Journey to the Paradise of Joy
"Though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil; for
You are with me" (Psalm
23:4)
Our holy fathers defined
a martyr as one who
sacrifices
his
life on refusing
to deny his faith
in Christ. Since
the
beginning
of
Christianity,
there were many
martyrs
and
confessors who
suffered a great
deal
of
pain.
Some of them
chose to do so willingly
and they received the
crown of the eternal life.
Many of our forefathers
marched joyfully in the way
of martyrdom right after
attending the liturgy. Their
eyes were fixed on the One
and only One who gives life
to all mankind. However,
others became martyrs
due to the devil corrupting
the minds of unbelievers
to get rid of our beloved
brothers and sisters in
faith like what happened
in Saint George’s church
in Tanta and Saint Mark’s
Cathedral in Alexandria.
Our beautiful church place
the martyrs in a high rank
of the saints because their
precious blood was shed
for the sake of the Lord
Christ. The church also
places in a latter rank the
confessors who confessed
the faith and were tortured
but did not obtain the
crown of martyrdom.
Our Lord established
42
the concept of taking
hardship as a condition
for His fellowship. If we
want to live with the Lord
Christ, we must suffer for
Him. Through suffering
in this temporary life,
we obtain the
crown of glory
in the eternal
life. Christianity
is the love of
the suffering for
the sake of the
Lord Christ and
His everlasting
kingdom.
He
is always there
to support and
strengthen
us through the time of
tribulations. Saint Stephen
saw the heavens open and
with great power asked the
Almighty to forgive those
who were stoning him.
May the Lord Almighty
help us all to live a life
worthy of His calling.