Daily Bible Verse 101: The Feast of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church.

Thursday, June 29, 2023

The Feast of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church.

Lord if You wish You can heal me.

"When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.

"And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”

"He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.

"His leprosy was cleansed immediately.

"Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”

(Matthew 8: 1 - 4).

Friday June 30th in the 12 Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church.

The faith and audacity of the leper in the Gospel of today reminds us of the daring faith of the blind Bartimaeus. (Cf Mark 10: 46 - 52).

Bold and audacious faith is born of great necessity. God always rewards trust in His mercy and His word. "Fear is useless. What you need is trust" in God. (Cf Mark 5: 36).

Friday 30th June 2023 in the 12th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church.

In 64 AD, before the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome, the vicious Emperor Nero set Rome on fire. To escape the wrath of the Roman people, he blamed the Christians.

Then he ordered all Christians arrested and put to death. We celebrate today the witness of the multitude of Christians who demonstrated astonishing courage to perish for faith in Jesus Christ. This event happened so early in Christian era in the persecution of Emperor Nero. Many who witnessed the courage of the martyrs became Christians. "The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity." (Tertulian).

We have enjoyed the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the month of June. The Church honors the Most Precious Blood of Jesus in July.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is not limited to June.