The story of saint Catherine of Alexandria

The story of saint Catherine of Alexandria

Jesus promised, “He who believes in me will do the things that I do and will do greater things than me.” This promise does not mean that we could do the miracles or signs and wonders alone. I believe Jesus also spoke about the sufferings, death, pain, insult, shame etc., which we will undergo with the strength of the Lord. This is possible for all those who trust in Him. If you are to wonder whether it is possible, then read on. This story speaks about the life and death of young Saint Catherine who lived and died for Christ, following his footsteps.

A war broke out between the Romans and the Carthaginians. The Roman army won the battle. The remarkable fact is that a single person determined the victory of the Roman army. The enemies fled away at the very sight of this great solider. This soldier was a little less than 9 feet with in height, a huge body structure, which made any one panic at the very sight of him. The Carthaginians used African elephants in the battle. The characteristic of these elephants is that if they are hurt, they will turn to attack the men who own them. In this case the elephants forget their loyalty to their owners. So it is very essential for the soldiers who handled these elephants to ensure they are not hurt. The Roman soldiers, who knew this, tactfully attacked these elephants and thus these elephants started to attack the Carthaginians. The Romans won the battle. At the sign of defeat, the Carthaginians king, Hannibal fled from his country. Now the Roman soldiers, crowned with victory, entered the Carthaginians village and looted the place, killed men and children and raped the women. In honour of the great performance of the giant soldier, the Roman government appointed him as a centurion (he was responsible for 100 men). The exemplary performance of the giant soldier against the Carthaginian king, who was known for his rash, notorious and tactful activities and making him run from the battle field, was a remarkable point in the Roman history.

Following this great victory, Rome government sent an army under the leadership of this giant soldier to Egypt to fight against the Berbers who were a great trouble to Rome. Within a short span of time after he landed in Egypt, the giant soldier attacked the enemy with his knowledge, power and might so fiercely that the enemy troop was demolished completely. This won him the title of commander of the Egyptian army under the control of Rome. Next was Mesopotamia. At this time Mesopotamia was governed by Alexander Sevarus. He was an irresponsible roman governor, and often his decisions resulted in chaos and confusion in the kingdom. In the Alamanni war he never even paid his soldiers which resulted in disappointment among them. Alexander Sevarus repeated the same mistake in the Mesopotamia war too which resulted in a great agitation among the soldiers. This was an added advantage for our giant hero to gain victory and Alexander Sevarus was killed.

At this point our giant hero was raised to the post of Caesar and had to meet the then Roman Constantine ruler Diocletian whose political brain complemented Maximian’s military brawn.. They met in the city of Milan which is located in the northern part of Italy. At the very sight of our giant hero, Diocletian said, “I can’t believe my eyes to see this tremendous, well built and brave man. He reminds me of Goliath the Philistine, but I am sure he is even taller than Goliath and seems to be wise too. Roman government needs such a Caesar and I too give my consent in appointing him as Caesar. Long live king Caesar Maximian” and every one gathered expressed their joy with loud applauds. As days passed by, Caesar Maximian became the emperor of Augustus.

After his appointment as the emperor, Maximian set out on his official visit to Carthage, and Egypt. He was given a grand welcome by the Egyptians since he visited them after he was raised from the status of an ordinary solider to a great emperor. During this time, in the northern part of Egypt was the city of Alexandria which was a port. Constantine was the Roman Governor of Alexandria. He had a beautiful daughter named Dorothy. She was a great scholar and mastered all the possible subjects like politics, geography, maths, astrology, and medicine and excelled in them. To find men or woman of extraordinary beauty along with awesome intelligence is like finding a rare diamond. But Dorothy was truly a one of those rarest diamonds with astounding beauty and deep knowledge. Her mother treasured this diamond and valued her more than anything else.

