In the Martyrdom, we read how the Roman authorities repeatedly urged Polycarp to save his life by acting against the Christian faith in some seemingly small measure. All he needed to do was swear by the fortune of Caesar and he would be set free, they said, asking “What harm is there in saying, Lord Caesar, and in sacrificing, with the other ceremonies observed on such occasions, and so make sure of safety?”
Polycarp, however, remained firm. “Since you are vainly urgent that, as you say, I should swear by the fortune of Caesar, and pretend not to know who and what I am, hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian,” he replied. Upon this confession of faith, Polycarp was put to death.
Today, we are called to make that same profession of faith in a particular way.
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One prime example of the threats to our religious liberty is the HHS Mandate, by which the government insists, like the Roman authorities, that we take what it says are just trifling acts, but which we know violate our Catholic faith in substantial ways. Other examples include efforts to force Catholic schools and ministries to employ people who are antagonistic to our Catholic beliefs.
(source: Saintly Heroes)
