Saturday, December 21, 2013

Question 124. Martyrdom

1. Is martyrdom an act of virtue?

Virtue helps a man to make good decisions. Good decisions consist in truth, and have justice as their effect. Martyrdom consists in standing firm in truth and justice against the assaults of persecution. Thus it is evident that martyrdom is an act of virtue.

2. Is martyrdom an act of fortitude?

An act of fortitude makes a man strong in virtue, especially against dangers, and chiefly against the dangers of death, and most of all against those that occur in battle. It's clear that in martyrdom man is firmly strengthened in virtue, since he perseveres in faith and justice in spite of the danger of death that is due to a kind of particular contest with his persecutors. Thus St. Cyprian says in a sermon: "The crowd of onlookers wondered to see an unearthly battle, and Christ's servants fighting erect, undaunted in speech, with souls unmoved, and strength divine."

It is clear that martyrdom is an act of fortitude; for which reason the Catholic Church reads in the office of Martyrs: They "became valiant in battle." [Hebrews 11:34]


3. Is martyrdom an act of the greatest perfection?

A virtuous act may be considered in comparison with its first motive, which is the love of charity, and it is in this respect that an act comes to belong to the perfection of life, since as St Paul says that "charity...is the bond of perfection." Now, of all virtuous acts martyrdom is the greatest proof of the perfection of charity: since a man's love for a thing is proved to be greater, according to the degree that he sacrifices for love those things that are most dear to him, or to the degree that his sufferings for love are more painful. But it is clear that of all the goods in this world man loves life itself most, and hates death most, especially when death comes with bodily pains.

Thus it is clear that martyrdom is the most perfect of human acts, since it is the sign of the greatest charity, according to John 15:13: "Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends."


4. Is death essential to martyrdom?

A martyr is called a martyr because he is a witness to the Christian faith, which teaches us to despise things that are visible for the sake of things that are invisible, as stated in Hebrews 11.  With martyrdom a man shows by deed that he despises all things present, in order to obtain invisible goods to come.  Now so long as a man has a body he does not show by deed that he despises all things relating to the body.  For men would rather despise their relatives and all they possess, and even suffer bodily pain, than die.  Hence Satan testified against Job (Job 2:4): "Skin for skin, and all that a man hath he will give for his soul" that is, for the life of his body.  Thus the perfect notion of martyrdom requires that a man suffer death for Christ's sake.


5. Is faith alone the cause of martyrdom?

Martyrs are called witnesses, because by suffering and dying they bear witness to the truth which is in accordance with godliness, and was made known to us by Christ.  Christ's martyrs are His witnesses. The cause of all martyrdom is the truth of faith.

The truth of faith includes not only inward belief, but also outward profession, which is shown not only by words, but also by deeds, according to James 2:18, "I will show thee, by works, my faith." For this reason it is written of certain people (Titus 1:16): "They profess that they know God but in their works they deny Him." Thus all virtuous deeds, insofar as they are referred to God, are professions of the faith. Through faith we come to know that God requires these works of us, and rewards us for them: and in this way they can be the cause of martyrdom. For this reason the Catholic Church celebrates the martyrdom of Blessed John the Baptist, who suffered death, not for refusing to deny the faith, but for voicing disapproval of adultery.

http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3124.htm

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