Originally published at National Catholic Register
The archbishop recalled that Sept. 19 marks the anniversary of St. Januarius’ martyrdom more than 1,700 years ago.
The blood of St. Januarius liquefied on Thursday before a Mass in Naples, Italy, where the archbishop said that the blood of the fourth-century martyr is a powerful reminder that “love is stronger than death.”
Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples held up an ampoule containing the relic of the saint’s blood in the Naples cathedral on his feast day, revealing the liquefaction to shouts and cheers from the people who had waited in the cathedral since early in the morning.
“Every drop of this blood speaks to us of the love of God,” Archbishop Battaglia said in his homily. “This blood is a sign of the blood of Christ, of his passion.”
The archbishop recalled that Sept. 19 marks the anniversary of St. Januarius’ martyrdom more than 1,700 years ago in which the saint chose death in “fidelity to the Gospel” to show that the love of God is “stronger than death, violence, or any power.”
Hundreds of people gathered in Naples’ Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary for the feast of St. Januarius, known as San Gennaro in Italian. The
