August 20th:
In the month of August we celebrate three feasts that remind us of the Resurrection of the Lord, and the life of the world to come. The first is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, on August 6, the other two focus on our Blessed Mother; the Assumption on the 15th and the Queenship of Mary a week later on the 22nd. They are reminders to us that the world as we know it is passing away, and that we need to keep our eyes focused the things that last.
The feast of the Transfiguration recalls the time that Jesus took Peter, James and John up a tall mountain and revealed himself to them in his glory. He did this to reassure them during a difficult moment. Jesus had told the twelve that he was to go to Jerusalem, be handed over to the authorities and be killed, but on the third day he would rise again. The Apostles didn’t understand what he was saying: they understood death, but the idea of rising again was confusing. When Jesus appeared in his glory, with Moses and Elijah by his side, it was sign that he was the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises, and that his death on the cross would lead to the glory of the resurrection.
In the Assumption of Mary on August 15, we remember that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven, when the course of her earthly life had come to an end. She heard the world of God and lived it day after day, being obedient to God’s plan for her. She said yes to God’s call to be mother of the Redeemer. Just as she was freed from the guilt and consequences of original sin from the moment of her conception, God preserved her from the decay of the tomb. In both of these great graces Mary is a sign of the future resurrection we will all share in. On August 22 we celebrate the Queenship of Mary, when our Blessed Mother was crowned Queen of Heaven.
In these three feasts we are reminded that our destiny is heaven. We pass through trials and tribulation now. We all, one way or another, carry a cross of suffering. It may be family troubles that we are burdened with, or may be some addiction. We may have to live with uncertainties at work. We may have to struggle with illness, be it our own or of a loved one. We are all called to be concerned with the causes of peace and justice, understanding that we have been given to world to care for and protect. But we shouldn’t be discouraged. We have our part to play, but we are only a part of the solution. These struggles will go on long after we are gone. But when we do face God at our judgment he will ask us how we worked to spread his Kingdom of love and peace: not if we completed the task, but did we leave the world a better place than we found it? It is then that we will enter paradise, sharing the glory of Christ gained for us by his passion and death.
August 27th:
Last week I wrote about three recent feasts that point us to the reality of the resurrection. Recently I noticed that in August we also celebrate a number of martyrs, and I’d like to share a reflection on Christian martyrdom with you now. A martyr is a witness to Christ. While there are many ways we can witness to our faith, martyrs surrender their life rather than deny Christ.
Two of the feasts remember martyrs from the early Church, and two commemorate martyrs from the last century. In both cases these Christian witnesses were victims of brutal political systems that believed that the Gospel of Jesus was a threat to their power. Pope St. Sixtus II (August 7) and St. Lawrence the deacon (August 10) were killed by Roman authorities. St. Sixtus, along with four deacons, was beheaded while he offered the Eucharist in the catacombs of Rome. Three days later St. Lawrence was famously roasted to death over a grill after a life of caring for the needs of the poor. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, whose birth name was Edith Stein (August 9) and Maximillian Kolbe (August 14) both died in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
What all these martyrs have in common is that they could have avoided losing their lives, but chose not to. Pope Sixtus could have hid or escaped the persecution, but instead he went to where the authorities knew he would be, celebrating the Mass, which was forbidden by law. Lawrence could have handed over the sacred chalices and other religious objects, but instead he sold them, giving the money to the poor. When asked to hand over the “treasure of the Church,” Lawrence presented the Roman official with the poor and homeless who had gathered with him. Edith Stein could have used her status as a Carmelite nun to win her freedom from the concentration camp, but chose to stay with her people: a Jew who died witnessing for Christ. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar, could have minded his own business, but instead volunteered to take the place of a condemned man, since that man had a wife and family. Each in their own way did not avoid the trial the Lord presented them with, but faced hate with the greatest love of all.
We must always remember that we should never seek out martyrdom. It is also true that no one has to die a martyr. If it can be avoided, then we should avoid it. But if we are faced with a situation where avoiding martyrdom would mean publicly denying Jesus, then we should ask for the grace to accept it. Christian martyrdom means accepting violence and hatred, not inflicting it. Someone who kills himself and others in the name of God isn’t a martyr. But the one, who out of love, surrenders his or her life rather than denying the faith is an example for all of us.
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