The Two Paths to Sainthood
My current studies are in that formidable area of Church History. (Capital C, capital H.) And I have been most intrigued by the apostolic era and the age of the earliest martyrs.
As a committed Catholic, I've always believed that Jesus died for me personally, and for the sake of the world. It was a given. No ifs, ands or buts. My readings of these martyrologies have left me truly inspired. I never realized that, much like Jesus, these heroes and heroines of the faith, have died for me in much the same way.
Without their witness1, I might not be here today. For without their bloodshed2, I might not have the Church (capital C.) And so this History really is HIS-story--the story of Christ and His Bride--the Church3. But it is also his-story and her-story, and his-story and her-story, again and again. The countless saints that have died before us are waiting in Heaven for us to join them there.
And to that end, I'd like to share my remembrance of a life-changing talk I heard almost 10 years ago now, given by Fr. George Kosicki on becoming a saint. (Forgive me, Father, while I paraphrase.) He explained there are two ways, or paths, to become a saint. The first path is to die for the faith. (The martyr's death being the straightest, surest path heaven.) The second path--for the rest of us who may never be martyrs--is to die daily4.
Luke 9:23: And [Jesus] said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
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Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church
1 2472 The duty of Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as witnesses of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from it. This witness is a transmission of the faith in words and deeds. Witness is an act of justice that establishes the truth or makes it known.
All Christians by the example of their lives and the witness of their word, wherever they live, have an obligation to manifest the new man which they have put on in Baptism and to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at Confirmation.
2 2473 Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude.
3 2474 The Church has painstakingly collected the records of those who persevered to the end in witnessing to their faith. These are the acts of the Martyrs. They form the archives of truth written in letters of blood:
4 957 Communion with the saints. "It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself":
We worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples!
Copyright 2006 Patricia W. Gohn
As a committed Catholic, I've always believed that Jesus died for me personally, and for the sake of the world. It was a given. No ifs, ands or buts. My readings of these martyrologies have left me truly inspired. I never realized that, much like Jesus, these heroes and heroines of the faith, have died for me in much the same way.
Without their witness1, I might not be here today. For without their bloodshed2, I might not have the Church (capital C.) And so this History really is HIS-story--the story of Christ and His Bride--the Church3. But it is also his-story and her-story, and his-story and her-story, again and again. The countless saints that have died before us are waiting in Heaven for us to join them there.
And to that end, I'd like to share my remembrance of a life-changing talk I heard almost 10 years ago now, given by Fr. George Kosicki on becoming a saint. (Forgive me, Father, while I paraphrase.) He explained there are two ways, or paths, to become a saint. The first path is to die for the faith. (The martyr's death being the straightest, surest path heaven.) The second path--for the rest of us who may never be martyrs--is to die daily4.
Luke 9:23: And [Jesus] said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
--------------------------------------------------
Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church
1 2472 The duty of Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as witnesses of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from it. This witness is a transmission of the faith in words and deeds. Witness is an act of justice that establishes the truth or makes it known.
All Christians by the example of their lives and the witness of their word, wherever they live, have an obligation to manifest the new man which they have put on in Baptism and to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at Confirmation.
2 2473 Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude.
"Let me become the food of the beasts, through whom it
will be given me to reach God."
3 2474 The Church has painstakingly collected the records of those who persevered to the end in witnessing to their faith. These are the acts of the Martyrs. They form the archives of truth written in letters of blood:
Neither the pleasures of the world nor the kingdoms of
this age will be of any use to me. It is better for me to die [in order to unite
myself] to Christ Jesus than to reign over the ends of the earth. I seek him who
died for us; I desire him who rose for us. My birth is
approaching. . .I bless you for having judged me worthy from this
day and this hour to be counted among your martyrs. . . . You have
kept your promise, God of faithfulness and truth. For this reason and for
everything, I praise you, I bless you, I glorify you through the eternal and
heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. Through him, who is with
you and the Holy Spirit, may glory be given to you, now and in the ages to come.
Amen.
4 957 Communion with the saints. "It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself":
We worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples!
Copyright 2006 Patricia W. Gohn
posted by Pat Gohn at
3/23/2006
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