Faith and inspiration: Encyclopedia of saints for today

The subsequent martyrdom of a large number of Christians by Nero marked the first organized persecution of Christians in the city of Rome. These holy men and women are also called the “Protomartyrs of Rome.” According to the historian Tacitus, many Christians were put to death; some were crucified; some were fed to wild animals; and others were burned as living torches at evening banquets.

There has been an evolution in the biblical concept of martyrdom. In Judaism, martyrdom was an act of obedience to the Law, and there was a gradual development of hope in the resurrection. For Christians, however, martyrdom is understood on a Christological context, because the eschatological power of God works through the cross of Christ. The passion of Christ was in part the result of the violent opposition and hatred of Satan, but at the same time, his passion and death were oriented towards a glorious resurrection.

Christian martyrdom is in a sense a continuation of the warfare that Satan waged against Christ; at the same time it is a manifestation of the divine power that was victorious through the Cross (2 Cor 12:9). That is why martyrdom connotes the presence of the Spirit, who can overcome all human weakness. Through our fraternal devotion to the martyrs, we are confirmed in the faith because they are for us a sign of the Spirit of God. These nameless men and women that we honor on this feast day are expiatory lambs of anti-Christian hatred. They represent all who suffered or are suffering religious persecution throughout the world.

Wherever the Good News of Jesus was preached, it met the same opposition as Jesus did, and many of those who began to follow him shared his suffering and death. But no human force could stop the power of the Spirit unleashed upon the world. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”—Tertullian.

Pope Clement I, third successor of Saint Peter, writes:

“It was through envy and jealousy that the greatest and most upright pillars of the church were persecuted and struggled unto death… First of all, Peter, who because of unreasonable jealousy suffered not merely once or twice but many times, and, having thus given his witness, went to the place of glory that he deserved. It was through jealousy and conflict that Paul showed the way to the prize for perseverance. He was put in chains seven times, sent into exile, and stoned; a herald both in the east and the west, he achieved a noble fame by his faith. Around these men with their holy lives there are gathered a great throng of the elect, who, though victims of jealousy, gave us the finest example of endurance in the midst of many indignities and tortures. Through jealousy, women were tormented, like Dirce of the daughters of Danaus, suffering terrible and unholy acts of violence. But they courageously finished the course of faith and despite their bodily weakness won a noble prize.”

Bibliography:

Bunson, Matthew and Margaret Bunson. “Encyclopedia of Saints-Second Edition.” Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 2014.

Foley, Leonard, O.F.M., and Pat McCloskey, O.F.M. “Saint of the Day-Updated and Expanded.” Cincinnati: Franciscan Media, 2013.

Lodi, Enzo. “Saints of the Roman Calendar-Updated and Revised Edition.” New York: Alba House, 2012.