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He was born in Todi, approximately 150 kilometers north of Rome. As a papal legate, he spent some time at the imperial court in Constantinople. In 649, he became Pope and convened a synod in the Lateran, at which the Monothelite heresy was condemned. He defended the Catholic belief that, as a perfect man, Christ had a human will as well as a divine will. For his beliefs, he was imprisoned in Constantinople, where he was treated cruelly and sentenced to death. His sentence was eventually commuted to exile to what is now Crimea, where he died, exhausted by his suffering.

CV FOR MEDITATION

A FAITHFUL AND HUMILIATED ADVOCATE OF CHRIST

He came from Todi in Umbria, Italy, and was the son of Fabricius. He became a deacon and held the office of apocrisiary in Constantinople. He excelled in virtue and education. He was ordained a priest and became one of the Roman clerics. Shortly before, in 648, the Byzantine emperor Constans II, in cooperation with the Patriarch of Constantinople, issued a decree called the “Typos,” by which they forbade proclaiming that Christ had both a divine and a human will. They denied the duality and proclaimed that He had only one, which is why they were called Monothelites.

In July 649, Martin was validly elected pope, but without imperial confirmation. Immediately after his accession, Martin I convened a synod in the Lateran, at which, in October, the heresies of Monotheletism and the imperial decrees beneficial to the heretics were condemned. At the beginning, 105 bishops were present, mostly from Italy and some from Africa; from the 2nd session, there were 30 more Greek bishops. 20 canons were passed against the Monothelets. Martin, I had them translated into Greek and sent to the emperor and all the bishops. He encouraged all Christians in the true faith and, with the bishops present, compiled a joint encyclical for them, which was distributed throughout the Christian world. Then he appointed his vicars for Antioch and Jerusalem and deposed the heretical archbishop of Thessalonica. He ordered the Gallic bishops to hold a synod against heresy.

The synod’s purpose angered the emperor. He sent his exarch, Olympias, based in Ravenna, to act against Pope Martin I, imprisoning him and forcing the bishops to accept the Typos before the end of the synod. However, this was not an easy plan to carry out, and so, according to the papal chronicle, the exarch bribed an armorer to stab the pope in the Church of Our Lady of the Snows. The plan was for the armorer to do this at the moment the pope was about to give the exarch holy communion. However, at the last moment, the armorer Constantinus went blind and was unable to complete the crime. This miracle also influenced the exarch’s subsequent actions, leading him to reconcile with the pope. It is said that Olympias left for Sicily under the pretext of fighting the Arabs but, in fact, joined forces with them against the emperor. He died of the plague in 652.

In June 653, Olympius’s successor in Ravenna, Theodore Callippus, arrived in Rome with malicious intentions. Pretending to regret the Pope’s illness, he announced that he would come to pay his respects at the Lateran Basilica. However, he secretly ordered his army to besiege the Lateran Palace instead and did not go to the basilica himself. The Pope sensed danger and had himself carried to the altar. Two days later, the Exarch arrived with the army and presented the clergy with an imperial order declaring the Pope deposed, as there had been no imperial confirmation of his installation. As the clergy responded with exclamations, a storm broke out, and the soldiers overturned candlesticks, dragging the ailing pope to the imperial palace. That night, they loaded the Pope onto a ship on the banks of the Tiber and took him to Porto. They then set off with him for Constantinople, a journey said to have taken a quarter of a year. They stopped on the island of Naxos, where the pope was imprisoned in a tavern. The faithful came to visit him bearing gifts, but the guards confiscated them. away.

