# Witness in the Twenty-First Century > Drawing on St. Clement of Alexandria and St. Irenaeus, a reflection on martyrdom as living witness by one's way of life, and on witnessing to the truth in love rather than in division. *2018-07-30T20:13:38Z* ![Detail of "The Virgin and Child with Saints Simon and Jude" by Federico Barocci: the Virgin holds the Child Jesus, who holds a small book; a young saint with a staff is at one side and a bearded elderly saint at the other.](/uploads/sites/1274e232-e31c-46f4-a48b-27b854406479/media/martyrdom-in-the-21st-century.jpg?w=660&h=350) The martyr, because of his love for the Lord, most gladly departs this life.. And therefore we call martyrdom perfection, not because the man comes to the end of his life as others do, but because he has exhibited the perfect work of love.. Then, if the confession to God is martyrdom, each soul which has lived purely in the knowledge of God, which has obeyed the commandments, is a witness both by life and word, in whatever way it may be released from the body, **shedding faith as blood along its whole life** till its departure. For instance, the Lord says in the Gospel, "Whosoever shall leave father, or mother, or brethren.. for the sake of the Gospel and my name," he is blessed; not indicating simple martyrdom, but the gnostic martyrdom, as of the man who has conducted himself according to the rule of the Gospel, **in love to the Lord.**[^1] ### Living Witness Through One's Way of Life: From our earliest childhood we have heard about the martyrs of our great Church and what she offered of blood in order to preserve the faith and to witness to the Lord Jesus by her love, just as He shed His blood for her; the Church also shed her blood for the sake of Christ. And in the essential words of St. Clement of Alexandria we see another vision of the martyrdom that the Church needs in this twenty-first century: not by the shedding of blood but by the pouring out of the soul, and the good witness before all people, and the good way of life that presents Christ in every person, that is, the witness of faith, as St. Clement says, "**shedding faith as blood along its whole life**." These souls who have consecrated their hearts to the Lord Jesus, not by words nor by a witness that depends on outward appearance, "like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly," but by deed and truth, show to this generation the living image of Christ. They are in truth the christs (anointed ones) of this generation, and every christ must be crucified, and if he is not crucified and scourged he will never become a Christian! So this is the test of faith: you believe? Well you do; but does your faith have a fruit of life in the midst of your family? Does your faith have a fruit of life in your work? Does your faith have a fruit of life with your brother who differs from you in opinion, religion and creed?! Or do you see that your faith is your blind clinging, like the Pharisees, to doctrine and rites and books without giving room for the fiery Spirit to work within you, so that the power of this faith may appear?! **Therefore how much this generation needs believers who are martyrs, not according to the body but according to the soul,** able to consecrate their lives to the Lord completely, so that this consecration appears in their conduct and their words and their strength and their work, not in their resounding sermons that make us weep at times, or move us emotionally for a while and then it is over without our gaining anything! But in their lives, which we look at and so imitate their faith. ### Witnessing to the Truth: The man inspired by God judges those who give rise to schisms, who are destitute of the love of God, **who look to their own special advantage rather than to the unity of the Church,** who for trifling reasons cut in pieces and divide the great and glorious body of Christ, and so far as in them lies destroy it, **men who prate of peace while they give rise to war,** who "strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel," for no reformation of such importance can be effected by them as will compensate for the mischief arising from their schism.[^2] Witnessing to the truth never means raising one's voice or shouting in the faces of others, or, put another way, labeling the other who differs from me as a heretic! This is not Christianity at all; it may be anything else, but it is not found in our Christianity, for Christianity builds and is founded on love as the foundation of everything after it. So if the word love disappears from the truth, then what truth is this?! Is it the devil's truth? And what if a spirit of revenge against the other who differs appears in the midst of words of truth? What if gloating over his distress, or even his death, appears? Would this be truth?! This may be, as St. Irenaeus mentions, "**those who look to their own special advantage rather than to the unity of the Church**"; some people speak in the name of truth but in reality they glorify themselves and their own selves for the growth of their personal interest and nothing more! Therefore witnessing to the truth cannot be disciplined unless it begins with an inner work of the Holy Spirit in the soul, as St. Paul the Apostle mentions, "**How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?** "[^3] For how can you preach or make known a truth that you did not receive in the first place? And if you received it with the tongue, how can you preach it if you do not experience it? So witnessing to the truth is no light matter, and needs much and much of tears and vigil and prayer until the Lord pours out grace from on high, and it changes what is within you into a living gospel, able to witness to God by deed and truth. --- [^1]: St. Clement of Alexandria - Stromata, that is, Miscellanies 4:4 [^2]: St. Irenaeus - Against Heresies 7:33:4 [^3]: Romans 10: 15 --- Source: https://abba.fadymondy.com/en/blog/martyrdom-in-the-21st-century