St Martin I became Pope in the year 649 when Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine empire and when the patriarch of Constantinople was the most influential Church leader in the East. There was a lot of conflict between Eastern and Western Christianity at the time, with the emperor of Byzantium and the Patriarch of Constantinople often allied against Rome. In a council at the Lateran Basilica convened by Martin I, some of the teachings supported by the Patriarch and the Emperor were condemned, which angered both of them. After a failed assassination attempt against Martin I, the Emperor had him captured and brought to Constantinople, subjecting him to torture and imprisonment. The Patriarch repented and was successful in his attempt to free Martin I, but Martin was in a weakened state. He died shortly thereafter. Martin I was the last of the Popes in the Early Church to die a martyr. In our current era where there is often a lot of tension between our faith leaders and the government, the story of Martin I perhaps resonates with us.
In our first reading from Acts today, we hear about the needs of some members of the community not being met. They choose some men from the community for this particular ministry. This is the precursor for the diaconate that we have the Church today. In our modern era, we also choose members of the community to meet particular needs that we have. As disciples of Christ, it is important for us to responds to these needs in love and action.
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