"Amazing, I thought to myself," as we walked through the Church. "He's not here, he's actually not here." He'd seemed to follow us to all the rest of the Churches, and there was really no avoiding him.
It's not that he was that unpleasant, and in fact his story was rather interesting. It was just surprising that he popped up everywhere. Then just as I turned, I saw him again.
Sebastian is all over Rome, and he's in practically every Church and museum you can possibly visit. It kind of makes sense since he died a young man in the elite force of perhaps the biggest military power the world has known. He was a member of the ancient equivalent of the Navy Seals.
Sebastian was a Roman and member of the Praetorian Guard, willing to die for the mission. He did twice for that matter.
Navy Seals take over 30 months to train, have to undergo mental and physical trials that are meant to bring man to the breaking point. And many do break.
Not much is known about the Praetorian Guard other than that they were the elite bodyguards of the emperor and had longer, tougher training. It definitely payed off in Sebastian's case.
As the captain of the Praetorian Guard under Diocletian, he wasn't supposed to be helping high profile religious prisoners or converting their family members to Christianity as well, which is exactly what he was doing.
Diocletian had Sebastian shot to death with arrows, but St. Irene found him still alive when she went to bury the body. She nursed him back to health, and once he was healthy enough, he was at it again. This time he shouted down the emperor himself, Diocletian, as he was passing by.
After that, Sebastian was successfully beaten to death. A true soldier for Christ, St. Sebastian's mission was the spreading of the Gospel and his reward the cross. He is the patron of soldiers, and today is his feast.
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