JC et al.--Living in Truth 3

Following the Truth

 

Martyrdom of Felicitas and Perpetua, Carthage, 7 March 203

(1800 and 10  years ago; Feast day 7 March)

Canvas by Felix Louis Leuiller, XIX century

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"Perpetua was not alone in her cell. She had her baby boy, no more than a few weeks old, and she was thankful for this…She kept him with her all the time and fed him at her breast in the hot, fetid darkness of the crowded cell. And she prayed for him: that he too, as he grew, would come to know the way of truth – and not fear to follow it. Then there was Felicitas, faithful Felicitas, a servant but far more than a servant. She was a sister in Christ, and a dear friend. Felicitas was afraid, but not of death; she was afraid that she would be left behind. Even the Roman Empire did not execute pregnant women, and Felicitas was eight months with child…."

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 "When the day of their trial was announced, Perpetua’s father came again… “Daughter,” he said. “Pity my grey hairs! Have pity on your father, if I am worthy to be called your father. Don’t make me a cause of mockery before men. Don’t bring about our ruin, for none of us will dare to show his face if you are condemned.” He threw himself at her feet, and wept in despair, imploring her to turn back from the wretched and abhorrent path she had chosen. She stood before him quietly, waiting for him to finish what he had to say. He said it, and left, heavy-hearted; he took with him her baby son….Sentence was pronounced and she was condemned, with the others, to face the wild beasts in the arena."

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"The next day, the 7th March AD 203, Perpetua, Felicitas, and the three young men, Saturus, Saturninus and Revocatus were led out into the arena – the public amphitheatre where the games and chariot races were held. They felt relief that their ordeal would soon be over, and gladness at the thought of the welcome they would so soon receive in their heavenly home. They were beaten as they passed between the lines of soldiers...The vast crowd roared around them from the benches as they walked bravely into the open space in the middle of the amphitheatre. At last the beasts, enraged by hunger and the goadings of their captors, were turned loose... "

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Excerpted from:
This Holy Seed: Faith, Hope, and Love in the Early Churches of North Africa. Robin Daniel (1992).
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More info:
“Perpetua and Felicity, ”New World Encyclopedia , retrieved from  http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Perpetua_and_Felicity
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Some commentary:

http://www.simplecatholicliving.com/guest-posts/saints-perpetua-and-felicity

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Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.

Jesus Christ, Revelation 2:10

 

Member Care and Human Rights--8

Helping others can be costly--and scary and "inconvenient".

**There are consequences for defending human rights--including our own and those of others.

**There are consequences for providing member care to workers whose human rights have been violated through harrassment, discrimination, forced exile, and imprisonment.

**There are also consequences for not defending human rights and for not helping others whose rights are violated.

Recently a team of four psychologists was providing member care services to workers in an Asian country. These workers were a mixture of locals and internationals. Their perseverence and love for people were remarkable.

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We were part of this team of psychologists. In addition to teaching on parenting skills, marriage, stress managemnet, and grief/loss, there was also teaching on surviving hardship and understanding human rights. Most of the workers had limited knowledge of national and international laws that pertained to their rights. For many it seemed that generations of "learned helplessness" had left them with little sense that soomething could be done to change human rights abuses. Many of these rights and laws were said to be interpreted in terms of the "national interests" or at least in terms of the interests of the people with the most power.

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We listened a lot. And then we taught some. Here is a summary (part one of three) oriented for those in the faith-based community (Christian).

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Difficult experiences are every where, at every time, for every one. No one escapes. These expereinces include both: external stressors like persecution, harassment, and relationship conflict; and internal struggles like depression, fear, and frustration.
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Philippians 1:1,2 and Ephesians 3:1
We are prisoners and bond-servants of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the gentiles.
We are not prisoners of governments nor of our circumstances.

Message to church in Smyrna--Revelation 2:8-11
You may go to prison but do not be afraid. Be faithful. Member care helps us to be faithful in all aspects of life--to do what we know is right—serving God and others. He will reward us.
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Exercise: Hide a holy book for one week and what will happen to you? You will likely appreciate it more, and memorise it more! What three verses would help sustain you if you were in prison and did not have access to a holy book?

Reflection and Discussion

***What three verses (or principles) sustain you the most in your own life?

***Comment on this assertion: Ultimately followers of Christ are "prisoners" of Jesus Christ, not of anything else.