Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.
"Alleluia, alleluia. The bodies of the Saints are buried in peace, and their name liveth unto generation and generation. Alleluia."
The quote from Ecclesiastes is the Alleluia verse in today's Catholic Mass commemorating several martyrs.
St. Cornelius, a Pope of the third century was beheaded in 253.
St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage and Primate of Africa suffered martyrdom in 258.
St. Euphemia, a virgin of Chalcedon was killed by wild beasts in the persecution of Diocletian in 303.
St. Lucy, a noble lady, and St. Geminian, a layman, were beheaded in the same persecution at Rome in 305.
In today's Gospel, Luke: 21: 9-19, Christ foretells the persecutions of His followers, and encourages them to constancy. How might we fare during persecutions? We have modern martyrs in countries where muslims are slaughtering christians daily, by the thousands, Catholic and Protestant. It is said that the blood of martyrs is the seed of christianity. I wonder how we might fare in a full-blown persecution? Would we be steadfast? Could we endure and keep our faith in the face of death? I wonder.
Luke's Gospel: At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: When you shall hear of wars and seditions, be not terrified: these things must first come to pass, but the end is not yet presently. Then He said to them: Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be great earthquakes in divers places, and pestilences, and famines and terrors from heaven, and there shall be great signs. But before all these things they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, dragging you before kings and governors, for My name's sake. And it shall happen unto you for a testimony. Lay it up therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before how you shall answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to resist and gainsay. And you shall be betrayed by your parents and brethren and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death. And you shall be hated by all men for My name's sake. But a hair of your head shall not perish. In your patience you shall possess your souls.
This is food for thought in these days, when "Christianophobia" seems to be increasing. We are not (yet) martyrs, but we must stand up for what we believe and be not afraid to practice our faith and to defend it in public. Silence in the face of the clamoring enemies of God and His laws lend strength to their onslaught. We can not surrender our families and our country to those who would destroy our religious heritage. Christ said, "I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversairies shall not be able to resist and gainsay." We are betrayed, daily, by those we put in power to protect and defend. Let them not possess our souls.
9/16/11
No comments:
Post a Comment