The recount of
St Shmooni’s martyrdom along with her seven sons can be found in the book of 2
Maccabees and in Church history. This book is not canonized in our Church; however, we look to and recognise St. Shmooni as a saint as she is one of the many unwaveringly faithful Jews who are prototypes of all the Christian martyrs who die for their faith.The martyrdom took place in the year 167 BC in
Judea, under the rule of King Antiochus IV Epiphanus, who was fiercely
persecuting the Jews.
Excerpt from the
book of 2 Maccabees Chapter 7:1-41 (GNT)
1 On
another occasion a Jewish mother and her seven sons were arrested. The king was
having them beaten to force them to eat pork.2 Then one
of the young men said, what do you hope to gain by doing this? We would
rather die than abandon the traditions of our ancestors.
3 This
made the king so furious that he gave orders for huge pans and kettles to be
heated red hot,4 and it was done immediately. Then he
told his men to cut off the tongue of the one who had spoken and to scalp him
and chop off his hands and feet, while his mother and six brothers looked on.5 After
the young man had been reduced to a helpless mass of breathing flesh, the king
gave orders for him to be carried over and thrown into one of the pans. As a
cloud of smoke streamed up from the pan, the brothers and their mother
encouraged one another to die bravely, saying,6
The Lord God is looking on and understands our suffering. Moses made this clear when he wrote a song condemning those who had abandoned the Lord. He said,
The Lord will have mercy on those who serve him.
The Lord God is looking on and understands our suffering. Moses made this clear when he wrote a song condemning those who had abandoned the Lord. He said,
The Lord will have mercy on those who serve him.
7 After
the first brother had died in this way, the soldiers started amusing themselves
with the second one by tearing the hair and skin from his head. Then they asked
him,
Now will you eat this pork, or do you want us to chop off your hands and feet one by one?
Now will you eat this pork, or do you want us to chop off your hands and feet one by one?
8 He
replied in his native language,
I will never eat it! So the soldiers tortured him, just as they had the first one,9 but with his dying breath he cried out to the king,
You butcher! You may kill us, but the King of the universe will raise us from the dead and give us eternal life, because we have obeyed his laws.
I will never eat it! So the soldiers tortured him, just as they had the first one,9 but with his dying breath he cried out to the king,
You butcher! You may kill us, but the King of the universe will raise us from the dead and give us eternal life, because we have obeyed his laws.
10 The
soldiers began entertaining themselves with the third brother. When he was
ordered to stick out his tongue, he quickly did so. Then he bravely held out
his hands11 and courageously said,
God gave these to me. But his laws mean more to me than my hands, and I know God will give them back to me again.12 The king and those with him were amazed at his courage and at his willingness to suffer.
God gave these to me. But his laws mean more to me than my hands, and I know God will give them back to me again.12 The king and those with him were amazed at his courage and at his willingness to suffer.
13 After
he had died, the soldiers tortured the fourth one in the same cruel way,14 but
his final words were,
I am glad to die at your hands, because we have the assurance that God will raise us from death. But there will be no resurrection to life for you, Antiochus!
I am glad to die at your hands, because we have the assurance that God will raise us from death. But there will be no resurrection to life for you, Antiochus!
15 When
the soldiers took the fifth boy and began torturing him,16 he
looked the king squarely in the eye and said,
You have the power to do whatever you want with us, even though you also are mortal. But do not think that God has abandoned our people.17 Just wait. God will use his great power to torture you and your descendants
You have the power to do whatever you want with us, even though you also are mortal. But do not think that God has abandoned our people.17 Just wait. God will use his great power to torture you and your descendants
18 Then
the soldiers took the sixth boy, and just before he died he said,
Make no mistake. We are suffering what we deserve, because we have sinned against our God. [Jerusalem was suffering persecution at the time]That's why all these terrible things are happening to us.19 But don't think for a minute that you will avoid being punished for fighting against God.
