The word we translate at martyr simply means “witness.” It would be the word used, for example, in a court of law. Martyrs were celebrated in the early church — and today as well — as witnesses of the centrality of God in one’s life. The martyrs testify that God is so important that everything else is secondary. While there are plenty of martyrs in the sense of those giving their lives for the faith nowadays most of the “martyrs” that we know give witness to God by their dedication to their families, by their outreach those in need around them, by their willingness to bring healing and reconciliation to broken relationships. When a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies… it produces much fruit.