Dorothy’s mother was planning to get her married in the right age but Dorothy was not at all interested in it. As beauty and pride go hand in hand, Dorothy always gave a reply to her mother stating, “Mom, my partner should be a person who is far more handsome and wiser than me. He should be of high rank and royal background. If you find such a suitor, I will surely marry. Or else do not trouble me anymore.” But there was no such person among her relatives or known friends. Still her mother did not give up her search and continued to search for such a person outside their family circle.

Dorothy’s mother was a secret Christian. So she decided to consult one of the Holy Priest about Dorothy’s marriage. The priest, who understood the expectation and mind of Dorothy, gave a picture of Jesus Christ and asked her mother to give the same to Dorothy. Not knowing anything about Jesus, attracted by the beauty of Christ, Dorothy agreed to marry Jesus Christ. Dorothy was given one more picture where Jesus was with his mother. Looking at that picture too Dorothy said, “Oh! My bridegrooms’ mother is so beautiful and now I understand the secret of her son’s beauty. Their radiating beauty cannot be compared to anything of this world. It is heavenly glow on their faces. I am determined to marry Jesus only and there could be no change in my decision.”

That night Dorothy had a dream. In this dream she saw mother Marry with her son infant Jesus in her arms and said, “Dear son, look Dorothy has come. I have welcomed her. Do you like her?” But our Infant Jesus did not show any interest to look at Dorothy and said, “Who is this Dorothy mom? She is so disgusting to look at. I don’t even like the very sight of her. Her soul is not as beautiful as her face is. Man looks at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.  Dorothy’s heart is full of anger and pride. She is not of our rank or status and is far below our standard. Her riches are nothing compared to our great wealth. I don’t have any interest in her. Ask her to leave immediately. If she wants to be my bride, then she should be born again through baptism, and receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Without this essential qualification don’t ask her to com to my presence.” The dream was over.

Dorothy came back to her senses and narrated this dream to her mother. Her mother took her to the Holy Priest. The Holy Priest unraveled the mysteries of Jesus Christ and His holiness, how he came to save mankind and how he was crucified on the cross. At that very moment Dorothy offered her heart to Jesus. She received baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation secretly. Now Dorothy was a Christian. She was given a new name Catherine. Once she started her new life in Christ with the presence of the Holy Spirit, her inner beauty started to radiate within her which had remarkable manifestation in her outward appearance too. The Holy Spirit rested upon her – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and reverence and obedient fear of the Lord. Catherine who was already a scholar of worldly knowledge was now a scholar in heavenly knowledge too, the knowledge given by the Holy Spirit. That night she had a dream. In this dream too she saw mother Mary with Infant Jesus. This time mother Mary told Jesus, “Look who is come, it is our dear Catherine.” Now Jesus replied, “Come my dear Catherine. My mother has chosen the right bride for me. I like you so much. I will marry you once you complete your task on this earth and come to live with me forever in my heavenly kingdom. Until then have this in memory of me.” So saying Jesus wore a ring in Catherine’s finger. Then the dream was over. The next day morning, as Catherine washed her face she was surprised to see the ring in her finger which Jesus had given her in the dream. She said, “What a surprise, I just can’t believe my own eyes. This is the ring my Jesus gave me in the dream. But now it is here on my finger…… So my wedding is over and yes this is the sign…... I am the luckiest person in this world for I have married my beloved Jesus Christ and this ring has assured it.” As Psalm 37:4 states, “Delight in the Lord and be happy for He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Jesus gave Catherine her hearts desires. Catherine ran to her mother in a state of ecstasy. She hugged her mother and exclaimed, “Mom, I am married to Jesus Christ yesterday. My wedding is over… stop seeking a bridegroom for me. Come and have a look at my wedding ring which my beloved Jesus Christ gave me.” So saying she showed the wedding ring in her finger to her mother. Catherine’s mother stood speechless in front of her. She could not believe what Catherine said, but at the same time could not stop herself from believing it either. She had never seen such a ring being worn by any one of her family members. Moreover the dream narrated by Catherine was so true that her mother was now troubled and confused about the proceedings of Catherine’s life.

