Saints

• One thing that unites the Catholic Church to the Eastern Orthodox Churches and separates it from most Protestant denominations is the devotion to the saints, those holy men and women who have lived exemplary Christian lives. Many Christians--even Catholics--misunderstand this devotion, which is based on our belief that, just as our life does not end with death, so too our relationships with our fellow members of the Body of Christ continue after their deaths. This Communion of Saints is so important that it is an article of faith in all Christian creeds, from the time of the Apostles' Creed.

• What is a Saint?

• Saints, broadly speaking, are those who follow Jesus Christ and live their lives according to his teaching. Catholics, however, also use the term narrowly to refer to especially holy men and women who, through extraordinary lives of virtue, have already entered Heaven

• Why do Catholics Pray to Saints?

• Like all Christians, Catholics believe in life after death, but they also believe that our relationship with other Christians does not end with death. Catholic prayer to saints is a recognition of this communion.

• What is a “Patron” Saint?

• Few practices of the Catholic Church are so misunderstood today as devotion to patron saints. From the earliest days of the Church, groups of the faithful (families, parishes, regions, countries) have chosen a particularly holy person who has passed on to intercede for them with God.

• Saint Mark (lived 1st century ad)

• Wrote the Gospel according to Mark

• He is frequently identified with Mark the son of Mary, a householder of Jerusalem, at whose home the early Christians held meetings in the days of persecution

• Saint Peter called him “son” , an appellation indicating the strong personal bond between them

• thereafter acted as Peter's interpreter because the apostle had little knowledge of Greek

• According to tradition, Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome, basing it on Peter's teachings

• Mark is a patron saint of notaries. His feast day is April 25

• St. Matthew (1st century ad)

• one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, author of the Gospel according to

Matthew

• Little is known about Matthew. The first three Gospels relate that he was a tax collector which made him a member of the class publicly stigmatized as “sinners”.

• Some scholars believe that he may originally have been called Levi and that Jesus named him Matthew after he became an apostle

• As a tax collector, under the Roman government, he would have been a man of substance and of some education, skilled in arithmetic and able to speak both Aramaic and Greek.

• Matthew is the patron saint of tax collectors and bankers. His feast day is

September 21.

• Saint Luke (lived 1st century ad)

• companion of Saint Paul

• Luke was also a physician and the author of the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel According to Luke

• Luke seems to have remained with Paul thereafter and probably was with him during Paul's last imprisonment.

• The feast day of Saint Luke is October 18, and he is the patron saint of physicians, artists, brewers, and butchers.

Martyrs

Martyr

• Greek “martyria”- witness, testimony

• Someone that witnesses and stands for their religious belief

• This individual testifies witness to a fact of which he has knowledge from personal observation

• This individual could be persecuted and put to death because of their belief

Martyrdom

• The suffering and death on account of one’s cause and especially to one's religious faith

• The act of being a martyr

Early Christians

• First began using the term “martyr” to Jesus as the first and greatest martyr, on account of his crucifixion (giving up his life for the truth)

St. John The Baptist

• Beheaded on the order of Herod because of his code of honour

• Herod, was a sub-king of Judea (Roman Empire), he had imprisoned John the Baptist because he reproved Herod for divorcing his wife and unlawfully taking Herodias, the wife of his brother.

St. John the Baptist cont’d

• On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod and he promised to give her anything she desired

• Salome wanted the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

Persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire

• A martyr was one who was killed for maintaining a religious belief

• After Constantine’s time, less and less Christians were persecuted

Christian Martyrs

• Person that is ready to suffer violence or even be killed for Christ, or a conscientious decision made on basis of our faith

What happened to Christian Martyrs?

• Many Christian martyrs suffered cruel and torturous deaths like stoning, crucifixion and burning at the stake

Martyrs across Religion

• Islam- misinterpreted faith convictions

(misinterpretation in Media)

• Judaism

• Hinduism

• Sikhism

First Christian Martyr :Deacon Stephen

- Deacon in Jerusalem

- Distribute food and charitable aid to poorer members of the community in the early church

Deacon StephenActs of the Apostles (6:8-8:3)

- Accused of

Blasphemy

- Stoned to death

- Venerated a Saint

Deacon Stephen

• Stoned to death for his faith

• Stephen was killed “martyred” for his support, belief and faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah

Some of Early Christian Martyrs

• Matthew the Evangelist killed by a halberd (two speared weapon)

• Mark was beaten to death. • Saint Peter, crucified upside-down• Apostle Paul, beheaded in Rome • Thomas the Apostle was killed by a spear • Luke the Evangelist was hanged• John the Evangelist was cooked in boiling

hot oil but survived; died of old age

Depeche Mode“Martyr for Love”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMMyFxmH9Zw

How is this musical group using the word “martyr”?

What does the Bible say about martyrs?

• Revelation 20:4-5