In his audience on April 19, 2023, Pope Francis continued his series on “The Passion for Evangelization,” focusing on witnesses. However, he directs this audience not to a particular individual, but to the host of martyrs.
The Pope communicates three critical points on the subject of martyrs. First, martyrs bear incredible witness to the love of Christ, who laid down His life that we may be saved. Second, martyrs are numerous and relevant in our time. Third, while martyrdom is asked only of a few, we are all called to be prepared to confess Christ before others.
To begin, what precisely is a martyr? The word is derived from the Greek word martyria, which means witness. In the early days of the Church, the word was used to mean someone who gave daily witness. Later on, however, it was “used to indicate those who give their life by shedding [their blood]”. Lumen Gentium, one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council, teaches that “martyrdom makes the disciple like His master, who willingly accepted death for the salvation of the world and through it he is conformed to Him by the shedding of blood. Therefore the Church considers martyrdom the highest gift and supreme proof of love” (LG, 42).
The witness of martyrs
The first example of a martyr as we now understand them was St. Stephen, who was stoned to death outside the walls of Jerusalem because of his defense of the faith before the rabbinic court in A.D. 34. Another key example used by Pope Francis is St. Lawrence. St. Augustine preached on St. Lawrence, saying, “He performed the office of deacon; it was there that he administered the sacred chalice of Christ’s blood; there that he shed his own blood for the name of Christ.” The Pope says that St. Augustine’s sermons sum up the “spiritual dynamism that inspired the martyrs . . . martyrs love Christ in His life and imitate Him in His death”. Pope Francis also reminds us that the martyrs show forgiveness and pray for their persecutors.” “Imitating Christ and with His grace, martyrs turn the violence of those who reject the proclamation into the supreme proof of love, which goes as far as the forgiveness of their own persecutors”. As St. Stephen died, he prayed the words of Jesus, “Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Ultimately, the martyrs point to the powerful love of Christ, His total self-sacrifice, and His forgiveness.
Martyrs in the modern world
While martyrs can be found throughout Church history, Pope Franics says that they are more numerous now than in the first centuries. He explains further that these examples of Christian witness are present in every corner of the world. In particular, the Holy Father calls to mind the country of Yemen, where there has been vast suffering due to war and conflict that has resulted in severe economic and humanitarian crises. Amidst this turmoil, the Missionary Sisters of Charity serve as shining witnesses of faith. They offer assistance to the elderly and disabled in Yemen, welcoming everyone regardless of their religion “because charity and fraternity have no boundaries”. Many Sisters, along with laypeople, and even some of the Muslim faithful that worked with them, gave their life. Pope Francis reflected that, “It moves us to see how the witness of blood can unite people of different religions.” Some Sisters suffered martyrdom; others continue to risk their lives in order to carry on with their ministry and serve those around them.
Our call to witness
While the stories of martyrs are deeply inspiring and serve to demonstrate the power of Christ’s love and sacrifice, the thought of martyrdom may produce anxiety or feel intimidating as we wonder how these things apply to each of us. Despite the fact that martyrdom is only asked of a few, “all must be prepared to confess Christ before men. They must be prepared to make this profession of faith even in the midst of persecutions, which will never be lacking to the Church” (LG, 42). The Pope explains that the martyrs can inspire our efforts; they demonstrate that every Christian is called to the witness of life. 1 John 3:16 says, “Just as Christ laid down his life for us, so we too ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” Love is sacrificial, and we are called to make a gift of ourselves and live our lives for others. In what parts of your life is God calling you to “lay down your life”? How can we turn our minds and hearts to others and seek to imitate Christ? The Pope concluded his audience by asking us to pray that “we may never tire of bearing witness to the Gospel, even in times of tribulation” and that the example of the martyrs may be the “seeds of peace and reconciliation for a more humane and fraternal world”.