Dear Friends,
June 30th on the liturgical calendar celebrates a memorial for the first martyrs of the Holy Roman Church.
The witnesses died for the faith under the emperor Nero, who blamed them for starting a fire that ravaged half of Rome.
Never mind that Nero was suspected of being the one who started the blaze. The Christians were an easy target and quickly became scapegoats.
It wouldn’t be the last time that Christians were persecuted in Rome—or elsewhere in the world, for that matter.
Persecution is part of the DNA of Christianity. A genuinely Christian life goes against the grain of the world.
It leaves the world feeling uncomfortable because it challenges its values—and pricks more than a few consciences. “The light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil” (Jn 3:19).
Persecution and even martyrdom can be signs of a healthy Christian community, in contrast to the not-so-healthy wider culture.
If ever we feel ostracized because of our Catholic faith, that can be a reason, paradoxically, for joy. For Jesus told us, “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first” (Jn 15:18).
Our Lord’s words are sobering: To imitate him invites opposition from the world.
If that seems intimidating, it might be a theme worth pondering in prayer. Our retreat guide on Heroic Youth might be a good place to start.
It could help people of all ages to recall that we are travelers in a fallen world and shouldn’t expect perfect comfort here.
True happiness, with our Creator and all the saints, lies on the other side of a higher horizon.
In Christ,
Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Ask a Priest contributor
