St . Margaret exemplified what Archbishop Vigneron called for in his pastoral letter Unleash the Gospel : “ That in imitation of Christ , martyrdom is the pattern for fulfillment as a disciple of Jesus , so preparation for this heroic witness is the measure of Christian formation .” Here , the archbishop is not setting the standard for formation but simply acknowledging the standard that Christ has set for his disciples . We are called to prepare for martyrdom , but martyrdom , in fact , is rare for Christ ’ s disciples . The vast majority of Christians throughout history were not martyrs . Why then should we prepare for martyrdom if only very few would have to face it ?
Moreover , is there a problem in wanting to be a martyr ? St . Thomas Aquinas posed this question in the Summa Theologiae ( ST 2-2.124.1 ob 3 ). It seems rather presumptuous to want martyrdom , and it certainly is not good to provoke potential persecutors so that a person could become a martyr . Why then seek to prepare oneself for an act that seems presumptuous to want and dangerous to court ? Does it make sense to prepare oneself for martyrdom as a goal for Christian formation if it is highly unlikely that a person will be a martyr and possibly presumptuous or dangerous to want to be one ?
In answering his own objection , St . Thomas recognizes that whenever Christ commands us to do something , he is commanding us to do a virtuous act . Some of these commands of Christ , which are part of the New Law , “ are to be understood in reference to the preparation of the mind in the sense that man ought to be prepared to do such and such a thing whenever expedient ” ( ST 2-2.124.1 ad 3 ) In other words , there are things we are expected to do as God ’ s children according to the New Law of grace when certain circumstances are present . In the case of martyrdom , when the right circumstances are present we are expected to confess the truth of our faith even at the cost of our own lives . Because of that expectation , there is a need to be prepared for it should that ever happen . This preparation of the mind involves a recognition of the demands of discipleship ( the cost of our lives ) as well as the need for the necessary grace ( martyrdom ) from God should those circumstances arise . Regardless of the fact that very few are called to martyrdom , it is true that any of us could be . We are all called to follow Christ in his martyrdom , so we are all potential martyrs .
Discipleship as followers of Christ and God ’ s children also calls for preparation of the mind in other areas demanded by the New Law . Jesus commands us to love our enemies . How do we keep this precept if we don ’ t have any enemies or , at least , are not aware of them ? Because we don ’ t have any enemies today doesn ’ t mean that we won ’ t have them tomorrow . The same goes for forgiveness . Christ told us to forgive others their wrongs against us not “ seven times but seventy times seven times ” ( Mt . 18:22 ), a limitless amount . We might not be aware of anyone that we need to forgive today , but that does not mean that the same won ’ t be true tomorrow . Because we know we are called to love and forgive in the most difficult of circumstances and continuously , we must prepare our minds to do those virtuous acts . We have to pray for that grace when we need it even though we don ’ t need it today . Why ? First , we have to pray for it because that is what it means to be a child of God and a disciple of Christ . From a practical perspective , however , until you have been unjustly treated and hurt badly , it can be very difficult to know how hard it can be for us to forgive someone . Until you become persecuted and encounter people who try to destroy you at every turn , it can be difficult to know how hard it is to love your enemies . These acts require supernatural help for they exceed our natural capacity to perform them . We cannot love and forgive on a God-like level on our own , so these acts require God ’ s grace . If we don ’ t recognize that , we won ’ t pray for these graces and won ’ t be ready when the time comes .
Discipleship requires divine strength and complete commitment . It also requires preparation for those extreme moments of struggle that might not ever come but are always a possibility . We need to pray for the grace to love our enemies so that when we discover we have enemies we are open to the grace to love them . The same goes for forgiveness . We have to pray for the grace to forgive generously and without limit , so that when the time comes to forgive we are open to the grace to forgive . The New Law of Christ requires the highest standards to keep , and every disciple must be ready to keep them .
Saints like St . Margaret Clitherow can help us in the necessary preparation of the mind for discipleship because they give us both the immediacy of the circumstances that require God ’ s grace and the right example to imitate . She was a young wife and mother who could have rationalized several reasons for not standing fast to her Catholic faith , but she did not . She knew that she might have to confess her faith at the cost of her life , and she prayed earnestly for that grace should the need arise . That day did come and with it the grace she needed . To be formed as true disciples of Christ , it is necessary to recognize that we are already potential martyrs by virtue of our baptism who need to pray for the graces to be faithful to the New Law . If we prepare for the highest measure of discipleship , we can be sure to be ready for all of the demands of following Christ . Martyrdom , St . Thomas says , “ is the greatest proof of the perfection of charity ” ( ST 2-2.124.3 resp .) Perfection of charity in Christ is the goal of every disciple , and we do well if we follow the example of the martyrs . In order to do that , we should be prepared .
Father Timothy Laboe is Dean of Studies and Professor of Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary .
14 Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Fall 2022