Monthly Spiritual Message, July 2007
By Fr Carl Schafer
In recent years and almost every day, we hear of suicide bombers called martyrs. “Martyr” means “witness”. What these men and some women witness to is opposite to what Christian martyrs have witnessed to for two thousand years. They are intent on killing as many of their perceived enemies as possible in the act of killing themselves. Their reward is expressed in terms of superabundant bodily pleasure promised to them after their death.
Christian martyrs never take their own lives. Instead, their life is taken from them out of hatred for their Christian faith. Rather than deny Jesus Christ, their Saviour and the Son of God, they accept a usually violent death at the hands of their persecutors. Their reward is expressed in terms of the fullness of eternal life, love, joy and peace, in union with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In July, we remember some eminent Franciscan martyrs. The Memorial on July 8 of the Boxer martyrs of China falls on a Sunday this year, but the Martyrs of Gorcum in Holland are remembered on Monday, July 9.
About 25,000 Chinese Catholics and 43 European missionaries were martyred during the Boxer Persecution of 1900. The Boxers were a fanatical sect who, with official approval, murdered Christian missionaries.
On July 9, 1900, 26 Catholics of Taiyuanfu were murdered. Five of them were Franciscan friars, including two bishops, Gregory Grassi and Francis Fogolla. Seven were Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, the first martyrs of their congregation. There were five Chinese seminarians, all of them Franciscan Tertiaries. There were six Tertiary laymen and three laymen who were not Tertiaries. The Tertiaries are celebrated as martyrs by the Secular Franciscan Order and the entire Franciscan Family.
The Calvinists in Holland in the late 1500’s persecuted those who confessed the Catholic Faith. The martyrs gave their lives particularly in defence of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and the Primacy of the Roman Pontiff.
When the Calvinists occupied the city of Gorcum, they detained nineteen of the clergy as prisoners There were four secular priests, four priests of other religious orders, and eleven Friars Minor of the friary at Gorcum, with their Guardian Nicholas Pick. They suffered furious abuse from their captors. Eight days later, they were taken to Briel, where the Calvinist leader had them all hanged, on July 9, 1572.
What did these ordinary people like us witness to? How did they react in the worst of circumstances?
It is a natural reaction to be defensive and offensive to an enemy. Jesus, in Luke’s gospel (Lk 6:22), mentions some death-dealing reactions: hate, curse, treat badly, do bodily harm, take away necessities, rob, judge, condemn.
As Christians, we suffer the same negative stimulus from an enemy, but we can react in life-giving ways. We are expected to overcome evil with good. We do this, not by any power of our own, but by the Spirit of Jesus active and living in us. We discover we can do what we thought was impossible in the circumstances: love, do good, bless, pray, endure bodily harm, do without necessities, give, surrender possessions, lend, be compassionate, refuse to judge, refuse to condemn, and grant pardon.
The Christian martyr discovers he or she can love in the face of another’s enmity. Merciful love, love revealed in forgiving, this is the love we can have for someone who has hurt us, even to the extreme of killing us. This is how our Franciscan martyrs reacted.
Jesus had to die at the hands of his enemies in order to live. He had to love his enemies in order to love utterly. Our believing the Christian faith is defective if the impossible “Love your enemies” is not made possible by Jesus living in us.
St Francis reminded us of what the Lord said: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who persecute and slander you.” St Francis commented, in his ninth Admonition, “That person truly loves his enemy who is not hurt by an injury done to him, but, because of love of God, is stung by the sin of his soul. Let him show [the enemy] love by his deeds.” This is Christian martyrdom, witnessing to the God of love.
Merciful love is revealed in forgiving. The Spirit inspires life-giving reactions where there was only death-dealing provocation. The Spirit of the risen Christ creates love where love was humanly impossible.
“Love your enemies.” We must love and forgive, since we call on the mercy of God for ourselves. If we are afraid that this is impossible, Jesus assures us we can love our enemies by the power of his Spirit living in us.
It has been typical of Christian martyrs to sing the Te Deum in prison and on the way to their death. Let us join them in their praise of our God of love.
We praise you, O God
we acclaim you as the Lord….
The white-robed army who shed their blood for Christ,
all sing your praise.
And to the ends of the earth
your holy Church proclaims her faith in you….|
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
Son of the eternal Father.
You redeemed your people by your precious blood.
Come, we implore you, to our aid.
Fr Carl Schafer OFM
National Spiritual Assistant SFO – Oceania
