Today September 22

Today is the feast of St. Maurice and Companions (died c. 287). There are other (minor) saints today, but since I am a soldier's daughter and St. Maurice and his legionnaires were all soldiers, I am going to go with him. He is the patron of infantrymen, but I truly think he could be the patron of CO's (conscientious objectors) because he and members of his Theban Legion (he and his companions were all Egyptians) were slaughtered because they refused to obey orders. The orders in question being either a) sacrificing to the gods [the earliest sources say this]; or, b) slaughtering Christians. In either case they, being Christians, bravely refused. They were cut to pieces right there in Switzerland in a place then called Agaunum, but now known better as the very fashionable San Moritz. The mountainous fields ran red with their blood. They didn't even defend themselves, but died like lambs. Maurice answered the Emperor Maximian (actually his designate): "We are your soldiers, but we are also servants of the true God. . . . We readily oppose all your enemies, whoever they are; but we cannot dip our hands into the blood of innocent persons. We have taken an oath to God . . . We have arms in our hands, but we do not resist because we would rather die innocent than live by any sin." You go, Maurice! I'm sure he stirred up his men to great courage. How many there were is still in dispute, but there was at least a squad. And on that spot an abbey was built -- the first in the Western world to maintain the Divine Office round the clock. It's impressive, this abbey. Saint Maurice, pray for us.