St. Polycarp was a bishop and martyr who was put to death in 155 A.D. and is one of the earliest documented cases of martyrdom in a public arena. Polycarp was an elderly bishop who, upon his arrest, began a litany of prayer. He was stabbed and burned amid a frenzied crowd but serenely embraced his martyrdom, resolute in his love of Jesus Christ and the Church.
C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity invites us to consider that when we call upon “Our Father” we are dressing up ourselves as a child of God. We are being like Christ. Of course, as we continue our Lenten journey, we realize that so often we are not Christlike, nor do we behave like a child of God. So, in that spirit of understanding, let us embrace our human weakness and draw near to the One whom we are called to imitate.
Continue the journey…
Spiritual Reflection: “Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”
Blessings of love,
Fr. Mark
