Today is the feast of St. Sebastian. He joined the Roman army in the early centuries of the Church because he wanted to be near the persecuted Christian prisoners and encourage them in their sufferings. 

"With courage no less daring than he had shown in his rescue of Mark and Marcellian, [two young brothers who had faltered in their courage, and whom Sebastian had exhorted to fortitude] but with his prudence and resourcefulness sharpened by experience, Sebastian carried on his unlawful apostolate. Many of the honored martyrs whom we read of today in the Missal owe to him their last moments of encouragement on the painful road to glory in Christ's kingdom."

~ Fr. Robert G. North, SJ, All-Stars of Christ, imprimatur 1949.

After the saint was executed himself (twice! read his story!), Fr. North writes about the conditions of the prisoners:

"After that there was no Christian soldier at the palace to encourage the faithful condemned to martyrdom. But Sebastian had not yet deserted his vocation of Catholic Action. Word of his heroism quickly passed from mouth to mouth through the catacombs. His memory lived as a bright presence in the dungeons of confinement. Each Christian who entered its barred doors heard echoing that brave, inspiring voice: 'To die for Christ means to be a king for all eternity.'"

When I was probably about twelve years old, I read Fabiola by Cardinal Wiseman. If you haven't read it yet, do! It's a fascinating novelized account of the Christian persecution under Emperor Diocletian in Rome. I remember thinking as a kid, "I never thought about the fact that all these martyrs would have known each other, and gone to Mass together in the Catacombs!" From that moment, I had a sort of spiritual "crush" on Saint Sebastian. He was brave and strong, and a hero in the truest sense of the word. 

Saint Sebastian, pray for us that we may have fortitude in our trials and tribulations like you had!