Thread by @ConOfOurGen

Are you ready to be a martyr if called to it?

@knight_atlantic @WinEveryday_ @ManlyVirtue @FRANKCUNHAIII

Our society is not perfectly just. There are many shortcomings and issues we face as we work toward a more just society. But, we do not know how to tolerate injustice and suffer injustice with grace and nobility.

Instead, we focus on ourselves and how we feel about the injustice or unfairness we're suffering.

But, is that the solution? In this thread, I'll discuss what we can learn about tolerating injustice from the martyrdom of Polycarp.

Polycarp was a bishop in the early second century who was a discipline of the Apostle John.

He also knew Ireneaus, who would have met him when he was young and recorded some of Polycarp's teaching. Of the Church Fathers, Polycarp is one of the more well-documented figures.

The Martyrdom of Polycarp is actually a letter from the church at Philomelium to the church of Smyrna. In it, you'll find the account of Polycarp's death in a stadium and his arrest. It also details some miraculous events that mirror parts of the Crucifixion story.

What we learn from the martyrdom of Polycarp is that things in this life will not always be fair, and sometimes we have to suffer through injustices.

But, injustice is not a permission to do simple or unjust things. Rather, it is a call to offer up​ your suffering to God.

This image is St. Lawrence, by the way. Just had used the image of Polycarp twice in the thread already.

Find out more about my thoughts this in today’s #podcast episode.

#injustice #justice

conversationofourgeneration.com/2021/04/23/how…