Maximilian was a young Christian of Tebessa in Roman North Africa who, in the year 295 at age twenty-one, refused conscription into the Roman army, saying simply, 'I cannot serve; I am a Christian.' He was beheaded for his refusal, and the authentic record of his trial survives as one of the earliest and most trustworthy acts of the martyrs. The Roman Martyrology commemorates him on March 12.
Maximilian shows that faithfulness does not need many years — a young heart, fixed on Christ, can be braver than an empire. He teaches us to answer for our conscience with calm and without hatred, trusting that a life given to God, however short, is never lost.
Lord Jesus, who gave young Maximilian the courage to belong wholly to You, help us to hold fast to You in every trial, and gather all Your children, young and old, safely into Your peace. Amen.