St. Perpetua was not afraid of death, and her courage shocked a nervous Roman gladiator.
St. Perpetua was a noblewoman of Carthage during the 3rd century and was thrown into prison for refusing to deny her Christian faith. The Roman procurator tried to convince Perpetua that she should offer sacrifice to the emperor, but she flatly refused and said, “I will not do so … I am a Christian!”
Seeing that Perpetua was standing her ground and not willing to deny her faith, she was sentenced to a gruesome death, to be trampled and eaten by wild animals.
However, the injuries she suffered were not enough to kill her, and a gladiator had to execute her in the arena. Perpetua’s courage remained strong and she “she herself placed the wavering right hand of the youthful gladiator to her throat.” Even the gladiator did not want to kill her, but her faith never wavered and she fully accepted her martyrdom from the hand of God.
