Some years ago, I remember reading a story about Abraham Lincoln and one of his staff. This happened during the Civil War. One of Abraham Lincoln’s staff, who was a clerk of sorts, kept complaining that he was stuck in the office pushing papers while many others were “out there” making a difference. One day Lincoln told him “Young man, you seem eager to die for your country but you don’t seem at all eager to live for it”
I’m quite sure that many, if not all of us have come across stories of suicide bombers who were ready to die for their country or religion. We have heard about Kamikaze pilots from Japan during the Second World War, suicide bombers who crashed into the Twin Towers and Pentagon during 9/11 and many more cases of people simply willing to sacrifice their lives to further promote the cause of their country or religious beliefs.
Even for us Catholics, our history is littered with people who died defending our faith. Stephen, who was stoned to death, some of the Apostles and down to the ages including people like Oscar Romero. But what defines a martyr?
The term martyr (Greek μάρτυς martys "witness") is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom) in order to further a cause or belief for many. This may not subscribe to our outlook of what a martyr is but the original Greek word means simply that – a witness.
If you asked me, I’d rather have a living martyr. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I think that dead martyrs are useless. The thing about those who have died for the faith is that remember them only once a year during their feast day or rather the day they were martyred, we celebrate Mass and pray for their intercession and distribute leaflets about their lives and how their story should inspire us. There us nothing wrong with this, it is a good thing to remember them and find inspiration from them. But how often are we deeply touched by them? Year after year after year and it becomes nothing but a memory.
We celebrate memorials and feasts commemorating the holy people who have borne witness to the faith and paid the price for it. We extol their virtue and speak of how we should imitate them. But how many of us really strive to imitate them?
A living martyr is different. They are a living proof that freedom and individuality is very much alive in this world. A good example is Aung San Suu Kyi. She is still very much alive but until today she remains a living symbol for those who are politically oppressed. She continues to be the beacon of hope to those who have all but lost their hope.
While she was alive, Mother Theresa was also considered a living saint by many, including those from other faiths. I have read once that a Hindu said of Mother Theresa to the volunteers doing missionary work in the slums that though they do not welcome missionaries, they still recognse living saints. Coming from a Hindu, that is a rare compliment indeed.
So which is our choice? A dead martyr or a living one? Both can be a source of inspiration. Both are signs that our faith is still very much alive. But sometimes, we think of a dead martyr only once a year or occasionally, whereas we hear about living martyrs all the time. These living martyrs keep the flame of hope alive, they keep the flame of faith alive. And most importantly, they are a living witness to the love of God and the teachings of Christ.
If we were given a choice, which would we choose to be? Search our hearts and we will find our answer.
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