From The Friars eLetter: Unforgettable
A
few months ago, during the celebration of one of the virgin martyrs of
the early church, it struck me: “If not for her martyrdom, no one would
know who this girl was.” Think about how many young girls there were in
ancient Rome—how many there have been in all of history. How many of
them are remembered today? Not a lot. Of those who are remembered, how
many died before their fifteenth birthday? What makes these girls
different? They went against the flow. They did not give in to the
enticements of the world or to the threats of the power. They withstood
powerful politicians and noblemen of great stature, whose names have
long been forgotten. But the names of these young girls live on and
their memory inspires millions, all because they were faithful to Christ
and to the Christian life.
What
if they had given in? What if Agatha and Agnes had surrendered to their
suitors? What if Maria Goretti had accepted Alessandro’s advances, even
out of fear or pragmatism, to save her own life? Then they all would
have been forgotten. They would have been just another girl who gave in
to the immoral desires of a man. We would not even know that they had
existed. But, thank God, they had courage and resisted, and so won the
glory of martyrdom. May they inspire us to do the same when we are
tempted to surrender our faith in Christ!
+ Br. Ignatius Pio Mariae, CFR
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