How Did the Church Prepare Her Children for Martyrdom?
How Did the Church Prepare Her Children for Martyrdom?
The early Church is the Church of the martyrs… All her energies and ministries were devoted to preparing the believers for a life of martyrdom.
The catechumens, when they entered the life of faith, lived in the catacombs, and were discipled in the truth, soon became heroes in defending the faith.
Indeed, many pagans believed and were martyred out of love for Christ while they were torturing the steadfast Christians who offered history its most wonderful acts of heroism for the sake of bearing witness to the truth.
Liturgy and Martyrdom:
Whenever they gathered in the catacombs, they celebrated the offering of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Mystery of the Eucharist. The liturgy spiritually formed the believers, changing them from the nature of the world into a new nature that neither lusts nor behaves shamefully nor seeks its own interests nor avenges itself…
The believers lived as gentle lambs, partaking of the Body of the sacrificed Lamb and His poured-out Blood. Each one knew that he belonged to the flock of lambs, and that the Shepherd of the sheep had promised His flock that they would live among wolves, yet His hidden power was transforming wolves into lambs!!
The early Church was a Church of the liturgy of the Divine Liturgies, prayers, continual worship, and unceasing praises… And every time they ate of that bread and drank of that cup, they pledged to the Lord that they would live a life of faith and holiness while awaiting His fearful and glory-filled Second Coming.
+ The liturgy filled them with the spirit of strength and faith.
+ The liturgy comforted them with the life of hope.
+ The liturgy sanctified their souls, bodies, and thoughts.
And whenever one was martyred, his bones were placed beneath the altar.
Thus, the sacrifice of Christ upon the altar sanctified the sacrifices beneath it. And the sacrifices under the altar were seen by John the Seer groaning and saying, “How long, O Lord, before You avenge our blood?”
And the Lord gave them time until the number of the elect would be completed…
Koinonia and Martyrdom:
The believers of the early Church deeply felt that Jesus was present among them through His Holy Spirit, and that He was with them always, even to the end of the age, according to His true promise, and that all believers were brothers and members of one family, the household and family of God.
Everything among them was shared… their consolations together and their sufferings together, their tribulations and their joys alike… Holiness was communal, and the struggle was shared, and a cloud of witnesses who had been perfected in the faith surrounded them, supporting them so that they might continue in the faith.
Communion with God… communion with the heavenly ones… communion with one another… If one became weak, all prayed for him so that he might be strengthened. If one denied the faith because of the severity of the tortures, the tears, prayers, and liturgies of the Church were offered for him. Thus none of them failed, but all advanced to receive the crowns.
Diakonia and Martyrdom:
The Church of the Apostles was a flame of spirituality and a mighty force of service… The bishops, priests, and deacons worked together for the comfort and service of the believers.
They visited those imprisoned for the faith. They sent them strengthening letters of encouragement. They cared for the families of the martyrs and provided them with spiritual, material, and social care. Moreover, the Didascalia instructed the bishop to consider himself responsible for the daughters of the martyrs and to arrange for them pure marriages under his responsibility and supervision.
Providing for these households was an essential responsibility of the bishop, priest, and deacon. No one felt needy, nor did anyone feel that he lived alone… Rather, all were united in heart and mind, and the Holy Spirit enveloped the whole Church with a spirit of love, holiness, and faithful care…
Grant us, O Lord, to live as our fathers lived in their worship, fellowship, and service.
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