Boy Martyr of the Eucharist – St. Tarcisius, Aug. 15
At the age of 12, he knew the divine & vital importance of the Eucharist the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pray that we comprehend this Heavenly Treasure like Saint Tarcisius and not take it for granted.
Tarcisius (Tar-sis-ee-us) was an acolyte – an altar server – that lived in the third century, a time of horrific persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire. Christians had to gather underground in the catacombs on the outskirts of Rome. These secret passageways were known only to the Christians, so they could pray together and attend Mass.
When Tarcisius was 12 he begged his bishop to let him be the one to carry the most Holy Eucharist to the Christians who were imprisoned and condemned to die, because of their love of Christ. He persuaded the bishop that because he was just a boy no one would suspect he’d be carrying the Church’s most precious treasure.
Tarcisius wrapped the Eucharist in linen and secured it close to his heart. He said, “I would die rather than let go of (Him).”
On his way, he was stopped and confronted by a group of his pagan peers. They noticed he was hiding something beneath his tunic. He felt their evil gaze and quietly called out to Jesus. When they heard this, it confirmed he was Christian, and they were enraged. They taunted him and beat him with fists, sticks, and stones, trying to get to whatever it was he was carrying and gripping tightly to his heart.
A man came upon the brawl, and when he was told the Tarcisius was Christian he delivered a devastating blow just before a Roman soldier ran up to separate the mob. The soldier chastised them for beating the child. He picked him up and carried him back to the bishop.
The official Roman Martyrology records that the Eucharist he was carrying had disappeared, and the Body of Christ he was carrying had become “flesh of his flesh thereby forming together with his body a single immaculate host offered to God” upon the final blow.
Saint Tarcisius, patron saint of Communicants & altar servers, pray for us.
Art by Jessica Huber of Sanctified Souls: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SanctifiedSouls
