5/6/2014 – Tuesday of 3rd week of Easter – Acts 7:51-8:1

      The theology of martyrdom in the Early Church was not born in synods or classroom, but in coliseums, catacombs, and other public places where Christians were put to death for their faith.  The word martyr comes from the Greek word “martur” which means “witness” and is used as such throughout the New Testament.  However, as the Roman Empire became increasingly hostile toward Christianity, the distinctions between witnessing and suffering became blurred and virtually nonexistent.  Later in the Early Church, the word martyr stood for a person who died for the faith.  Stephen is the first martyr in the Early Church, and we hear his story today.  We might not think that we will ever have to give up our lives for our faith, but we certainly see many in the modern world today who suffer for being witnesses to the faith.

      Later this week, our Church will celebrate the feast day of John of Avila. John lived way back in the 16^th century, but he did not become a saint until 1970.  In October of 2012, Benedict XVI named John of Avila as a Doctor of the Church, a distinction that only 35 men and women throughout history hold.  John of Avila was also the patron of World Youth Day which was held in Madrid, Spain in 2011.   It is interesting that John was the confessor and mentor of many reformers of the Church in Spain during the era of the Protestant Reformation, for people such as Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, who are Doctors of the Church as well.  John himself was imprisoned during the Spanish Inquisition, as were many Church reformers and visionaries in that era of history.  There is a quote from John of Avila which I think is perhaps relevant to us in what many go through in the modern world: “Dear brothers and sisters, I pray God may open your eyes and let you see what hidden treasures he bestows on us in the trials from which the world thinks only to flee. Shame turns into honor when we seek God’s glory.” May Stephen, John of Avila, and all those other saints who stood up for the faith with courage and conviction continue to inspire all of us on our own journeys.