Saints Nereus & Achilleus
Image: Catholic Online
Nereus and Achilleus were Roman soldiers of the Praetorian Guard (the Emperor’s security detail) it is said, they were Baptized by St. Peter himself and were martyred for Jesus Christ at the end of the First Century.
When Nereus and Achilleus became Christians, they gave up their posts which they seen as immoral, they were subsequently exiled and killed during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98 to 117 AD)
An epitaph written by Pope Damasus says the following: “Nereus and Achilleus the Martyrs that joined the army and carried out the cruel orders of the tyrant, obeying his will continually out of fear. Then came a miracle of faith. They suddenly gave up their savagery, they were converted, they fled the camp of their evil leader, throwing away their shields, armor and bloody spears. Professing the Faith of Christ, they are happy to witness to its triumph. From these words of Damasus, understand what great deeds can be brought about by God’s glory.”
Some five centuries after the deaths of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs for Christ, Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 AD) delivered his 28th Homily on the occasion of their feast: “These Saints, before whose tomb we are assembled despised the world and trampled it under their feet when peace, riches and gave it charms.”
More here from Bartleby.com and here from SQPN
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