The Call to Martyrdom

 Note:  Since we have almost as many readers in France as we do in the USA 72-87, and 46 in Russia, I'm directing today's slice of  bread to them.

Today is the  Memorial of St. Denis and Companions, Rusticus and Eleutherius, who were martyred in Paris in the year 258.  St. Denis was one of the Bishops sent to Gaul as a missionary and settled on
Ile de la Cite, the island in the center of the Seine River.  After a few years of preaching, these men were martyred on a hill now called Montmatre  (Mountain of Martyrs) outside of what was then the city,  and their bodies thrown into the river.  Their story was made popular by St. Gregory of Tours in the sixth century.  Eventually St. Denis was named the patron of France, and the saint to be invoked against frenzy, strife, headaches, hydrophobia rabies and possession by the devil.
With the Faith in France and Russia suffering from the effects of secularism, materialism and other pressures, the example of these martyrs offers some encouragement not to yield to these challenges.
The Faith in both countries has had its ups and downs over the centuries, including our own.  St. Marcellin Champagnat took up the gauntlet after the French Revolution when ignorance of the Faith was rampant and the Church was almost reduced to ashes.  Yet, from those ashes arose a strong teaching order which has influenced the lives of millions of young people and adults over the past 200 years.  In Russia, atheistic communism forced the Church into near suppression, but the Faith among people remained strong and is on the rise.   May we continue to encourage each other and fortify each other to accept even the call to martyrdom in order that the Faith might continue and grow.
Bro. Rene