Martyrdom is not confined to a certain period of time in history, but martyrdom is a way of life. It is a way of life to be lived everyday with the Lord in whom we believe. We meet a daily earthly death for Him, thereby sharing with the glory of the martyrs and the saints.

Below are 9 ways to become a martyr in our everyday lives.

1.Repentance with all its requirements and a complete and frank confession of ones sins.

2. Fasting and prayer regularly and with discipline and attaining a degree of asceticism from the materialistic world. By this we mean things such as worldly desires and lusts, laziness, seeking glory from people, etc…

3. Holding onto the commandments of God and practising them in a daily discipleship.

4. Bearing illness and sickness with thanksgiving.

5. Bearing those who are evil to you (even to the extent of presenting them with love) and praying for them, asking God for their forgiveness, and making excuses for them.

6. In the life of matrimony loving your partner and denying oneself for them. Accept the other person’s weakness until God, at the appropriate time, through your prayers and patience, and the intercession of the church, the martyrs and saints gives them strength in the face of that weakness and they change.

7. Bearing in the bringing up of the future generations, with great patience and understanding. Giving them love and kindness, but also discipline and guidance. Handing down to them the church and the altar, and the priesthood.

8. Bearing the cost of friendship in faithfulness and purity in a world which no longer recognises these qualities.

9. Serving God and His church, His children, and those in need with all your strength, patience, long suffering, tears and prayers.

By this you share in the sufferings which are after the Cross. For before salvation suffering and death was tied to sin. However after the salvation the Lord from the heights of the Cross paid of the debt which resulted from our sin. Suffering then became for us a gift granted to us from God. “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Phi 1:29.

Fr Pishoy Bushra