We are taught that God is a God of love, and neglect to mention that God is also a God of Supreme Justice. Both descriptions of God are true, but it is when we neglect to think of the latter that we may fail to understand Gods Revealed Truth.
Through God's Word we understand His Will when we look to Jesus as our prime example and to accept that through the Father, Peter became the Rock upon which the Church was built. The Church which began with a smattering of Christians who upon the death of Jesus were in total disarray, and even when Mary Magdalene revealed that Jesus was risen still many of the Disciples including Peter were disbelieving of her 'story'. They believed when they saw the Lord standing before them and Thomas only believed once he had placed his finger in Jesus pierced side. The examples shown by the Disciples shows us that they were human, frail and at times frightened at what may lay before them. Another point to ponder is that though the Disciples could have moments of grave doubt, the one who stood before them never doubted for with Jesus lay the path to Eternal Light and Life with the Father in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Our Lord had endured 40 days in the desert, fasting and praying, think about this aspect for a moment, over a month with no food can anyone doubt the agony going on within the Lords body? Let's face it if we go one day without food, our stomach growls, our head aches, just imagine enduring 40 days of no food and little rest? Then the devil chooses this moment to tempt Jesus when He is at his most vulnerable, the Lord rebukes Satan who then slinks away to plot and plan what he thinks will be the Lords downfall. Fast forward to Gethsemane, where Jesus asks the greatest of his Disciples to stay with him one hour, 'He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will." When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, "So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." While Jesus withstood the devils temptations for 40 days and nights the Disciples in contrast could not last an hour, the warning here is do not rely on your own strength for it is faulty our strength lay entirely with God and how much we allow Him access to our souls. Once again Peter proves this point, 'Then Jesus said to them, "This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken, for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed'; but after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee." Peter said to him in reply, "Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be." Jesus said to him, "Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to him, "Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you." And all the disciples spoke likewise.' Peter was speaking from bluster rather than Faith, he also questioned Jesus inability to acknowledge Peter's sense of his own worth, not once but twice. In the end who proved correct?
This is a testament not only of mans inner weakness but also a testament of where lay his greatest strength and that is through prayer. It is God who gives us the strength and the Graces we ask for through prayer and the Sacraments of the Church, we are not our own strength nor are we the source of our own Grace. When we neglect prayer we leave ourselves in peril and open to the devils temptations for unlike Jesus we are not Divine in nature but through Jesus we gain divinity through adoption within the Triune Spirit.
We also have another example of perfect Faith and this is displayed by Mary who though she may not have known fully God's Way Mary did understand God's Will and unlike Peter, Mary did not question Gods authority but instead pondered all things in the depths of her heart. The reason why Satan loathes Mary is the fact that this was one woman who remained obedient to Gods Will, and was full of God's Grace, therefore like her Son, Mary also never fell into temptation. The hatred of Satan towards Mary lay in the fact that Satan was created in perfect beauty of angelic qualities, whilst Mary was human! How could one as beautiful as Satan honour a human! At the heart of Mary lay perfect humility, meekness and gentleness, while at the opposite spectrum we have Satan, prideful, cruel and evil.
It is the examples of Jesus and May's obedience that we need to follow and we can do this in our own age by following the Church's Teaching with filial love and obedience without open dissent by its children. Let us also look at the beginnings of our Church as it gathered itself together upon the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour.
Though the Lords words proved true, Peter did not allow this to totally paralyse him with fear, he instead chose to trust Jesus Word and began to understand his own frail weaknesses when it came to a longing to impress those around him. Peter like many men wished to be acknowledged for his strengths and not his weaknesses but this is not how God works as Peter found out and many others who followed in his footsteps. Peter's greatest strength was found through his greatest weakness, an inordinate belief in his own worth and ego, it was ego that first drove Peter, it would be humility that guided him later. Peter would show this by the means of his death to be crucified upside down rather than permit himself the very same death as his beloved Lord.
Others would pick up Peter's lead. John the only Disciple who stood beneath the Cross was also the only Disciple to die a natural death, and through John and the remaining Disciples we also have the beginnings of the Church.
The first Christian martyr we know is Stephen who spoke so eloquently about our Lord and Saviour that his face would shine as if lit within by a Divine light, this infuriated the learned Pharisee's who could not bear that this man knew so much whereas they grasped so little, as we know Stephen was martyred as Saul watched. Ignatius and Polycarp were also strong Christian leaders who lived their Faith courageously, both of whom were followers of John, the beloved Disciple. Both of these men and many more early Christians would become the Church's Martyrs, when facing death Bishop Ignatius proclaimed to all, "No one ought to call Theophorus wicked; for all evil spirits have departed from the servants of God. But if, because I am an enemy to these [spirits], you call me wicked in respect to them, I quite agree with you; for inasmuch as I have Christ the King of heaven [within me], I destroy all the devices of these [evil spirits]." When it came to Polycarp's turn, and he was captured and led before the proconsul after being ordered to deny Christ and give his allegiance to Caesar thereby betraying his Christian beliefs Polycarp looked with disdain at the Proconsul and said, with a wave of his arms towards the crowds of gleeful atheists, "gazing with a stern countenance on all the multitude of the wicked heathen then in the stadium, and waving his hand towards them, while with groans he looked up to heaven, said, 'Away with the Atheists'." When we look at these Christian hero's it begs the question where are today's Saints and hero's?
Our lives are easier, there are no more stadiums where we can be thrown to the lions, yet when faced with defending our Faith many Christians remain silent rather than risk the wrath of public opinion. Though we read about and admire the Early Christian martyrs we fail to remind ourselves that we are today's Christians. Who fail to speak up for fear of offending those who willfully participate in sinful acts and who with full knowledge vote for politicians who take a Pro-Choice stance towards abortion, these politicians who are today's 'little herods'. We live in a world where rather than say 'Merry Christmas' many Christians choose to instead follow the liberal led media and greet each other with 'Happy Holidays', will saying Merry Christmas to each other offend God? If not then who are we afraid of?
It is not enough to read about the early Christian Martyrs then fail to live the meaning of their deaths for when we do this, we make their martyrdom pointless. As many live a life as 'champagne christians' who may say they love Jesus just don't ask them to live it, lest it cost them their popularity, but not their lives!
Peace of Christ to ALL
Copyright © 2006 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.
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