Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Martyrs - Living or Dead?

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.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

This Beautiful Night

Note: Another song that I wrote (lyrics only). My friend composed the melody. Written one year after "The Meaning of Christmas", can't remember the exact date but I think it's somewhere in November/December 1996.

Verse 1: God longed to show His great love for us
A love which many has forgotten
So He sent Jesus as His sign of love
A special gift from above

Chorus: Tonight is a very special night
When from heaven came a light so bright
Which made everything beautiful to sight
And Christ was born on this beautiful night

Verse 2: So we must share the magic of Christmas
And spread God's everlasting love
The many songs which we joyfully sing
Unto others we must bring

Bridge: Reach out to those who are lonely
Be with them and make them happy
For this is what Christmas is all about
To share the love that we have found

The Season of Lent

Jock, the painter, often would thin his paint so it would go further. So when the Church decided to do some deferred maintenance, Jock was able to put in the low bid, and got the job. As always, he thinned his paint way down with turpentine.

One day while he was up on the scaffolding -- the job almost finished -- he heard a horrendous clap of thunder, and the sky opened.

The downpour washed the thinned paint off the church and knocked Jock off his scaffold and onto the lawn among the gravestones and puddles of thinned and worthless paint.

Jock knew this was a warning from the Almighty, so he got on his knees and cried: “Oh, God! Forgive me! What should I do?”

And from the thunder, a mighty voice: “REPAINT! REPAINT! AND THIN NO MORE!”

On Wednesday, we celebrated Ash Wednesday, where ashes are placed on our forehead to mark our repentance and mourning. In the Old Testament, this was also a way to show repentance for one’s sins. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, a forty day period of fasting and abstinence.

Just as the Israelites who spent 40 years in the desert and Jesus, who spent 40 days in the desert, we too need to spend our 40 days in the “desert”. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert and was tempted by the devil. Just like Jesus, Lent is a time for us to be tested, to resist the temptation of the Devil and to turn away from our sin. The formula that is recited upon receiving the ashes on our forehead is “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel”. This is central to what Christ taught when he first started his earthly ministry, to repent and believe in the Good News.

This is why the Church encourages us to fast and abstain during this season. Fasting and abstaining helps us to be more aware of ourselves and our character. For instance, I’m the type of person who must have meat everyday, but I also know that I need a balanced and healthy diet. So during this season, I try to cut down on my meat intake and eat more vegetables. This helps me to have a better and healthier lifestyle.

But is it enough to abstain from certain types of food? Very often, we hear that people will resolve to abstain from meat during Lent, or abstain from playing computer games etc. What is the meaning of abstinence? The poem below perhaps best describe what it means to fast

Fast from fear; Feast on Faith
Fast from despair; Feed on hope.
Fast from depressing news; Feed on prayer.
Fast from discontent; Feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger and worry; Feed on patience.
Fast from negative thinking; Feast on positive thinking.
Fast from bitterness; Feed on love and forgiveness.
Fast from words that wound; Feast on words that heal.
Fast from gravity; Feast on joy and humor.

The word conversion comes from the Greek “metanoia”, a change not only of the heart and a directional change as well. Dare we take up the challenge and change the way we live? The season of Lent helps us to fast and abstain and hopefully become a better person. But how of many emerge after Lent a better person? I dare say that many of us remain the same and usually revert to our old former self (I say this of myself as well)

Let us then pray for the grace and courage to really change our lives this Lent and internalise that change to become a better person and a better disciple of Christ.