Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress. Psalm 4:1a
Irenaeus (c. 304)
Refused to Sacrifice
When Irenaeus, Bishop of Sirmium (Serbia), was arrested and taken before the prefect Probus, he was ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods. But he refused, quoting Exodus 22:20: “Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed.”
Irenaeus’ position as a senior Christian leader during a time of great persecution under Roman emperor Diocletian made his response all the more significant. His father, mother, wife, children and friends urged him to carry out the pagan sacrifice in order to save his own life, but he stood firm in his faith. He was imprisoned, tortured and beheaded.
Lord grant me this crown for which I have longed;
For I have loved you with all my heart and all my soul.
I long to see you, to be filled with joy, and to find rest.
Then I will no longer have to witness the suffering of my congregation, the destruction of your churches, the overthrow of your altars, the persecution of your priests, the abuse of the defenceless, the departure from truth, and the large flock I watched over diminished by this time of trial.
I no longer wish to see those I considered my friends change within their hearts, becoming angry and seeking my death; or have those who are my true friends taken from me by this persecution, while their killers order us about.
Simon of Seleucia (martyred c. 340)