Let us all be brave enough to die the death of a martyr, but let no one lust for martyrdom,” wrote Mahatma Gandhi, cautioning us about the ambiguities in our understanding of martyrdom. Commemorating his martyrdom on Martyrs’ Day let’s reflect on what martyrdom is, and what it is not.
Martyrdom is understood as the voluntary sacrificing of one’s life for something “ultimate”. People venerate martyrs in wondrous ways. In Christianity, those who die espousing a noble cause gain the “crown of martyrdom” and the day of their death is celebrated as the day of their real birth (Latin, dies natalis).
The English “martyr” comes from the Greek martys meaning “witness”. While bhaktas tend to glorify the gory deaths of martyrs, true martyrs give wonderful witness to life by living for, and loving, others. “I’m prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I’m prepared to kill,” said Gandhiji, stressing that a martyr must only employ non-violent means to attain valuable ends. Thus, we shouldn’t create martyrs of men who indulge in violence and get killed.
Martyrs who shed their blood are said to have undergone “red martyrdom”. Early in the Bible, Abel is martyred by his jealous brother, Cain, simply because his goodness was a reproach to his wayward brother. Jesus is also a martyr described as “faithful witness” (Revelation 1:3). Jesus gave beautiful witness to truth before imperious Pontius Pilate (1 Timothy 6:13).
St. Jerome used the term “white martyrdom” for hermits who withdrew to the desert to fast and do penance. They believed that detachment from the world killed the ego and deepened contact with God.
Another form of martyrdom popular in Ireland during the Middle Ages derives from the Irish word glas, meaning, “greenish-blue”. Here, without withdrawing into the desert, one inflicted pain upon oneself by standing in freezing water, sleeping on thistles or spending nights beside a corpse. Buddhist monks had similar practices. It was believed that such tough practices were synonymous with self-sacrifice.
Gandhi’s “let no one lust for martyrdom” implies that martyrdom must not be sought after. It comes as a consequence of striving for truth: Satyagraha. He wrote: “Nothing better can happen to a satyagrahi than meeting death all unsought in the very act of satyagraha.”
Martyrs don’t die only once. They die daily in selfless acts of love, service and compassion. Putting the welfare of others before their own comforts, they donate blood, fight against injustice and serve the needy.
“Hey Ram!” prayed the Mahatma as mortality surrendered to immortality. Doesn’t such “golden martyrdom” deserve the Crown of Life?
Francis Gonsalves can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/francis-gonsalves-616
