December 2nd - St. Bibiana, Virgin and Martyr
Weedy
(Also known as Viviana)
THE church of St Bibiana in the city of Rome existed in the fifth
century and is
said by the Liber Pontificalis to have been dedicated by Pope St
Simplicius
{468-483} and to have contained her body. But of the time at which she
suffered
and the circumstances of her passion nothing certain is known. The
notices of
her and her family in the Roman Martyrology, and the lessons of her
feast in the
Roman Breviary, are taken from a late legend which is a quite
untrustworthy
compilation. According to it St Bibiana suffered under the Emperor
Julian the
Apostate {331-363}.
She was a native of Rome, and daughter to Flavian, ex-prefect of
the city,
and his wife, Dafrosa, who were both zealous Christians. Flavian was
apprehended, burned in the face with a hot iron, and banished to
Acquapendente,
as the Roman Martyrology asserts on the 22nd of this month. After his
death his
wife, Dafrosa, being equally faithful to Christ, was on the same
account
confined to her house for some time, and at length beheaded. Bibiana
and her
sister, Demetria, were stripped of all they had in the world and
suffered much
from poverty for five months, but spent that time in their own house
in fasting
and prayer. At length, brought into court, Demetria fell down dead in
the
presence of the judge, who gave orders that Bibiana should be put into
the hands
of a woman named Rufina, who was extremely artful and undertook to
bring her to
another way of thinking. But Rufina's blandishments were tried in vain
on St
Bibiana, and when they failed to tempt her from the way of faith and
chastity
blows were found to be just as fruitless. She was tied to a pillar and
whipped
with scourges loaded with lead: and so she died. Her body was left in
the open
air that it might be eaten by scavenging dogs. But they would not
touch it, and,
having lain exposed two days, it was buried in the night near the
palace of
Licinius by a priest called John, in the same house where lay her
mother and
sister.
This John is associated with St Pimenius who was the tutor of the
Emperor
Julian before he apostatized. When Julian began persecuting, Pimenius
escaped to
Persia and thus survived all the other personages in the story.
Returning at
length to Rome he met Julian in the street, whereupon the emperor
said, Glory be
to my gods and goddesses because I see you ". To which the saint
replied, Glory
be to my Lord Jesus Christ, the Nazarene who was crucified, because I
see you
not ". Whereupon Julian ordered him to be thrown off the bridge into
the Tiber.
But the whole legend, as Delehaye shows, has been evolved from
slightly older
hagiographical fictions of the same character, particularly those
connected with
the story of SS John and Paul. It is possible that the name Pimenius
is simply
an adaptation of the Greek word ???µ??, which means "shepherd", and
that thus we
get into touch with " St Pastor
The story of St Bibiana has been very fully discussed by Delehaye in
his Étude
suret legendier romain (1936), pp. 124-143 and in an appendix (pp.
259-268) he
has edited the two texts which are of particular importance. These
respectively
bear the headings Passia Sancti Pygmenii and Vita Sancti Pastoris.
Pimenius or
Pygmenius is in fact the central figure of this setting of the legend,
and it is
his name, not that of Bibiana, which is commemorated in the
Hieronymianum. See
further M. E. Donckel's article "Studien uber den Kultus der hl.
Bibiana" in the
Romische Quartalschrift, vol. xliii (1935), pp. 23-33, and Quentin,
Les
martyrologes historiques, pp. 494-495.
Because St Bibiana is represented in her story as having been locked
up with mad
people she was widely honoured as a patron of the insane and
epileptics.
We have the following account from a later tradition.
In the year 363, Julian the Apostate made Apronianus Governor of Rome.
St.
Bibiana suffered in the persecution started by him. She was the
daughter of
Christians, Flavian, a Roman knight, and Dafrosa, his wife. Flavian
was tortured
and sent into exile, where he died of his wounds. Dafrosa was
beheaded, and
their two daughters, Bibiana and Demetria, were stripped of their
possessions
and left to suffer poverty. However, they remained in their house,
spending
their time in fasting and prayer.
Apronianus, seeing that hunger and want had no effect upon them,
summoned them.
Demetria, after confessing her Faith, fell dead at the feet of the
tyrant. St.
Bibiana was reserved for greater sufferings. She was placed in the
hands of a
wicked woman called Rufina, who in vain endeavored to seduce her. She
used blows
as well as persuasion, but the Christian virgin remained faithful.
Saint Quote:
"For He came to save all through means of Himself-all, I say, who
through Him
are born again to God-infants, and children, and boys, and youths, and
old men."
-Irenaeus, Against Heresies,2,22:4 (A.D. 180),
Bible Quote:
Who shall find a valiant woman? far and from the uttermost coasts is
the price
of her. 11 The heart of her husband trusteth in her, and he shall have
no need
of spoils. 12 She will render him good, and not evil, all the days of
her life.
(Proverbs 31:10-12)
<><><><>
The Collect from the Roman Breviary:
O God, the giver of all good gifts, who didst bestow on thy
servant Bibiana both the flower of virginity and the palm of
martyrdom ; we pray thee, that, by her intercession, our
hearts may in such wise be joined in charity unto thee ; that
we, being defended against all dangers, may attain unto the
rewards of everlasting salvation.
<><><><>
Daily Thoughts and Prayers for Our Beloved Dead
"Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because
the hand of
the Lord hath touched me" Job. 19-21.
TWELFTH DAY
They are not strangers who implore our help - they are our own; our
parents,
brothers and friends. They are the devoted hearts who loved us so
tenderly and
for us so earnestly toiled and suffered. Now that they are gone from
our midst,
does not our heart reproach us for not having sufficiently shown our
affection
in the past?
Prayers: Our Father, Three Hail Marys, Gloria, De Profundis.
De Profundis
Out of the depths, I have cried to Thee,
O Lord, Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive to the
voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord, shalt mark my iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand it?
For with Thee there is merciful
forgiveness: and by reason of Thy
law I have waited for Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath relied on His word;
my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until
night; let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy;
And with Him plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from
all its iniquities.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine upon them:
May they rest in peace. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, have compassion on Thy Church suffering. Temper
Thy
justice with pity and open the gates of Heaven for the Souls in
Purgatory, that
they may praise and glorify Thee forever. Amen.
See whole prayer at::
http://www.dailycatholic.org/deprofun.htm