midst of his torments he cried out: “Lord, Thou knowest I suffer grievous pains, but I am well content to suffer these things, because I fear Thee."
COMMENTARY.
Firm faith. Eleazar was strong and steadfast in faith, preferring to die under torture rather than deny his faith by eating the forbidden meat.
The fear of God. The fortitude with which Eleazar endured his torture proceeded from the holy fear of God, to whom he said in presence of the bystanders: “I am well content to suffer, because I fear Thee”; being persuaded within himself: “If I escape from this torture by a miserable hypocrisy, I could not escape the punishment of God.” It is thus we ought to reason when tempted either to do what is wrong, or to neglect what is right. Our Lord has spoken these warning words: Tear not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him that can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mat. 10, 28).
Bad example. Eleazar wished to avoid even the appearance of sin, and therefore refused to adopt the suggestion made to him of secretly eating meat which was allowed, though he seemed to be eating swine’s flesh. Every one would have thought that he had eaten forbidden meat, and, as he himself said, he would thus have given a bad example to all the Jews, and especially to the young. This act would also have drawn others into transgressing the law and denying their faith. « Those who are the occasion of sin in other persons give scandal, and sin against the Fifth Commandment.
Counselling sin. Did those who advised Eleazar to act as if he had eaten the forbidden meat commit sin? Yes, for though it is true that they felt full of compassion for the poor, weak, aged man, they felt no compassion for his soul; and it was, after all, a very erroneous sort of compassion which made them counsel him to commit a sin.
The shameful faithlessness of many Christians. Our Lord Jesus Christ had not yet died for Eleazar. He had not received the teaching and graces of Christianity, nor was heaven open to him; and yet he gave a splendid example of fortitude. How much more shameful would it be for Christians to deny their faith, having before them, in very truth, the example of our Lord, of the holy apostles, and of 13,000,000 martyrs of the Catholic Church, and receiving, as they do, so many graces from God!
Application. Are you ready to suffer a painful death rather than deny the holy Catholic faith, or commit any other grievous sin? Do you pray for the gift of fortitude?
