Quentin was also known as Quintinus. According to legend, he was a Roman. He went to Gaul as a missionary with St. Lucian of Beauvais, and settled at Amiens in Picardy. His preaching so incensed the authorities there as they were not Christians, that he was imprisoned by prefect Rictiovarus, tortured, and then brought to Augusta eromanduorum), where he was again tortured and finally beheaded.
St. John the Baptist also lost his head because he continued to preach to those who did not like what he had to say. Certainly, just two hundred years later, St. Quentin knew about St. John and followed his example as well as that of other martyrs, of boldness in their preaching about Jesus. And these early martyrs are a great example to all of us today not to fear those who can kill the body. As our Lord said, "Whosoever shall save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it." (Matthew 16:25)
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, may we all be bold in our witness to you as St. Quentin, fearing not those who can kill the body, but striving to always be true to you, that we, too, may save our souls and spend eternity with you. Amen.
