Saint Philomena: A Martyr's Devotion
The Martyr's Choice
For the Feast of Saint Philomena, there's so many things that we could talk about. But I think the thing that most importantly we need to ask ourselves is what drives the martyrs to do what they do? She was only a 13 year old girl. She was offered, quite literally, the keys to the kingdom. She was offered marriage to the highest in the land she was given. She was come from a wealthy family. She was offered so many different things. So what is it that made her decide? What is it that made her choose to say no to everything? To reject everything, and even under threat of death and terrible deaths? And she's holding a maker in anchor because she was quite literally tied down to an anchor and thrown into the sea. And she was also shot through with arrows. So what is it that made her actually say no to everything and to choose our Lord Jesus Christ?
Heavenly Treasure: A Greater Calling
Well, I think it goes back to the gospel of today, which is the Lord's comparison of what the Kingdom of Heaven is. It is a treasure that is hidden in a field, but it is a pearl of great price. Aye, aye, aye. Merchant of pearls sees a pearl of great price. If he goes in, he sells everything he has so that he can purchase it. Because that is what the Kingdom of Heaven is. It is everything. It is the only thing that matters. The only reason we are here is to get to heaven. And we do so by knowing, loving and serving God here on this earth. Our lives belong to him.
The Example of Saint Philomena
And there is no greater example of that than Saint Philomena and that aspect of a martyr, any martyr. But because she is our patroness, she is the one we focus on someone who dedicated herself so completely, who preferred our Lord above everything else. She could have had the whole entire Roman Empire itself at her feet. And she chose Christ. She preferred eternal life, even if it meant a terrible death. If we're truly honest with ourselves, do we love Christ that much?
The Spirituality of the Martyrs
Or will we find a justification for? I could do so much good as the Empress of the World. Therefore. You know, maybe it's this one time I'll hold back. I'll put that one grain of incense in front of the idol. But I would do so much good with it afterwards. Or will we choose Christ? First and foremost. Will we prefer him? Above all things. Do we love him enough to give our lives entirely to him? Martyrdom always seems like the easier choice because it is just a one time thing. We say yes to Christ one time. Our lives are over and that's it. We've earned heaven. But of course, none of us have ever had to face that option. So it's not easy for us to say that that is the easier option.
Daily Martyrdom: Choosing Christ
But it is insistent upon us that we must make sure that we have the spirituality of the martyrs in our minds and in our hearts constantly. Maybe we don't have the purest of intentions. Maybe we don't have the strongest faith. Maybe we don't have the most absolute imperfect charity like essential amino. But that is our daily martyrdom. Every day we must choose Christ. Few martyrs ever live a life of pernicious ness, of life, of debauchery. And then they get to that one moment where they are told they have to accept Christ or accept death and they choose death. Sorry.
Fidelity in Faith and Sacrifice
Except they said they have to accept Christ in death, or they accept the glory of the world and they choose death in Christ. Very few people have that. There are stories of that. But the story that is more common is that these these martyrs, these glorious martyrs, like, seem Filomena just came upon it precisely because they were faithful to Christ every day of their lives. From the moment they received their baptism, for the moment, they received their instruction, the faith from the moment they received the grace of conversion to the end of their lives.
Living a Life for Christ
We have the grace of being able to live a life for Christ. Have we actually lived that martyrdom in our lives? Have we actually denied ourselves taken up the cross and followed Christ? Have we chosen Christ above all the Gods of this world? Have we accepted the fact that Christ so loved us that He gave His own life for us? And that puts a debt of blood upon us. And not just any blood, but the blood of God himself. Have we thought about what that means?
Offering Our Lives Daily
Have we thought about the fact that that means that every sacrifice, every commandment, obligation, responsibility, every particle of our lives is a worthwhile offering to our Lord Jesus Christ. Have we thought about the fact that we are not called perhaps to be martyrs in the same way that she was? We may not be called to be shot through with arrows or to be dragged by an anchor down to the bottom of a river. But we may be called upon. We are called upon to martyr ourselves every day by choosing Christ above our own will, to choose Christ above our own desires, to choose Christ above, over our own emotions and feelings, to choose Christ above everything we want and everything this world can offer us.
The Power of Love for Christ
The temptations and the products of the world. The tantalizing offers from the devil and the weakness of our own flesh. All of these things do not or should not have any power over us. If we love Christ above all things, if he is truly that pearl of the pearl beyond price. We must make him our obsession. And we must offer ourselves completely to him.
The Example of Saint Philomena
We have such a beautiful example of this. And Saint Philomena Lee is such a perfect example of what that innocence and that joy in offering our lives to Christ looks like. I'm such an extraordinary example. There's a reason she's a little wonder worker. She is able to do so much because Christ loves her so much. Because she gave herself so completely to him. She is his. And the sacrifice that she gave for him was immensely pleasing, which is why she is able to to to gain so many graces for those who are faithful to her, to her adoration or cult to her prayer.
Emulating Saint Philomena's Faith
Because through her we can find a true love of God the same way that she loved Him so that we are willing, like her, to sacrifice every part of our lives. One other example of what I am speaking about, his father, William Doyle, an Irish Jesuit in the in the 20th century. He died as a military chaplain during World War One. He always wanted to be a missionary. He wanted to be a missionary down in Africa. And he wanted to die a martyr. That was his goal. That was his goal. And that was why he entered the Jesuits. But he was too sickly. They wouldn't let him. So he became a retreat master in England instead, which for an Irishman is pretty close to martyrdom anyway. But he accepted it with all of his love and all his joy.
Daily Sacrifice: A Path to Martyrdom
Because, as he pointed out. One, Martyrdom is not enough. We should love God enough to be martyred every day of our lives. Not one death. A million deaths every day of our lives. We should martyr ourselves to the will of God. But just the smallest things. Offering every part of our day up to him, every activity of our day up to him, the easy and the agreeable as well as the difficult and and arduous, whatever it takes. We must make sure that our day, our life is his.
Turning to Saint Philomena for Guidance
And that is how we become martyrs. And if we are ever confused about that, let's turn to say Philomena. Let's ask her for her guidance. Let's ask her for her protection. Has asked her for her strength. Let's ask her for the light that she provides to show us how we can live the spirit of the martyrs in our everyday, mundane lives so that we can be a part of the glory that she has earned through her sacrifice.
Sharing in Eternal Happiness
And by doing so, we can be eternally happy with her in heaven.
Summary
Saint Philomena exemplifies the ultimate commitment of faith through her martyrdom, choosing Christ over worldly gains and enduring suffering out of love for Him. Her story teaches us about the pearl of great price—the Kingdom of Heaven—and reminds us that our lives' sole purpose is to know, love, and serve God. This devotion calls us to ask ourselves if we truly place Christ above all else, as Philomena did, urging us to reflect on our personal spiritual journeys.
In a broader spiritual context, living a life devoted to Christ doesn't always manifest in dramatic acts of martyrdom, but through daily choices and sacrifices. It involves laying down our wills, desires, and emotions in favor of Christ's teachings and example. By emulating figures like Philomena, and guided by her intercessions, we can strive to live our lives as a testament to our faith, ultimately sharing in the joy and eternal happiness she has achieved.