Saint Marina, the great martyr of Christ, was born into a pagan and prominent family. Her father, Aedesios, was an official priest of the idols. She was born in 270 AD and was orphaned by her mother at birth. Her father gave her to a woman to nurse and raise her. By divine providence, this woman was a Christian.
Thus Marina grew up in a Christian environment. She heard about Christ, His teaching, His miracles, His voluntary Passion, His Crucifixion, Burial, Resurrection and Ascension. It was a time of persecution of Christians and she heard about the martyrdom, suffering and killings that Christians suffered and within her was born the desire to bear witness for the Savior Christ.
She began to catechize her peers and many accepted Christianity. The rumor reached her father's ears. He invited her to his house and Marina, after praying, courageously confessed that she was a Christian. Her father's attempt to convert her was in vain, as was her own attempt to make him renounce idols.
Marina turned fifteen years old.,. She was a very beautiful and proper Christian. The prefect Olymbrios was informed about Marina and called her to the criterion. Seeing her unparalleled beauty, he fell in love with her carnally and thought of marrying her. When Marina arrived, the prefect asked her to know her name and which god she believed in. Marina answered him, after having previously prayed to Christ to help her: “They call me Marina, I am the child of free parents, and I wish to become a slave of God and my Savior Jesus Christ, who made the whole world.” Marina was immediately ordered to be imprisoned.
The next day was a feast and they brought Marina, hoping the wretched ones that she would sacrifice on the idolatrous altars. They hoped in vain and tried in vain to convince her. She was not afraid of threats, nor did she succumb to proposals for gifts and a life rich in material goods. The fifteen-year-old girl despised all this, she was not interested in this vain world, she had dedicated herself to the Bridegroom Christ. With courage he answers them: "Do not have any vain hope, princes, in me, that I should greatly fear the hells, that no sorrow, famine, fire, sword, or other cruel torment will separate me from Christ, nor will violent and painful death, nor will the pleasures of gold and other riches and honor tempt me, because all these are perishable and temporary, while the soul is immortal and longs for the eternal. But if you think that I am lying, here I am, and test me so that you may know the truth by deed. Beat me, slaughter, burn, drown, and torment me with hellish miseries, the worse you want to torture me, the more Christ will glorify me in the life and blessedness to come. "I do not regret a temporary life, but I willingly surrender my body to death, for the sake of my immortal God and Lord, just as he, the sinless one, was crucified for my love." The fifteen-year-old girl's response angered the prefect, but he made an effort by suggesting that Marina sacrifice herself and he would marry her and acquire wealth and honors.
In Marina's negative response, he orders her to be stripped naked and beaten mercilessly. Indeed, from the beatings, the Saint's blood turned the ground red. Her body was filled with wounds. She prayed restlessly and asked for strength to endure the suffering. They locked her in a dark prison without water or food.
After days they brought her back to the criterion, hung her, tortured her so much that her tender body became a shapeless mass. The prefect could not bear to see it. They imprisoned her again and the mischievous devil wanted to make her stop her prayer by appearing as a dragon ready to swallow her. The Saint prayed and the dragon became a black man whom the Saint hit with a hammer on the head and back and neutralized him. As soon as the devil disappeared, light appeared coming from a Cross. A white dove was flying over the Cross. The dove came close to the Saint and said to her: “Rejoice, Marina, the wise dove of God, for you have conquered the wicked one and the enemy of shame, rejoice, faithful and good servant of your Lord, whom you desired with all your heart and hated all temporary pleasure. Rejoice and be glad, for the day has come for you to receive the crown of victory and to enter worthily adorned with the wise virgins into the wedding hall of your bridegroom and king.” After this, the wounds healed and not a trace of abuse was visible. All night she glorified and thanked God.
In the morning they brought her to the tribunal and the prefect attributed the healing of the wounds to the pagan gods and asked the Saint to thank and sacrifice to the idols. Her statement that the healing was done by Christ greatly angered the prefect who ordered new tortures. They hung the Saint naked and burned her body with candles. She endured the pains praying and thanking Christ. Then they filled a large cauldron with water and immersed the Saint with her head down to drown. The Saint prayed and asked Christ to free her from the bonds and that the water become the water of Baptism and to free her from the old man and clothe her with the new man. An earthquake occurred again, the Cross, the light and the dove with the crown of glory appeared for the Saint.
Seeing this, the prefect ordered the Saint to be beheaded, who, after praying fervently, praising and thanking the Lord, asked for the executioners to be forgiven. The executioner hesitated to behead her, but the Saint begged him to do so. It was July 17. Saint Marina gave her soul to the Savior Christ and to us the message not to fear anyone when we have Christ with us.
Photo By died more than 70 years ago – scan of reprinted image, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11021547, https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/
