The Seed of the Church

Today is the feast of St. Polycarp, disciple of St. John and Bishop of Smyrna. 1,851 years ago today, he was burned at the stake for refusing to deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He was 86 years old. Here is what he prayed that day:

"O Lord God Almighty, Father of thy beloved and blessed Child, Jesus Christ, through Whom we have received full knowledge of thee, the God of Angels and powers, and of all creation, and of the whole family of the righteous, who live before thee! I bless thee, that Thou hast granted me this day and hour, that I may share, among the number of the martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, for the Resurrection to everlasting life, both of soul and body in the immortality of the Holy Spirit. And may I, to-day, be received among them before Thee, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as Thou, the God who lies not and is truth, hast prepared beforehand, and shown forth, and fulfilled. For this reason I also praise Thee for all things, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee through the everlasting and heavenly high Priest, Jesus Christ, thy beloved Child, through whom be glory to Thee with him and the Holy Spirit, both now and for the ages that are to come, Amen."

This past week, as noted below, the enemies of Christ broke into the home of Benjamen Kwashi, Bishop of Jos in Nigeria, hoping to murder him. Not finding him at home, they brutally assaulted his wife, Gloria, and other members of his household. Here is a paragraph from Bp. Kwashi's letter written in the immediate aftermath of the event:

"The prayer of the Church is the biggest asset and heritage of the saints. We register gratitude to God for your lives and the sacrifice you make in prayer in our behalf. We are praying for you that our sufferings and specifically the humiliation, blood, tears and pains of Gloria may result in a great revival that will bring tremendous glory to God and to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ."

Praise God, "we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses," who are not only the saints in light - like Polycarp, but also those whom God is still raising up among us today - like Bp. Kwashi and Gloria.