Will the Righteous Suffer?

Will the Righteous Suffer?

Whoever said that those who are upstanding and holy in appearance have nothing to worry about?  We may often view some people that reflect the graciousness of God will sort of drift through life untouched by sin and may even be a saintly person we can admire.  Nothing can be further from the truth as these thoughts may reflect. 

There is a series presented on Fox TV by Martin Scorese  titled “The Saints”  about four historical individuals all considered as Saints by their heroism in their lives.  Before presenting these human holy people we need to reflect that there are so many men and women that could have also been high-lighted on this series.  Heaven is filled with the multitude of holy people that carried their crosses and all of them giving their lives to Christ either by martyrdom or the pronouncement of sacrifice through their tenacious living for him.  

To think for a moment that each of these heroes according to what we must acknowledge as people of holiness did not suffer then we are studying on a distant planet.  If one takes time to delve into the lives of those we hold as holy souls of God, we will find that their lives were filled with peace in the sense of spiritual adherence to Christ and either died in the peace of a loving God, or lived a life of disappointments according to secular living.  For most of the viewers of past historical persons, they themselves would not want to exhibit the same type of sacrifice for one who went to the Cross; as a martyr for you and I to remove our sins.

Asking the readers of saints and their expose’s, and for a moment envisioning themselves as similar heroes will quickly discount as a dream that could not identify them as holy martyrs.  It is true, however, that these men and women did not decide for their lives to end as they did; at the stake in fire, on the chopping block where they quickly lost their heads, and the choice to stand up for their beliefs about Christ and the mission of the Church and its pronouncement of following God no matter what the outcome would be because of their holding to the Truth as Christ presented it to the world.

Those who did suffer for a worthy cause considered it a blessing from God.  Imagine, if you can, that the Creator is asking you to accept a moment, or perhaps months of suffering for the expiation of souls that exist in a purging state of pain (not yet in the presence of God) that yearn for the comfort of heavenly grace through the suffering of saints and martyrs.  Their loss of life and untold misery becomes a blessed occurrence of God’s love that speaks volumes of grace that those saints will cherish in eternity.  Their glory will also shine on the ones who were purged once they too join their benefactors’ martyrdom.  

We should never discount the task God is asking of you or me.  We might have the opportunity to join heroes such as St. Joan of Arc,  St.John the Baptist, St. Sebastian, and St. Maximilian Kolbe who are mentioned in this series of saints and martyrs.  We will not need to seek the call, it will happen if God allows our humble approach to righteousness to become real.

Ralph B. Hathaway