Matthew 20:20-23
The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
This is the appointed Gospel for the Feast of St. Polycarp whom the Church remembers today. Polycarp presided over the Church at a time of great tumult when Christians were fighting heresies left and right as well as persecution. Polycarp ultimately was faced with a choice: curse Christ or die.
The setting was the amphitheater in Smyrna. The proconsul asked him to curse Christ to which Polycarp responded, "Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” The account reports that the magistrate was reluctant to kill the gentle and harmless old man, but his hand was forced by the mob, who clamored that he be thrown to wild beasts.
Polycarp was burned at the stake. Before his ordeal, he is reported to have looked up to heaven and prayed, “Lord God Almighty, Father of your beloved and blessed child Jesus Christ, through whom we have received knowledge of you, God of angels and hosts and all creation, and of the whole race of the upright who live in your presence, I bless you that you have thought me worthy of this day and hour, to be numbered among the martyrs and share in the cup of Christ, for resurrection to eternal life, for soul and body in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit. Among them may I be accepted before you today, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice just as you, the faithful and true God, have prepared and foreshown and brought about. For this reason and for all things I praise you, I bless you, I glorify you, through the eternal heavenly high priest Jesus Christ, your beloved child, through whom be glory to you, with him and the Holy Spirit, now and for the ages to come. Amen.”
If you were stuck in the same situation, what would you do? Curse Christ or die for your faith? It's a question worth contemplating during Lent as we prepare our hearts and minds for Easter.
