In the John Waters movie Serial Mom (about a suburban mother who killed six Baltimoreons–but always for good reasons), Rosemary Ackerman testifies against Beverly Sutphin (aka “Serial Mom”) in a fairly damning way. On cross examination, Beverly (who is representing herself) asks one question of Rosemary: “Do you…[dramatic pause] recycle?” Well, when Rosemary Ackerman (who was, after all, under oath) admits that she does not recycle, the entire jury, the judge, and the gallery are all so utterly disgusted that they simply cannot credit any of the rest of Rosemary’s testimony! How can you believe the word of a non-recycler?! Even the District Attorney knew that all was lost when his star witness turned out to have so little care for the environment! Rosemary’s feckless plea that she simply didn’t have room (to separate differently colored glass, not to mention plastics, paper, and more) fell on deaf ears. Ms. Ackerman left the witness stand in disgrace.

Well, something similar happened–but not to comic effect–to Julitta, today’s saint. Julitta was a very wealthy landowner in an area of modern-day Turkey. A neighboring landowner seized property that was hers through violence, and so they ended up in court. The prefect fully believed Julitta’s testimony and was about to render verdict in her favor when the usurper diverted the issue, asking: “Julitta, do you…practice Christianity?” When she stated that she did (not timidly, like Rosemary Ackerman’s admission that she didn’t recycle), the judge and the gallery were appalled! The judge even gave Julitta a chance to change her answer. Surely, this woman couldn’t possibly be one of those people! He even told Julitta that she would lose her property (and more) if she, ironically, held fast to her testimony.

Julitta’s response? “If you take from me a little portion of this earth, I shall gain heaven for it.”

Judgment for the usurper!

In addition, Julitta’s execution was ordered up. Her crime was actually the purest and most original meaning of the Greek word, “martyr”–meaning one who tells the truth and stands by it. “Martyr” did not (necessarily) mean one who died for her or his religion, but it did mean someone who refused to bear false witness. So because Julitta was unwilling to perjure herself, she was disenfranchised and sentenced to be burned to death.

The Christian records of Julitta’s death describe that the fire never touched her body–it arced above and around her–and she died, instead, of smoke inhalation. Accordingly, Christians in the area buried her body in tact, and then reported that a sweet and potable stream (with healing properties, no less) subsequently flowed from the ground where she was laid–unlike all other streams in the vicinity, which were brackish.

How often justice is perverted daily through this technique of “Hey, stop looking at the real issue and instead look at the character assassination I’m engaged in!”! And how often this is done by targeting women!

Just a few thoughts raised by the tragic history of St. Julitta, a true martyr (and the comic downfall of Rosemary Ackerman)!