It’s the Feast of Ss Fabian and Sebastian, 3rd Class, with the color of Red. In this episode: the meditation: “The Wine of Divine Love”, today’s news from the Church: “Fr. de Blignières Requests an Ordinariate from the Cardinals”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop.
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Sources Used Today:
- “The Wine of Divine Love” – From Epiphany to Lent
- “Fr. de Blignières Requests an Ordinariate from the Cardinals” (FSSPX.news)
- The Spiritual Life – Archbishop Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
Saints Fabian and Sebastian are remembered together because their lives reveal two different forms of courage that sustained the early Church during persecution. Their feast unites a pope who governed quietly and wisely with a soldier whose public witness became impossible to ignore. Together, they show that sanctity can take shape both in steady leadership and in dramatic endurance.
Saint Fabian became pope in the year 236 under circumstances that even early Christians found striking. According to ancient testimony, a dove settled on his head during the election, a sign the gathered faithful interpreted as divine choice. Fabian had not been a leading candidate, yet once elected, he proved to be exactly what the Church needed. His pontificate unfolded during a period of relative peace, and he used that time carefully. He organized the Roman Church more clearly, dividing the city into districts served by clergy and strengthening pastoral care. Fabian also worked to preserve the memory of martyrs, ensuring that the sacrifices of earlier generations were not forgotten once persecution eased. When a new wave of hostility broke out under Emperor Decius, Fabian was arrested and executed in 250. His death marked him as a true shepherd who did not flee when danger returned.
Saint Fabian was remembered as a pope who governed with humility and died with fidelity, leaving the Church more stable than he had found it.
Saint Sebastian’s witness unfolded very differently. He was a Roman soldier, likely an officer, serving in the imperial guard while secretly professing Christianity. His position gave him access to imprisoned believers, whom he strengthened through encouragement and prayer. When his faith was discovered, he was condemned to death and shot with arrows. Left for dead, he survived and was nursed back to health by a Christian widow named Irene. At that moment, Sebastian could have fled into hiding. Instead, he returned openly to confront Emperor Diocletian, rebuking him for cruelty against Christians. This second act of witness led to his final execution, beaten to death around the year 288.
Saint Sebastian became one of the most beloved martyrs of late antiquity, remembered not only for his endurance but for his refusal to retreat into safety once healed.
Devotion to both saints spread quickly in Rome. Fabian was honored as a model bishop whose quiet governance preserved unity. Sebastian became a symbol of protection during times of plague, especially in the Middle Ages, when his survival of wounds made him an intercessor against sudden illness. Churches dedicated to each arose early, and their names entered the Roman Canon, fixing them permanently in the Church’s prayer.
Their shared feast on January 20 invites reflection on complementary forms of holiness. Fabian teaches perseverance in responsibility. Sebastian teaches courage that risks everything for truth. Together they remind us that the Church is upheld by both hidden fidelity and visible witness, and that Christ is served as fully in patient leadership as in heroic sacrifice.
Saints Fabian and Sebastian, faithful servants and martyrs of Christ, pray for us!
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