Daniel 3:14-20, 24-25, 28 / John 8:31-42
Most of the martyrs of the Church come from the period of the early Church, i.e. the first few centuries, when the Church was under persecution from the Roman empire.
Besides undergoing horrendous torture and a terrible death in their witnessing to Christ, there was something more critical at stake.
It was an acid test of their faith in God. We can be sure that the martyrs were not asking to be tortured to death.
We can also be sure that they were afraid and they prayed to God to be delivered from the viciousness of their enemies.
But in the face of their blood-thirsty persecutors, they had the same answer as the three young men in the 1st reading.
It is a statement that we need to reflect and think about - If our God, the One we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, O king, He will save us. And even if He does not, then you must know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have erected.
Very brave words that will mean certain death. But God did rescue the three young men.
But as for the martyrs, they freely gave up their lives.
They could do this because they understood what Jesus said about the truth in today's gospel.
Yes the truth will set them free. The same truth will also set us free.
But as Jesus said, the truth that He came to proclaim must penetrate into our hearts, and make its home in our hearts.
We will know that the truth of Jesus is in our hearts when we detest sin and we want to love God.
Only God's love will set us free from fear and from sin. Then we will truly live our lives with Jesus and in Jesus.