Dear Linus,<\/p>\n
The successes of your junior year are impressive.\u00a0 No doubt I should be a proud uncle \u2013 from your perspective, at least.\u00a0 The fact is, I\u2019m not.\u00a0 Even from this distance I can detect the slow but steady disintegration of your willpower.\u00a0 Comfort, ease, popularity\u2026\u00a0 These subtle and seductive idols are making serious inroads in your soul as you bask in the glory of achievement.\u00a0 I fear that your summer plans will only exacerbate the seduction.\u00a0 Not that achievements are evil \u2013 on the contrary, you are duty-bound to make your talents bear fruit.\u00a0 But that self-satisfied, smugly arrogant smile you\u2019re wearing (I can see it even in your emails) can hardly be called Christian.\u00a0 Shake it off, my prodigious young nephew, before it\u2019s too late.\u00a0 Maybe a glance at the authentic Christianity of today\u2019s saint will wake you up.<\/p>\n
Quirinus was an exemplary bishop who happened to live in Croatia (back then it was a province in Pannonia) at the time when the Roman Tetrarchy (surely you remember that from your history lessons) was on the rocks.\u00a0 The Eastern Augustus was intent on doing away with the Christians, believing that this would somehow help pave the way for his hostile takeover of the rest of the divided Empire.\u00a0 So all the government officials were ordered to purge the Christians from their lands: either they would burn incense to the Roman gods, or they would die.<\/p>\n
When the edict arrived at Sisak, where Quirinus was bishop, he shook the dust from his feet and left the city (as per the Gospel injunction: \u201cWhen they persecute in one city, go on to the next\u2026).\u00a0 But he was the Christian leader, and Maximus, the governing prelate, wanted to make an example of him.\u00a0 The old bishop was therefore pursued, arrested and brought before Maximus.<\/p>\n
The interrogation didn\u2019t go very well, from the Roman\u2019s perspective.\u00a0 For every demand and argument of the Roman prelate, the Christian prelate issued a reply superior in both eloquence and courage.\u00a0 Maximus then resorted to less sophisticated tactics, and had the aged priest beaten with clubs, a punishment carried out with excessive cruelty by the sadistic guards.\u00a0 But even then the bishop stood firm.<\/p>\n
So he was imprisoned.\u00a0 He converted the guards.\u00a0 So they moved him to a prison under the jurisdiction of the Pannonian Governor, Amantius, who had the power to sentence capital punishment.\u00a0 After a trial held in a theatre, in which Quirinus resisted trickery, cajolery, and threats, humiliating the Governor as much has he had earlier humiliated Maximus, he was condemned to death by drowning.<\/p>\n
They tied a millstone around his neck and, under the eyes of a vast crowd gathered to watch the execution, threw him into the river at Sabaria.\u00a0 But miraculously, he didn\u2019t sink.\u00a0 Instead, he preached to the crowds for a long while, perched on top of the miraculously floating millstone, exhorting the Christians to keep the faith and at the same time giving powerful testimony of Christ\u2019s faithfulness.\u00a0 Only after he prayed to be allowed to offer his life as a martyr did the millstone take him under.<\/p>\n
That, my bright young nephew, is a real Christian.\u00a0 I suggest you contemplate his example and examine your conscience to see whether you haven\u2019t been cutting corners on your own fidelity to the Lord.\u00a0 As you do, you may find Quirinus\u2019s words to Maximus right after his being beaten by clubs somewhat instructive (and inspirational):<\/p>\n
\u201cQuirinus replied [to Maximus]: \u2018I am now performing the true function of a priest, in offering myself a sacrifice to the living God. I feel not the blows which my body has received: they give me no torment. I am ready to suffer much greater tortures, that they who have been committed to my charge may be encouraged to follow me to eternal life.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Your loving uncle,<\/p>\n
Eddy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Linus, The successes of your junior year are impressive.\u00a0 No doubt I should be a proud uncle \u2013 from your perspective, at least.\u00a0 The fact is, I\u2019m not.\u00a0 Even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":145992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3719],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-142484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncle-eddy"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n