A priest of Nola in Italy, he was arrested and tortured during persecution yet held firm in faith. He declined to become bishop, lived in poverty serving others, and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage.
Life
Saint Felix of Nola was a priest of Nola in southern Italy in the third century. He is known mainly through poems written in his honor by Saint Paulinus of Nola in the late fourth century, which mix fact and tradition, so little can be known for certain.
According to tradition he was seized and suffered during the persecution of Emperor Decius, and since he did not die a martyr's death he was honored as a confessor who bore witness to the faith. He is said to have declined the office of bishop, lived in poverty and shared what he had with the poor. His tomb long drew many pilgrims.
Spirituality
The Felix of tradition is a man of faith that endured hardship and of generosity toward the poor. He kept the faith under persecution, and even after peace returned he sought neither honor nor wealth. Though he did not shed his blood, his way was to bear witness to Christ in daily life.
Reflection
Felix is remembered not as a martyr but as a confessor who witnessed to the faith with his life. Not in some special moment but in an ordinary day, how could you show Christ today?