A friend once told me, “You don’t have to go looking for suffering; if you’re living the Christian life, it will find you.”
Zeal is a necessary virtue for living a Christian life. “Zealot” sometimes has a negative connotation as one who is carried away in pursuit of an ideal. The Zealots in the time of Jesus were a religious faction of those who could not bear the yoke of Roman oppression and sought to mobilize politically and overthrow their foreign conquerors. We know from scripture that our Lord was at times overcome with this religious sentiment, as in the Temple in fulfillment of Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Active and Passive Martyrdom
One example of this zealous pursuit of suffering and an almost brash fearlessness of conflict was found in St. Eulalia, who was born in 3rd century Spain. At twelve years old, stubborn and bull-headed, she would sneak out of her parents’ house in the middle of the night in search of pagans to defy. She would spit at their idols and defy their threats of torture in order to gain the red crown. Maybe it was youthful zeal or true virtue, but it was certainly an active, rather than passive, approach to gaining the crown of martyrdom.
There is another example (among many) of a more passive martyrdom as seen in the Martyrs of Compiegne. These sixteen Carmelites were declared enemies of the state during the French Revolution for their religious “fanaticism”, which was simply their observance of their Order’s rule and their life of prayer. They were rounded up and carted off to the public square for execution. As each approached the guillotine, the sisters, composed and with an inner-dignity, asked of their Superior, “Permission to die, Mother.” The crowd, rather than being worked into a frenzy, fell silent at the witness.
The French Revolution dissipated within a week.
Cancel Culture and False Martyrdom
One of the unfortunate effects of our current cancel culture is that Christians and conservatives have become hyper-sensitive to perceived threats against them. Not that there aren’t legitimate causes for concern. And we are, in fact, called to “die daily” in Christ as St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:31, for we know we will be raised with Him if we fight well and die in a state of grace.
As Servant of God, Fr. John Hardon, described in his writings on the “martyrdom of witness” (which he himself suffered), martyrdoms is not always defined in terms of the shedding of blood. Sometimes simply living the Christian life well will cost us our reputation and good name, our livelihood, and our standing among others. But sometimes in our good Christian zeal and desire to wear the crown, perhaps before it is earned, we look for ways to paint ourselves with the blood of martyrdom when it isn’t yet deserved.
For example, if we receive antagonistic comments in response to a tweet, or behave in a brusque and confrontational manner and get pushback, we can sometimes paint the picture that we are being “persecuted for the sake of righteousness,” when in fact it may be our unhelpful behavior or posture that brings on such antagonism.
In the Gospels, when Christ stood accused before Pilate, “he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). There is power in His silence. Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross was not a personal or political statement of resistance as with the Zealots, but the fulfilment of God’s will and plan for the salvation of mankind. As it is written, “The meek shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
The Enemy
In the fourth chapter of his treatise On The Duties of the Clergy, St. Ambrose lays out how the Enemy uses our passions and our words of expression against us through temptation. Social media, for all its merits, is often a fetid swamp of temptation to sins against the tongue, to lack of charity, rash judgment, and passion contrary to reason. It takes a very restrained man to navigate it, for in the virtues Ambrose extols – mildness, gentleness, modesty, temperance, patience – we are often sorely lacking.
If any one takes heed to this, he will be mild, gentle, modest. For in guarding his mouth, and restraining his tongue, and in not speaking before examining, pondering, and weighing his words — as to whether this should be said, that should be answered, or whether it be a suitable time for this remark — he certainly is practicing modesty, gentleness, patience. So he will not burst out into speech through displeasure or anger, nor give sign of any passion in his words, nor proclaim that the flames of lust are burning in his language, or that the incentives of wrath are present in what he says. Let him act thus for fear that his words, which ought to grace his inner life, should at the last plainly show and prove that there is some vice in his morals.
For then especially does the enemy lay his plans, when he sees passions engendered in us; then he supplies tinder; then he lays snares. Wherefore the prophet says not without cause, as we heard read today: Surely He has delivered me from the snare of the hunter and from the hard word. Symmachus said this means the word of provocation; others the word that brings disquiet. The snare of the enemy is our speech — but that itself is also just as much an enemy to us. Too often we say something that our foe takes hold of, and whereby he wounds us as though by our own sword. How far better it is to perish by the sword of others than by our own!
Accordingly the enemy tests our arms and clashes together his weapons. If he sees that I am disturbed, he implants the points of his darts, so as to raise a crop of quarrels. If I utter an unseemly word, he sets his snare. Then he puts before me the opportunity for revenge as a bait, so that in desiring to be revenged, I may put myself in the snare, and draw the death-knot tight for myself. If any one feels this enemy is near, he ought to give greater heed to his mouth, lest he make room for the enemy; but not many see him. (4.14-16)
Assuming the role of a martyr when it is not warranted can often lead to self-righteousness and religious pride. It “puffs up” under religious guise, and, when fueled by the fire of followers cheering us on, we can unwittingly become ensnared in the Enemy’s trap if we are not careful. A true martyrdom of witness doesn’t put the focus on oneself or what one is suffering but reflects everything back to Christ, who suffered perfectly and gave us the example of a lamb being led to the slaughter – acts that are totally antithetical to the worldly notion of a hero.
Self-Renunciation
We may not be called to be heroes or even martyrs (unless God wills it for us), but we are called to first crucify our self-will and die daily, as St. Paul says, in order to lay the groundwork of virtue which will prepare us if and when we go on trial. At those times, we must speak the words the Spirit gives us, not of our own accord, as it says in Scripture: “At that time the Spirit will tell you what to say” (Luke 12:12).
This self-renunciation can be harder than creating known our trials and travails at the hands of others, because it is hidden and harder to put to death. Quiet virtue, one that endures suffering, is a powerful source of conviction towards a world that stands opposed to the things of God. It can bring down revolutions and inspire conversions.
So let’s not play the martyr, even when it may be warranted. Let us be true martyrs by putting to death our self-will, our pride, our need for adulation and support. Let us simply reflect the suffering Christ in our own suffering back to the world to convict and convert it, from the inside out.
