They had been married for only 20 days.

Most newlyweds dream of a long life together.

A home.

Children.

Years of shared memories.

But for Saints Timothy and Maura, their marriage would end on a cross.

And it would become one of the most extraordinary love stories in Christian history.

Timothy was a young lector in the Church, responsible for safeguarding and reading the Sacred Scriptures. Maura was his newlywed wife.

They had been married for less than a month when persecution broke out in Egypt during the reign of Emperor Diocletian.

Timothy was arrested and ordered to surrender the Christian books in his care.

He refused.

The authorities tortured him mercilessly, demanding that he reveal where the Scriptures were hidden.

Still, he would not betray Christ.

When the governor learned that Timothy had recently married, he ordered Maura to be brought before him.

Perhaps, he thought, she could persuade her husband to give in.

Instead, she strengthened him.

Standing before the governor, Maura boldly professed her faith in Jesus Christ.

The enraged officials turned their cruelty upon her as well.

For days, the young couple endured horrific tortures.

Their bodies were broken.

Their wounds multiplied.

Yet neither abandoned Christ.

Ancient accounts tell us that during their suffering, Timothy and Maura encouraged one another to remain faithful.

Rather than despair, they spoke of Heaven.

Rather than fear death, they fixed their eyes on eternity.

Finally, the governor sentenced them both to crucifixion.

Two crosses were erected facing one another.

For nine long days, the young husband and wife hung there in agony.

Yet rather than despair, they encouraged one another.

They prayed together. They sang hymns. They reminded each other of Christ’s suffering and the promise of eternal life.

When one grew weak, the other strengthened them.

Their final days were not filled with bitterness.

They were filled with faith.

Together, they endured.

Together, they hoped.

Together they carried their final cross.

Around the year 286 AD, Timothy and Maura surrendered their souls to God and entered Heaven as martyrs.

Their story reminds us that the strongest marriages are not built merely on human love, but on a shared love for God.

Timothy and Maura were married for only a few weeks on earth.

But their union lasts forever in Heaven.

Saints Timothy and Maura, pray for us.

Source: Fear Not