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Mexican
Martyrs Homily My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friend. This is what Jesus said. It is what He did. Jesus loves us so very much that He lived, suffered and died for us. He gave up His life on the cross to redeem us from our sins. In a similar but less perfect way, men and women of faith who love God have given up their lives. These saints, whom we call martyrs, gave up their lives for the honor and glory of God. Tonight we gather here at Sacred Heart Church before the relics of six canonized priest martyrs. These men, these saints, were all members of the Knights of Columbus who gave up their lives during the persecution of the Church in Mexico, in the early part of the last century. In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized these martyrs, proclaiming them saints of God. A martyr is one who witnesses to the truth of our faith even to the point of death. It requires great courage and great faith for someone to become a martyr. But even more importantly, it requires tremendous love. It is for this very reason that Jesus said: “There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friend.” At the present time, we are very blessed that our lives are not threatened by death. We can freely, openly and joyously celebrate our Catholic faith. For this we should thank God. At the same time, we must also remember that even though our lives are not threatened, even though we do not face death, we are still obliged to bear witness to the truth of our Catholic faith. There are various ways that we witness to the truth of our faith. The most effective, the most convincing and the most fulfilling way is to give good example. This means that we live our Catholic faith fully. We literally “practice what we preach.” We fulfill our obligations to our spouses, to our children, to our parents. We are honest and truthful with others. We are kind and helpful. We are merciful and forgiving. Almighty God, in His goodness and mercy, calls all of us to live a good and holy life. In His wisdom and love, He sent Jesus to redeem us. God gave us His eternal Son to lead us on our journey of life to life everlasting in heaven. The fundamental truth of our faith is this Person of Jesus Christ. This is the Truth that we are called to witness. This Person is the Truth for which holy men and women gave up their lives as martyrs. This evening we have gathered together here in faith. We come together in the presence of the relics of these six canonized martyrs. These are only relics. The martyrs themselves are now united with God in heaven. But their relics are tangible signs that lead us to God. By having these relics here at this Mass, we become more aware of God’s goodness and love. We honor, we praise and we thank God that He has given the six martyrs eternal life. By the presence of these relics here, we are encouraged to continue to practice and live our Catholic faith fully. We are reminded that we must bear witness to the truth of our faith by good and responsible lives. The presence of these relics of the Mexican Martyrs is truly a blessing for all of us. Therefore, on behalf of all the people of this Archdiocese, I express our gratitude to the Knights of Columbus of Oklahoma. You are true witnesses of our Catholic beliefs. You and your families are dedicated to our Catholic faith. The reason? Because you believe in Jesus. You know that He is the foundation of the Church. Joyfully and enthusiastically, together with the whole Church, you rightly proclaim that Jesus is Lord and God. He is our redeemer Who will raise up the living and the dead to life everlasting in heaven. Thank you and “vivat Jesus!” |