A Mother of Martyrs

The great faith of this brother of two of the Coptic 21 astounded me as he spoke of his great joy in their being martyrs. Then he talked of his mother (min 3:18) and I was humbled. Of course such a woman would be the mother of saints. How could she be anything else?

If she met her sons’ killer she would embrace him, because it is by his hands that her son is in Heaven. She doesn’t react with anger or mourning, but rejoices that her sons have won martyrs’ crowns. Then she steps beyond that to offer prayers and welcome to the men who butchered her children. What kind of a woman is this?

The reaction of the Egyptian Coptic community to this enormous loss makes my own faith feel meager  in comparison. I want to go to this woman, sit at her feet, and learn from her what it means to love in the way Christ loves. I want to listen to all that she would say about how one raises children so strong in the faith that they do not falter when a fearsome death stares them in the face.

We in the West often think of the people of the Middle East as poor, backward, and uneducated.  Perhaps it is how they should think of us. Our children may be rich in material goods, but do they have such faith? Do they have such mothers?

I’m having issues embedding the video. In case you can’t see the above video, here’s the link.