Fr. Michael Williams

Throughout His three years of public ministry Jesus constantly told His followers that they would suffer in this world if they were faithful to Him. That they would suffer persecution just like Him is one of Jesus’ mantras. He tells the disciples, ‘If the world hates you, you must realise that it hated me before it hated you’ (Jn 15:18). It’s not the message that most leaders would use in getting people to follow them, but it’s clearly the message Jesus has for His followers. And in today’s gospel Jesus is at it again, when He tells Peter, ‘when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go’. Here Jesus is referring to Peter’s own martyrdom, when Peter would be crucified upside down on a hill called the Vatican in Rome. (The very place where St Peter’s Basilica is now situated).

Rome was the political, economic and cultural capital of the ancient world. Peter was crucified there because he gave witness to Jesus as His Lord and Master. Witnessing to Jesus didn’t go down too well with the Roman authorities because they claimed the Roman Emperor was the Lord of the world. Yet Peter and countless others would not keep quiet about their faith in the Lord, despite the opposition and ridicule they received from many people in their day. Thousands upon thousands of Christians were martyred by the Roman authorities. Some of their names are contained in the Eucharistic Prayer called the Roman Canon: Cosmas & Damian, Agatha & Lucy, etc. Behind each one of these names is a heroic witness to the Lord.

Those first apostles and disciples publicly witnessed to their faith and suffered as a result of this, but now they are reigning in glory praising, ‘the One who is sitting on the Throne and the Lamb’. They are now free from suffering and enjoying the peace and tranquility of eternal life.

Today we are the apostles and disciples of the Lord in this moment of history: We are called to publicly witness to our faith to the people of our time. At this time of the General Election it is particularly important to publicly witness to our Faith. We need to ask the candidates what their views are on issues such as abortion and euthanasia; we need to ask them about what they will do to support the institution of marriage and family life; we need to ask them how they are going to tackle unjust trade laws and poverty in our society and world; we need to ask them what they think the place of religion is in society. Our Faith needs to go out into the public square and give witness to Christian values.

Of course when we publicly witness to our faith, some people may belittle and ridicule us. That means we are in the good company of the first apostles and disciples, and all those Roman martyrs whose names we shall soon hear in Eucharistic Prayer 1. We too should be ‘glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name [Jesus]’. We need to stand up confidently and witness to the Lord like those first followers of His.