He refused to allow the profile of Christ to be distorted and lost everything to proclaim the full truth about Christ.
Martin, I was brought to Constantinople on 17 September, very ill. There, he spent another quarter of a year in prison without receiving necessary treatment and was tortured by starvation. Accused of high treason, he was brought to trial in a chair on 20 January. He was ordered to stand, but, unable to support his weight, he was held up by two court servants. He was accused of having hostile relations with the traitor Olympius. The Pope is said to have declared: ‘Do with me what you will; I accept any form of death.’ When he was handed over to the prefect, they said to him, “You have abandoned God, and God has abandoned you.’ Court servants tore off his pallium and all his clothes. They then dragged him, completely naked and bound with chains, through the streets of Constantinople to prison, with the executioner’s sword carried before him. He was sentenced to be cut up piece by piece while being mocked by the mob. For the time being, he was imprisoned to endure the cruel January weather. He was allegedly imprisoned for 85 days.

At that time, Patriarch Paul, who had been exiled and ostracised, was dying. When the emperor visited him, he was persuaded not to torture the Pope any further. The emperor therefore commuted the death sentence, instead sentencing him to exile in Kherson, on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. There, he endured humiliation, abandonment, hardship, and deprivation, lacking even the most basic necessities. Apparently, his sense of abandonment by everyone was deepened by the election of the new pope, Eugene I, who took office less than two years before Martin I’s death, if he died on 16 September, as was commonly believed. He was buried in the Church of the Virgin Mary, outside the gates of Kherson. Although he did not die a violent death, he was be venerated as a martyr because of the hardships and suffering he experienced.

RESOLUTION, PRAYER

The whole Christ is also the Eucharist with his divinity and humanity; to Christ also belongs his mystical body, of which I am a part. I must, therefore, live in such a way as not to deform Christ, so that he is visible in my love for my neighbors. Today, I will experience a profound participation with him in the Holy Mass.

Almighty God, you enabled the holy Pope and martyr Martin to resist threats and tortures admirably. Grant us the strength to endure adversity with unwavering steadfastness, too. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

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The Gospel of Mark concludes with some of the appearances of the Risen One. It recounts how he appeared to Mary Magdalene on Sunday morning, after Jesus had once cast out seven demons from her. She told the apostles about it, but they did not believe her. He then speaks of the appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus as they were traveling into the countryside. They returned and announced the event to the others, but they did not believe them either.

Finally, he presents himself to the apostles in appearance while they are sitting at the table. The Risen One reproaches them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, for not believing those who had seen him. The apostles recognized him and received from him the missionary command: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” The apostles believed and preached the Risen One. When the temple guards imprisoned Peter and John for preaching, both showed courage and eloquence, even though they were uneducated. Moreover, they were accompanied by a clear miracle. Proof of their courage is the healed man who had previously been lame. So the council released the apostles. 

After a meeting, they called them together again and forbade them to speak or teach anything in the name of Jesus. Even then, the two apostles showed fearlessness. They appealed to whom they should obey more: their men. For them, preaching the Risen One was much more important than fearing men. So the council had no reason to punish the apostles. They had to release them, because all the people also glorified God for healing the lame man. Psalm 118, a joyful song for salvation, enhances this celebration: “We give you thanks, Lord, God of mercy.”

Who should we listen to more—God or people? That is a question for us too. We are often tempted to prioritize ourselves and our reason over God, interpreting the Ten Commandments in our own way to avoid listening to Him. The example of the apostles should inspire us.

Christ could have chosen his first disciples from any background. Yet, he chose fishermen, astonishing them at the beginning and end with miraculous catches. They understood his strangeness. They knew fish get tangled in nets at night, in the dark, not in the morning when the water is clear. Spreading and pulling in nets is not as easy as it might seem. It’s exhausting. Yet, it was all in vain until the catch was unexpectedly successful. This event clearly illustrates the problem of work and grace that theologians pose. On the one hand, we must work as if our efforts determine everything. But ending, Christ, on the other hand, God’s undeserved success is a gift of his grace, given according to his mysterious intentions. If this is true of all work, then it is especially evident in our efforts to win others to Christ and be fishers of men. Jesus appears to be telling us, “Strive, and I will reveal success to you when you least anticipate it.”