The next day, an unexpected event which changed the entire course of life of Catherine took place which was a shocking surprise to everyone. Maximian was on his visit to Alexandria city and all arrangements for a splendid welcome were being done by the Governor Constantine. That great giant figure, who was often a terror in battle field came to Alexandria as the emperor of Rome. He was surrounded by many government officials and other beautiful young ladies who wanted to draw everyone’s attention. Maximian just embraced all these beautiful ladies in his arms and walked along with great pride. Maximian’s wife belonged to Syria, a beautiful young lady whose name was Agastha. She was also called as Ethirobia. As any other wife, she did not like the very sight of the young beautiful ladies in the arms of her husband. She was able to get away the girls in the royal palace, but those who were in the arms of this great king had to remain there whether they wished it not and even the queen could not do anything. [This was a great reason for the downfall of Maximian in the future. His lust for beautiful girls was not liked by most of his senators and they envied him]. After the grand feast at the palace, the king and others got ready for the evening amusements. The great stadium of Alexandria was filled with festivities and celebrations on account of the visit of emperor Maximian and his birthday hit the spot. All the kings of the regions in Africa which belonged to the Roman Empire, bowed down to Maximian, and honoured him with gold, silver, diamonds, other precious stones and valuable gifts. In such a way they withheld their status as kings and won the favour of Maximian. Maximian was thrilled at the celebrations and amusements for this were the best he had ever seen in his life. Since Maximian was known for his lust for woman, all possible disgusting dances took place which were sufficient to arouse the sexual appetite of a person.

These pleasant scenes were followed by heartbreaking, horror filled events. Many brave soldiers or gladiators, as they are usually called, fought so fiercely that the ground turned red with blood. The person who lost the game was to be killed mercilessly. The fear of death and the aim of winning the game, made the players attack each other ruthlessly, thus the spirit of sport was lost. Even the well known brave soldier lost his life due to foul play and gambling. In a nutshell the games were played with the fear of safeguarding one’s own life. Next was where people were made to stand without weapons in the middle of the stadium and they were attacked and killed by wild animals like lion, tiger, bear etc. A still worse incident took place. A lot of Christians who were judged as traitors, including women and children were made to stand in the middle of the ground and were killed by fierce wild animals. The audience could not bear to see these innocent people being torn to pieces. By then it was evening and as the highlight of the day’s events, high wooden posts were planted on the ground. The Christians were tied on to the top and burned alive. Many of the spectators who could not bear to see this horror filled sight silently said, “What a pitiable sight! What harm have these innocent Christians done? Why are they being tortured so cruelly? Won’t any one speak up on their behalf?” So saying they shed secret tears within their heats, so that no one notices their sympathy for the Christians, or else they would be caught and given the same punishment.

At that moment a brave girls voice was heard which called out, “Maximian! Stop this brutal act of yours”

For a moment this voice struck fear in the heart of all those who heard it including Maximian. Maximian’s anger was shown in his blood red eyes and he roared back saying, “Who is it who is so daring enough to call out my name?” The whole arena shook with fear at hearing the terrific voice of Maximian. Not knowing what was to happen next the audience waited in perfect silence. Once again Maximian roared asking, “Who was it who called me by name? Let him come in front of me if he is so brave enough” At this statement of Maximian a young girl came forward from among the crowd accepting that it was she who called out Maximian by name. It was none other than our beloved Dorothy, the daughter of the Governor of Alexandria, who was now called as Catherine.

Maximian asked, “Who are you young lady? What guts have you to call your emperor by name in front of such a big crowd? Why did you do so? Come on speak up?”

Catherine replied, “Maximian, you have done a merciless cruel act. Don’t you know that such kind of a person will not be respected by anyone? It is strange that being an emperor, you don’t even know this.”

