Venerable Martyr Parasceva

Life

Parasceva was born in Rome of Christian parents, and from childhood was taught the faith of Christ. With great zeal St. Parasceva endeavored to fulfill in deed all the commandments of God. Believing firmly and living according to her faith, she also guided others upon the path of the true faith and pious life. When her parents died, Parasceva distributed all her possessions to the poor, and she took monastic vows. As a nun she preached the faith of Christ with even greater fervor of zeal, concealing herself from no one, even though at that time the faith of Christ was being bloodily persecuted by the Roman authorities. Malicious Jews were the first to accuse St. Parasceva of preaching the forbidden faith. And she was brought to trial before Emperor Antoninus. All the emperor's flatteries availed not the least to shake this handmaiden of God in her faith. Then they subjected her to fiery torments and placed upon her head a red-hot helmet. But the Lord miraculously saved her, and she escaped and departed from Rome. And she went again from city to city, converting the dark pagan people to the true faith. In two more cities she was brought before princes and judges, and was tormented for her Lord, while performing great miracles and by the power of God quickly recovering from her tortures and wounds. The pagans, as always, ascribed her miracles to sorcery and her recovery to the power and mercy of their gods. St. Parasceva once said to the prince who tortured her: "It was not thy gods, O prince, who healed me, but my Christ, the true God." At last a certain prince Tarasius beheaded her with the sword. Thus gloriously ended her fruitful life, this holy woman. Her relics were later translated to Constantinople. She suffered honorably for Christ in the second century.