St. Stephen the Martyr, Bernardo Cavallino (d. 1656)
I am at the beginning of hay season for the next week or so, which leaves me little time to write. However, this week, I have sensed Our Lady urging me to republish several writings, including this one…
WRITTEN ON THE FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN THE MARTYR
THIS past year has seen what Pope Francis has rightly called the “brutal persecution” of Christians, particularly in Syria, Iraq, and Nigeria by Islamic jihadists. [1]cf. nbcnews.com; December 24th, Christmas Message
In light of the “red” martyrdom occurring this very minute of our brothers and sisters in the East and elsewhere, and the frequent “white” martyrdom of the faithful in the West, something beautiful is coming to light from this evil: the contrast of the witness of the Christian martyrs to that of the so-called “martyrdom” of religious extremists.
In fact, in Christianity, the word martyr means “witness”…
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. nbcnews.com; December 24th, Christmas Message |
|---|