Maximian spoke again, “Look young lady, I think you are here with some plan. You are determined to insult me in front of all those gathered here and so you called me by name. Did you not see with your own eyes how all the other kings and people of high rank submitted themselves before me? Even the fierce enemy will fear to stand before me. But you, a small young girl, you have called me by name. If only you were a man, I would have torn you to pieces and quenched my anger. But you are a girl, a beautiful young girl. Your beauty and appearance shows you should be of a royal background. It is ok. I forgive you. State your petition.”

Catherine asked him, “Maximian, you are torturing and killing all those innocent Christians for no reason. Can you state the crime they have done to undergo such a brutal death?”

Maxmian said, “Oh! Young girl, you speak as if you are an alien to this place. Don’t you know that being born as a Christian is the greatest crime they have done in their life. Christianity is banned by the Roman government. All those who accept Christ are betrayers. They are people who fail to pay respect and homage to our Roman government and our Roman gods. These Christians are so courageous enough to accept Christianity even though they know the kind of death that awaits them on doing so. For this daring act, the punishment that is being given here is no match. Now who are you to ask all these things? Are you a Christian?”

Catherine replied, “Yes, I am a Christian. I would like to make this clear to you great king. No one is born as a Christian. It is Christ who gives birth in their hearts. Christianity is a way to live a good life. Jesus Christ himself seeks and calls people. It is the willingness of the person whether to accept His call or reject it. Hence becoming a Christian is based on the decision of Jesus’ call and the person’s acceptance of the same. No one in this world has the right to condemn this religion. Also can’t you recollect your own words? As you said, even though these people know what kind of death awaits them if they accept Christ and still do you think it is an easy decision for them to accept it? The testimony a person gives on his death bed is considered to be true. In the same way these Christians are giving their testimony about Jesus Christ even if it is to lose their life which means Jesus is the only true God and Christianity is a religion of truth. Now do you agree with this? Then why are they being killed?”

Maximian became impatient with the words of Catherine and said, “Oh! Enough of your nonsense. I am not ready to listen to it any more. Tell me your family background. Who are your parents? From where did you gain this courage to stand in front of the emperor and speak such nonsense?”

“That is unnecessary. Still if you are interested, now listen; I am the daughter of the Governor of Alexandria, Constantine and his wife who are standing in front of you trembling with fear. I was called as Dorothy and once I receive baptism and accepted Christ I am now called as Catherine. I am married to Jesus Christ, the king of kings and hence I am his wife. I belong to the Parthesians family who stood with and supported Romulus who was the founder of the Roman Empire. We belong to the true royal race and are the rightful heir to the throne. Of course it is not possible for a person like you to know about true royal race, since you have won the throne by your cheap fraudulent plots.”

Maximian’s heart burned with insult and anger. He roared back saying, “Stop it right now young girl. I warn you not to speak another word. Guards! Guards! Come, grab this daring girl and put her in prison. Scourge her till death. Let her know what will happen if she arouses my anger. Catherine you have told me about your background and tomorrow you will know who I am. Take her away from my sight.”

At this statement Catherine’s parents fell down at the emperor’s feet and pleaded for the life of their precious daughter. Her father pleaded stating, “Lord of honour, I am sure my daughter is mad. She is not in her right senses. I do not know the exact reason. Please forgive her. We are not aware of her marriage or conversion as a Christian. Trust me my Lord. We don’t even know who this Jesus Christ is. I curse that Jesus who has changed my daughter’s heart.” So saying Catherine’s father started to curse Jesus Christ.

 But Maximian just kicked Catherine’s parents away and walked off saying, “Wait for tomorrow and you will pay the price of all that happened today”

All the happiness and pride Maximian enjoyed at the beginning of the day vanished and he left with insult and wrath in his heart. The next day the trial started. “Is she dead or still alive?” asked Maximian. “Lord she is still alive” replied the guards. Catherine was brought before the king for trial. Her body was deeply cut and she was bleeding badly.

“Oh Catherine, you look so fresh. The delicious dinner yesterday night must have given you a sound sleep. Am I right? This is how you will be treated if you insult a king. I hope now you will know who I am….. right ?” said Maximian.

