This week, we hear from the 1st and 2nd books of Maccabees in our first readings at Daily Mass. Today and tomorrow, from 2nd Maccabees, we hear about the heroic martyrdoms of people who refused to compromise the fundamental principles of their Jewish faith, leading them to sacrifice their lives as martyrs for the faith. Today we read about Eleazar. He was a respected teacher of the law in Ancient Israel, a gracious elderly man of great dignity. When he was forced to eat a piece of pork, which was forbidden by Jewish law, he spat out the piece of meat. He was ready to die with honor than to disgrace the Jewish faith. Do we try to adhere to the values of our Christian faith, or are we ready to abandon our faith in order to fit into society and to be accepted and approved of by our brothers and sisters?
The overall story of the books of 1st and 2nd Maccabees is how devout Jews overcame struggles and challenges imposed by the Greek rulers of Israel in order to practice their Jewish faith. We too may face different obstacles and challenge in order to practice our Catholic faith as well. At times, we may seem very out of step with society. But God calls out to us to be strong in our faith.
I also wanted to mention Sister Rose Philippine Duchesne, a sister with the Society of the Sacred Heart who journeyed as a missionary from France to New Orleans in 1818. She settled just outside of St Louis. She and her fellow sisters established schools in Missouri and Louisiana. In frontier life in 19th century America, she faced severe weather, food shortages, life-threatening illnesses, and primitive living conditions, but she met all these challenges with faith and grace. At the age of 71, she traveled to Kansas where she brought the Gospel to the Potawatomi tribe. She left her missionary work to that tribe after one year due to her ill health. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
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