Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Saint Matrona, also known as Matrona of Thessalonica and lovingly remembered in Catalonia as Madrona, lived in the third or fourth century. Born in or near Thessalonica, she was a young Christian girl held in slavery in the household of a Jewish woman named Pautila, the wife of a military commander. From her youth Matrona clung to faith in Christ, and her mistress repeatedly pressured her to abandon the Gospel and embrace Judaism. Tradition tells of Matrona’s quiet courage and steadfast charity toward fellow Christians. In one account, she suffered martyrdom in Rome because she took time to minister to Christians in need. In another, more widely told story, she refused to enter a synagogue at her mistress’s command and was beaten so severely that she died from her wounds. In either telling, her witness is the same: a humble servant who chose fidelity to Christ over fear. Matrona is especially venerated in Barcelona and surrounding villages, and she is honored as patron of Alella. Her feast day is March 27.