June 29, 2013 – Catechism 2471 – 2474

I have heard many, and been one of them, that talks about giving things up in this world as martyrdom.  Most, if not all of us, will never face martyrdom, so, I think, to help ourselves boost our own sense of worth, we equate the sacrifices we make to the level of martyrdom.  Doesn’t that really lower the worthiness of martyrdom.   I won’t have the best house or neatest toys because I choose to put finances towards other things first.  Is that really the same as losing your life for Christ.  As I read these paragraphs and thought about using our little “martyrdoms” to prop ourselves up the more I realized that I really don’t like that.  There is no way the two are in the same realm.  Our life on this Earth is the greatest gift God will ever give us.  To give that back to Him to show the world your faith in Him is above, way above, any other sacrifice.  The things we sacrifice are sacrifices, that is true, but I think we should get away from associating them with something like martyrdom because that is something of its own and special.  I think I will stop using that in any kind of talk or example in the future.