De sancta Justina virgine

De sancta Justina virgine

Justina was named for justice, because through justice she gave everyone their due: obedience to God, reverence to her superiors, harmony with her equals, discipline to those below her, patience to her enemies, active compassion to the miserable and afflicted, holiness to herself, and love to her neighbors. Justina, a virgin from the city of Antioch and the daughter of a priest of idols, would sit at her window every day and listen to Proclus the deacon reading the Gospel, by whom she was eventually converted. When her mother told her father about this while they were in bed, and they had both fallen asleep, Christ appeared to them with angels; upon waking, they immediately had themselves and their daughter baptized. This virgin Justina, having been greatly harassed by Cyprian, eventually converted him to the faith; Cyprian had been a magician since childhood, having been consecrated to the devil by his parents when he was seven. He practiced magical arts, appearing to turn noblewomen into beasts of burden and performing many other illusions; burning with love for the virgin Justina, he turned to his magic to win her for himself or for a man named Acladius, who also burned with love for her. He might have her. He therefore summoned a demon to come to him, so that he might be able to have Justina through him. The demon arrived and asked, 'Why have you called me?' Cyprian replied, 'I love a virgin among the Galileans; can you make it so that I can have her and fulfill my desire with her?' The demon replied to him, "I, who was able to cast man out of paradise, who prompted Cain to kill his brother, who made the Jews kill Christ, and who have stirred up all mankind—will I not be able to make you have this one girl and enjoy her according to your pleasure?" Take this ointment, sprinkle it around the outside of her house, and I'll come and set her heart on fire with love for you, and I'll force her to agree to you." The following night, the demon went to her and tried to incite her heart to illicit love. Sensing this, she devotedly commended herself to the Lord and protected her whole body with the sign of the cross. Terrified by the sign of the holy cross, the demon fled, came to Cyprian, and stood before him; Cyprian asked, "Why didn't you bring that girl to me?" The demon replied, "I saw a certain sign in her and I withered, and all my strength failed me." Cyprian dismissed him and called for a stronger one. The demon said, "I heard your command and saw the impossibility of it, but I'll fix it and fulfill your will; I'll approach her, wound her heart with the love of lust, and you'll enjoy her according to your desire." The demon went in and tried to persuade her and inflame her soul with illicit love. But she, devotedly commending herself to God, repelled every temptation with the sign of the cross and, by breathing on the demon, immediately cast him out. The demon, confused, went away, fled, and stood before Cyprian. Cyprian asked him, "So where is the virgin I sent you to?" The demon replied, "I admit I was defeated, and I'm afraid to say how; for I saw a certain terrible sign in her, and I lost all my strength at once." Cyprian mocked him and sent him away, then summoned the prince of the demons himself. When he arrived, Cyprian said, "What kind of power is this, that it's so weak it can be overcome by a single girl?" The demon said, "Watch me. I'll go out and torment her with various fevers, inflame her heart more intensely, drench her whole body in a violent heat, make her frantic, offer her all sorts of phantoms, and bring her to you at midnight." Then the devil transformed himself into the likeness of a virgin and, approaching her, said, "Look, I've come to you because I want to live with you in chastity. But tell me, I beg you, what will be the reward for our struggle?" The holy virgin answered, "The reward is indeed great, but the labor is small." The demon said to her, "What is it then that God commanded: 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth'?" "I fear, therefore, good companion, that if we remain in virginity, we will make the word of God void, and as if we were contemptuous and disobedient, we will fall into a grave judgment; and where we seemed to hope for a reward, we will incur a grave torment." But the heart of the virgin began to be shaken by heavy thoughts through the demon's suggestion and to be inflamed more strongly with the heat of concupiscence, so much so that she was already rising and wanting to leave. The holy virgin then came to herself, and realizing who was speaking to her, immediately armed herself with the cross; she blew at the devil, instantly melting him like wax, and felt herself set free from all temptation. Seeing this, Justina recognized the presence of the evil spirit, immediately made the sign of the cross, and melted the devil like wax. Then the devil, with God’s permission, began to harass her with fevers. By killing many people along with their herds and flocks, he predicted through those he possessed that a great plague would strike all of Antioch unless Justina consented to the marriage. Because of this, the