Pope Sixtus II was elected Pope in the year 257. We do not know a lot about him, but most Church historians believe that he originally came from Greece. He served during the reign of the Roman Emperor Valerian, who was very tolerant when he first came to power. However, Valerian later issued an edict that outlawed Christian worship and that directed that bishops, priests, and deacons be arrested. In the year 258, Sixtus and six deacons were put to death. He was buried in the Crypt of the Popes, within the Catacombs of Callixtus located on the Appian Way in Rome. Although we do not know much more about him, we know that he is a saint and among the early martyrs of our Church who also fought to unite the Church, to treat sinners with mercy, and to hold firm to the teachings handed down to us from the Apostles. As we honor this courageous saint and martyr today, we pray that all of us be able to give witness to Christ by our fidelity to him.
In our Gospel from Matthew today, Jesus tells us that whoever wishes to come after him must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow him. We see this being lived out in the lives of a lot of the saints and martyrs that we honor and recognize. May we unite the crosses that we carry in life with the crosses that the saints and martyrs carried and with Jesus’ own journey to the cross.
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