My friend, Sebastian, is an inspiration to me because he stood up for what he believed in, even in times of grave danger. He taught me that you should stand up for what you believe in, despite possible consequences. He also taught me to always believe in God, no matter what the circumstances. Sebastian and I were friends since birth. We grew up together and we did everything together. Now he is gone, but he would want me to tell you about his life. Sebastian was born in Narbonne, Gaul in 256, but later moved to Italy. He was unfortunately killed a few years ago in 286. He was killed for trying to spread the faith of God. He was a very strong man, both physically and spiritually. Sebastian did so many great things in his life time. He was the bravest, kindest person that I ever knew.
 

I believe Sebastian became a soldier in the Roman army in 283. This was also the time when Diocletian, the Roman Emperor at the time, put all of the Christians in prison. At the time not many people knew Sebastian was a Christian, including Diocletian. I knew he was, but I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to get him in trouble with Diocletian and be a prisoner like I was. While a soldier working for Diocletian, Sebastian encouraged all of the prisoners to remain firm in their faith and to not give up on God. Sebastian helped many people convert, including Nicostratus, who was in charge of the prisoners, and his wife Zoe, who Sebastian cured of deafness. He also converted Chromatius, who was the Prefect of Rome and controlled the prisons. Later Chromatius then let all of the prisoners free, a bold act of his faith.
 

After all of these incidents, Diocletian concluded that Sebastian was a Christian. He was furious! I was scared that they were going to do something terrible to him, and maybe even kill him; and kill him they did. They tied him to a tree with no clothes on except a cloth around his waist. Then, archers of Diocletian shot Sebastian with arrows in an attempt to kill him. At least, that’s what they thought. That’s what we all thought. I mean, how can you endure so many arrows and live? It just wasn’t possible, but somehow when Irene of Rome came to recover Sebastian’s body, she found that he was still alive. So Irene nursed him back to health in her home. When he recovered, Sebastian went to Diocletian and started to scold him about his anti-Christian ways. That was probably the gutsiest thing a person could ever do, especially after being executed. Diocletian was very surprised to see that Sebastian was alive, but after recovering from the shock of Sebastian’s survival, Diocletian again called for him to be put to death. This time, he had Sebastian beaten to death with clubs, and this time they made sure he was dead. Sebastian was my best friend and he won’t be remembered as just some guy, he will be remembered as the hero who fought for what he thought was right, the legend who lived through an execution and then wasn’t afraid to go back to fight again. Sebastian will always be remembered as a saint.
 

Image Credit:
Saint Sebastian 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sebastian