Saint of March 31: San Benjamin. Catholic Santoral

Every March 31, the Church celebrates San Benjamin of Aphol, Deacon and Martyr.

San Benjamín de Persia, as it is also known, lived between the fourth and venty of the Sasanida Empire, located in the current territory of Iran, in Western Asia.

Under the yoke of persecution

At the beginning of the 5th century, two Persian kings, first, Yazdegerd I (Isdegerd) and, then, his son and successor, Varanes V, maintained a cruel persecution against Christians that lasted around 40 years.

They were painful decades in which to believe in Christ involved a tremendous risk. Already years before this persecution began, King Sapor II had taken advantage of the Christian community, sacrificing many lives and leaving the local church in rubble.

When it seemed that the hostility was a thing of the past, Yazdegerd -Sucesor de Bahram IV- gave the order to end the Christian manifestations and demand that every follower of the religion of Jesus of Nazareth publicly apostatara publicly under penalty of death.

Announcement

Benjamin, who was born around the year 329, was in the days of YazdeGard a young deacon of great apostolic and remarkable eloquence, known for his charitable spirit with the weakest.

The deacon, despite the dangers, had continued with his service and came to be made an extensive fame of holiness; He had achieved many conversions and, by the time he was already dressed, he succeeded even among the priests of Zarathustra, the founding prophet of Mazdeism.

The Lord is light everywhere

While King Yazdegerd and had temporarily arrested the persecution initiated by his grandfather, Sapor II, he rode when a Christian priest named Hasu and his relatives set fire to the “Temple of Fire”, the main object of the cult of the Persians.

Accused of sacrilege, Bishop Abdas, the presbyters Hasu and Isaac, a deacon and two lay faithful were arrested. These were convicted of death for refusing to rebuild the destroyed temple. The affront against the Persians began the new persecution, this time, by order of Yazdegerd.

Within the group of arrested men was Benjamin, who would be beaten and then sent to prison. The future martyr would pass locked up for a year, despite not having participated in the fire. Neither the bars nor the walls were excuse to stop talking about Christ. Benjamin did not laughed and continued to preach, even when he was put in the darkest place in prison. For him, the light of Christ was always able to illuminate souls.

It is impossible to silence God

Thanks to the good reputation of Benjamin, the Roman emperor of the East, Teodosio II, sent an ambassador from Constantinople to intercede for his freedom.

The deacon was released, but on condition of refraining from preaching religion, something that for him was impossible to fulfill. Benjamin continued to serve the Christian community until he was detained again.

Taken to the presence of the king, it was determined that he was tortured and then beheaded. Benjamin rejected apostasy and did not denied Jesus despite torture. They took out his nails and feet; Then they cut his head.

It is believed that its execution occurred in the year 420.

Only two years later, with the victory of Theodosius II over Varanes V, the freedom of worship for Persia Christians would be established.