I watched part of the film called 'Hunger' about Bobby Sands and the Hunger Strikes of 1981. I could not watch it all because it was so brutal and the film portrayed some of the guards as animals torturing and beating the inmates. But it made me think that the hunger-strikers really must have believed whole-heartedly in their cause to put up with the brutality and to starve themselves to death. I wondered if I could put up with such torture and beatings for my Christian faith? I love St Stephen the first martyr but wouldn't fancy getting stoned to death. But with God's grace I hope that I could die a martyr's death if called. The spiritual life is like martyrdom, as we are meant to die daily to selfish ambition, to ego and most of all sin. It is like a slow martyrdom, a total self-giving towards the other, a slow death to self. If the Pope is called the servants of the servants then we too should imitate the Peter in our calling to serve Christ in others. We are fortunate in this forum as we are the 'servants of the handmaid of the Lord' Our Lady is a total inspiration and the perfect role-model. We should give her unfettered access to our hearts. At Medjugorje she said, 'do you permit me to purify your hearts'? If we do we will find this a painful proceedure as a mother always scrubs and scrubs when she cleans!!
