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THEOLOGICAL LINE

   

Martyrdom (Greek word martyria – witness) means death due to Christian faith or Christian life. Since II century this witness was separated from steadfast faith confessors who suffered but were not killed. Nowadays martyrdom is applied to persecuted non Christians as well. The cult of saint martyrs has started since 160, marked by the martyrdom of Polycarp. Martyrs were accepted as Jesus disciples who followed Him with authentic suffering and cross experience. The death of martyr is an act of Christian faith and God‘s love, not only a passively accepted necessity. Holiness of Church in martyrdom with God‘s grace becomes visible and persuasive to “outside”. Starting with Clement of Alexandria (III century), the power of justification and washing away sins is attributed to martyrdom the same as to baptism. That is why martyrdom is called baptism of blood. The martyrs and witnesses of early Christianity were inspirational examples of Christian life and confession. Theological word martyria means the service of the word, previously known as proclamation and is one of with the main Church act together with diakonia, leiturgia ir koinonia.

   

Martyrdom is one of the most honorable titles in the Church. It lifts up a human-being above himself/herself and raises him/her toward God’s love. A martyr is a perfect Christian, Christ’s imitator. As the name of Jesus is exalted above all names, so martyr is lifted high above the righteous.

   

Pagans who assisted at the martyrdom were struck at seeing the joy of the blessed ones as they suffered on their crosses and the courage with which they met death. It was a silent speech of the Christian witness. Nowadays Christian martyrdom and the message of many witnesses of Christian faith are essentially important. The martyrs are not only honor of the past of the Church. Their blood was abundantly spilled also in this century, perhaps with the bigger heroism than in the history of ancient Church. We remember a lot of martyrs who died because of faith in the countries of communistic regime.

Martyrdom as a suffering for Jesus is a confession of God’s word in our daily life. We, Franciscan Youth, are also called to be the witnesses to the Gospel. To witness means to confess the faith in our words and our deeds.

   

THE TEACHING OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

   

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2473), martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude. St. Ignatius of Antioch expresses a desire of martyrdom: “Let me become the food of the beasts, through whom it will be given me to reach God“.

   

Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) proclaims: “From the earliest times, then, some Christians have been called upon-and some will always be called upon-to give the supreme testimony of this love to all men, but especially to persecutors. The Church considers martyrdom as an exceptional gift and as the fullest proof of love. By martyrdom a disciple is transformed into an image of his Master by freely accepting death for the salvation of the world, as well as his conformity to Christ in the shedding of his blood. Though few are presented such an opportunity, nevertheless all must be prepared to confess Christ before men. They must be prepared to make this profession of faith even in the midst of persecutions, which will never be lacking to the Church, in following the way of the cross” (LG 42).

   

HOLY BIBLE

   

Saint Stephen is the first Christian martyr. In the Acts of the Apostles, written by Saint Luke, the Evangelist, his faith and martyrdom is described (Act 7, 54-8,2): devout men took order for Stephen's funeral and made great mourning over him, but soon after it the Church accepted the Lord‘s consolation: “But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak... And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake: but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved... Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 10, 19.22; Mt 5,10). The apostles rejoiced that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus (Act 5, 41).

   

Paul says that he will glory of the things that concern his infirmity: painfulness, hunger, thirst, perils (2 Cor 11, 23-33). He writes to Romans: “Know you not that all we who are baptized in Christ Jesus are baptized in his death? (...) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, to the end that we may serve sin no longer” (Rom 6, 3. 5-6). He adds: “According to my expectation and hope; that in nothing I shall be confounded: but with all confidence, as always, so now also, shall Christ be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ: and to die is gain” (Fil 1, 20-21).

   

Peter wrote to his brothers to encourage them: „Dearly beloved, think not strange the burning heat which is to try you: as if some new thing happened to you. But if you partake of the sufferings of Christ, rejoice that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Christ, you shall be blessed (...) But, if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed: but let him glorify God in that name” (1Pt 4, 12-14.16). John in Revelation sees under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held (Rev 6, 9-11).

   

If you seek to be a disciple of Jesus, to become His follower, Jesus says to you today: “If any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it” (Mk 8, 34-35).

