By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles
LAKE CHARLES — Internationally acclaimed speaker on the Fathers of the Church, Mike Aquilina, traveled from Pittsburgh to the Diocese of Lake Charles to help the faithful appreciate the growth of the Catholic Church we know today.
Aquilina, the author of more than 70 books on Catholic history, doctrine, and devotion, was the keynote speaker at the 14th annual Veritas Conference on Saturday, September 13, at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Family Life Center. The event was hosted by the Office of Religious Education.
Traveling back in time 20 centuries, Aquilina offered a look at signs of the early Christians, martyrdom, and what we can learn on how to live out our faith in today’s world.
“There were several unmistakable signs of Christianity … a precious snapshot for us,” said Aquilina. “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles and the communion, the breaking of the bread, and the prayers.”
Aquilina noted that the early Christians devoted themselves to the Mass, to the Eucharist, remarking, “That is the most important way they showed themselves to be Christians. By 150 A.D., the Mass was everywhere.”
Another dominant reality in the ancient Church was martyrdom and persecution, said Aquilina, raising the question: What was so offensive about the early Christians?
“They dared to have their own opinions without forcing them on others. They themselves were a judgment in the mind of the others because they lived upright lives, and they experienced a happiness that was unknown elsewhere,” he pointed out.
Comparing martyrdom to the Mass, Aquilina emphasized how Jesus gives himself to us in the Mass without holding anything back.
“He gives us his body, blood, soul, and divinity. He gives himself to us as food, and that is love, the total gift of self. It is the very love the martyrs wanted to imitate,” said Aquilina. “At every Eucharist, Jesus gives himself entirely to us, and we give ourselves in return by saying, ‘Amen.’ We are accepting our own martyrdom, our own crosses. Everyday life should be a martyrdom, a self-denial.”
What does the Eucharistic life look like on a daily basis? Aquilina suggested a few ways:
“It looks like a mother staying up all night with a sick child, or grandparents staying up all night so that their daughter can get some sleep.
“It looks like a husband working long hours at a task he doesn’t particularly enjoy so that his family can know a better life.
“It looks like a family keeping vigil by a deathbed. It looks like the dying man who musters a smile for the sake of his loved ones, even though he doesn’t feel like smiling.”
As St. Jerome once said, “Let us not think that there is martyrdom only in the shedding of the blood.” There is always martyrdom, noted Aquilina.
The second part of the keynote in the afternoon focused on how true friendships will be the true evangelization. Aquilina pointed out, “God knows and God showed us that friendship is the first step toward saving souls. For his sake, we need to get to know the people around us.”
Conference Reaction
Mary Wilkinson was at the conference sharing information on behalf of Southwest Louisiana Prolife Billboards. She enjoyed hearing Aquilina talk about martyrdom in today’s world.
“His comments on ways we can all be martyrs in our everyday living strengthened me a lot,” said Wilkinson. “It is not only about physical martyrdom, but also about the daily sacrifices we can make.”
This was Charlotte Trahan’s first time attending Veritas. She is Director of the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church in Carlyss. Already familiar with the keynote speaker, Trahan was excited to hear him in person.
“It caught my attention when Mike talked about the private liturgy in the early Church was the Mass, but the public liturgy was martyrdom,” Trahan noted. “That was an eye opener for me not having thought of it in that way before.”
For a selection of books by Mike Aquilina, who is co-founder with Scott Hahn, of the St. Paul Center for Bibilical Theology based in Steubenville, Ohio, visit www.fathersofthechurch.com.
CLICK HERE to view photos on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles Facebook page.
