Men's Rosary

We just celebrated Valentine’s Day, a day that is in honor of martyrs.  There were actually more than one St. Valentine.  It is worth reading about.  And the day has morphed into the celebration of love and all that is good, which is a positive thing.  This made me think, how much of a martyr are we?   Or are we cowardly?

Leading up to Valentine’s Day, martyrs had been prominent in my daily prayer and reading.   It has made me think more about the depth of my own faith.  We should all be thinking about the depth of our faith.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)   We are all very familiar with this and we look to this as the way were promised salvation.  But it also tells the story of one who would give the most precious thing for another and one who out of not only obedience, but love, would lay down their life.  How far would we go?  “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Who are our friends, brothers, and sisters?  How will we lay down our lives for them?  I do not think it necessarily means dying, but it does require sacrifice.  It requires a dying to self to serve the needs of others.  As men we are called to live this kind of life.  Always put the other first.  How will our actions not only affect us but those around us?  Also, how will our actions affect change…will it be for the good of others or to the detriment of some for the sake of gain for the few?

In our faith, how obedient will we be to God?  When we are called to act will we act without consideration of ourselves and our prideful will, or will we simply do as we are told?  It is easy to “say” we would die for our faith.  Would we?  I question if I even die enough in the sense of  self-denial for the sake of God’s will.  I know that I can do better, and I suspect that we all can.  “He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”” (Mark 8:34)

Take some time to read about the martyrs of our Church.  The stories will surely call to mind how you are embracing your own faith and spirituality.  I find them to be a source of strength in becoming more resolute in my faith and faithfulness to God.  Every time we put God before us, we are practicing a degree of martyrdom.  Every time we place ourselves and our wants before God, we are practicing a degree of apostacy.

“By the constant practice of repeated self-denial in little things, with God’s grace, you will increase in strength and manliness of character.”  St. Josemaria Escriva