MARTYRDOM

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; We are his people: the sheep of his flock Ps 100; Luke 7:11-17

Martyrs.

I remember when I was at the height or peak of my conversion experience, I would read the lives of the saints.  Many of these stories depicted the saints giving their life for the faith, for Christ.

It was easy to romanticize this reality.  How I would often think about staring the so called "bad guy" in the face and telling him, "go head make my day" or "do your worst" I am not going to turn my back of God.

It was romantic to think about shedding my blood for the faith as we celebrate with the martyrs of Cornelius and Cyprian today in the life of the church.

However, romance fades and reality sets in.  Though many may be asked to shed their blood for the faith most will not.  Most of us are asked to live the daily grind in what we call "white" martyrdom.  This simply means we don't shed our blood on the ground for Christ but rather we let the living blood within us fill the world around us with faith, hope, charity, truth and the like day in and day out.

This is what St paul is getting at when he states today in the reading, "Now you are Christ's Body, and individual parts of it."

We are Christ's body, Christ's presence into the world.  As in the gospel the people respond to Jesus with the following, "God has visited his people."

So the people around us should exclaim the same.  We are Christ's Body.  W make his presence known by how we live the daily grind.  Most importantly how we seek to be reconciled with others risking the mercy of God.