Reflection:
“Deny yourself and take up your cross each day, and follow me!”
Saints like Perpetua and Felicity faced death in the arena for declaring their faith in Christ. Martyrdom—bearing   witness at the cost of one’s life—was the origin of the cult of saints. In laying down their lives for the sake of Christ, the martyrs showed their powerful faith in the resurrection. Their blood, as Tertullian said, “was the seed of the church.”
As the era of persecution re- ceded it became clear that there were other ways of demonstrating heroic faith—through lives of service, prayer, and selfless devotion. Nevertheless, the era of martyrdom has never passed. Among recently beatified saints is  Archbishop  Oscar  Romero of San Salvador, who was shot by a death squad while saying Mass in 1980. Although his killers called themselves Christians, they were motivated by hatred for the gospel as expressed through his devotion to justice and the cause of the poor. Pope Francis has recently extended the categories of holiness to recognize all those who sacrifice their lives for others. As Jesus said, “No greater love has a man than that he lay down his life for his friends.”

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019