They could not draw the net because of the multitude of fish.
When we consider all that is being done in the Church—the work and money spent on promoting priestly and religious vocations, expanding Scripture reading, and increasing morality — we realize what priests often complain about. How much work is wasted! However, when we complain about this, we forget the other side of the same problem: how many good people in the Church deserve more attention! Unfortunately, we are too few; we cannot ‘pull out’ of those obligations. Occasionally, the question is naively asked: Are there more failures or successes in the life of the Church? This question cannot be answered because both failures and successes are part of the same whole. Christ’s success was achieved through the cross’s failure. The Church and all its works reflect this mystery throughout their existence.

Despite the large number of fish, the net did not break. In the technical world, everything has performance limits. For example, we know the maximum speed a car can reach, and the carrying capacity of a bridge is marked. Every person should know their limits, too. A hospital knows how many beds it has and how many patients it can treat. But how many people can a church accept? It is designed to save everyone. Some people often predict that Peter’s net will break during major changes in the world. They predict that the church won’t adapt to the new era and that many will leave it. However, our experience so far indicates that a large increase on one side immediately balances losses on the other side. Before his death, one militant atheist is said to have said: ‘Fear the Church!’ We will not be, and it will remain!” It’s a pity there was no one there to respond: ‘So do not be afraid to be caught in its net—you will be too.’

By rising from the dead, Jesus showed that his body was destined for eternity. He is God in a material body. It was a body that the apostles could touch and eat with. This perfect God remains in a human body. However, it is not an ordinary body; it is a glorified body. Jesus passes through closed doors and appears to the apostles. His resurrection is not just a return to his former body; it is not merely a revival. It is not like the resurrection of Lazarus or Jairus’ daughter. It is something absolutely new. At the same time, however, the body remains material. This is where the value of our own bodies comes from. The same applies to everything material.

Everything that God created is good. We can see this in Jesus’ life. He healed the sick, raised the dead and helped people; he did not reject anything physical or material. He did not deny his humanity or his physicality. Christ took on human flesh. And God resurrected this flesh. Our flesh has a divine character. Jesus confirmed this with his resurrection. He does not escape his flesh; he remains in it forever. May this world discover the beauty and value of the human body and sexuality. The apostles understood this, too. So did Mary Magdalene, a former prostitute who prioritized the beauty and pleasure of her body.

She staked everything on her body, and in doing so lost everything. She lost her dignity, her sense of self-worth, and her beauty. It was only at the empty tomb that she understood this. She realised the value and beauty of Christ’s body. She also understood the value and beauty of her own body, and of every human body. Mary Magdalene realised that she had not valued her own body when she offered it to other men for their own satisfaction. The apostles understood this too. It was only at this moment, when they could touch it, that everything suddenly became clear. The intimate touch of two bodies helped them to discover the value and beauty of their own bodies, and of matter and sexuality. Touch Jesus’ body and wounds, and you will understand the value and beauty of your own body.

Go deep: Do you treat your body with respect? Do you recognize its divine value? Do you treat your girlfriend’s/boyfriend’s body with respect, rather than viewing it as a means of satisfying sexual lust? Do you pray for the gift of purity and strive to achieve it?

