St. Charles Lwanga
Celebrating a martyr's death challenges us to put Christ first. By “first” I mean over all, under all, around all, and through all. The martyrs held on to Christ in the face of persecution and death not b/c they hoped to be rewarded in heaven, but b/c they themselves were Christ to the limits of their capacity to be Christ. They could no more deny Christ than they could deny themselves. To do so would've been a lie. When Jesus preaches his Sermon on the Mount, he is laying out for us what being Christ in the world looks like. Seen up close, it looks like poverty, suffering, loss, and immeasurable joy. Seen from a distance, it looks like detachment from passing things and attachment to all that endures. Detaching from the temporary and attaching to the permanent inevitably brings the kind of loss and suffering that only wayfarers encounter. We are on our way along the Way and leaving behind anything and anyone who will not follow causes us grief. That grief is cured in knowing that we are walking toward Christ and that those we've left behind are as free as we are to follow along. If we've done our job faithfully, they will see what we see and hear what we hear and know that nothing in this world can bring them enduring happiness. Blessed are those who bear witness to the mercy of God and blessed are those who reveal the Word of God to those who think themselves unworthy of His love.
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