13 April 2026 - homily for Monday of the 2nd week of Easter - St Martin I - John 3:1-8

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 tension 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 can be tension between our faith leaders and the government, the story of Martin I perhaps resonates with us. 

As we hear of Nicodemus coming to Jesus in the darkness of the night to ask him questions, it strikes us that he does not want to publicly associate with Jesus, for fear of ruining his reputation. It may be difficult for us to stand up publicly for our faith. It may take a lot of courage. I remember when I was living in the country of Guinea in West Africa on an island where almost all of the population was Muslim. I was the only practicing Christian living on that entire island. Yet, when some of the Muslim elders saw me praying the rosary or reading the Bible, when they saw me trying to live out my faith in the midst of such a strong presence of another religion, they commented as to the great faith they saw in me and the extent of my devotion and conviction. They publicly commented to those living on the island the respect they had for me for boldly living out my faith. We don’t have to hide in our faith by the cover of night. We are baptized by water and the Holy Spirit to proclaim God’s kingdom. We all called to go forth and bring the Gospel message to others.