Dear Friends,
Within four days this week, the Church in its liturgy celebrates three memorial feasts of martyrs: St. Blaise, St. Agatha, and St. Paul Miki and companions.
The saints present a wide range of personalities, nationalities and places.
Blaise (died 316) was identified with the district of Cappadocia in Asia Minor and known as a miracle healer. A hallmark of his feast day on February 3 is the blessing of throats.
Agatha hailed from Sicily and underwent grave indignity as she guarded her purity. She died in 215.
Paul Miki and companions, of various backgrounds, were put to death in 1597 in Nagasaki by orders of a Japanese imperial ruler.
Martyrdom continues to our own day, including in places such as Africa and Latin America.
The world might consider some of these deaths pointless and avoidable. But the Church recognizes them as inspiring displays of bravery.
Each martyr witnessed a great love for Christ, fueled by the gift of fortitude from the Holy Spirit—an enduring example for all the faithful.
The martyrs also showed a disdain for the lures of the world. Neither fame nor wealth nor social acceptance could deter them from keeping Christ in first place in their lives.
Their example has special relevance for us who live in a world blinded by glitz, consumerism and conformism. For our lives don’t have to be stuck in the muck.
To focus on what’s really important in life, it might help to pray along with our retreat guide on the first Beatitude from the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit.
It can remind us that being poor in spirit, a trait of the martyrs, brings a richness all its own.
In Christ,
Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Ask a Priest contributor