“Yes of course now I know who you are Maximian, you are a coward………..Did you think I will be scared by these tricks of yours? Never! I am not a coward like you and I am not scared of torture or death. You can never defeat me. You are not able to answer my questions and so you run and hide yourself. You must be ashamed of yourself.” said Catherine.

“Mind your words young lady….. You say I am a coward…. no coward can win this great name, fame and the throne of Rome. Roman Empire would not have extended its boundaries under a coward like me….. Understand. Still I have a soft corner for you….. Though my heart is as hard as a rock, it melts on seeing you, your extraordinary beauty makes my heart leans to your side” said Maximian.

Catherine, who understood his cheap thought, said, “Maximian, I am warning you. Remember you are talking to no ordinary country girl, but you are now talking to the wife of Jesus Christ, King of Kings and ruler of the universe. Be cautious to give me due respect. Behold the wedding ring He has given me. Once again I am warning you. Think before you speak” said Catherine.

At this statement of Catherine, a sort of authority was shown and this shook the heart of Maximan with fear. He felt that he should be cautious in further handling Catherine. So he decided to stand a step away from the case.

“Oh Catherine, I think you are out of your senses as your father said. I have nothing more to talk to you. Any further arguments will be between you and my wisest panel of ministers. They will argue on my behalf. I am sure they will defeat you and insult you with their fiery arguments. Be prepared to taste defeat and failure” said Maximian.

The following day Maximian had arranged for a plethora of the best pagan philosophers and orators to dispute with her, hoping that they would refute her pro-Christian arguments. Catherine was brought to the royal court. She was in such a pitiable state. Her entire body was torn by the scourges she had received in prison. Still there was no trace of tiredness or pain in her face. Even now she radiated heavenly beauty and the glory of the Lord manifested through her. One of the official physicians who saw her was shocked at this sight of her. The debate started. All the philosophers questioned Catherine in all subjects possible to the best of their knowledge. Their only intention was to defeat her with their arguments and insult her as they were advised by the emperor. But things were not as they expected. Catherine answered all their questions and made them stand in awe at her precise and intelligent answers. She never missed a single question! Not a single doubt was left unanswered by her. Since she was filled with the Holy Spirit, the giver of knowledge and wisdom, no one was able to defeat her with their worldly knowledge. Now it was the turn of Catherine to ask the questions. All the so called well known scholars could not answer any of the questions which Catherine asked. They never knew the answer but Catherine explained and answered all the questions which she asked them. They were amazed at the height and depth of knowledge which Catherine possessed at such a young age. All the years of hard work they put in to gain knowledge turned out be nothing before the knowledge and wisdom of Catherine. So they asked her, “How did you gain such a vast knowledge at this young age?” Catherine who waited for this moment, started to teach them about Jesus Christ, His mother, the Holy trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. She also testified to them about the entry of Jesus in this world as a human being, His passion and sufferings on the cross, His resurrection, His glory and about his second coming.

At this point Maximian entered the court. When he came to know that Catherine had won the debate and that his ministers were defeated by her, his anger rose up and he said, “How is it possible for an eighteen year old girl to defeat you all who call yourselves to be the best scholars in the whole world? Are you not ashamed to lose before such a young girl? Why do you lack the courage and wisdom which is overflowing in this young girl? So all your knowledge is hypocrisy….. I do not believe in you any longer. You have made me a fool all these days….. You have taught me a good lesson for trusting you all that you will win my adversary in debate.”

Hearing this statement of Maximian, one of the ministers spoke up with courage, “Your Highness, we ask your pardon we have won several debates with kings and scholars of this world. We were never defeated by any one which gave us the title of great scholars. But this girl is not an ordinary girl. The ruler of wisdom dwells in her. Her knowledge is not limited to this earth alone, but she has the wisdom of the universe. She could be defeated only by the ruler of wisdom and never by any man of this earth.”

