St. Alban’s Day 2011

St. Alban’s Day 2011

The opening words of our Gospel today are easily the most controversial words Jesus ever spoke, and so it is very difficult to begin our reading with them: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Luke’s Gospel records Jesus’ words in a slightly different way: “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.” The concept of division is at least a bit easier to understand than the sword, which may lead us to think Jesus is advocating violence, but it’s still a tough passage. Immediately after these words, Jesus follows by quoting from the Jewish Scriptures from Micah 7:6 regarding the division that would occur between family members. So, what is Jesus saying in this passage? And how do his words connect us to our celebration of our patron saint today, St. Alban the martyr?

First, let’s be clear that Jesus is not advocating violence in this passage. We know this because throughout the Gospels and the New Testament, Jesus is not only proclaimed as the Prince of Peace, but he consistently advocates for the way of peace, and of mercy and forgiveness, including turning the other cheek to one’s enemy. Jesus is not then, describing his purpose, so much as anticipating the actual result of his coming: it cannot be avoided that division will come because of Jesus in that, in choosing to follow Jesus, the sword of division necessarily comes between followers of Jesus and those who would reject him, even at times, among one’s own family members. While knowing and following Jesus brings internal peace to a believer, this does not mean we can expect the world or those around us to react peaceably to us.

Jesus’ words would have been very important and helpful to the early Christians, many of whom were rejected by their family members and even persecuted or put to death for following Jesus as their Lord. And here is where our reading connects us to St. Alban, our patron saint.
Alban actually fulfills the second part of our Gospel reading first: because he welcomed someone in Jesus’ name into his home, offering a disciple a cup of cool water. And in doing so, Alban welcomed Jesus himself. A Christian priest, who was a fugitive and was hiding during the persecution of Emperor Septimius Severus in the year 209, was given shelter and hiding in Alban’s home. Alban was a pagan Roman soldier living in Verulamium, an area in England just north of where London is today. Alban and the priest spoke together at length over several days and Alban experienced a deep conversion and decided to become a Christian, making a choice to follow Jesus, despite the risk to himself. The priest baptized Alban and later, when soldiers came to arrest the priest, Alban wore the priest’s cloak, and had himself arrested in the priest’s stead, being mistaken for the cleric. Alban was taken before the magistrate, who realized the deception, but ordered that Alban be punished anyway. Alban had the opportunity to recant in that moment, but instead Alban declared: "I worship and adore the true and living God who created all things." His words brought about his sentence: death by be-heading. As they marched Alban to his place of execution, it is said that the guard who was to kill him was so impressed by Alban’s witness that he too became a Christian on the spot and refused to carry out the execution. Nevertheless, Alban was killed on a hill across town from River Ver and became the first martyr in all of England. Alban’s would-be executioner was then killed and became the second martyr, immediately after Alban. And it also said that the third martyr was the Christian priest, who presented himself to the magistrate in hopes of having Alban freed, only to become a martyr himself. Many legends surround Alban’s martyrdom, including one that involves a spring bursting forth on the site where he was killed where many miracles and healings took place, as depicted in our fresco by James Hubble above the altar. Many pilgrims still make their way to the site of Alban’s death, where an abbey and later a Cathedral now sit, high upon a hill. The town itself changed its’ name to St. Alban’s.

For many early Christians like St. Alban, choosing to follow Jesus meant division and even death. For them, Jesus’ anticipatory words about his coming rang true. Jesus himself was the victim of anger and violence because of who he was and what he taught.

The beautiful thing about martyrs like Alban, however, is that while they experienced the sword on earth and lost their life…in losing their life they found it. As Jesus said, “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” The Jewish singer Matisyahu puts it this way in his song, “King without a Crown”: “Strip away the layers and reveal your soul – give yourself up and then you become whole.”

For some, like the martyrs, they must literally give up their very lives to find God and wholeness. For most of us, the sacrifices are not as dramatic, but may be just as difficult. We need to ask ourselves the hard questions: “What do I need to give up? What must I lose so that I can find life?”

Recently I was struck by a story in the news about one man in Japan named Yasutera Yamada, a 72 year old who volunteered himself and then gathered over 200 retired nuclear engineers for duty at the dangerous Fukushima nuclear plant. He knew that the younger engineers were being exposed to deadly amounts of radiation which could show up now or later and kill younger workers and even impact the next generation of children. And so he rallied together a group who call themselves the “Skilled Veteran Corps” to step up for duty. These older, retired engineers, aged 60 or over, are saying that they are ready to sacrifice and even possibly die in order to keep the younger workers safe and out of harm’s way. The plan has not gone through with the authorities yet, but as I listened to Yasutera interviewed, I could sense that this man, by offering himself for such a dangerous duty, had indeed found deep meaning and purpose. This is a man who is offering himself sacrificially on behalf of others, and in giving up his life, is finding it. What a powerful example he and his group are to the younger generations of Japan, to live not in self-centeredness, but to give for others.

Wherever we are, and whatever we do, we will have opportunities to give of ourselves in some way, shape, or form out of love for God and others. If we practice in small ways to today, giving up those things that hold us, then we will be ready to give in even bigger ways should the need arise. Jesus, Alban, martyrs and people like Yasutera Yamada remind us and encourage us, that in losing our lives, we find our lives.