Holding Fast to Christ

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Martyrs of Lyons: Blandina and her Companions, 177 - Commemoration

Today's Readings:
[ 2 Macc 7:1-14; Ps 61:1-5; Mt 16:24-27 ]

The account of the seven brothers and their mother in 2 Maccabees is difficult to read without feeling both sorrow and admiration. Faced with torture and death, they refused to abandon the covenant of God. One after another, they entrusted themselves to the Lord, confident that earthly suffering was not the end of the story. As one brother declares, “the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life”.

Their witness finds an echo in the lives of Blandina and her companions, the martyrs of Lyons. In the second century, these Christians endured imprisonment, torture, and death rather than deny Christ. Blandina, though physically weak and socially insignificant in the eyes of the world, displayed remarkable courage. The grace of God proved stronger than fear, pain, or persecution.

Jesus' words in today's Gospel help us understand their strength: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”. The martyrs did not seek suffering for its own sake. Rather, they loved Christ more than they loved their own safety. They understood that true life is found not in clinging to ourselves, but in entrusting ourselves completely to God.

From a Franciscan perspective, martyrdom is the ultimate expression of poverty of spirit. St. Francis taught his brothers to hold nothing back from God. The martyrs of Lyons embodied this radical surrender. Their lives remind us that discipleship is not measured by comfort or success, but by fidelity.

Most of us will never face the choice between death and denying Christ. Yet every day presents smaller opportunities to take up the cross: to forgive when it is difficult, to speak truth with charity, to remain faithful in trials, and to trust God when the future is uncertain.

Like the psalmist, we pray today: “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I”. May the witness of Blandina and her companions strengthen our faith, so that in both great and small trials we may hold fast to Christ, who alone gives everlasting life.

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