The defeat of the ministers was considered as his own defeat by Maximian. Defeat and insult reached its heights and Maximian was not in his control. Not knowing what to do, he commanded all the 50 ministers to be tied to wooden posts and be burnt alive. Still being captured in the exceeding beauty of Catherine, he told her, “My dear young girl, I give you one last chance. I wish to marry you. You can be my queen, the queen of all the Roman, Persian and Egyptian empire. Deny Jesus and accept my proposal. You will lack nothing. You can take your own time to convey your wish. I will deliver you from all these torments and adorn you with my riches. Think my dear…. Think well about it.”

“You insolent fool” screamed Catherine. “once again I warn you……I am not an ordinary girl, who will be fascinated by your wealth and status….. Change that cheap thought of yours. I am the wife of the greatest ruler of the universe, Jesus Christ. He is king of kings and Lord of Lords. Your rule is of this earth, but He rules the universe, including this earth. If you thought I would be one among those slave girls who are ready to sell their body to you for pleasure, money or fear of authority, then you better change your mind. Your status and wealth is no match for me. Very soon I will be with my Jesus Christ. You are free to do as you wish, but you can never win me.” This speech of Catherine reminds us of the love Paul describes he has towards Jesus in Romans 8:35,38 – 39, “who then can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death? For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below – there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Catherine was a living example of these words of Paul. Nothing was able to separate her from the love of Christ.

This speech of Catherine created hatred among the slave girls and they cursed her. Maximian, who did not expect this reply, could no longer accept this insult and commanded the guards to burn the scholars alive immediately. Conquered by her eloquence, these scholars declared themselves Christians. Now Catherine prayed for them to the Holy Spirit, and they were filled with the spirit. All of them started to shout in one voice, “Holy, Holy, Holy….. Holy is the Lord of heaven and earth…. Jesus is the only true God…. Jesus is the second person in the holy trinity; He came down from heaven for us. He was born as a human being and died for us. We believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.” As they were confessing these spirit filled truth, they were tied to the wooden posts and burnt alive.

Again Catherine was put in prison and tormented. The next day Maximian had to go on an official visit to a far off city and so he ordered the soldiers to torture her until he returns. In his absence, his wife Agashta wished to see this brave girl Catherine, who had the courage to question her husband in front of everyone. So she met Catherine in prison along with the army general Pore Byre. She was stunned with the heavenly beauty of Catherine. As she was conversing with Catherine, she saw heavenly glory encircle Catherine and her face was shining with heavenly light. The army general also saw this. All the soldiers (nearly 200 of them) saw this rare sight. At that very moment, Catherine preached about Jesus Christ to them and with the power of the Holy Spirit, made them accept Christ. All of them, including the queen, present there in the prison accepted Christ as their savior. They also promised that they will confess this even before the emperor. Maximian returned after a few days. That was the last day for Catherine.

It was on November 25, 305 BC. On that day of trial also, Maxamian had the usual questions and Catherine gave her usual reply. Maximian could not resist her any longer and asked her to be martyred on a wheel. At this verdict, Maximian’s wife Agastha intervened saying, “Dear, please do not do this. Catherine is a woman of God. She is a saint. I witnessed it with my own eyes. Her God is a true God and His power and might manifests through her. Please do not harm the wife of the Lord of Lords. Don’t earn the wrath of God. I request you to listen to me. Please do not harm her.”  

Maximian was terrified at this statement of his wife and said, “Great heavens! She has not spared you too…… you too have become a victim to this false religion…. I just can’t believe this Agastha…. I just can’t believe that you too are a Christian….. Now come on…. How many of you are still here who claim to be Christians….. Come forward all those who wish to die….. Speak out and come forward.”

Agastha came forward and said, “Let me begin the queue…. I have accepted Christ as my savior and I am a Christian.” She was followed by the army general and then all the 200 soldiers came forward and confessed they are Christians.

