The example of St Polycarp

And so today, in the Common Worship Lectionary, we remember St Polycarp on February 23rd each year and the Collect (special prayer) for the Day includes these words:

“…grant that we also may be ready
to give an answer for the faith that is in us
and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (5)

So, if people try to make fun of us for going to church, we cannot do better than repeat the words of St Polycarp in that terrible stadium: “I am a Christian”.  And we might add, also along the lines of St Polycarp, “If you want to know more about Christianity, why not come to church with me on Sunday?”  And always remember that, however difficult things are, Jesus is with us and all the Saints are cheering us on.

Honouring the Saints

After Polycarp had died, there were no Christians left alive who had known any of the Apostles, and it was his martyrdom which saw the beginning of Saints’ Days and the celebration each year of an anniversary Eucharist at the martyr’s tomb.  From the account of Polycarp’s martyrdom we can clearly see how these early Christians honoured the martyrs; and within a 100 years it was a normal thing for Christians to ask the martyrs to pray for them.  So in the catacombs in Rome there are inscriptions such as these:

“Ye holy martyrs, be mindful of the (pilgrim?) Dionysius”
“Holy Sixtus, think (of me) in thy intercessions” (6)

It is indeed right that we should honour the Blessed Saints for they are honoured by God himself.  As Jesus said, “Whoever serves me, the Father will honour” (NRSV, John 12:26), and we know that no one has served Our Lord better than the Saints have done.

Particularly we honour the Apostles because they were Our Lord’s closest friends.  As he told them on the night before his Crucifixion, “I do not call you servants any longer, … but I have called you friends…” (NRSV, John 15:15).