whole city, suffering from the sickness, gathered at the door of Justina’s parents, crying out that Justina should be given in marriage and thus deliver the city from such great danger. But since Justina wouldn't consent at all, and everyone was threatening her with death because of it, in the seventh year of the plague she prayed for them and... ...drove away all the pestilence. Seeing that he was accomplishing nothing, the devil transformed himself into the form of Justina to tarnish her reputation, and by deceiving Cyprian, he boasted that he had brought Justina to him. The devil then went to Cyprian in the likeness of Justina, ran to him, and tried to kiss him as if she were pining for his love. Seeing her and believing it was Justina, Cyprian was filled with joy and said, 'Welcome, Justina, jewel of all women.' As soon as Cyprian spoke Justina's name, the devil couldn't bear it; at the mere mention of it, he vanished instantly like smoke. Cyprian, seeing that he had been deceived, remained sad. Because of this, burning even more with desire for Justina, he kept watch for a long time at the virgin's door. He used magic to change his appearance—sometimes into a woman, sometimes into a bird—but whenever he arrived at the virgin's door, he would immediately appear not as a woman or a bird, but as Cyprian. Acladius also used diabolical arts. When he had flown to Justina's window in the form of a sparrow, as soon as the virgin looked at him, he appeared not as a sparrow but as Acladius; he became deeply distressed and began to tremble, because he could neither flee nor jump away. Justina, fearing he might fall and get hurt, had him brought down by a ladder and warned him to stop his madness, lest he be punished as a sorcerer according to the law. All these things were done as mere appearances, according to the devil's illusions. Defeated in every way, the devil returned to Cyprian and stood before him in confusion. Cyprian asked him, "Have you been defeated, too?" "What is this power of yours, you wretch, that you cannot defeat one girl or have any power over her, but instead she defeats you and strikes you down so miserably?" "Tell me, I beg you, where does she get such great strength?" The demon replied, "If you swear to me that you'll never leave me, I'll reveal to you the power behind her victory." Cyprian asked, "By what should I swear to you?" The demon said, "Swear to me by my great powers that you'll never depart from me." Cyprian said to him, "I swear to you by your great powers that I'll never leave you." Then the devil, feeling secure, told him, "That girl made the sign of the Crucified, and I immediately withered away, lost all my power, and melted like wax before a fire." Cyprian asked him, "Is the Crucified, then, greater than you?" The demon answered, "He is certainly greater than everyone, and He will hand over both us and everyone we deceive here to be tormented in the unquenchable fire." Cyprian replied, "Then I, too, must become a friend of the Crucified, so I don't end up suffering such a great punishment." (The devil said to him, "You swore to me by the powers of my army, by which no one can perjure himself, that you would never leave me.") Cyprian answered him, "I despise you and all your vaporous powers; I renounce you and all your devils, and I arm myself with the saving sign of the Crucified." And the devil left him in confusion immediately. Then Cyprian went to the bishop. Seeing him, and believing he had come to lead Christians into error, the bishop said to him, "Let those who are outside be enough for you, Cyprian; for you can do nothing against the Church of God, since the power of Christ is invincible." Cyprian replied, "I am certain that the power of Christ is invincible," and after telling him what had happened to him, he had himself baptized by him. Later, progressing greatly in both knowledge and life, he was ordained bishop himself after the death of the previous one; he placed the blessed virgin Justina in a monastery and appointed her abbess over many holy virgins there. Saint Cyprian often sent letters to the martyrs and strengthened them in their struggle. The governor of that region, hearing of the fame of Cyprian and Justina, had them brought before him and asked if they were willing to offer sacrifice. While they remained firm in the faith of Christ, he ordered them to be placed in a pan filled with wax, pitch, and fat, which nevertheless provided them with a miraculous refreshment and caused them no torture. But the priest of the idols said to the governor, "Order me to stand before the pan, and I will immediately overcome all their power." (When he had come near the pan, he said, "You are a great god, Hercules, and you, Jupiter, are the father of the gods!") Suddenly, fire burst from the pan and consumed him completely. Then Cyprian and Justina were taken from the pan, and after sentence was passed upon them, they were beheaded together. Their bodies were left exposed to the dogs for seven days, but were later moved to Rome; now, however, it is said they rest in Piacenza. They suffered on the sixth day before the Kalends. This was around the year of our Lord 280. Under Diocletian. 7.