The Martyrs of Lyon

In the year 177 AD a violent persecution was unleashed on the Catholics of Lyon France. In all, 48 Christians were tortured and put to death. It began with Christians being mocked, and then increasingly marginalized, prohibited from attending public places, isolated and silenced. It ended with a violent campaign of public torture, imprisonment and death in the Roman Amphitheatre. The purpose of the terrible public tortures was to cause all Christians to give up their faith out of fear.  But the martyrs possessed the virtue of fortitude.

one - FORTITUDE

a.      Fortitude is the virtue by which we overcome our fears in pursuing the good. It’s the virtue that causes us to cling to the good, to pursue the good, despite hardship and difficulty

b.      It’s the virtue that enables us to see through a commitment, whatever the difficulties.

i.     Without fortitude, a human being is a quitter, a flake, a softie who can only be relied upon not to persevere, not to hang in there, not to be dependable.

c.      In other words, fortitude is the virtue without which none of the things which make life worthwhile – all of which demand sacrifice and perseverance – can be realized.  i.     So if you want to have any lasting happiness in this life or the next, you need fortitude

two - FORTITUDE AND THE HIERARCHY OF VALUES

Like we said, fortitude demands sacrifice

But sacrifice is simply where you are willing to lose or risk a lesser good in order to attain a greater good

You don’t do this because you don’t care about the lesser good (if you didn’t even care about the lesser good, there wouldn’t be an sacrifice or fear involved) but because you care more about the greater good.

What that means is that the first step required in order to acquire fortitude is to figure out which things are objectively more important than others – which of the things you love is more important than others? Augustine’s definition of virtue is “ordered love” – to have the virtue of fortitude you have to prioritize, and then act on your priorities. If you don’t recognize that some things are objectively greater goods than others, than you can’t sacrifice the lesser for the greater. Which means you can’t have fortitude; you can’t be courageous – unless you first do a clear calculation about what matters most.

People who don’t have their values straight are automatically

cowards – obviously: you can’t courageously stand by your values

unless you know what your values are.

So the saints are the bravest of all people because they first get clear in their heads what the greatest good is: union with God. And then they’re willing to risk or lose everything else to get that

i.             (stories of the Pearl of Great Price and the Treasure of the Field show the Gospel connection between careful calculation and courage)

three - THE KEY SACRIFICE FORTITUDE IS WILLING TO MAKE

The greatest sacrifice we can make is to “lay down our lives. That’s why the greatest fear we generally have is the fear of death – the fear that we will lose all our earthly goods

Hebrews 2 tells us that it is precisely our fear of death that Satan uses to enslave us – and that by helping us overcome our fear of death, Christ is freeing us from the power of the devil

After all, if we’re willing to abandon ourselves completely to God’s providence – if we have no FOMO for ourselves, our loved ones, our children – if we’re willing to lose all earthly goods or some earthly goods

Then how can Satan threaten us with loss? We can face everything with fortitude, because we know the greatest good is ours.

These are the martyrs, the ones who have made the great calculation (what is the greatest good) and have chosen accordingly. They are the supremely prudent, and the supremely brave.

four - MEDITATING ON THE SACRIFICE

So how do you get ready to lay down your life for God. Because, as Shakespeare says, “You owe God a death.”

You’re going to die one day, whether from external or internal causes, and it probably won’t be pleasant. How can you prepare to do it well, to die courageously?

Well, meditate on the Supreme Good. Remember that Jesus has proven that another, better, inexpressibly delightful life awaits.

If a two-year-old could go back to the womb and tell a child still waiting to be born about all the good things waiting for him – color, and ice-cream, and the hugs of his parents and siblings – the unborn child wouldn’t be worried about losing the dark comfort of the womb.

But that’s exactly what Jesus did for us when he rose again and showed himself in glory. We will have life after this life, and we will have it to the full - Food, friendship, God’s glory, victory, joy unmixed with pain - So what are we scared of?

five - PRACTICING SMALL ACTS OF COURAGE

Practice giving up what is lesser for what is greater:

Prayer: give up some time spent on our own entertainment and projects in order to be with the God who loves you more than anyone

Fasting: give up some physical pleasure so that you can spiritually unite yourself with Jesus

Almsgiving: give up some financial security for your hypothetical future so that you can build up God’s Church and help the Poor in the real now.

Make the calculation, then start letting go of the inferior life and start living a better life – so that you can, as soon as God wills, enter into the life of perfect happiness. Like the martyrs.

The Church father Tertullian once said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Within two centuries Christianity had won over Lyon and began to spread across the entire Roman Empire.