The Holy Martyr Adrian and his Wife Natalia
Today we celebrate the holy martyr Adrian and his wife Natalia. (No, Mother Natalia is not named after her. She's named after the apostle Nathaniel.)
Adrian and Natalia were married for just 13 months before they died. He was originally a pagan and the head of the Praetorium; she was secretly a Christian. The Emperor Maximian ordered that Christians in the city of Nicomedia be seized and killed as part of his visit. Twenty-three Christians were taken prisoner, beaten and flogged, before finally being cast into prison. Adrian saw that the Christians were at peace despite having undergone such stress. When he asked them about this state, they told him of the Kingdom of God. Adrian immediately converted. His wife Natalia came and ministered to him, encouraging him to the end.
Here we have a married couple who are witnessing to their faith in different ways. Adrian is convicted by the visible faith of the Christians being tortured and quickly converts. His quickness reminds me of how quickly the apostles gave up everything to follow Jesus. Natalia knows that Adrian needs encouragement to stay strong, just as we need encouragement from our friends and family to stay strong in the midst of trials and tribulations.
We're likely not called to martyrdom. We likely aren't going to be tortured for our faith. But, we can quickly say yes to the Lord when He asks something of us. We can encourage one another to live out the faith.
Saints Adrian and Natalia, pray for us.
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