Posted on by Msgr. Charles Pope

40 Reasons for Coming Home – Reason # 24 – Martyrs have died to give you the faith.

Reason# 24 – Martyrs have died to give us the faith.  Every Sunday at Mass we recite the Creed: I Believe in one God, the Father Almighty….  I often think of the blood of Martyrs as I pray the Creed. They died for the faith that I can so easily take for granted. Others, though not suffering death lost property and jobs, or were imprisoned and disowned. For many of us in modern day America the idea of suffering death or extreme punishment for the faith seems remote. At worse,  we are verbally scorned for our faith or laughed at; maybe a raised eyebrow or a smirk. We may suffer more in days ahead but for now, we have it easy compared to others. And consider this too, martyrdom is not something from the remote past. Many suffer intensely and are killed for the faith in many parts of the world even today. See how precious the faith was and is to them! They willingly suffered for it.

 So here is an important reason to come home. The faith that we celebrate each Sunday is so precious that multitudes of martyrs down through the ages were willing to suffer extreme punishment, torture and death for it. Rolling out of bed on Sunday mornings may seem an inconvenience, living the faith may have its demands, but these things do not compare to what Jesus and the martyrs experienced to hand on the faith to us. When I roll out of bed early on Sunday morning to unlock the Church I may grumble at having to end my sleep. But others suffered far worse for me so that I could celebrate Mass and know that Jesus is Lord. When someone told them to be silent and not speak of Jesus they spoke anyway and suffered on account of it. My faith has come at great price and I think of that each Sunday, especially as I so easily say the Creed, a creed written in the Blood of Jesus and the Martyrs of every age. Come home to the faith of Jesus and the Martyrs.

Be careful of the following video. It is graphic in its depictions of the suffering of the early Christians in the Colosseum. But if you are able to look upon it, it is a powerful and moving depiction of the horrors they faced as they were thrown to the lions while hard hearted on-lookers were “entertained” by their sufferings.  If this video is too much perhaps the second video will be more palatable.

5 Replies to “40 Reasons for Coming Home – Reason # 24 – Martyrs have died to give you the faith.”

  1. I have never seen a depiction of such graphic ever! Remarkable! I was lost for words to see such faith. the expressions on their faces were fearful and others confused but they diffinately were serene toward their faith.

    But what really grabs you is that the blood thirsty barbarians watchers gave me pause to how desensitized and blood thirsty people are today, thats scary. Killing, blood, sex, money, and greed is what satisfy many, many people of today. What a way to remind us of how easy it is for us to walk in the faith on the waves of those who die for our cause! Good work Msgr.

  2. Present day Martyrs. Who are they? Do they go unnoticed today in the USA because they are not killed by lions. People who fight for justice and live on the contributions of the community. Who may not have health care and sacrifice their own health, and lifestyle for the church, and ultimately die of cancer or some other disease, because they sacrifice themselves. Families who go abroad on missionary journey’s leaving behind the comforts of this country, to be killed in another. Who are the unseen martyrs, not in other countries but in ours. Is it possible that we encounter them everyday?

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