St. Sabina's
feast day is August 29th. We know
St. Sabina
only through legend, and there is some question as to it's
trustworthiness. Even the century in which she lived is unknown.
Supposedly Sabina was converted to
Christianity by her Syrian servant Serapia. During the
persecution of Emperor Hadrian, Serapia suffered martyrdom for her
Christian Faith. It is believed that
St. Sabina was murdered for the
Faith about a month later. The reknowned
basilica on the Aventine in
Rome
is dedicated to and named after her. Some sources hold that Sabina
herself had it constructed in the third or fourth century. In an age
when our
Faith
is ridiculed as being outmoded, we take heart in the lives of so many
martyrs, like St. Sabina, who gave their lives under terrible conditions
to defend and sustain their Faith. This confers on us a strong desire
to persevere in God's love.