Saint Polychronius of Babylon (17 February): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

On February 17th, the Church commemorates St. Polychronius of Babylon, a bishop and martyr who suffered during the persecution under Emperor Decius. Drawing from The Lives of the Saints by Father Alban Butler and the ancient Roman Martyrology, we examine the account preserved by Venerable Bede and early martyrologies. St. Polychronius, together with his priests and deacons, was brought before the emperor and commanded to sacrifice to pagan gods. His silence before tyranny spoke louder than words. When pressed to renounce Christ, one of his priests intervened and had his tongue cut out. The bishop himself was struck violently in the mouth and, lifting his eyes to Heaven, surrendered his soul to God. Though historical details are debated among scholars, the Church preserves his memory as a witness to Christ amid persecution — possibly in Persia rather than directly under Decius. His companions also shared in martyrdom, and tradition even connects a Polychronius venerated in Cyprus with this same heroic figure. In an age that demands compromise, St. Polychronius teaches us: • The power of holy silence • The courage of episcopal fidelity • The cost of refusing idolatry • The strength of martyrdom May his example fortify us to stand firm in the Faith. 0:00 Introduction 0:20 February 17 – St. Polychronius of Babylon 0:53 The Persecution Under Emperor Decius 1:08 The Bishop Brought Before the Emperor 1:18 The Priest’s Tongue Cut Out 1:27 The Final Blow and Holy Death 1:35 Historical Questions and Martyrology Sources 2:01 Persia or Rome? Examining the Accounts 2:19 Is He the Same Saint Venerated in Cyprus? 2:59 The Tradition of the Vine Dressers 3:16 Martyrdom After Constantine 3:25 Lessons from St. Polychronius https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/february/ 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" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶ 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 #StPolychronius #LivesOfTheSaints #CatholicSaints #SaintOfTheDay #ChristianMartyrs #ChurchHistory #February17 #RomanMartyrology #CatholicFaith #TraditionalCatholic