The

Logic of Christian Martyrdom

By Jane Gilgun

Pasque Flowers, Lake Harriet Peace Garden, Minneapolis, MN, USA

did not have a happy Easter. Intellectually, I got it. Easter is about hope. We die to ourselves. We give up our illusions. We accept our hurts. We accept that so many people throughout the world are hurting, but we have hope. Easter is about transformation, new life. Yet, Easter is also about death. As the Reverend Kate Stebinger said in a Palm Sunday sermon, As we dwell here, in the cross, without the rejoicing of the resurrection, we recall the valleys and the shadows of our own lives, those places where we feel stricken, abandoned, and alone. The problem of suffering in the world meets us here, now. As Kate said, We cannot experience the joy of Easter without first experiencing the death. Easter is a time when we reflect upon our lives. We celebrate with families and friends. Its spring. We notice the flowers that push themselves up through the cold earth. I dream of bluebells that cover the forest floors in May. Death and life are part of an on-going cycle that our ancestors have noticed and celebrated for uncounted thousands of years. I did not feel this hope, this triumph over death, this new life, during Easter week. The stone rolled away from the tomb of my heart and there I found hurt and outrage. I thought of the present pope, Francis, who was silent while thousands of Argentinians disappeared and mothers and grandmothers of the disappeared walked in silent grief and witness each Thursday for years in the Plaza de Mayo, the center of social life in Argentina. Kate reminded me of this in her Palm Sunday sermon.

I thought of Pope Pius who was silent while the Nazi killed six million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Christians whom they didnt like. I think of the silence today as Egypt and other Arab countries kill and terrorize Coptic Christians to the point where most have left. There are now hundreds of Coptic Churches in the US and few in Arab countries. I think of the genocides in Africa and Eastern Europe. Christian church leaders throughout the world are silent. They dont get their own religion. They made a god of Jesus, but they dont see he was a servant who dressed in rough clothes and may have bathed infrequently. They dont seem to understand that Jesus died because he lived the greatest commandmentslove of God, self, and others. They dont seem to notice how many other people have lived the love of God, self, and others. Silent churchmen process in jeweled robes and high hats. Handsome young men hold pastel-colored paresols over their heads to shade them from the sun. They accept the accolades that others give them. People kiss the precious stones of their rings. They are Gods representatives on earth. Say what? I found this Easter particularly sad. I think my sadness arose from my recent deeper understanding of Christianity and of Jesuss life, death, and on-going life. Jesus was a martyr for his love of God, self, and others. He lived the greatest commandment, and he paid the highest possible price. Living those commandments is the most satisfying way to live our own lives. Giving and receiving love, and love of others and of all creation. Who and what can beat that? Sometimes, as the life of Jesus and many others shows, human beings take risks, even life-threatening risks, for the love of God, self, and others. Imagine what would have happened if Pope Pius had spoken out every day, day after day, week after week, year after year about the Nazi genocide. Imagine if he had been like the mothers and grandmothers of the disappeared in Argentina. What would the Nazis have done? Killed him? Taken church riches? Destroyed churches and their art? Imagine how the world would be different if he had lived the love of God, self, and others and spoken and acted against the Nazis. Any retaliation against Pius would have sparked outrage throughout the world. The Nazis would have been taken down much sooner. Christians would have been proud of their church. Instead, there is shame. I feel shame to be part of a religion whose leader was silent. I am proud of the clergy who stood up to Nazism. Some paid with their lives. That is how it is. Martyrdom in the name of love and justice and against cruelty and genocide are part of what it means to be Christian. Martyrs who lose their lives are rare. Everyday Christianity involves little martyrdoms where we give up a little bit of ourselves for the sake of others, such as listening to a survivor of rape, going to a

childs school performance rather than working, or asking for elaboration when someone says we screwed up. Our current pope apparently did no better than Pius. There is little or no evidence that he spoke out when thousands of Argentinians disappeared during the dirty war of 1976-1983. A Time magazine article said that had he spoken out, he would not have lived to become pope. Had he understood and lived the Christianity that brought him honor and glory, he would have spoken out and taken the consequences. Imagine world reaction had the military junta killed him. He was a highly visible prelate at the time of the junta. Even if no one appeared to have noticed his death, his death would have mattered and tilted the world just a bit more toward love and justice and away from hate and genocide. Francis was party to a statement of apology that the Catholic hierarchy made in 2000 for not standing up to the generals who ruled Argentina in the 70s and early 80s. The statement read in part, We want to confess before God everything we have done badly. We share everyones pain and once again ask the forgiveness of everyone we failed or didnt support as we should have, In my post-Easter state of mind, I see this as too little too late. Words are easy. Actions that live the words are what matter. Francis has many opportunities to show whether he understands Christianity and embraces the possibilities of taking risks that being Christian involves. He has opportunities to show that he is not a public Christian for the glory and honor. The horrific discrimination against Coptic Christians in Egypt is just such an opportunity. Right now, Coptic Christians are subjected to terror, murder, and church burnings. Discrimination against Christians is not only enshrined in law, but fundamentalists want Christianity outlawed. Christians are leaving Egypt and other Arab countries to save their own lives. I havent heard that Francis or other popes have spoken out against this. The treatment of women and girls throughout the world is another opportunity to show the world what Christianity means. These are two of many examples of where Francis and others can take moral leadership. Many believe we are in a post-Christian era. Maybe we are. Maybe the institution of the church is dying and Christianity will be dispersed outside of churches and have a year-round Easter that responds immediately, consistently, and whole heartedly to hate and murder with love, justice, and service. These are the central meanings of Christianity and the best possible response to hatred, terrorizing, and murder. We each have to give up something to achieve this. References Amnesty International (2013). Egypts Coptic Christians must be protected from sectarian violence. 27 March. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/egypt-s-coptic- christians-must-be-protected-sectarian-violence-2013-03-27 retrieved 4 April

2013. Budde, Mariann Edgar (2013). How resurrection feels: Easter Sunday Vigil. Washington National Cathedral. March 30. http://www.nationalcathedral.org/worship/sermonTexts/meb20130330.shtml Retrieved 4 April 2013. Gilgun, Jane F. (2013). God loves girls and women. Scribd.com. http://www.scribd.com/doc/126891216/God-Loves-Girls-and-Women Gilgun, Jane F. (2012). Love, justice, and service: Themes from the Old Testament and the Gospels, A study guide. Scribd.com. http://www.scribd.com/doc/112176151/Love-Justice-and-Service-Themes-from- the-Old-Testament-and-the-Gospels-A-Study-Guide Gilgun, Jane F. (2013). Weve always known: Why dont we do it? http://www.scribd.com/doc/123343549/We-ve-Always-Known-Why-Don-t-We- Do-It Goni, Uki (2013). The new pope and Argentinas Disappeared of the Dirty War. World Time. http://world.time.com/2013/03/14/the-new-pope-and-argentinas- disappeared-of-the-dirty-war/ retrieved 4 April 2013. Iskander, Lara & Jimmy Dunn (2013). A history of Coptic Christians in Egypt. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/copticchristians.htm retrieved 4 April 2013 Stebinger, Katharine (2013, March). Palm Sunday Sermon. St. Johns Episcopal Church, Linden Hills, Minnesota, USA. http://www.stjohns- mpls.org/images/sermons/3.24.13.pdf Retrieved 4 April 2013.