In the middle of the Third Century, it was still illegal to be a Christian. That would not change until Emperor Constantine in 313. Still, the Church was growing and the Roman Emperors were getting worried.
So much so, that Emperor Decius, in 250 A.D., issued an edict that every person in the Roman Empire had to sacrifice to a Roman god in the presence of a state official. They were then issued a certificate as proof saying that the sacrifice was offered. Many Christians moved to the countryside. Some obeyed the edict, even knowing that these Roman gods did not exist. Others purchased a certificate and avoided the sacrifice. Still others, refused to submit and were cruelly put to death.
After being secretly ordained, Pope Sixtus II and a select group of companions would sneak into one of the catacombs that extended for miles under the city of Rome. Emperor Valerian, who succeeded Decius, sent soldiers into the catacombs to hunt them down. Perhaps they were drawn by the singing, but the Pope along with his deacon companions were all arrested and put to death. When St. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage in North Africa received the news, he wrote the following letter: “Valerian has issued an edict to the Senate to the effect that bishops, presbyters, and deacons shall suffer the death penalty without delay…I must also inform you that Sixtus was put to death in a catacomb on the sixth of August, and four deacons with him…Let all our people fix their minds not on death but rather on immortality…knowing that in this contest the soldiers of God and Christ are not slain but rather win their crowns.”
These thoughts from long ago come to mind in light of our Gospel reading today. Christ says to us, “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” We need to ask ourselves what is most important in our lives. If we rely too heavily on our physical appearance, we will be disappointed. Looks, as we know, are fleeting. If we place too much emphasis upon the accumulation of wealth, then all our efforts will have to be passed on to others after we die. If we are relying on our accomplishments, they, too, will fade away. Even St. Thomas Aquinas, after all his philosophical and theological insights, felt they were all “like straw” compared to the glory that will be revealed to us.
Our love for God and neighbor is the only thing we will take with us when we die.
Blessings,
Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.
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