Make no mistake. We are suffering what we deserve, because we have sinned against our God. [Jerusalem was suffering persecution at the time]That's why all these terrible things are happening to us.19 But don't think for a minute that you will avoid being punished for fighting against God.
20 The
mother was the most amazing one of them all, and she deserves a special place
in our memory. Although she saw her seven sons die in a single day, she
endured it with great courage because she trusted in the Lord.21 She
combined womanly emotion with manly courage and spoke words of encouragement to
each of her sons in their native language.22
I do not know how your life began in my womb, she would say,
I was not the one who gave you life and breath and put together each part of your body.23 It was God who did it, God who created the universe, the human race, and all that exists. He is merciful and he will give you back life and breath again, because you love his laws more than you love yourself.
I do not know how your life began in my womb, she would say,
I was not the one who gave you life and breath and put together each part of your body.23 It was God who did it, God who created the universe, the human race, and all that exists. He is merciful and he will give you back life and breath again, because you love his laws more than you love yourself.
24 Antiochus
was sure that the mother was making fun of him, so he did his best to convince
her youngest son to abandon the traditions of his ancestors. He promised not
only to make the boy rich and famous, but to place him in a position of
authority and to give him the title
Friend of the King.25 But the boy paid no attention to him, so Antiochus tried to persuade the boy's mother to talk him into saving his life,26 and after much persuasion she agreed to do so.27 Leaning over her son, she fooled the cruel tyrant by saying in her native language,
My son, have pity on me. Remember that I carried you in my womb for nine months and nursed you for three years. I have taken care of you and looked after all your needs up to the present day.28 So I urge you, my child, to look at the sky and the earth. Consider everything you see there, and realize that God made it all from nothing, just as he made the human race.29 Don't be afraid of this butcher. Give up your life willingly and prove yourself worthy of your brothers, so that by God's mercy I may receive you back with them at the resurrection.
Friend of the King.25 But the boy paid no attention to him, so Antiochus tried to persuade the boy's mother to talk him into saving his life,26 and after much persuasion she agreed to do so.27 Leaning over her son, she fooled the cruel tyrant by saying in her native language,
My son, have pity on me. Remember that I carried you in my womb for nine months and nursed you for three years. I have taken care of you and looked after all your needs up to the present day.28 So I urge you, my child, to look at the sky and the earth. Consider everything you see there, and realize that God made it all from nothing, just as he made the human race.29 Don't be afraid of this butcher. Give up your life willingly and prove yourself worthy of your brothers, so that by God's mercy I may receive you back with them at the resurrection.
30 Before
she could finish speaking, the boy said,
King Antiochus, what are you waiting for? I refuse to obey your orders. I only obey the commands in the Law which Moses gave to our ancestors.31 You have thought up all kinds of cruel things to do to our people, but you won't escape the punishment that God has in store for you.32-33It is true that our living Lord is angry with us and is making us suffer because of our sins, in order to correct and discipline us. But this will last only a short while, for we are still his servants, and he will forgive us.34 But you are the cruelest and most disgusting thing that ever lived. So don't fool yourself with illusions of greatness while you punish God's people.35 There is no way for you to escape punishment at the hands of the almighty and all-seeing God.36 My brothers suffered briefly because of our faithfulness to God's covenant, but now they have entered eternal life.[a] But you will fall under God's judgment and be punished as you deserve for your arrogance.37 I now give up my body and my life for the laws of our ancestors, just as my brothers did. But I also beg God to show mercy to his people quickly and to torture you until you are forced to acknowledge that he alone is God.38 May my brothers and I be the last to suffer the anger of Almighty God, which he has justly brought upon our entire nation.
