St. Maximus the Confessor

“If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” Romans 6:8

This verse reminds me of all the saints who died with Christ, who died as witnesses defending Him. Maximus the Confessor is a little known saint. Before yesterday, when I was listening to a talk on sharing our faith with our children, I had never heard of him. 

St. Maximus left his important post as a court secretary of the Eastern Roman emperor Heraclius I to pursue monastic life. He was far from inconspicuous as a monk however, having been drawn into the political religious controversies of his time. He was arrested three times for believing and teaching that Jesus Christ was the incarnate Son of God, fully human, and fully divine. His tongue was cut off so he might not speak these “heresies” and his right hand was cut off so he may not continue to write. Then he was sent into exile where he soon died. 

Today, it does not cost us much to be Christians. But do we share our faith as much as we can? Can we face Christ as His witness and claim we have died walking with Him?