Saint Sebastian (20 January): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

St. Sebastian, one of the Church’s most illustrious martyrs, is honored on January 20. In this powerful reading from Father Alban Butler’s Lives of the Saints, we hear the dramatic and faith-filled account of a Roman soldier who secretly served Christ while standing at the very heart of imperial power. Born in Narbonne in Gaul and raised in Milan, Sebastian entered the Roman army under Emperor Carinus not for glory, but to secretly aid imprisoned Christians. His courage strengthened wavering martyrs, his prayers brought miraculous healings, and his zeal converted entire households — including prison officials, governors, and soldiers. Though promoted to Captain of the Praetorian Guard under Emperor Diocletian, Sebastian refused to abandon Christ. Shot with arrows and left for dead, he survived — only to later confront the emperor face-to-face, rebuking him for his cruelty toward Christians. For this bold witness, St. Sebastian was beaten to death and cast into the sewer, later honored by the Church as a powerful intercessor, especially against pestilence. This reading preserves the ancient Catholic memory of martyrdom, charity, courage, and supernatural faith — a reminder that holiness often flourishes in the most hostile places. 📖 Source: The Lives of the Saints by Father Alban Butler 🗓 Feast Day: January 20 ✝️ Era: Roman Persecutions under Diocletian (3rd century) 0:00 Introduction – Lives of the Saints (Jan 20) 0:25 Birth and upbringing of St. Sebastian 0:39 Entering the Roman army for Christ 0:49 Martyrs Marcus and Marcellinus encouraged 1:09 Miracle of St. Zoe restored to speech 1:30 Mass conversions and baptisms 1:40 Governor Chromatius healed and converted 2:10 Rise of Diocletian and Maximian 2:29 Sebastian made Captain of the Praetorian Guard 2:52 Mission to Campania and contest of charity 3:16 Pope’s judgment and persecution intensifies 3:36 Arrests and martyrdoms of the converts 4:13 Martyrdom of Marcus and Marcellinus 4:21 St. Sebastian shot with arrows 4:40 Sebastian miraculously survives 4:50 Sebastian confronts Emperor Diocletian 5:08 Final martyrdom of St. Sebastian 5:15 Burial in the catacombs 5:26 Church built by Pope Damasus 5:49 Translation of relics to France 6:13 Desecration and recovery of relics 6:32 Relics throughout Europe 7:00 Miracles and protection against pestilence https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/january/st-sebastian/ 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 🔴 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 #StSebastian #LivesOfTheSaints #CatholicSaints #ChristianMartyrs #ChurchHistory #TraditionalCatholic #SaintOfTheDay #Ja