Maximian was robbed of all his courage and stood lifeless before them. He could not believe that his wife and dear army general too are Christians now. “Then whom can I trust….. There is not a single soul who is true to me…… still I hate that Jesus Christ who captured their minds and won them to His side. I also hate Catherine who was the one person responsible for this change…… I command all of them to be put to death….. I will not spare any one….. And as a special privilege for our guest of honour, Catherine, intensify her torture till her death.” So saying Maximian left the court. Hearing this punishment, his son Maxentius, fell down at his feet and begged to spare his mother. Maximian replied, “My dear son Maxentius, stop crying. Do not shed tears….. It is not the quality of men….. Don’t waste your tears for her. Let me tell you a secret. She is not your true mother. We will get hundreds of such woman and it is not worth crying for the loss of her.” The young boy was speechless at these words.

The king’s command was executed. Queen Agastha, the army general and all the 200 soldiers were beheaded in front of Maximian. Maximian never regretted for the loss of his dear wife. He was not at all disturbed by her loss. But his heart was still burning with vengeance on Catherine. Now it was the turn of Catherine. The furious emperor condemned Catherine to death on the spiked breaking wheel. This was one of the cruelest ways of martyrdom. Let us see how this act is performed. A huge wheel like that of a bullock cart will be prepared. The strokes and the outer rim will be prepared with sharp swords. The pivot of the wheel will be fixed to the ground. The person who has received the punishment will be tied to this wheel. Then the wheel will be rotated. The person who is to execute the punishment will have a huge hammer or a knife or an axe, and hit fiercely on the person whoever is tied to the wheel. Whichever part of the body of the person tied to the wheel is being struck, will be cut off. This torture would be very painful if the other parts of the body are being cut off before the head. If the person is lucky enough the head will be cut at the first shot itself so that he will have a quick death. If the person who is executing the punishment does this act with vengeance, he would rotate the wheel very slowly so that, he can hit the other parts of the body as he wishes and then cut off the head. However like every other martyrdom, this also results in a very cruel death. Catherine had to undergo this kind of death. But something strange happened here.

The moment Catherine was placed on the wheel; the wheel was broken into pieces and was flung so fiercely by the guardian angel of Catherine. The people who were standing round her, making fun of her and watching this brutal act without any mercy were wounded by these swords which were flung from the wheel. Many of their heads were cut off. Many of them fell down on the verge of death and many others lost their hands and legs. As it is said in the holy Bible, “They (the wicked) were caught in their own traps” these people also met their destiny in their own plans. Many of the spectators were amazed at this miracle and accepted Jesus Christ as their own God and savior. But nothing moved the heart of this monarch Maximian. His heart was even harder than the Pharaoh, who ruled Egypt during the time of Moses.

So Maximian ordered her to be beheaded and killed. One of the soldiers raised his sword high towards the sky and our dear Catherine raised her eyes high towards heaven. Then she quietly bowed down her head and in one shot her head was cut off. Even then a miracle took place.  The blood that rushed out of her body, once she was beheaded, was white in colour and not red. All those gathered in the arena were wonder struck and started to shout, “Catherine is a woman of God, she is an angel and may she live forever and ever.”

At last all the possible plans of Maximian resulted in great insult for him and he stood there speechless before the crowd. The more he tried to curtail Christianity, the more it spread. An unknown fear griped his heart and he left the arena immediately. He left the city without any ones knowledge. That night, Catherine’s guardian angel, took her body and head and placed it on a huge rock on Mount Sinai, which was considered to be a holy place and people kept away from. Here this rock melted down and the impression of Catherine was carved on it. It was yet another miracle. Anyone who has the real thirst can see this impression even today. This rock which is on Mount Sinai is near to the place where our Lord gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Let us see some important facts about Mount Sinai.

