Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

This sentence from today’s epistle reading summarizes a theme that runs through the New Testament. From Jesus telling us that we must take up our crosses if we wish to be his disciples to the long list of martyrs that dot the history of the church, suffering seems built into what it means to be a Christian. Persecutions need not always lead to deaths. Our immigration laws, hiring practices, and social customs are often biased against avowed followers of Jesus.

The epistle refers to the sufferings of Paul. We could also note Saint Boniface, whose memorial is today. He and dozens with him were killed by a mob that hated them just for being Christians. Perhaps we should be happy to suffer for our faith. It means we stand for something. An old Snoopy cartoon shows Linus throwing a stick for him to retrieve. His first instinct was to do so. But he decided against it, thinking, “I want people to have more to say about me after I’m gone than ‘He was a nice guy…He chased sticks.’”

Jesus was not someone who spent his life chasing sticks. Every Mass we celebrate brings us face to face with one who spent his life teaching the ways of God and giving of himself to others. The first part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, is important here. Our epistle reading today ends with, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

What will I be known for after I die?

Let Us Pray:

O Jesus, let me go through life proud to be a Christian, acting like Jesus himself would were he in my place.