Saint Felix of Nola (14 January): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

St. Felix of Nola, honored on January 14, is one of the great confessors of the early Church. In this reading from Father Alban Butler’s Lives of the Saints, we hear the remarkable account of a priest who chose poverty, humility, and heroic charity over worldly honor—enduring persecution, imprisonment, and miraculous deliverance for the love of Christ. During the brutal persecution under Emperor Decius, St. Felix was scourged, chained, and cast into a dungeon strewn with broken glass and pottery. By divine intervention, an angel freed him so he could rescue his bishop, St. Maximus of Nola, saving his life through prayer and providence. Later, St. Felix escaped his persecutors by hiding behind a spider’s web—a sign long venerated by the faithful. Though chosen by the people to become bishop, St. Felix refused the episcopacy, preferring humility and obedience. He lived the rest of his life in holy poverty, cultivating a small plot of land with his own hands, giving nearly everything he had to the poor. After his death, countless miracles were reported at his tomb. St. Paulinus of Nola, Pope St. Damasus, and St. Augustine all testify to his powerful intercession and enduring devotion throughout the Church. This reading preserves the Catholic tradition of sacred history, offering inspiration for perseverance, charity, and trust in God amid trials. 🕯️ “In poverty he should be the more secure of possessing Christ.” — St. Felix of Nola 0:00 – Introduction: Butler’s Lives of the Saints 0:20 – Birth and family of St. Felix of Nola 1:16 – Felix chooses Christ over worldly honors 1:33 – Ordination and service under St. Maximus 1:47 – Persecution under Emperor Decius 2:14 – Imprisonment and angelic deliverance 2:45 – Miracle of the grapes and saving St. Maximus 3:40 – Escape from persecution and the spider’s web 4:26 – Six months hidden in the well 4:43 – Refusal of the episcopacy 5:01 – Life of poverty, labor, and charity 5:44 – Death on January 14 and veneration 6:08 – Testimony of Pope St. Damasus 6:21 – Devotion of St. Paulinus of Nola 7:53 – Witness of miracles by St. Augustine 8:16 – Teaching on burial and prayer for the dead https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/january/st-felix-of-nola/ Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StFelixOfNola #LivesOfTheSaints #CatholicSaints #January14Saint #CatholicTradition #SaintsOfTheChurch #CatholicHistory #ButlerSaints #ChurchFathers #SaintsAndMiracles #TraditionalCatholic #CatholicFaith