THE GLORY OF THE MARTYRS.
We shall now contemplate the glory of the vast multitude of the
blessed, who surround the thrones of Jesus and Mary. I quote from the
Apocalypse: "After this, I saw a great multitude, which no man could
number, of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues:
standing before the throne, and in the sight of the Lamb, clothed
with white robes, and palms in their hands."* This glorious multitude
represents all the blessed. They may be divided into eight classes,
namely, the martyrs, the doctors and confessors, the virgins, the
religious, the penitents, the pious people, those of inferior virtue,
and the baptized infants. In this chapter we shall consider the glory
of the Martyrs.
* Apoc. vii. 9.
See that beautiful army of martyrs--these brave soldiers of Jesus
Christ--who died or Him, and like him, in the midst of the most cruel
torments. Theirs is truly "a crown of justice." They are represented
as holding palms in their hands, in token of the victory which they
gained over the world. Their intimate union with God, the dazzling
splendor of their personal appearance, the high honors conferred upon
them, single them out at once as those champions of the faith who,
while on earth, served God in a heroic degree. And they certainly
served Him with distinction; for they proved their love by laying
down their lives for Him. Laying down one's life for God has always
been looked upon as the most perfect act of love possible; for
"Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for
his friends."* Hence, the martyrs, as a class, have always been
considered as deserving the highest honors of heaven.
* John xv. 18.
The beautiful words of the Holy Ghost in reference to all the just
apply with peculiar force to the martyrs: "But the souls of the just
are in the hand of God: and the torment of death shall not touch
them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their
departure was taken for misery: and their going away from us for
utter destruction; but they are in peace. And though in the sight of
men they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality.
Afflicted in a few things, in many they shall be rewarded: because
God hath tried them, and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the
furnace, He hath proved them; and as the victim of a holocaust, he
hath received them."*
* Wis. iii.
What a bright and beautiful crowd they are! As a garden is beautified
by flowers, so is heaven made more beautiful by the radiant
crimson-clad army of martyrs. Here is St. John the Baptist, the
fearless precursor of Jesus. Here is the glorious St. Stephen, the
first who laid down his life after the ascension of Jesus. Here are
the holy Apostles, those intrepid soldiers of Christ, who went forth
from the council, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer
for the name of Jesus. The prediction of their Divine Master was
verified in them: "For they shall deliver you up in councils, and
they will scourge you in their synagogues. And you shall be brought
before governors, and before kings for my sake. . . . And you shall
be hated by all men for my sake."* . . . "Yea, the hour cometh that
whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth a service to God."+
* Matt. x. + John xvi.
But in spite of all this hatred and persecution, they sowed the seed
of the word of God in the hearts of men, and watered it with their
own blood. They now enjoy a peculiar glory in heaven; for, besides
the glory which belongs to them as martyrs, they also enjoy that
which belongs to them as Apostles, promised to them in these words of
our blessed Lord: "Amen, I say to you, that you, who have followed
me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit on the seat of
His majesty, you shall also sit on twelve seats, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel."*
* Matt. xix. 28.
Here are also so many holy Popes, and bishops, and priests, the
worthy successors of the Apostles, who, like them, joyfully laid down
their lives for the love of Jesus Christ. Here is also that countless
multitude of holy missionaries, who, like the Apostles, went forth
into all nations to preach the gospel. They, too, were "brought
before governors, and before kings," and sealed their faith with
their blood. Here, too, are holy virgins, who preferred death, in all
its horrid shapes, rather than stain their souls, or have another
spouse besides Jesus, to whom they had consecrated themselves. The
grace of God changed them from timid, retiring virgins, into
dauntless heroines, and enabled them to suffer death with superhuman
courage and constancy. Here are also married men and women, fathers
and mothers, who loved God more than they loved their children. Here,
even, are little children, who astounded the heartless tyrants by the
admirable patience and heroism which they displayed amidst the most
refined cruelties. Here, too, are venerable old men and women, who,
in spite of the infirmities of age, ascended the scaffold with a firm
step, and suffered death with undaunted constancy. All these, like
St. Paul, have fought a good fight, and all, without exception, have
received a "crown of justice" at the hands of a just Judge. They all
enjoy the high rewards which Jesus promised to His heroic followers,
when he said: "Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice'
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men
shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake: rejoice, and be exceeding glad:
because your reward is very great in heaven."*
* Matt. v.
But, before leaving these to consider the glory of others, we must
remark that, although they are all martyrs, they do not, on that
account, all enjoy the same degree of glory. They are all stars; but
"star differeth from star in glory." Each martyr is clothed in his
own brightness, which is great in proportion to the intensity of his
love for God, and the amount of suffering endured for Him. Some were
simply put to death, without any additional torture. Others were
imprisoned, scourged, and then put to death; while others again were
tortured for days, weeks, and even months, with the most frightful
torments. Again, some came to their martyrdom totally devoid of any
previous virtue; some even loaded with sin, and unbaptized: but they
received a baptism of blood--which made them pure, and deserved for
them the high honors of heaven. Nevertheless, the glory that
surrounds such is far inferior to that which surrounds those who,
like St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Andrew, and a
host of others, came to their martyrdom loaded with the merits of a
life spent in the practice of heroic virtue.