Martyrdom ...

… does not sound very fun. So it is not something you are very likely to hear about in church on Sunday morning. I think this is a big big problem. We are ignoring an important part of who we are as Christians, and we are leaving people unprepared for a path that many of us are going to go down.

That is right. I said many of us are going to go down the path of martyrdom. This is not an exaggeration or a rhetorical point. Many of us are going to be called to be martyrs. Some would say all of us are called to be martyrs. We should be praying, teaching, and understanding this so that we can serve God faithfully.

Jesus said:

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

“Whoever loses his life for me…” That sounds like martyrdom to me. So what kind of martyrdom am I talking about? Whenever this passage comes up in church it is usually spiritualized, looked at as losing the worldly self we would have been without Jesus. I agree, that is a form of losing your life for Jesus, but martyrdom is experienced in many forms.

Saint Cyprian of Carthage describes martyrdom as red or white. Red being the shedding of blood during persecution, and white being self-sacrificing compassion and charity during peace. There is an Irish tradition of red, white, and green martyrdom. Red is shedding your blood for Jesus. White is abandoning everything you love for God’s sake. Green is laboring and fasting to be free from evil desires.

I think the color thing is interesting, but there are some specific things today that I think are martyrdom even though they are not often taught as such.

Martyrdom in Illness – Many faithful people are struck by disease, mental illness, paralysis, or loss of limbs. I believe this is a type of martyrdom. There is a strong pull of doubt and a temptation to reject God in these circumstances. To me faithfulness through this type of suffering is just as powerful a testimony of faith as any tortured, persecuted martyr.

Martyrdom of Loneliness – How painful is it for someone who so badly wants to be in deep friendship or marriage to be alone. And how strong the temptation to seek the worldly comforts. Only the Holy Spirit of the martyrs can bring someone through this with victory.

There are others. The important thing is that we understand that martyrdom is a fundamental part of the church today. We should teach it, prepare ourselves, and enter into it with praise. We are often baffled by the question of why are we suffering. Understanding that we are suffering along with all the saints and martyrs can free us from confusion and doubt and help us play our part in advancing the work of the kingdom of God.