St. Catherine of Alexandria – Patroness of Philosophers, Jurists, Teachers, Students, and Wheel-Makers – November 25th
Catherine was the daughter of a wealthy pagan family of Alexandria, Egypt. She was a very beautiful girl whose great interest was in learning. She loved to study deep questions of philosophy and religion, and one day she began to read about Christianity. Soon she became a Christian herself.
St. Catherine was only eighteen when the Emperor Maxentius began persecuting the Christians. Fearlessly, the lovely young Christian maiden went to tell him what she thought of his cruelty. When he spoke of the pagan gods, she very plainly showed him that they were false. Maxentius could not answer her arguments, so, he sent for fifty of his best pagan philosophers. Once again, it was Catherine who proved the truth of her religion, and all fifty of those philosophers were convinced that she was right! In great fury, Maxentius had them all killed. Next, he himself tried to win her by offering her a queen’s crown. When Catherine absolutely refused it, he had her beaten and thrown into prison.
While Maxentius was away at camp, his wife and an officer were very curious to hear this amazing Christian girl speak. They went to her cell, and the result was that they and two hundred soldiers of the guard were converted. For this, they were all put to death, and Catherine was placed on a wheel full of spikes to be tortured to death. But the wheel snapped in two miraculously and the spikes flew off, killing many pagans.
Finally, St. Catherine was beheaded. She has always been the patroness of Christian philosophers.
To be able to resist the evil around us, we must know our Religion well.