Victor R. Claveau, MJ
At Rome, the Bishop of Antioch suffered the death he had so earnestly longed for. He considered Christian martyrdom as the perfect imitation of Christ; hence the only true disciple of Christ is one who is ready to sacrifice his life for him, a glorious privilege, eagerly to be grasped.
He wrote: “I am not yet perfected in Jesus Christ; indeed, I am now but being initiated into discipleship, and I address you as fellow-disciples.[1] —Pardon me—I know very well where my advantage lies. At least I am well on my way to being a disciple. May nothing seen or unseen fascinate me, so that I may happily make my way to Jesus Christ! Fire, cross, struggles with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs, crunching of the whole body, cruel tortures inflicted by the devil —let them come upon me, provided only I make my way to Jesus Christ. Of no use to me will be the farthest reaches of the universe or the kingdoms of this world. I would rather die and come to Jesus Christ than be king over the entire earth. Him I seek who died for us; Him I love who rose again because of us. The birth pangs are upon me. Forgive me, brethren; do not obstruct my coming to life—do not wish me to die; do not make a gift to the world of one who wants to be God’s. Beware of seducing me with matter pure light. Once arrived there, I shall be a man.[2]—Why, moreover, did I surrender myself to death, to fire, to the sword, to wild beasts? Well, to be near the sword is to be near God; to be in the claws of wild beasts is to be in the hands of God. Only let it be done in the name of Jesus Christ! To suffer with Him I endure all things, if He, who became perfect man, gives me the strength.”[3]
[1] Ephesians 3:1
[2] Romans 5:3-6
[3] Smyrna 4:2-4