"They loved Christ in this life and imitated Him in their death, and so they will rejoice with Him for ever." This is the Magnificat antiphon for the Protomartyrs of Rome, which is the feast day today. Martyrdom for the faith, the total self-gift unto death, seems to be unlikely in the place where I live, yet I know that there are Christians dying for the faith in other parts of the world. Their example calls to us to be firm in the faith in the face of any sort of opposition. St. Cyprian, bishop and martyr, wrote of the inspiration that motivates martyrdom for faith in Christ: "I urge you to persevere courageously and steadfastly in your witness to heavenly glory, and to continue with spiritual courage, now that you have entered on the way that the Lord has graciously opened up for you, until you receive the crown of voctory. You have the Lord as your protector and guide, for He has said: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.
"Let nothing else be now in your hearts and minds except God's commandments and the precepts of heaven: by their means the Holy Spirit has always inspired you to bear your sufferings. Let no one think of death, but only of immortality; let no one think of suffering that is for a time, but only of glory that is for eternity. It is written: Precious in the sight of God is the death of His holy ones. And again: A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit; a broken and humbled heart God does not despise.
"The Lord Himself is an example of all this in His own person. He teaches us that only those who have followed Him along His way arrive at His kingdom."
When I read these words this morning at the Office of Readings, I was encouraged to offer myself totally to the Lord, to follow Him completely, even though He has not (yet) asked of me the supreme sacrifice of my life. With models such as the Protomartyrs of Rome and St. Cyprian set before our eyes, I know that God will provide for us the grace to persevere in faith.

It is not uncommon that those who are mentally ill find their way to the door of the convent or the church office to seek help for their material and social needs. I once asked a Franciscan Friar if he thought that the Lord was indicating a particular focus for our community's apostolate by these visitors. He told me that if that were the case, then every Religious community and every parish would be getting the same message because the mentally ill come to all communities and parishes.

