Homily

One of the Fathers, St. Peter Chrysologus, wrote this:

"The women were the first to honor the risen Christ -- the apostles, the first to suffer for Him. The women were ready with spices -- the apostles were prepared for scourges. The women entered the tomb -- the apostles would soon enter prison. The woman hastened to express their eulogy -- the apostles would soon embrace chains for His sake. The women poured oils -- the apostles poured out their blood."

Now at first glance, it might seem that St. Peter is making a comparison between the actions of the Myrrh-bearing Women and those of the apostles, in order to show the much greater deeds, the greater faith of the apostles, who suffered many pains and hardships, torture and finally martyrdom for their faith in Christ. It's not surprising that the deeds of the apostles might be seen as more heroic than the more ordinary work the women were going to perform at the tomb. I understand that it might even seem that he is saying that the faith of the apostles is better, stronger than the faith of the women. But I don't believe he is comparing the faith of the apostles to the faith of the women, to show that one group was better in faith than the other. He is comparing them to show they are the same. Notice he does not write, "the women did this but the apostles did this."

The faith of the apostles is seen in their willingness to suffer for the love of Christ, accepting the brutality and execution imposed on them by evil men. The faith of the women is seen in their duty, love, service, and devotion to Christ, which was so strong they went to the tomb even as the apostles were hiding in fear.

Great love is seen in the faith of those who gave up their lives in martyrdom for the sake of Christ. Great love is also seen in those who have the faith to live their lives, every day, for the sake of Christ. The value is not found so much in WHAT is done, the value is more in the WHY we do what we do.

When husbands and wives lay down their own personal desires in order to better love one another, when they strive to work together for what is good, holy and true, when they raise their children to be followers of Christ, it may not seem to be as heroic as being whipped by a lash as St. Paul was, but such a marriage and such parenting can be every bit as full of faith.

When we treat other people with honesty, respect, patience, and a loving-kindness for the sake of our Lord, that is a mark of real faith. And if we do it with the people we live with, it's another kind of martyrdom. When we show by our words and actions that we are truly servants of the Lord, we show others our faith in Him. When we pray, work and live in union with Jesus, no matter how ordinary our lives may seem, we bear witness to Him as the apostles did. And if we are only called to duty to pour the oil and apply the spices, to take care of the daily business because we have been called to take care of it, if we do these things in the love of Christ, and to serve Him Who has called us, then we too can be martyrs. "Martyr" means in Greek, "witness." Even without the shedding of blood we can bear witness to Christ even in the simple tasks we do at home or work, even in the struggle to be virtuous, even in the turning away from sin which doesn't often seem dramatic or powerful or worthy of much attention. Our witnessing, our martyrdom is, or should be, woven in the people and events of our daily lives, and we face it all for the love of Christ.

Strange as it may seem, if we stop to think about it, Jesus does not love us for what we do, but rather simply because we are. He gave His own life up for us, He does not force us, but He invites us to turn our lives over to Him, so that He in turn can lead us and support us on the road home back to Him. Jesus does not love us for what we do, but we can only express our love for him by what we do, and how we live.

So, for us, that road may not include prison, or torture or a cruel and violent death at the hands of others. It will probably be just the daily duties, the regular work and cares of life, the bringing of spices, the pouring of oil. They may all seem so regular and so ordinary. The difference is not so much in what we do, but how we do it. And the how we do it should always be in the service of Him Who has given us everything.