The courage of the martyr lives on

Orlando R. Barone

is a writer in Doylestown

When you contemplate the singular tale of the Easter Rising in Ireland 100 years ago, the power of martyrdom becomes apparent. Those ruthlessly executed by the British became symbols of courageous resistance, their deaths inflaming, rather than dampening, the fervor and determination of their people.

We say martyrs "give their lives," but in fact, martyrs have their lives taken. Unlike the suicide bombers who left a trail of death in Brussels, martyrs never initiate violence and, while they are prepared to be vilified and even killed for their cause, they do not take their own lives.

The concept of martyrdom has a long history. I met the notion in Christian Scripture, where a martyr was primarily a witness, someone who had seen and heard Jesus in the flesh. "To witness" initially meant to testify that one had been there when Jesus preached, when he performed wonders, when he gave his life, when he rose from the dead.

The more familiar notion of a martyr, someone who witnesses unto death, can be traced to the Christian disciple Stephen (Acts 6-7), a stalwart early believer who is brought before the authorities and accused of various crimes. People testify falsely against him, and he is asked to defend himself.

He stands before his accusers and, in a lengthy testimony, clarifies his belief in Jesus Christ. The authorities literally plug their ears and yell, "La-la-la-la," as they rush him and have him stoned to death. Stephen's last utterance is one of forgiveness for his assassins.

Right from the beginning, then, the martyr is targeted for his or her beliefs, which the martyr freely, loudly, and bravely enunciates. Those targeting the martyr use a countering witness, a kind of "anti-martyr," to cast doubt on the martyr's word.

Reputation, then, becomes key to the effectiveness of a martyr's witness. If the accusers can sully the martyr's good name, the martyr loses standing. No one will follow a disgraced witness, even if he or she dies for the cause.

When the British hanged Sir Roger Casement, a sympathizer with the Irish, they spread stories about his homosexuality in hopes people would recoil from viewing him favorably.

The apostle St. Paul was well aware of this tactic, as early Christians were targeted and vilified. He turned the tables by calling himself a "fool for Christ (1 Corinthians 4:10)," apparently agreeing with those who were seeking to ruin his reputation and thereby mocking them.

Jesus himself took a similar stance when he said that his followers were blessed when people insulted them and falsely said all kinds of evil against them because of him (Matthew 5:11). He told them they were in very good company, which would, of course, soon include Jesus himself.

Surveying the contemporary landscape, I have come upon several people who may qualify as martyrs, and their profiles, while wildly different in many respects, contain stunning similarities when their role as possible martyrs is assessed.

Americans often view the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a martyr. He certainly bore witness consistently and bravely to the need for justice in a world at peace. He was honored and reviled, and he died violently while seeking that justice.

Mohandas Gandhi, the champion of nonviolent resistance, and Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador are international figures who also fit the profile. Pope Francis declared Romero a martyr last year, one more step in his canonization process. I have been deeply impressed with the witness of 18-year-old Malala Yousafzai, whose advocacy of universal education, especially for girls, resulted in an assassination attempt as well as a Nobel Peace Prize, the two-edged sword of martyrdom.

True martyrs move masses and shift the arc of history. It is no wonder their opponents work so hard to discredit and kill them. Trouble is, as those opponents never seem to learn, their murderous brutality and false witness often serve only to confirm a transcendent moral authority that will not be silenced.

In every generation the martyr rises up, risks all, and gives all to proclaim unending witness to the "mystic chords of memory" spoken of by one of the most revered of their number. They are the chords touched by the better angels of our nature.

orby114@aol.com