27th Cross - The Green and White Martyrdom Cross

As we move through the 40 days of Lent, we are continuing to focus on our mini-journey to St. Patrick's Day. Today's cross not only shines some more light on the Cross of Christ, as does every cross, but it also explains an important aspect of Celtic spirituality.  You may already be familiar with the terms "red martyrdom" and "white martyrdom," but there is also a third type of martyrdom referred to by the Irish as "green martyrdom." Let's talk about each type of martyrdom.

Red Martyrdom: A 'red martyr' is a saint who gives his or her life as a witness for the faith, who literally spills his or her red blood, and dies under the crown of "red martyrdom."  This type of death was especially prevalent in the early Church, when Christians suffered under persecutions from various Roman emperors. We also see this type of death experienced by missionaries in foreign lands. 

White Martyrdom:  A 'white martyr' signifies a saint who has a willingness to bear public mockery and persecution.  White Martyrdom involves facing an intense hatred of the faith, and responding to it through a total self-renunciation, a total handing over of one's entire life to God.  This may involve long periods spent unjustly in jail and continuing rejection and enmity suffered at the hands of family and friends.  It is as intense as red martyrdom, without the actual shedding of blood.

"Green martyrdom consists in this, that by means of fasting and labor [a person] frees himself from his evil desires, or suffers toil in penance and repentance." - from a 7th century Irish sermon

Green martyrdom: A saint who wears the crown of green martyrdom is one who has freely chosen to take on acts of penance and fasting, sometimes to the extreme, out of love for God.  While not necessarily having to shoulder the burden of public mockery and rejection, a 'green martyr' turns every action in his or her life over to God by making an offering of it.  This is a form of "praying without ceasing."  It is praying with the body, through the hands and feet used in service of others, as St. Catherine of Siena was told to do by God.  The acts of penance freely taken on can be offered up on behalf of someone else, in reparation for one's own sins, or even as a free will offering given to Mary to dispense with as she pleases, to give to the person most in need of it.  A 7th century Irish sermon describes 'green martyrdom' in this way, "Green martyrdom consists in this, that by means of fasting and labor [one] frees himself from his evil desires, or suffers toil in penance and repentance. 

The unity of colors on this Celtic cross perfectly displays the white and green crowns of martyrdom St. Patrick took on.  Although he was not asked to shed his blood for his mission, he met with severe persecution and life-threatening threats from Irish leaders on multiple occasions and he suffered rejection and ridicule from the Church, because he was not well-educated.  In fact, he describes himself by saying this, "I am Patrick, a sinner, most unlearned, the least of all the faithful, and utterly despised by many." (The Confession of St. Patrick) These experiences gave him the white crown.

But he also willingly took on many extra penances, which he also describes in his Confession. He wrote about his extreme prayer life, praying more than 100 times in the day and again at night, depriving himself of sleep and braving the elements all as an offering to God.  He writes that he did this on purpose, as reparation for the life he lived before coming to Christ.  He even goes so far as to say he deserved his captivity, because of the life he and his fellow Britons were leading. He writes, "I was taken into captivity to Ireland with many thousands of people---and deservedly so, because we [had] turned away from God, and did not keep His commandments, and did not obey our priests, who used to remind us of our salvation. And the Lord brought over us the wrath of his anger and scattered us among many nations, even unto the utmost part of the earth, where now my littleness is placed among strangers." St. Patrick looks at his life head on and decides that not only does he need to change it, but he also needs to try to make amends for it. This is quite an amazing reaction from a suddenly enslaved 16-year-old, trying to survive on the wild hillsides of Ireland.

And survive, and even thrive, he does. For the rest of his life, St. Patrick would wear the white crown of martyrdom as he continued to spread the Gospel in the wilderness, and he would also wear the green crown of martyrdom, accepting the sufferings that came to him and turning them back into offerings.  His mission was successful, not because of his strength and power, but because he chose to be small and humble and left the rest to God.  The third lesson we can learn from St. Patrick's life is to seek to wear the crown of green martyrdom, an option that is available to everyone.

Let us pray: Holy Trinity, help us to imitate St. Patrick's willingness to do penance and fast for the sake of Your kingdom. Guide us to recognize when we, too, are presented with these opportunities and help us to respond with a generous heart. And in all things, let us praise You. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

St. Patrick surrounded by images from his life