Today, November 25, is the memorial of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
Born in the year 287 in Alexandria, Egypt, Catherine was the daughter of the governor. She was a very studious child and became a Christian after the Blessed Virgin and the Christ Child appeared to her in a vision.
When the anti-Christian persecutions began under Maxentius, she personally scolded him. Maxentius challenged her to a debate: he called 50 of his best pagan philosophers and orators to deliberate with Catherine. She won the debate single-handedly. Some of these pagan philosophers were so convinced by her that they converted to Christianity and were immediately killed by the emperor.
Maxentius was so angry that he had Catherine imprisoned and tortured. She received heavenly intervention during and after these tortures. The emperor tried to win her over by proposing marriage. She refused, citing Jesus as her only spouse.
He became furious and ordered her to be killed on a spiked breaking wheel, which shattered when Catherine touched it. He then had her beheaded. Instead of blood, a milk-like substance flowed from her neck.