THE VIOLENCE OF MARTYRDOM

Pope John Paul II is conscious that the 20th century has witnessed many martyrs. These gave their lives in witness and in defense of the poor and their human rights. Some martyrs died because they stood firm against totalitarian governments. Their presence and their voice threatened an oppressive and unjust status quo. Others died in concentration camps. Many endured terror and torture. This has been a cruel and crimson century.

The Jesus of Luke's Gospel was an innocent martyr. In 9:51 he sets his face towards Jerusalem. Like Jewish prophets who were ignored and rejected, Jesus confronted the powers of evil in the Roman Empire. This led to his brutal and violent death on the cross. Jesus modeled an heroic martyrdom for his followers. Stephen's death in the Acts of the Apostles was a mirror of the Lord's death.

The great churches of the Mediterranean cherished their martyrs as genuine friends of God. Virulent, periodic persecutions in Rome and in North Africa brought Christian communities to their knees. Oral and written accounts of martyred heroes and heroines were called passions, such as the passion of Perpetua and Felicity, because they told what these folks endured.

The experience of martyrdom was the basis for the spirituality of the first Eucharistic Prayer, also known as the Roman Canon. The language used in the prayer is that of sacrifice. "We offer you this sacrifice of praise for ourselves and those who are dear to us." Later on the text says: "We honor Mary,...Joseph, her husband, the apostles and martyrs."

After the last supper narrative is prayed, the prayer continues: "Father, we celebrate the memory of Christ, your Son. We, your people and your ministers, recall his passion, his resurrection from the dead and his ascension into glory; and from the many gifts you have given us we offer to you, God of glory and majesty, this holy and perfect sacrifice, the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation." The anamnesis or memorial prayer connects the bloody offering of Christ crucified with the language of sacrifice.

Furthermore the prayer links the offerings with figures of Jewish tradition. "Look with favor on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel, the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the bread and wine offered by your priest Melchizedek." Unfortunately the binding of Isaac on the wood is not included. This image, the akedah or binding of Isaac, became a favorite symbol for Christians. Just as Abraham tied Isaac, his son, to the wood in preparation for human sacrifice, so too Jesus was bound to the wood of the cross. The rabbis held that Isaac, bound to the altar, gave praise to God. Christians maintained that Jesus also praised God by sacrificing his life.

The result of this sacrifice is clear. "Almighty God, we pray that your angel may take this sacrifice to your altar in heaven. Then as we receive from this altar the sacred body and blood of your Son, let us be filled with every grace and blessing." When the Assembly prays the first Eucharistic Prayer, it allows us to cherish old and new martyrs.