On August 6th, Pope Sixtus and three deacons were celebrating mass in the Cemetery of Callistus. This was an established tradition i the early church, to meet in cemetery and offer prayers for the dead. While praying, a troop of soldiers of emperor Valerian, came and arrested the Pope and the deacons. The group was charged with sedition and were beheaded on the spot. The Christian onlookers were paralysed with fear, for the imperial sword was never far away.
Two things about the the way Pope Sixtus died:
Sixtus died while praying for the dead. Praying for the dead is a act of charity and mercy. We should never lose sight of the great act of charity we can do for those who have passed on simply by commending them to God's mercy and begging that they be with God. Often times, after someone has died we forget about them because we quickly put them into heaven.
Well, we forget that God's judgment is not only merciful but it is just and fair. Purgatory is necessary for many of us, and our prayers assist them through the purgation process of entering into heaven. We must remember that the anchoring of a person in the Church is not something which death disrupts or destroys. Even though death has come, we can still carry each other and bear other's burdens. The real frontier of life is not the boundary between death and earthly life but between being in Christ and being without him. Thus as we make our way through the judging fire of Christ that purifies, judging fire of Christ's intimate presence, we do so not alone but with the companionable embrace of the family of the Church. We assist each other in the process because in Baptism we all are members of the body of Christ. The process of purification is, on all levels, an activity of reciprocal caring.
Please do not let your caring and concern cease with the death of loved ones and even those we do not love. Assist them with your prayers and walk with them through the judging fire of Christ's purifying embrace.
Secondly, may the prayer of the mass give you strength to bear witness to Christ and your faith:
Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you enabled Sixtus and his companions to lay down their lives for your word in witness to Jesus. Give us the grace to believe in you and the courage to profess our faith.
The sword of the secular society is often seeking to decapitate us who are Christians. Pray for the courage to take a stand in the face of such opposition.
No comments:
Post a Comment