A Woman Who Swayed a Nation: Saint Catherine of Alexandria

On November 25^th, the Church honors the virgin martyr Saint Catherine of Alexandria. She is a role model for women who feel called to an intellectual vocation as she was devoted to learning and achieved great knowledge even by a young age.

According to the accounts of her life, Saint Catherine was a convert to Christianity who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, during the fourth century. Catherine was a beautiful young woman, the daughter of wealthy parents who were members of the nobility. Catherine was a virgin, and like many of the early women martyrs, intended to remain unmarried, as a spouse of Jesus.

When Catherine was eighteen years old, she learned of the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Maxentius and went to see him about this great injustice. She spoke to him about the truth of Christianity and the falseness of the pagan gods.

Maxentius knew he could not successfully debate Catherine himself, so he asked fifty of the greatest philosophers to engage in a debate with her. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Catherine presented her arguments with such clarity that they realized what she said was true and were converted to Christianity.

How did Saint Catherine receive such wisdom while still so young? It could not have been from reading alone. We can assume that she was very devoted to prayer, and her intellectual gifts were the fruit of her prayer. Jesus told His apostles that when they were arrested, the Holy Spirit would provide them with the words to say in their defense (Luke 12:11-12). We can imagine that when meeting with the emperor and debating the philosophers, Saint Catherine asked God to give her the words to defend Christians and to lead people to conversion.

The emperor was greatly angered by the philosophers becoming Christians and ordered them to be executed. He had Catherine scourged and put into prison. Maxentius’ wife and the general of the army went to visit Catherine in prison. Perhaps they were empathetic or perhaps they were only curious to meet this brilliant, learned young woman. During their visit, Catherine spoke with them about God and Christianity, and they were converted. They, too, were executed.

Maxentius then commanded that Catherine be killed on a spiked wheel, but as soon as she was placed on it, the wheel fell apart. Catherine was martyred by being beheaded.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria and some other saints were removed from the Church’s calendar in 1969 because few historical facts were known about them. We could argue that the lives of these early saints were often known by an oral tradition, rather than a written one, which is why the details about their lives were not documented. As their stories were retold through the centuries, people added to them, and they became more like legends than biographies. Nevertheless, the essential fact remains: these holy people existed and became saints.

Although it would be wonderful to have more information about Saint Catherine, it is not really necessary. We know what is most important: that she was a heroic young woman of great faith who gave her life as a martyr for Jesus. In 2002, Saint John Paul II returned Saint Catherine to the Church’s calendar.

Saint Catherine’s body is buried on Mount Sinai, at a Coptic Orthodox monastery named after her. There is a tradition that angels carried Saint Catherine’s body to Mount Sinai.

Saint Catherine is a patron of philosophers, scholars, and single women. She is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers—saints whose intercession was considered particularly helpful, especially during the time of the Black Plague.

The life of Saint Catherine shows us that if God has given us the gift of faith, we have a responsibility to share our faith with others. As a convert whose search for the truth led to her learning and believing that Jesus was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Saint Catherine knew that she must tell others about Him. We can follow her example by telling our friends, relatives, acquaintances, and co-workers about Jesus and His Church.

We also learn from her story that if we become aware of a great injustice, we should do something to help. Saint Catherine did not think she could remain silent while Christians were suffering persecution. She was willing to confront the emperor about his cruelty to Christians, hoping to persuade him by her prayers and words to end his persecution and to believe in the one, true God.

Although she did not convince him, and she was martyred, her holy example, her suffering, and her death led to the conversions of many, and she became a great saint. The Christians of the Roman Empire were eventually allowed to practice their faith without fear of arrest. Undoubtedly, the prayers of all the early martyred saints in heaven, including Saint Catherine, led to an end to the persecution.

We can do something about the great injustices in our own time. One of these is abortion. We can respond by prayer, donating baby items to a pregnancy care center, or volunteering in a home for mothers and babies. The persecution of Christians is another injustice that continues to this day in many countries. We can pray for the persecuted Christians, donate to organizations that help them, and ask government leaders to address this issue.

Another lesson from Saint Catherine is to use our gifts in the service of God. She excelled in her understanding of philosophy. She had also been given the gifts of wisdom and knowledge; she did not waste her gifts, but used them in defense of Christianity. This makes Saint Catherine a great example for Catholic women who share her love of learning and are committed to using their intellectual gifts to serve God; for example, in writing, research, teaching, or homeschooling their children.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, pray for us, for our Church, and for our nation!

Image from Wikimedia Commons