another charge. They had been arrested, along with 3 others, for refusing to eat meat that had been sacrificed to the gods. Agape and Chionia were later burned at the stake, for refusing to renounce their faith in Christ and for refusing to eat the sacrificial meat. Irene was imprisoned for a while and later brought again before the governor. No matter how much he tried to convince her to renounce her faith, she still refused to the very end, even after she realized that the Sacred Scriptures had been discovered in the home where she and her sisters had lived. She was more cruelly treated. She was stripped and exposed in a brothel, which was being watched closely by guards. legend tells that she was miraculously concealed from view and protected from the advances of the men who came to the house. She also was martyred, legends say, either by being burned alive, after
being forced to herself into the flames, or, as some legends say, by being shot in the throat with an Arrow.
April 4- St Benedict the Black or Benedict the Moor, Monk (A.D. 1589)
He was born in a village near Messina, Sicily, to poor Christian parents, who were African slaves, and who were owned by a rich landowner. His father's name was Christopher. Christopher had been made foreman over the landowner's other slaves, and had been promised that his oldest son, Benedict, would be free. As a child, Benedict was sweet natured and religious. At the age of 10, he was nicknamed "the Holy Black", a moniker which stuck with him for life. One day, at the age of 21, while he was being ridiculed by a neighbor, and gently replying to the man's insults, because of his skin color and parentage, a young man named Lanzi, who was very impressed by Benedict's demeanor during these attacks, passed by and rebuked the man and prophesied that Benedict would soon be known for great things. Soon after this, Benedict sold his few worldly posessions and became a hermit. He, Lanzi, and their companions settled on Montepellegrino, near Palermo. soon after this, Lanzi, who had invited Benedict to join the hermits, died. Benedict was chosen superior in his place, even though he tried to refuse the position. At about the age of 38, Pope Pius IV decreed that the hermits had to either disband or join an order. Benedict joined the Friars Minor of the Observance, and became a Lay-brother. At first, he worked as a cook. From this post, he became known for his little acts of kindness and his extraordinary goodness. When in the chapel, his face would often shine with an unearthly light, and food seemed to multiply miraculously in his hands. The order held a chapter in Palermo, where it was decided that the house of St Mary should become a convent of the reform. Therefore, Benedict was chosen as Guardian by the chapter. He couldn't read or write and this appointment bothered him. Still he obeyed and soon proved himself worthy of the assignment. Rumors of his sanctity and miracles soon spread all over Sicily. When he went to the chapter of his order, at Girgenti. Here, the clergy and people from all over came to meet him and to try to kiss his hand or obtain a piece of his habit as a relic. Here, he was relived of the office of guardian and made vicar of the convent and novice-master. He also proved himself in this post. He was infused with an incomparable sacred knowledge of the Scriptures and sacred truths. he is known to have been endowed with the ability to read people's thoughts, and with great sympathy. He was happy when he was finally released from this post and could return to being a cook. However, he was no longer as obscure as he once was and he was continually visited by the poor and dignitaries alike, all seeking his help in some form. Although he never refused visitors, he shrank from praise and honors. Whenever he travelled, he covered his face in order to avoid recognition. He lived an austere life and ate only enough to sustain life. Benedict died in 1589, at age 63, after suffering a short illness.
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