"Did you say yout's?"
The Eastern Orthodox calendar offers us Old Testament saints on December 17 -- good stories of thwarted martyrdom. During the Babylonian Captivity, Daniel and three other other Hebrew yout's were brought to the palace of Nabuchodonosor (Nebuchadnezzar) as servants. His position at the palace was one of privilege, especially after he successfully interpreted a troubling dream by the king. However, there were enemies in court who poisoned the king against him and had Daniel cast into a lion's den. His faith was rewarded, for the lions would not eat him and he was released.
The other Hebrew yout's were Ananias (renamed Sedrach by the king), Misael renamed Misach) and Azarias ( renamed Abednago). They were punished for their adherence to monotheism and failure to worship an idol of Nebuchadnezzar. They were cast into a furnace, but an angel appeared and stayed with them to keep them from burning.
After so many beheadings, flayings, crucifixions, and hangings, it is refreshing to think that sometimes the martyrdoms failed and the good people walked away unscathed.
Great Saint of the Day...also nice "My Cousin Vinny" reference.
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