King Antiochus, what are you waiting for? I refuse to obey your orders. I only obey the commands in the Law which Moses gave to our ancestors.31 You have thought up all kinds of cruel things to do to our people, but you won't escape the punishment that God has in store for you.32-33It is true that our living Lord is angry with us and is making us suffer because of our sins, in order to correct and discipline us. But this will last only a short while, for we are still his servants, and he will forgive us.34 But you are the cruelest and most disgusting thing that ever lived. So don't fool yourself with illusions of greatness while you punish God's people.35 There is no way for you to escape punishment at the hands of the almighty and all-seeing God.36 My brothers suffered briefly because of our faithfulness to God's covenant, but now they have entered eternal life.[a] But you will fall under God's judgment and be punished as you deserve for your arrogance.37 I now give up my body and my life for the laws of our ancestors, just as my brothers did. But I also beg God to show mercy to his people quickly and to torture you until you are forced to acknowledge that he alone is God.38 May my brothers and I be the last to suffer the anger of Almighty God, which he has justly brought upon our entire nation.
39 These
words of ridicule made Antiochus so furious that he had the boy tortured even
more cruelly than his brothers.40And so the boy died, with
absolute trust in the Lord, never unfaithful for a minute.
41 Last
of all, the mother was put to death.
We can learn
many things from the life and death of St. Shmooni as we look to her as a great
role model and example of a faithful woman even in the 21st Century.
When we consider our problems that we complain about in our lives today and
compare them to the pain, persecution and suffering that Shmooni endured to
uphold her faith in God, our problems seem miniscule and non-existent in the
light of her experiences.
St. Shmooni’s
faith in the spotlight:
She was
willing to endure tremendous loss for the sake of her faith: As a mother, shmooni was willing to lose
not one, but all seven of her sons to martyrdom in order to uphold her faith
and encourage her sons in their faith. She witnessed the torture and death of
each of her sons before her very eyes!
How many times
do we woman of the 21st Century, you and I, complain about our
losses and trials and point the finger at God when we lose something or someone
we love? But how much faith does it take to accept these great losses by faith,
knowing that God is immeasurably greater than all we know and see, as St.
Shmooni stated “my
child, look at the sky and the earth. Consider everything you see there, and
realize that God made it all from nothing, just as he made the human race.” He created us and He only desires what
is good for us (Romans 8:28).
She
encouraged her sons to undergo martyrdom for the sake of their faith: The mother was especially admirable and
worthy of good memory. Though she saw her seven sons perish in the span of a
single day, she bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord.
She encouraged each of them in the language of their fathers. Filled with noble
spirit, she stirred her womanly reasoning with manly courage… (2 Maccabees
7:20-21).
In
times of trial and suffering, do we trust that God will deliver us? Do we rely
on His strength to persevere? St. James teaches us to count it joy when we fall
into various trials (James 1:2-4). Let these trials serve to promote and
encourage our faith and that of others through our words and faithful, loving
deeds during their times of trial.
She did not
accept her youngest son to be spared and live a “good life” for the sake of their
faith: How easy is it for us today to give up on
God when the going gets tough, or when a “better” worldly opportunity presents
itself? Just as Shmooni encouraged her youngest son to stand up for his faith
in God no matter what worldly temptations were presented before him, we too should
not focus on the temporal gains of this world and move God to second or third priority in our life, but rather focus on gaining the eternal
that is awaiting those who persevere in faith.
Finally,
after enduring all she could, St. Shmooni also died for the sake of her faith: Shmooni witnessed the torturous death of
each one of her sons before her very eyes, and trusted in the LORD’S
deliverance. Ultimately, she gave up her own life with the full assurance and
hope in God’s promises through the forefathers that she would see her sons
again at the resurrection.
Let us look to
St Shmooni as a great example of a God fearing woman and mother and be
encouraged by her unswerving faith which was shown in her continual
perseverance and faithfulness in times of religious persecution and physical and
emotional suffering. Let us try to imitate her faith just as she upheld a stern encouragement
to her sons and was willing to give up her life and that of her sons to cling
to their belief in God despite their unworthiness and the opposition they faced,
knowing that they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
This week's song: Mikechair - Let the waters rise
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