St Martin de Tours

Coat of Arms of Marttila, Finland

Saint Martin of Tours (316-397) was a chosen weapon by our Lord Jesus Christ in the history of the Kingdom of God when Gospel penetrated towards the heart of Europe.

One cannot truly understand the arrival of Christ to Europe without knowing something about this lovely and highly personal character. King of the Kings used him to open the way for the growth of His Kingdom that slowly but surely reached the Gallians, Franks, Spaniards, Anglo-Saxons, Germanic tribes and continued from victory to victory towards the furthest corners of the world. 

Also it is not by chance that Islamic invasion of Europe from Spain was aimed at Tours. The invincible armies of Muslim horsemen had crossed the Pyrenees as they had heard about the riches of the monastery of St Martin of Tours. They wanted to have their share of the gold and jewels there if not all of it. Charles Martel stopped them for good on their way to Tours and so the Kingdom of God was saved in Europe. Otherwise we all would be Muslims today and there would not be any Christian USA or Argentina.


The history by Sulpicius Severus
God has so arranged in His wisdom that there is a reliable and powerful description of the life of Martin by a contemporary historian Sulpicius Severus (363-425).

I purposely say historian - and not hagiographer - because Sulpicius took great pains to verify the details of his story and thus wrote as a critical researcher of his time rather than as someone throwing in miraculous stories just to emphasize the holiness of some man or woman venerated in the Church.

Our good Lord has also arranged things so that today any modern reader anywhere at the reach of Internet can easily and for free read the book by Sulpicius Severus for example in Documentia Catholica Omnia in Latin original or as English translation by Alexander Roberts.


Saints go marching in!
Modern Christians have basically two kinds of difficulties reading about the holy martyrs and saints of the first millennium AD.

Uncritical acceptance of everything
For millions and millions of Catholic, Orthodox and other Christians the holy stories are just that - holy stories with miraculous events, divine interventions that strengthen our faith and moral lessons and examples for our lives.

Because they are in the core of religion and the images and icons of these martyrs and saints fill churches and homes it is for many forbidden to be critical and to evaluate the historical truthfulness ... to ask is this true?

So we get a potpourri of amazing true stories mixed with pure products of imagination, fairytale and ancient pagan myths and legends baptised as property of the Church as it grows among the nations.


Uncritical rejection of everything
For millions of Protestants, Lutherans, Calvinists, Baptists, Pentecostal and others, all stories about "Catholic and Orthodox saints" are garbage and something to be utterly rejected from the Biblical faith of reformation. 

This was, of course, a crucial issue to that other Martin, the son of Hans Luther, who got his name from St Martin of Tours. As an Augustinian monk he was extremely well versed into the Late Medieval hagiography and had himself prayed help from Saint Anna, Mother of Mary, when lightning struck near him.

The power of Gospel, the Word of God, had been hidden under tons of human stories from the Church of Christ and Reformation got rid of all that which prevents souls of seeking the grace of God in Jesus Christ alone.

Martin Luther fought against the idolatry in the Church, against the creeping worship of humans and angels, martyrs and saints, devils and spirits, instead of the only Son of God.


Importance of martyrs and saints
But the problem is that the true history of the Kingdom of God gets lost from us with all its immense treasures if we do not ask "Is this true?"

Among all the stories about holy martyrs many are true and amazing witness about the power of Jesus Christ. What could be more touching than the personal diary of Saint Perpetua from the prison before her cruel death?

Among all the stories about holy men and women many are true and amazing witness about the power of Jesus Christ.

Who could forget Martinus after hearing or reading his true story from Sulpicius Severus?


So!
Let us NOT worship them for they are people like you and me who would never imagine that someone would pray them instead of God.

Let us LEARN from them and PRAISE our Lord Jesus Christ about them.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 12:1-2

labels: Heb 12:1-2, martyrs, St Martin of Tours, Sulpicius Severus, worship of saints,