Feast of The First Martyrs

"Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"`

These were the words of St.Polycarp (Bishop, Martyr), when he was asked to renounce his faith in Jesus and accept the Roman emperor, Caesar as his God. This was around 155 AD, almost 18 centuries ago. The first two odd centuries after Christ were the most horrifyingly testing for Christians. Ironically, these were also the most fruitful in terms of the spread of Christendom across the world. This was the glorious time when many men & women, both young & old even young boys and girls freely accepted death as a reward for accepting & proclaiming Jesus as their Saviour. These were the times when anyone, in the roman empire who dared to worship anything or anyone other than the roman emperor was sentenced to death or at least put through torture most gruesome. For the Romans, their emperor was God of the whole empire and anyone doing otherwise was charged with treason and (perhaps also) blasphemy and if the accused did not change his stance, he was eventually sentenced to death, mostly in the form crucifixion. Crucifixion, though, was not the only manner in which they were punished. The Romans are of course known for their barbaric ways in the battlefield. Public torture of Christians was not uncommon. Being burnt alive at stake, made to lie on sharp nails, fed to the lions & other wild beasts, scourged (to the extend of their internal anatomy becoming visible as far as the veins & arteries), were all done with an intention to make a spectacle out of them for both the common man's entertainment as also to pass on a message to him - As to what lay for him, if he also chose Christ as his God. The Church celebrated feast in honour of the 1st Martyrs (those who were persecuted by Nero in 64 AD) two days ago on 30th June.^

However, Christian Martydom was different from other acts of valour as may have been recorded in secular history books. It was, in fact, indeed so and much more than that. "It was all this and more, nothing less than a mystic communion and conformation with One who died for our sins that he might raise us eternally unto a life of holiness and everlasting joy."* Obviously, St.Polycarp as also other Martyrs were not only very much aware of this divine truth but it will not be wrong to say that this truth was ingrained in their hearts so deep that paying with their lives for the eternal Kingdom which the Lord had promised them was just too small a price to pay. It was exactly the same as they had read in the Gospel parable on finding the pearl of great price (Mattew 13:45-46). No price could have been greater than the value of what they were getting in return. A place in Heaven, alongside their Saviour. An eternity with the Lord at the price of a few more years in this world. If one knows it's true ramifications, that's a deal too hard to resist, I say.  Also, Martyrdom need not be always be achieved in the barbaric and bloody form as most of the martyrs have received. Martyrdom essentially involves martyrdom of the soul. It actually consists in giving up one's all, most especially self will, and offering it up to the Lord as a living & pleasing sacrifice. It consists of willfully sacrificing one's sinful self (along with all the fleeting pleasures, inordinate affections) for the Lord. An act which originates from a burning love for Him which in turn is nothing but a love response to His burning and all consuming love for me. The precondition here is that it should be an act of love and not out of compulsion. For our Lord never forces a soul to do anything.

Today, living in 21st century, the sacrifice of those martyrs of the 1st & 2nd century is almost forgotten by Christians, be it laity or clergy. Today the price which those early Christians paid seems too high a price for us to pay. Make no mistake, that is exactly the price which the Lord had set. Nothing more, nothing less and nothing else.

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 Ps : ^ By definition, Polycarp's Martyrdom will not come under this feast. His example has been taken only to expound the heart of martyrs in general.

       * Taken from 'Early Christian Fathers' by Cyril C Richardson