St. Margaret of Scotland Immaculate Conception Church
Farm Street, London
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
From: 2 Maccabees 6:18-31
Martyrdom of Eleazar
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[18] Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine’s flesh. [19] But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh, [20] as men ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life.
[21] Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man aside, because of their long acquaintance with him, and privately urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper for him to use, and pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal which had been commanded by the king, [22] so that by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of his old friendship with them. [23] But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old age and the gray hairs which he had reached with distinction and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according to the holy God-given law, he declared himself quickly, telling them to send him to Hades.
[24] “Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life’ he said, “lest many of the young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to an alien religion, [25] and through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age. [26] For even if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. [27] Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age [28] and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws.”
When he had said this, he went at once to the rack. [29] And those who a little before had acted toward him with good will now changed to ill will, because the words he had uttered were in their opinion sheer madness. [30] When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned aloud and said: “It is clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things because I fear him.”
[31] So in this way he died, leaving in his death an example of nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young but to the great body of his nation.
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Commentary:
6:18-31. The story of Eleazar carries the lesson that faithfulness to God's law is what matters most to the righteous man, and that the example given by prominent people can have enormous consequences. St Gregory Nazianzen calls Eleazar “the greatest of all those who suffered before the coming of Christ; as Stephen is first among those who endure suffering after Christ” ("Orationes", 15, 3). In ascetical tradition, Eleazar continues to be a clear example of fortitude: “The person with fortitude is one who perseveres in doing what his conscience tells him he ought to do. He does not measure the value of a task exclusively by the benefit he receives from it, but rather by the service he renders to others. The strong man will at times suffer, but he stands firm; he may be driven to tears, but he will brush them aside. When difficulties come thick and fast, he does not bend before them. Remember the example given us in the book of the Maccabees: an old man, Eleazar, prefers to die than break God’s law. ‘By manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws” (St J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 77).
6:23. The Greco-Roman world called the dwelling-place of the dead “Hades”--in Hebrew “sheol” (cf. the note on 1 Kings 2:6).