This Mount Sinai has a height of about 2500 feet. According to Exodus, Moses received the Ten Commandments from the Lord almighty on this mount. Hence, as a memorial of this incident a church has been built in this place. The Muslims too have built a mosque nearby to prove the truth of this incident. Also the great prophet Elijah lived in this mountain for some time and experienced the presence of God. At the bottom of this mountain, God revealed himself to Moses from the burning bush. This bush is still alive in the same place, and its life history dates back to the time of Moses. Also there is no such kind of a bush found anywhere on Mount Sinai. Moreover all efforts to create another bush of the same kind has turned out to be a failure, it has never survived. This is a great miracle. Even today all those who visit this bush do not wear slippers or shoes when they stand in that place, they are not permitted to do so since God himself told Moses that the place where he is standing is holy and asked him to remove his shoes.

In the year 527 BC, the Constantine king Justinian built a church as memorial of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. An existing cult in the church states that Justinian and his wife Theodara built this church. All the doors used in the church are in use even today. The great prophet Mohammed Nabi, the founder of the Muslim religion, gave a promissory note stating that he will ensure the safety of the church and the priest who live in it and also ensure the safety of the church of Ten Commandments and all those who visit these churches. This note of promise is still available in the church. In order to protect the church from being looted by thieves, a great fortress has been built around the church. After the 9^th or 10^th century BC, awareness of this saint started to spread out.  Efforts were taken to find out the bones of Catherine. The same was found and kept safe in the church of transfiguration which is located at the bottom of Mount Sinai. Hence forth this church of transfiguration, where the burning bush is located is called as Saint Catherine’s monastery. On account of her sacrificial death for love of Jesus Christ, her remains are being taken to Europe. Her skull and one part of her hand bone is all that is being kept in this monastery. Still this is the hand which bears the ring which is said to be given to her by Jesus Christ in her dream and the hair in her skull still remains without any damage. Visitors are advised not to miss the pictures of Saint Catherine, the transfiguration of Jesus Christ and the picture of John the Baptist. Since Catherine was a princess the picture depicts her with a crown and royal garments, since she was a great scholar she is portrayed with books, the wheel used to murder her is also included in the painting, and since she was beheaded a knife and palm leaf is also drawn since she died as a true witness of the Bible. This picture was drawn in the 9^th century BC. Hence this wheel which was used to murder Catherine was named after her as the wheel of Catherine.

Now it is time for the readers to know the end of Maximian, who was such a cruel ruler, who killed Catherine, his wife Agastha, the army general and the 200 soldiers in one verdict. Though Maximian won many battles with his enormous strength, the lust he had for women made many of the senators jealous of him and thus they hated Maximian. Maximian spoilt the life of many of many royal families, and many beautiful princesses. Though talented in the battle field, as a ruler and king he was a failure. People hated him and once he knew this he crowned his son Maxentius as Caesar.  His son too failed to win the confidence of the public. According to historical information, both Maximian and his son Maxentius were thrown down from their power and status, and the public folk chased them of the streets and beheaded them. As the bible states, “whatever you sow, you will reap” Maximian too reaped what he sowed.

There are a lot of monasteries situated around this Catherine monastery. When Moses pleaded with God to provide water for the Israelites, God asked him to strike a particular rock with his rod. When Moses struck the rock, water gushed out and the people drank from it. This place is now called as the Monastery of the seven virgins. When Moses got the Ten Commandments and came down from the mountain, the people turned away from God and started to worship a golden calf. In His anger, God made the earth to split and swallow those pagan worshipers into hell. This place is also situated near by this Monastery.

When Moses ran away from Egypt fearing Pharaoh, he came round Mount Sinai. There he met the seven daughters of Jethro and saved them from the philistines. He also gave water to their cattle. Out of the seven daughters of Jethro, he got married to Zipporah. The place where Moses and Zipporah used to meet is a small cave located near the stream in this mountain. Visitors can see this place too. All these places look the same as it was during the time of Moses.

In central Turkey, 40 brave men, were killed by being immersed into frozen water because they accepted Christ. And those who did not die in this torture were beheaded and killed. In memory of them there is a monastery by the name Monastery of 40 witnesses.

We wish all those who are to visit these places not to miss any of the information we have provided here.

Dear Saint Catherine, Pray for us. Amen!