WDTPRS >> Bp. Vasa of Bend, OR! WDTPRS is impressed - kudos!
This post by Fr. Zuhlsdorf strikes me as a fitting tribute to those we honor today: All Saints . To take a snippet from this post by Bishop Vasa: None of us have ever been confronted with such a dramatic choice but for these Old Testament heroes it came down to this, “ Your faith or your life .” In a positive sense, using Pope Benedict’s words, the question would be: “ In what do you hope? ” We are edified, in the best sense of that word, by the witness, the martyrdom, the courage of Eleazar and companions. We could cite many such examples from the early years of Christianity. Even in our own day, the numerous saints canonized by Pope John Paul II, many of them martyrs, is a testimony to the fact that faith-filled courage is not dead. It is a testimony that hope is not dead. When I consider the courage of these Old Testament figures and the firm witness of other saints and martyrs I would honestly have to say of myself, “I am a coward!” There are many times when fear impedes me f