Born around the year 69, Polycarp was converted to Christianity by St. John the Apostle and became his disciple. After learning the faith from St. John, Polycarp was appointed the bishop of Smyrna, and after the death of the apostles, he and the other bishops confronted many challenges in the early Church: heresies, persecution, and the establishment of a common liturgy to be practiced by all Christians. When he was 86 he was arrested by the Romans for his faith. They tried to make him deny the faith but when they were unsuccessful, he willingly accepted his sentence of being burned alive. When the flames didn’t touch his body, he was stabbed with a spear then his body was burned.
CHALLENGE
No matter what challenge he faced—even the challenge of martyrdom—St. Polycarp responded the same way: stay true to Christ and imitate his life. St. Polycarp imitated Christ in willingly accepting his fate, knowing that God would give him the strength to endure the fire. Today, pray that you will willingly accept any challenge you face because you know that God will give you the strength to endure it.
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