Our psalm today is not actually from the psalms, but from the prophet Isaiah. The refrain calls out: “You saved my life O Lord; I shall not die.” We view life differently as disciples of Christ, don’t we? Our eternal life is more important than the length of our life here on earth.
This is relevant to the group of saints whose feast day is celebrated on July 17: 16 Carmelite nuns who were put to death by the French government. Most people in our modern world don’t even know about them. The government that took control during the French revolution ordered the Carmelite monastery in the town of Compiegne, France closed in 1790. Yet, in 1794, 16 nuns were arrested on charges of living in a religious community, still refusing to leave the monastery. This was against the law in post-revolutionary France. The nuns were sentenced to death in Paris, and were killed on the guillotine while they sang the Salve Regina. They refused to bow to a government that condemned their Christian way of life.
Today, our popular media often encourages people to abandon organized religion. Our government often tries to define what religion is and what it isn’t. We have seen religious statues and churches defaced and destroyed in protests. Perhaps this group of nuns speak to us in a special way this year. In fact, near the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, I watched an opera production form the Metropolitan Opera of New York - Dialogues of the Carmelites by French composer Francois Poulenc, based on the story of these Carmelites nuns. Composed in 1954, it is considered one of the most popular of modern operas written in the 20th century.
In hearing the story of the Carmelite nuns who were martyred in France and of Isaiah stating that the Lord saved his life, I think of these French Carmelite nuns who were willing to die for the values of their faith. These brave courageous ladies speak to us in the reality of our day.
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