A Thousand Lives

September 28 is San Lorenzo's feast day. The first Filipino Saint. Before his death he said, "Isa akong Katoliko at buong pusong tinatanggap ang kamatayan para sa Panginoon, kung ako man ay may sanlibong buhay, lahat ng iyon ay iaalay ko sa Kanya." (English: I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly accept death for the Lord; if I have a thousand lives, all of them I will offer to Him.)

 Along with him in his martyrdom were about 50,000 other Christian Martyrs (source). Today, the subject of dying for one's faith is hardly talked about or even entertained in our minds. Here we see the saint's conviction. How is our conviction for our faith? How many times have we denied our faith in the face of simple peer pressure? 

Is Christ truly worth sacrificing our own lives? The answer is yes. It all boils down to knowing the truth about our lives.  Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live (John 11:25).  Martyrs understood this truth. Lorenzo Ruiz got it as well.

But we are also called to live for Christ. How do we live then?

1. Live with conviction.  The Apostle's Creed is our conviction.  The first line says, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty."  Believing in God makes us live our lives with meaning.  When we acknowledge God, we know that there is Someone bigger than us or Someone more important than anything we hold dear.  God is Someone we offer our lives to, even a thousand times over.

2. Live a life of prayer. Being in constant communication with God leads to become focused and directed to our mission.  It is easy to forego prayer, because no one checks on us if we pray or not. Prayer time is a test of our integrity.  One who prays acknowledges that he or she cannot do without God for the day.  Prayer makes our conviction strong and helps us to be emboldened to serve our Lord.

3. Live a life of service. The act of breathing is to, "Breathe in and breathe out."  Try breathing in continuously without breathing out and we find ourselves in need of release.  Service is about giving and it is necessary for a healthy life. Without service, we are sure to die of our own greed and depression.  Helping the poor will teach us things no other formation module can give us.  To share your life through service is a way to live life to the full.

May we live our lives with conviction, prayer, and service. May the martyrdom of San Lorenzo Ruiz inspire us to stand up for our faith and encourage us to give our all for Jesus.