Saints Cosmas and Damien. An Optional Memorial, so the Ordo at Gethsemani listed it. The gospel reading, of course, had only the most marginal realtionship to the thought of martyrs. So in honor of another feast of martyrs, I offer this reading from Breviary.net Go down the page to Lessons IV through VI.
Writing like that is full of power when read in the context of Vigils, and with the Responsories. I especially like this:
Ye endured pitiless torment until it was consummated in glory. The tormentors did not wear you out. Nay, rather ye wore out your tormentors.
Even though those of us in the USA generally don't have to worry about being tortured for being Christian, we do know that the Trappists' have martyrs. That happened in the 1990s, so it is possible to still die an ugly death for your faith. Now, the vast majority of Christians are not called to be martyrs. What we are called to do is to put to death our inordinate desires and affections. And we know how hard that is to do.
It is a martyrdom on its own. Facing ugly truths about ourselves is another kind of martyrdom. Some would rather face a death than to face some of their ugliest truths. Yet, it is only when we face those truths, with all the sticky interior stuff that goes with it, are we able to offer it to God. Until it is offered to God it's just a hard time in your life. When it is offered to God, it becomes something holy.
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