of martyrdom

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the first saint, the first martyr of the Philippine church to be officially recognized by the universal church. When we speak of martyrdom we cannot help but meditate also on the silence of God, the silence of God in the midst of the sufferings of his children, more specifically the silence of God in the midst of the sufferings of those who chose to remain loyal to him.
Many times most of us would think that martyrs received their torments and death with a defiant face and a strong will. Many stories of the saints would depict them as brave and strong and unyielding in the face of pain. However come to think of it how can it be called a martyrdom if there was no fear, if there was no anguish, if there was no struggle to comprehend the love of God in the midst of suffering. That is why I propose that we meditate on the silence of God in the struggle of his martyrs. Where is God in the midst of my suffering? Where is God in the midst of pain, of torment, in the midst of abandonment, and even in the midst of injustice? This is the cry and the anguish of martyrs. Martyrdom means to remain faithful even in a situation where God is seemingly absent, seemingly asleep, to remain loyal even in the silence of God.


In our gospel today when Jesus and his disciples were denied passage by the samaritans and were rejected by them because of his plan to proceed to Jerusalem James and John tempted Jesus to react. In a way they wanted Jesus to break his silence in this time of rejection and anguish. Call down fire from heaven and consume them. This will always be the call of those who are persecuted, those who were tormented and tortured. But God will not be tempted as Jesus was not. He remained silent. He did not react. This is the strange silence of Jesus. The samaritan persecutors were spared and Jesus dismissed the reaction of James and John.
The martyrdom of Christ was also preceded with the strange silence of God in Gethsemane with an anguish too strong Jesus did not just sweat perspiration but blood. God spoke to Jesus when he was baptized. God spoke to Jesus in the mountain of transfiguration but God remained silent in Gethsemane and in Calvary. Where is God in the midst of pain. Remember what Jesus cried out when he was on the cross - my God, my God why have you forsaken me. This too is the cry of martyrs in the midst of their suffering when God chose to remain silent.
Today we look to Lorenzo Ruiz in his persistence to believe and even accept the pain which he may not have understood too well. We look to the martyr in his loyalty and perseverance in the midst of his cries of pain, torment and an anguish that rent not just his body but more so his heart - an anguish brought about by the silence of God in the midst of his pain.
Let us pray to Lorenzo so that we too may also persevere till the end.