During the late third and early fourth centuries (i.e., pre-Constantine and thus prior to Christianity’s becoming the official religion of the Empire), Sabinus served as bishop of an area in what is now central Italy. Back-to-back Emperors, Diocletian and Maximian, engaged in torturing and executing, inter alios, Christians who failed to recant their religious allegiances in favor of those espoused in Rome.

In 303, Sabinus was arrested and held captive until the governor that ruled his area came to town to pass judgment. That governor’s name was Venustianus. When Sabinus was hauled before Governor Venustianus, Sabinus spoke eloquently about his faith. It proved enough to save Sabinus’s life, but not his hands–these, Venustianus, ordered to be chopped off. Others rounded up with Sabinus were summarily executed.

Handless, Sabinus continued in his role as shepherd over the people in his care. And one of the miracles that Sabinus helped facilitate, during this time following these Imperial amputations, was the recovery of sight for a blind child. When word of this miracle reached Governor Venustianus, he himself turned to the man whose hands he had ordered cut off for help. This was because Venustianus himself suffered from what Butler describes as “a weakness in the eyes.” And Sabinus helped bring about full healing for the Governor.

This so moved Venustianus–not only the healing of his eyes but the fact that this healing came through the very man whose hands he had ordered sliced off–that the Governor himself converted to Christianity.

Yet, instead of a happy ending, this resulted in Venustianius’ being beheaded, and a new governor–Lucius–taking his place. Governor Lucius then commanded that the handless Sabinus be beaten to death with clubs.

In the midst of this tragic and ugly story shines that nugget of pure-hearted gold, the same thing that led Venustianus to adopt the Way that animated Sabinus. Nothing short of grace, received from someone he had severely and without just provocation injured, could have so changed him from a “good team player” to a member of a targeted minority religion.

It cracks one’s imagination and heart wide open to contemplate what it meant for Sabinus to be asked by Venustianus for help with the latter’s eye problems…and what it meant for Venustianus to humble himself and to go to Sabinus, seeking such a massive favor from one he had disfigured in such a cruel way.

The grace of that unrecorded conversation still reverberates down to today and will for time to come, and merits our humble and grateful awareness on this annual day to commemorate our saint.