St. Peter was an exorcist, which is one of the minor orders by which the Church gives-power and authority to cast out evil spirits. The many miracles he wrought by this means, actuated the heathens to accuse him before the governor, Serenus, who had him so cruelly scourged, that his whole body seemed to be but one great wound. After this they dragged him to a dark dungeon, and loaded him with heavy chains, in order that he might thus pine away in a slow martyrdom. Artemius, the jailor, had an only daughter, named Pauline, who was most miserably tormented by the devil, to the great grief of her father. One day, Peter perceived the man's sadness, and asked him the cause. Having been informed of it, Peter said: "If you have no other grief, you can easily be helped." "How can this be done?" asked Artemius; "who is the man able to cure my daughter?" "I," replied Peter, "I can, by the omnipotence of the true God whom I worship."

Artemius laughed in derision, and said: "If this be true, you must be a fool, that you do not use the power of God to free yourself from your fetters and escape from the prison." Peter answered: "I love my chains and prison too dearly, to pray to God to set me free. If you, however, promise to believe in Christ, the Son of the living God, I assure you that He will soon free me from my fetters and my prison." "Very well," said Artemius, more in mockery than in earnest, "if you free yourself this night and come to visit me, I will believe." After this he went away; but first had Peter more strongly chained, and also doubled the guards. Peter, nevertheless, promised to visit him; and he kept his promise.

Artemius, meanwhile, told his wife, Candida, all that had taken place, and while he was yet laughing at Peter's presumption, behold! the holy confessor of Christ entered the room, in a white garment, with a cross in his hand. This evident miracle frightened Artemius and his wife to such a degree, that they knew not what to say. Having somewhat recovered, they fell at his feet and cried, while tears streamed from their eyes: " Truly, there is no God but the God of the Christians! "Upon this, Pauline came into the room, and also threw herself at the feet of the Saint, when a new miracle took place. The evil spirit of which she was possessed, unable to endure the presence of St. Peter, left her immediately, crying loudly: "The power of Christ in you compels me to leave the place where I have dwelt."

These miracles could not remain concealed. All the domestics of the house, all the neighbors, and relatives came in haste, and when they had heard what had happened, they all desired to be baptized. St. Peter, rejoiced at the conversion of so many souls, called the holy priest Marcellinus to instruct and baptize the proselytes. Artemius, meanwhile, went back to the dungeon and liberated not only all the imprisoned Christians, but offered freedom to all the other prisoners who promised to become Christians. Serenus, the governor, was fortunately just then dangerously sick, so that St. Marcellinus and St. Peter had time to baptize and instruct all those who wished to embrace Christianity, and also to prepare them for the martyrdom which doubtless awaited them.

No sooner had Serenus recovered than he ordered Artemius to send all the prisoners to him. Artemius went to him and related all that had happened, confessing at the same time that he and his whole household had embraced the Christian faith in consequence of the great miracles which they had beheld with their own eyes. Serenus, beside himself with rage, ordered Artemius to be beaten with clubs so terribly, that he would most certainly have expired, had not God, by a new miracle, preserved his life. After this he summoned Marcellinus and Peter and menaced them with the most cruel tortures should they refuse immediately to sacrifice to the idols. Seeing their fearless constancy, he ordered Peter to be thrown into a dungeon and stretched upon the rack; and Marcellinus to be scourged and then placed naked and tightly bound upon pieces of glass, so that he would be unable to move. God, however, sent an angel in the middle of the night, who took the chains from Marcellinus, healed his wounds, led him into the dungeon of St. Peter and freed him also from his fetters. The two Saints then went together to the house where the newly baptized Christians were assembled at prayer. When Serenus, on the following day, was informed of these events, all his rage fell upon Artemius and his wife, whom he sentenced to be buried alive. Whilst these martyrs were led to the place of execution, Saints Peter and Marcellinus encouraged them to constancy in their martyrdom, which they joyfully and faithfully endured. Marcellinus and Peter were again seized on this occasion, and after having been tortured, were beheaded by order of the prefect, in the year 304.

Their relics were transported from Rome to Germany in the reign of Louis the Pious. They are at present honored in the famous abbey of Seligenstadt.

The holy Martyrs, whose lives you have today contemplated, suffered so much and so cruelly, that you are perhaps inclined to think the account of their suffering exaggerated. But ancient and authentic testimony allows no sensible person to doubt the above narrated facts. Should you, however, still doubt it, tell me the reason why? Is it because you cannot comprehend how weak human beings can joyfully endure such fearful pain? But is it unknown to you that God is mighty in His Saints? Do you believe in the omnipotence of the Creator? Well, then, believe also that He can strengthen a feeble creature far above natural endurance. Believe that He can close the jaws of the wild beast, that He can take from the fire all power to burn, and that He can keep those, who so courageously confess Him, unharmed amid all dangers. All this He did in the Old Testament, as is known from holy Writ. Do you suppose, then, that the arm of the Lord has lost its strength in the New Testament? God worked such miracles by the holy Martyrs in order that the heathens might learn the truth of the Christian Religion and the faithful be strengthened in confessing it. Learn from it what you, although only a weak human being, may be able to do by the grace of God, if you pray to obtain it and make a good use of it. You will see that you can do everything in Him who strengthens you.

God sometimes sent an angel to the holy Martyrs to comfort them or to save them from the hands of the tyrants; but at other times He allowed them to suffer and to die in their torments. Just so has He done with many others both in the Old Testament and in the New; as is known by the lives of St. Peter and St. Paul, whom at one time he saved out of the dungeon and at another time he did not. He also freed some of his servants entirely from persecution and misfortune: an example of which we see in Daniel and his three companions; while He permitted others to die in poverty and sickness, or else to suffer innocently and perish by cruel hands. Poor Lazarus, perishing in his sickness, is a proof of the former; St. John the Baptist, the holy Prophets and Apostles are examples of the latter. God still acts in the same manner. Sometimes he releases us from a cross, a sickness or a persecution, when we pray to Him; sometimes not. To one man He shows His power and saves him ; another He lets hang on the cross and die. But all He does is for our salvation. Therefore, if you call on God and He answers your prayer, offer Him your heartfelt thanks. If He does not answer it, if He does not remove your cross, if He allows you to languish and die in poverty, sickness and persecution; submit to His holy will. Think that He did the same to the Saints, and that He seeks to save by thus proving you. "If I shall find grace in the sight of the Lord, He will bring me back again . . . . . But if He should say to me: Thou pleasest me not: I am ready, let Him do that which is good before Him." Thus spoke David, when he had to flee from Jerusalem on account of the persecution of his son Absolom. He submitted entirely to the divine will and showed himself ready to bear all that God might ordain. May you follow his example.

O ye blessed Princes of the heavenly kingdom! ye who sacrificed to the Almighty God the honors, the riches, and possessions of this life, and have received in return the unfading glory and never-ending joys of heaven! ye who are secure in the everlasting possession of the brilliant crown of glory which your sufferings have obtained! Look with compassionate regards upon our wretched state in this valley of tears, where we groan in the uncertainty of what may be our eternal destiny. And from that divine Saviour, for Whom you suffered so many torments, and Who now repays you with so unspeakable glory, obtain for us that we may love Him with all our hearts, and receive in return the grace of perfect resignation under the trials of this life, fortitude under the temptations of the enemy, and perserverance to the end. May your powerful intercession obtain for us that we may one day in your blessed company sing the praises of the Eternal, and, even as you now do, face to face, enjoy the beatitude of his vision! Amen