FRANCISCAN SOURCES

   

How Francis, having changed his habit... and how he designed and made the habit the brothers wear

   

“Then the holy father, overflowing with joy, hastened to fulfill that salutary word he had heard, and he did not suffer any delay to intervene before beginning devoutly to perform what he had heard. He immediately put off his shoes from his feet, put aside the staff from his hands, was content with one tunic, and exchanged his leather girdle for a small cord. He designed for himself a tunic that bore a likeness to the cross, that by means of it he might beat off all temptations of the devil; he designed a very rough tunic so that by it he might crucify the flesh with all its vices and sins; he designed a very poor and mean tunic, one that would not excite the covetousness of the world.”

   

(Thomas of Celano, The First Life of St. Francis, 22)

   

   

How St. Francis Converted the Sultan...

   

“Spurred on by zeal for the faith of Christ and incited by a desire for martyrdom, St. Francis at one time went beyond the seas with twelve of his very holy companions, planning to travel right to the Sultan of Babylonia.

   

Now when he arrived in a certain country of the Saracens, where such cruel men guarded the roads that no Christian passing through there could escape being killed, by the grace of God they were not killed, but were taken prisoners, beaten in various ways and very roughly bound and then led before the Sultan.

   

In his presence St. Francis preached under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in such a divine way about the holy Catholic faith that he offered to enter the fire for it. As a result, the Sultan began to feel great devotion for him, both because of the unshakable conviction of his faith and because of his contempt of the world – for though he was utterly poor he would not accept any gifts – and also because of his fervent longing for martyrdom. And thereafter the Sultan willingly listened to him and asked him to come back to see him many times. Moreover, he generously granted permission to him and to his companions to go anywhere and freely preach wherever they wished in all his empire. And he gave them a certain little token so that no one who saw it should harm them.

   

After receiving that generous permission, St. Francis sent those chosen companions of his, two by two, into various lands of the Saracens to preach the faith of Christ. (…)

To the glory of Christ the Blessed. Amen.”

   

(Little Flowers of St. Francis, 24)

   

Concerning the vision of the man in the likeness of a crucified seraph

   

“Two years before Francis gave his soul back to heaven, while he was living in the hermitage which was called Alverna, after the place on which it stood, he saw in the vision of God a man standing above him, like a seraph with six wings, his hands extended and his feet joined together and fixed to a cross. Two of the wings were extended above his head, two were extended as if for flight, and two were wrapped around the whole body. When the blessed servant of the Most High saw these things, he was filled with the greatest wonder, but he could not understand what this vision should mean. Still, he was filled with happiness and he rejoiced very greatly because of the kind and gracious look with which he saw himself regarded by the seraph, whose beauty was beyond estimation; but the fact that the seraph was fixed to a cross and the sharpness of his suffering filled Francis with fear. And so he arose, if I may so speak, sorrowful and joyful, and joy and grief were in him alternately. Solicitously he thought what this vision could mean, and his soul was in great anxiety to find its meaning. And while he was thus unable to come to any understanding of it and the strangeness of the vision perplexed his heart, the marks of the nails began to appear in his hands and feet, just as he had seen them a little before in the crucified man above him.

   

His hands and feet seemed to be pierced through the middle by nails, with the heads of the nails appearing in the inner side of the hands and on the upper sides of the feet and their pointed ends on the opposite sides. The marks in the hands were round on the inner side, but on the outer side they were elongated; and some small pieces of flesh took on the appearance of the ends of the nails, bent and driven back and rising above the rest of the flesh. In the same way the marks of the nails were impressed upon the feet and raised in a similar way above the rest of the flesh. Furthermore, his right side was as though it had been pierced by a lance and had a wound in it that frequently bled so that his tunic and trousers were very often covered with his sacred blood. Alas, how few indeed merited to see the wound in his side while this crucified servant of the crucified Lord lived! But happy was Elias who, while the saint lived, merited to see this wound; and no less happy was Rufino who touched the wound with his own hands. For when this Brother Rufino once put his hand upon the bosom of this most holy man to rub him, his hand fell down to the right side of Francis, as it can happen; and it happened to touch the precious wound. The holy man of God was not a little grieved at this touch, and pushing his hand away, he cried out to the Lord to forgive Rufino. For he made every effort to hide this wound from those outside the order, and he hid it with such great care from those close to him that even the brothers who were always at his side and his most devoted followers did not know of this wound for a long time. And though the servant and friend of the Most High saw himself adorned with so many and such great pearls, as with the most precious gems, and endowed in a wonderful manner above the glory and honor of all other men, he did not become vain in heart nor did he seek to please anyone out of thirst for vainglory; but, lest human favor should steal any of the grace given him, he strove in every way he could to hide it.”

   

(Thomas of Celano, The First Life of St. Francis, 94-95)