Naslov
Martyrdom as a Sign of Imitation of Jesus Christ – a Testimony to Authentic Life

Autori
Bekavac, Ante

Izvornik
Bogoslovska smotra (0352-3101) 92 (2022); 973-996

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Jesus Christ, image of God, imitation, martyrdom, the humankind

Sažetak
The article starts from the basic understanding of martyrdom in the image of Jesus Christ, which is the model of every martyrdom. Therefore, it is quite understandable that, in their own deaths, martyrs join Christ the Pastor, conforming themselves and celebrating God with the testimony of their own lives for the truth. We shall rely on some of the thoughts and ideas in understanding the meaning and the significance of martyrdom as found in certain elements of the theology of martyrdom in the Bible, in the texts of the Second Vatican Council and St. John Paul II. The fundamental question is: What is martyrdom founded on? The answer is that it is founded on the death of Jesus, on his supreme sacrifice of love, consummated on the Cross, so that we would have eternal life (cf. John 10: 10). Christ is the suffering servant (cf. Isaiah 52: 13-15) who gave himself as a ransom for many (cf. Matthew 20: 28). In this sense, the theology of martyrdom or the theology of the cross gives a deeper meaning to Christians suffering and death reflected in the image of Jesus Christ, the perfect example of guiltless and innocent suffering. It is precisely from the perspective of understanding the life of Christ that we can assert that martyrs are those who follow the Lord to the very end, freely accepting death for the salvation of the world in a supreme test of love and faith (cf. LG, 42). It is only in this context that it becomes clear why martyr-witnesses are the most excellent witnesses of the authentic life permeated with Jesus Christ.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

POVEZANOST RADA