Biblical text:
“For the love of Christ binds us together, because we judge this: that one died for all, therefore all died; and he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Reflection:
The Lord has risen from the dead! We have hope! We are filled with joy!
1. He is alive! We are certain that our sins have been forgiven.
We were heavily in debt, but our debt was canceled when it was nailed to the cross. Christ destroyed our debt note on the cross. It was full of our sins, transgressions, and moral failures. It was resolved there, on the cross. We are free. Christ was captured in the Garden of Gethsemane to free you from whatever holds you captive from selfish desires and egoistic motives. He set us free from everything that deforms our character.
2. The Lord is alive! He changes us internally.
The Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros painted a suggestive work entitled: Our Times. It depicts a man with his hands outstretched in front of him. However, this figure has an unhewn stone instead of a head. The figure is blind, cold, and helpless. His open arms and empty palms long to receive something. However, the stony face suggests that this man is unable to perceive the truth, the meaning of life, or the beauty around him. On Good Friday, the rocks cracked. On Easter Sunday, the stone was rolled away. In the presence of Christ, even the rocks move. He, the living Lord, can transform hearts and faces of stone. He demonstrates his power even when a person figuratively turns to stone.
3. The living Lord is with us and helps and heals our interior.
God is the “soul of our soul” and the “I of our I”, the “Heart of our heart.” He is closer to us than we are to ourselves. As a living Lord, He heals our insides, puts them in order, and gives us peace.
In 1915, a man in America bought a car. On the road between two cities, he suddenly had problems; the car wouldn’t go. The engine stalled. When he began to despair, another car appeared. The driver got out of the car and asked about the problems. He opened the hood, did something there, and finally said, “Now it’ll start!” The driver started it, and the car went. Then the miraculous repairman introduced himself to the driver: “I’m Henry Ford. I built this car myself, so I know what to do if something goes wrong.” Likewise, our God knows us well; He created us and heals us; He can “fix” us with His grace and forgiveness.
4. The Lord is alive! His word is alive and powerful among us.
One of Martin Rázus’s books has a beautiful title: The Legacy of the Dead. The content is wonderful. The message of past generations can certainly inspire us. However, the message of the dead may not be so powerful or inspiring. Jesus’s words are entirely different. It is the living word of the living Lord, speaking to you. To everyone, with different intensity. ‘God whispers in joy, speaks in problems, and shouts in our pain. ‘ (C. S. Lewis).
5. Even when our temporal life ends, the living Lord gives us a living and certain hope.
If He had not risen, our eternal home would be two meters underground. But Christ rose, and our home is in heaven. Even if our physical body is buried in the ground, one day He will raise us from the dead.
6. The living Lord brings life to the Church.
He rose and now cares for His Church. In the Lord’s Supper, Christ gives His body and blood so that we do not perish spiritually in this world of spiritual desolation. The Lord wants His Church to flourish. The apostle speaks of the result of this action: ‘But that we should not live for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and rose from the dead’ (2 Cor. 5:14–15). Amen.

Prayer:
Glory to You, Lord. As the holy angels gave glory to You, so may we also give glory and praise to You. And grant that we may give You glory forever.

Although the Slovak folk saying “After the war, every general is a general” is not very positive—it expresses criticism of those who did not put their hand to the work but know how to comment and criticize the actors—it nevertheless offers a reflection on the importance of looking back on a matter. After the war, we are best able to evaluate things, events, and decisions. Time thus plays in a person’s favor. It allows him to see things with perspective. A reasonable person uses this to penetrate events below the surface and understand them. Christ’s someone, Mary Magdalene, cries over the loss of her Master. The last “nail in the coffin” of pain is the loss of his body. The torture, crucifixion, and burial were not enough… someone also had to steal his body. She had nothing left to remind her of her Master. But Christ approaches her discreetly. Despite her sincere pain over the loss, she cannot recognize in the glorified Lord the one she is looking for. Who has changed? Christ or Mary’s view? Her gaze is still a gaze at the cross on which Christ dies; it is a gaze at the dead Christ, who is being taken down from the cross; it is a gaze into the tomb in which Christ’s dead body is being enclosed. Such a gaze cannot see the Risen Christ. Only Christ’s address to Mary by name opens her eyes to see the present. Jesus lives. His presence helps her to leave the world of memories and look at the present. Then follows, in her life as in the life of every disciple, a gaze into the past. The disciple makes the many moments spent with the Master present, but with a new gaze. Therefore, he can exclaim, “Rabboni!” and embrace the Master’s feet with joy and humility. We are invited to a life full of adventure that we did not dream of, did not plan, did not prepare for. It is a life that He has prepared for us. By addressing us from His side, we can look at this world with new eyes. A person redeemed by God and addressed by God is thus able to re-examine his life and then step into the new one that the Redeemer has prepared for him. After the war that the Master has fought for him, the disciple becomes his general