THIS SAINT REFUSED TO RECEIVE COMMUNION FROM A HERETIC BISHOP

Saint Hermenegild, Martyr of the Eucharist

Saint Hermenegild (died 585) is considered xa martyr for his defense of the Catholic faith against Arianism, and is specifically known as the Martyr of the Eucharist because he was executed for refusing to receive communion (the consecrated host containing the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ) from an Arian bishop during Easter.

The context: Hermenegild, son of the Arian Visigothic king Leovigild, converted to Catholicism.

The martyrdom: After being imprisoned in Tarragona, his father offered him freedom and reconciliation in exchange for receiving communion from an Arian bishop (who denied the divinity of Christ).

The refusal: Hermenegild rejected the communion offered by the heretic, preferring death to betraying the Catholic faith, and was immediately executed.

Recognition: Saint Gregory the Great recounts his story as that of a true martyr, and his feast day is celebrated on April 13.