（based on Sunday's homily - 説教 四旬節第1主日 B年 2015-02-22 英語 MK 1:12-15）
It's the first Sunday of
Lent. For us Catholics, Lent is our yearly retreat of 40 days. Just as
Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, we will spend 40 days praying, giving alms,
and fasting.
We do all of these things for the one purpose of rededicating
ourselves to Jesus Christ.
We do all of these things so that we can become closer to Jesus
Christ.
We do all of these in order to renew our baptism.
And it is through baptism that we are united to the passion, the
death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We do all of these things so that we can follow the command of
Jesus: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”(Mk 1:15)
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| Icon by Tony Rezk |
This martyrdom affected me in a way
that surprised me. Yesterday I was on the phone with a Muslim friend.
I had called about another matter, but when the subject of this horrible
event came up in conversation, I suddenly found myself all choked up with tears running down my cheeks. These were tears of sadness, but even more, tears of pride in the victory of
martyrdom won by these brothers of mine whom I had never met. To die for
Christ is something I both fear and desire. The stories of the
martyrs were a prominent part in my early Catholic education back in the 1950s.
Ever since I was a child, these stories have had a special appeal and
fascination for me. My time in Japan, especially my time in Nagasaki - ground
made holy by the martyr's blood that flowed there - only deepened my understanding
and fascination. A few of the martyrs were my own Augustinian friars and third order (lay) members, both Japanese and foreign born. More were members of other religious orders or diocesan priests. The overwhelming majority of them were lay people - some who in the 1700s gave up their lives rather than betray the whereabouts of priests who were serving the underground communities. Many of the Christians I served there were descendants of these martyrs. For me, the phrase, "the blood of martyrs is the seed of faith" is not just a nice saying, but a palpable reality. Proof for me that the "communion of saints" is a living reality.
The fact that this crime was perpetrated by men claiming to do
it in the name of Islam, a faith that is not my own but one for which I have
great respect because of the Muslims I know as friends, lends another level of
complexity to the whole situation. The men and women I hold as friends, I know by the fruit of their work and the way they live their lives to be good people who love God as much as I do. And they grieve the deaths of these Copts as much as I do. Among the many ideals that Catholicism
and Islam hold in common, martyrdom is held in high esteem in both
religions.
Catholics are warned not to actively seek out martyrdom, but to
pray for the grace and strength from God to be able to withstand it. Should the
Lord be pleased to call me to such a privilege, I just hope I will be able to
rely on His mercy enough so that His strength will see me through.
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| From the video released by ISIS Feb. 15. |
These Coptic Christians gave their lives for Jesus
Christ.
They died because they were Christians. These men are glorious
martyrs for the Christian faith.
These men were not Catholics. It makes no difference.
Because of their baptism into Jesus Christ; because of their
faith in Jesus Christ – because of their love for Jesus Christ, these men are
our brothers. And because of the way they died, these men are martyrs, these
men are our heroes.
Pope Francis spoke about these new martyrs on Monday, the day
after the video of the executions was released:
I would now like to turn to my
native tongue to express feelings of profound sorrow. Today I read about the
execution of those twenty-one or twenty-two Coptic Christians. Their only words
were: “Jesus, help me!” They were
killed simply for the fact that they were Christians. ... The blood of our
Christian brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard. It
makes no difference whether they be Catholics, Orthodox, Copts or Protestants.
They are Christians! Their blood is one and the same. Their blood confesses
Christ. As we recall these brothers who died only because they confessed
Christ, I ask that we encourage each another to go forward with this ecumenism
which is giving us strength, the ecumenism of blood. The martyrs belong to all
Christians.
“Me
permito recurrir a mi lengua materna para expresar un hondo y triste
sentimiento. Hoy pude leer la ejecución de esos ...21... cristianos coptos.
Solamente decía Jesús ayúdame. Fueron asesinados por el sólo hecho de ser
cristianos. ... La sangre de nuestros hermanos cristianos es un testimonio que
grita. Sean católicos, ortodoxos, coptos, luteranos, no interesa: son cristianos.
Y la sangre es la misma, la sangre confiesa a Cristo. Recordando a estos
hermanos que han sido muertos por el sólo hecho de confesar a Cristo, pido que
nos animemos mutuamente a seguir adelante con este ecumenismo que nos está
alentando el ecumenismo de la sangre. Los mártires son de todos los cristianos,
recemos unos por los otros”.
In Christianity, martyrs are our spiritual heroes. They inspire
us. They make us want to love Jesus more strongly. In the 2000 years of
Christian History, there has been martyrs in every age. Probably none so many
as in our present age. Not only the 21 Egyptian martyrs of Libya, hundreds and
hundreds have died in Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, and many other nations. Most of
them are men and women we never hear about. Earlier this month, Pope Francis
recognize Bishop Oscar Romero as a martyr, Bishop Romero was assassinated in El
Salvador in 1980.
Christ, in his mercy, gave these 21 Coptic Christian men the
grace to be able to die for him. In dying for Christ they gave glory to
Christ.
Not all of us will receive that grace.
But we know that Christ in his mercy will give to you and me the
grace to be able to live for him. As we enter Lent, we ask Jesus for the
grace of renewal. So that in living for Jesus Christ we can give glory to Jesus
Christ. We know that Christ will give us that grace of renewal if we turn
to him sincerely in our hearts and ask him for that grace - ask him for
the grace of repentance – ask him for the grace to believe in the Gospel. And
recieving that grace, we must follow through upon it.
Brothers and sisters,
As we enter into these 40 holy days of Lent, let us ask all the
martyrs who have gone before us to pray for us to God. We are united with them throught the Communion of Saints!
Let us ask St. Steven the very first martyr to intercede for us
with his prayers.
Let us implore Saints Peter, Andrew, James, Phillip, Thomas,
Matthew, Bartholomew, Paul, - apostles and martyrs to intercede for us with
their prayers.
Let us beg for the intercessory prayers of Bishop Oscar Romero.
Let us ask for the prayers of the martyrs of the 21st
century including the 21 Egyptian Coptic martyrs of Libya,
...that during Lent, God might grant us the grace to deepen our
relationship with Jesus Christ so that we can give glory to him in the way we
live.
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Here is a link to a short conversation on a call-in radio
program of a man whose two brothers were martyred in this incident:
http://youtu.be/-yCmnyzYeW8
