Get Holy or Die Tryin'

I realise that I typically use red to denote the words of Christ from Scripture. However, liturgically, red is the colour worn by the priests on feasts in honour of the Martyrs. Over the school year, when a title on this blog is in red, the post will be telling the story of one such martyr.

Last summer, I went down to the Franciscan University of Steubenville's annual youth conference (which rocked out loud, and we'll be going as a youth group next year!), and while I was there, I explored the gift shop and found the t-shirt pictured above, made by Catholic to the Max.com. I saw it, and had to get it, mainly because St. Jean de Brébeuf topped the second column, and, being a Canadian martyr, my patriotism swayed my decision against other very cool t-shirts. At the time that I bought the shirt, I did not realise that it was, in fact, a parody of 50 Cent: Get Rich or Die Tryin'. I just thought that it was a wicked shirt, with martyrs on the back, and a slogan that we as Catholics should all aspire to: Get Holy, or Die Tryin'.

Now that the school year is back in full swing, and I'm back visiting the elementary schools' senior grades, I've decided, instead of just preachin' at them, to tell stories instead--and the stories I have to tell are those of the martyrs (particularly those on the back of my t-shirt, listed above). Now, there are 44 listings on the shirt, and less than 44 weeks in the school year, so we won't cover all of them. But I will select the ones that I think have the most captivating, inspiring, and challenging tales (a difficult task, in light of the roster--but then, I feel I can be choosy, since the creators of the shirt themselves were choosy. If they included all the martyrs, the t-shirt would need to be a robe, covered front and back with their names!).

The fact that the t-shirt is a parody of 50 Cent's misguided motto adds further depth to the message. 50 Cent reflects the world's view of success: to be rich, successful, famous, and all that. In stark contrast, Jesus in the Beatitudes reminds us that it is the poor, gentle, mournful, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted who are blessed and truly successful.

In the lives of the martyrs that we'll hear about, we will see all of these characteristics lived out as the Spirit of God makes these normal men and women, just like us, able.

While the world would look at a person who gives up their entire life in service of Christ, and is willing to even suffer persecution and death for that, as a fool and a failure, the Catholic Church views these people as Heroes to be looked up to and emulated. These are the Church's greatest success stories, and their impact on this world far surpasses their deaths. The ancient Christian writer Tertullian once remarked that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. Throughout history, and in our modern world, it is where Christians are persecuted that the Church is strongest and growing fastest.

The examples of the martyrs' lives on earth, and their prayers for the world, in heaven, continue to change the world we live in, in extraordinary ways. May we, filled with the Spirit of God, lead lives such as theirs.

As many a martyr said upon his death:
Long Live Christ the King!