Green Martyrdom...

I owe this train of thought to SaltSister, who was talking about "God-incidences" in her life, and about the recurrence of things to do with St. Jude, and the colour green, and many other interesting things.

Following links and a bit of searching brought me to this excellent article from The Wild Goose, the Quarterly Newsletter of the St. Aidan Trust - USA.

In it, Christopher Bygonaise writes:

The early Christian Celts were well aware of the dangers of comfort and routine on the spiritual life, and they understood that "dying to self" was the only way to grow nearer to Christ.  Martyrdom was very characteristic of this early church.  Perhaps in following with their deep veneration for the Holy Trinity, however, the Celtic Christians divided martyrdom into three distinct categories: white martyrdom - forsaking one’s home for the sake of mission - exemplified by the likes of Columba, Patrick, Brendan and Columcille, among others; red martyrdom - giving up one’s life for the faith; and finally the most accessible - but perhaps the most elusive type: green martyrdom, which is the daily struggle for goodness and purity, the shedding of bad habits and routines that separate us from God. We must wrestle daily with our baser nature. Just as in Tolkien’s world view, where the mixing of good and evil in a person is not an option, Saint James reminds us that a spring cannot bring forth both salty and sweet water (James 3:11). Every day involves myriad choices to be a better person than before.

How many of us try to keep alive the Celtic idea of green martyrdom in our lives?  Listening to the mass media on any given day would convince the average person that Christianity is a religion in decline, filled with scandal upon scandal, division, self-interest and chaos.  There is such a need today for individuals to live the faith, not necessarily in some grand manner that attracts attention and honor, but in the quiet way of the simple monk, the original green martyr, who would daily follow the cycle of prayer, works and fasting that brings the light of God quietly into the world slowly and steadily.  This alone is sufficient because, as we all know, the ultimate victories belong to God (1 Cor 15:57); we simply choose either to cooperate or become part of the problem. Green martyrdom can therefore be seen simply as a calling to shed all that is false and embrace the authentic self that God created us to be. What good work will go undone if we spend our lives poorly, chasing after this or that passion?

Once again, I am reminded of the wholesome beauty of obscurity. St Francis spoke of being betrothed to Lady Poverty, "a wife of surpassing fairness." (CathEn article on St Francis - para. 5). I can't claim such high ambitions. I would like to marry Susie Obscurity, a quiet gentle country girl, with rosy cheeks and wide, honest grey eyes. That is, of course, were I not already married to my own darling Jan!