Perpetua and Felicity

Sts Perpetua and Felicity.

This week’s saints were forced to deny their faith or die under brutal circumstances.  They chose to stand for faith, even though it would cost their lives.

Perpetua, Baby boy, Felicity, Perpetua’s Dad, Guards (2), baby girl, Christian men (3), boar, bear, leopard, mad cow.

(Enter Perpetua and Baby Boy)

There once was a woman named Perpetua.  Perpetua was 22 years old, she was beautiful, and she had a baby boy. She would cuddle her baby, and sing lullabies to him.

(Enter Felicity)

Perpetua also had a servant, named Felicity.  Felicity was pregnant, and the two women excitedly shared stories about how they would raise their kids together.  Felicity and Perpetua were Christians, and they would dance around, singing love songs to God.

(Enter Perpetua's Dad)

Perpetua’s dad did not like Christianity, and he came to the women and said “Listen girls.  Christianity is illegal. You’re gonna get captured and killed if you keep up this nonsense! No more being Christians!”

But Perpetua said “Daddy, I cannot deny the truth, and the truth is that Jesus is Lord!”

And the audience yelled “Amen!”

Her father said “We’ll see about that!” 

(Enter guards)

Then he called 2 guards, saying “Guards!   These girls are Christian!  Arrest them!”

Turning to Perpetua he said “I bet when your life is on the line, you’ll deny Jesus!”

(Exit Dad)

So Perpetua and Felicity were thrown into prison.  Perpetua's son cried when he was taken away from her, so Perpetua bribed the guard to let them into another part of the prison and let her keep her son.

Felicity said “Perpetua, you are so lucky! You get to be a martyr!  I don’t get to because I’m pregnant.”  In those days they wouldn't throw a pregnant woman into the arena because it would hurt the unborn baby.

But then she gave birth to a baby girl.

(Enter baby girl)

Felicity said “Yay!  Now I can be a martyr too!”  Her baby girl just made gurgling sounds.

(Exit Perpetua, Felicity, and babies. Enter Christian Men, boar, bear and leopard)

The day of the executions came.  First the Christian men were sent out into the arena.  They were attacked by a wild boar, a bear, and a leopard.  The crowd cheered, and chanted “One more Christian! One more Christian!”

(Exit Christian men, boar, bear and leopard. Enter Perpetua and Felicity and Dad)

Perpetua and Felicity trembled with fear.  Perpetua's Dad said “See Perpetua!  Is that how you want to die?  Deny Jesus and live!”

But Perpetua said “We will never deny Jesus-  instead we will die for him!”

Dad said "What about your babies?"

Perpetua said "They were adopted by Christians while we were off stage."

(Enter mad Cow)

So Perpetua and Felicity were sent out into the arena by the guards.  A mad cow was released, and after mooing maniacally, it gored them to death. 

Sts Perpetua and Felicity-  Pray for us!

Jerome

Jerome, Christians (2) friends (2), Paula, Blaesilla, people (2), Bishop

(Jerome, Christians on stage)

When Jerome was a teenager, he lived in Rome.  He practiced Greek, by smashing things on the ground and yelling "Opa!", and he practiced Latin, by singing Opera.  But when he saw Christians,  he would shake his head and pat them on the head like they were puppies, saying "You Christians are nice... but not very bright!"

(Enter Bishop) But eventually Jerome became Christian himself, and the bishop baptized him.

(Exit Bishop, Christians, Enter friends and Paula and Blaesilla) 

 But he loved to party! He and his friends and Paula and Blaesilla would dance and sing, and would do all kinds of crazy things, and get drunk, staggering around and puking and flirting with lamposts, and he and his friends would laugh and laugh about the sins they committed.

(friends, Paula and Blaesilla leave)

But after the party his friends would leave,  and Jerome would go to the graves of the martyrs, and he’d feel really bad.  He started thinking about Hell, and how awful that would be, and he was terrified.  He trembled, and chewed his fingernails.  He would start striking his chest and crying and saying “Help me to be better, God!”

(Bishop, friends, Paula + Blaesilla enter)

The local bishop ordained Jerome a priest, laying his hands on him.  His friends congratulated him. When Jerome preached, he would say “We party way too much, and just live for our own pleasure.  I think we should fast and pray and work, and live a simple life.”  His friends, including Paula and Blaesilla, changed their lives, and started making sacrifices.  But Blaesilla quickly got sick, and died.

(People enter) 

People said “See?  Jerome made her make sacrifices and now she’s dead, it’s all his fault!” 

Other people said “I also think there’s some hanky panky going on between him and Paula.”

The crowd said "Ooooh..."

Jerome and Paula both said “No.”  but the people suspiciously crossed their arms and said “MMM-hmmm” and looked at them in a knowing way.

(Scene Change- everyone leave but Jerome)

So Jerome left Rome all together, and became a hermit, a kind of monk who lives alone, near Bethlehem.   He spent his time writing, and translating the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin.  The books he translated would become known as the “Latin Vulgate” Bible, and would become the first full Bible translated into the language of the people.

Jerome died as a hermit, and was buried near Bethlehem.

St Jerome-  Pray for us!

St Gerard

St Gerard

Gerard, Father, Mother, other tailor, boy, fishers(3), priests (2), poor (3), Hanky lady

Gerards’ father was a tailor, and he was always creating fashionable outfits.  One day when Gerard was 12, his father died.  Gerard’s mother sent him to work for another tailor, but this man was curel, and would beet Gerard severely.  Gerard never told anyone, but eventually the man was was caught by Gerards’  Mother, and was forced to quit.

Gerard went on to be a priest.  He had a reputation for holiness, and could perform miracles.  One day a boy fell off a cliff, and died.  Gerard helped the boy up, and said like Dr. Frankenstien  “You’re alive, a-li-i-i-ve!” 

Another time there was a group of fishers out in a boat on the water, and a storm came up. The boat was tossed on the waves, and fishers screamed saying “We are going to die!”  Suddenly Gerard came walking on water to where they were and said “Follow me!”, and they all rowed the boat after him to where they were safe.

Yet another time when the priests were handing out bread to the poor, the priests said “This is not nearly enough bread!”  Gerard said “I got it”, did a little a prayer, and the bread was multiplied.

Gerard could also look at you and read your conscience, and know what sins you committed.  And he could be in 2 places at once!

Though he was known for being a saint, a lady accused him saying “This man is the father of my child!”.  The crowd gasped, and whispered “scandalous!” 

But Gerard just remained silent.

So eventually the lady said “JK, LOL. It was another man.”

And the crowd laughed with relief.

One day while walking, Gerard dropped his hanky.  A lady ran to him and said “sir, you dropped this!”  But Gerard said “Keep it, you may need it one day!”

Gerard got tuberculosis, coughed like crazy, and died when he was only 29 years old.

But after he was dead, the lady who found the hanky one day was pregnant.  But she was in great pain, and thought the baby in her womb would die.  She remembered the saints hanky, so she held it to her belly, and suddenly she felt better.  She later gave birth to a healthy baby.

St Gerard-  Pray for us!