SAINT NARCISSUS
Bishop
(2nd century)
St. Narcissus was consecrated Bishop of Jerusalem about the year 180. Although elderly, God attested his merits with miracles long-held in the memory of Jerusalem's Christians.
One Holy Saturday in church, the faithful were in trouble because no oil could be found for the lamps during the Paschal feast. St. Narcissus bade them draw water from a neighboring well, prayed over it, and told them to put it in the lamps. The water had become oil; some of which was preserved.
Some were scandalized by the Saint's eminent virtue. Three false acusers charged him with a henious crime. As narrated by some authors, the accusers confirmed their testimony by horrible imprecations: The first prayed that he might perish by fire, the second that he might be wasted by leprosy, and the third that he might be struck blind if they charged the bishop falsely. The holy bishop had long desired a life of solitude, and he withdrew secretly into the desert, leaving the Church in peace. But God spoke for his servant: the bishop's accusers suffered the penalties they had invoked. Narcissus afterward returned to Jerusalem to resume his office.
He died in extreme old age, bishop to the last.