The Polycarp Option (I think it's a good one)

Today is the first Friday of Lent, and in the Church's liturgical calendar, it's known as a Lenten weekday - which means that clergy celebrating Mass today will be wearing the usual purple.

But there is an option today to celebrate the feast of St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr, instead. And this is an option worth taking. At the very least, I hope he gets mentioned in many homilies today. Why? Simply because his is one of the most inspiring testimonies of the early Church.

A direct pupil of the apostle John, Polycarp lived between 70 and 155 A.D., connecting him to both the age of the apostles and the fathers of the Church. Polycarp served as bishop of Smyrna (modern day Izmir in Turkey), and was recognized as one of the early defenders of the Catholic faith. He rejected the false teachings of Marcion, an influential heretic who tried to create a "new brand" of Christianity by redefining God and rejecting the Old Testament.

But perhaps Polycarp's greatest contribution to the faith may be his martyrdom, which stands as one of the most well documented events of antiquity. The emperors of Rome had unleashed bitter attacks against the Church during this period, and members of the early Church recorded many of the persecutions and deaths. Polycarp was arrested on the charge of being a Christian -a member of a politically dangerous "cult" - or so it was thought - whose rapid growth needed to be stopped. Amidst an angry mob, the Roman proconsul took pity on such a gentle old man and urged Polycarp to proclaim, "Caesar is Lord". If only Polycarp would make this declaration and offer a small pinch of incense to Caesar's statue he would escape torture and death. To this Polycarp responded, "Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" Steadfast in his love for Christ, Polycarp refused to compromise his beliefs, was burned alive at the stake, and finally stabbed to death.

St. Polycarp, pray for us - that we may imitate your heroic witness to Truth in this world.