First Martyrs of the Church of Rome
Today we remember the first martyrs of the Church of Rome. A few years after Jesus’ death there were some Christians present in Rome, even though they were not the converts of the “Apostle of the Gentiles” (Romans 15:20). In fact, St. Paul had not yet visited them yet at the time that he had decided to write his great letter during the years 57-58 A.D. During this time there was also a large Jewish population in Rome because there was a huge issue between the Jews and Jewish Christians. During this issue the Emperor Claudius decided to expel all of the Jews from Rome during the years 49-50 A.D. Eventually many Jews decided to return after Claudius’ death which occurred during the year 54 A.D. St. Paul’s letter was later addressed to a Church who had members from Jewish and Gentile backgrounds. During the July of the year 64 A.D., over half of Rome had been destroyed by a very bad fire. Over time many rumors had blamed the tragedy on Nero, saying that he did it because he wanted to enlarge his palace. After a while he decided to shift the blame and he decided to accuse the Christians. Due to the fact that the Christians were blamed, many Christians were actually put to death. It is believed that St. Peter and St. Paul are among the victims killed. Eventually, Nero was threatened by a very large army revolt and he was later condemned to death. In order to avoid his punishment, Nero committed suicide during the year 68 A.D. at the age of 31.
Prayer to the First Martyrs
First Martyrs intercede that we may be able to stay strong in our faith even when we may encounter persecution, harassment or even threats. Help us to help others to feel comforted and loved so that they may find the strength they need to overcome difficulty and hardships.
Amen
Martyrs pray for us
St. Joseph pray for us
May we continue to strengthen our journey to sainthood and keep others in our prayers.
Works cited:
Information (read from, not taken):
Franciscan media. “First Martyrs of the Church of Rome. ”First Martyrs of the Church of Rome | Franciscan Media. Accessed June 30, 2021.
Images:
First Martyrs of the Church of Rome. June 30, 2021. First Martyrs of the Church of Rome - Google Search.