The Legacy of the Martyrs

On Monday March 29, in Maguire Hall at Loyola University Maryland, Fr. Mark Ravizza, S.J., gave a presentation on “The Hope of the Martyrs” and discussed how the deaths of Mon. Romero and the UCA martyrs gives us new life and hope today. The presentation was to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Martyrs of El Salvador. The Martyrs of El Salvador were Archbishop Oscar Romero, six UCA(Universidad Centroamericana) Jesuit priests and two women.

The Jesuits were Ignacio Ellacuría, Segundo Montes,Ignacio Martín-Baró, Juan Ramón Moreno, Armando López, and Joaquín López y López. The women were Julia Elba Ramos and her daughter 16-year old daughter Celina. Prior to their deaths, the Archbishop Monsignor Oscar Romero was assassinated while celebrating mass the day after giving a homily where he had called on Salvadorian soldiers to comply with God's orderand to stop carrying out the government's suppression and violations of basic human rights. The martyrs gave their lives to speak up and work against the injustices they saw in El Salvador.

“In a world marked by great suffering, injustice and disappointment how do we keep the faith?” Fr. Ravizza asked. Father Ravizza stressed that we need to be prepared for all outcomes and realize that the road to our dreams is not straight and narrow.

There are three moments in life, Father Ravizza said. Day one is the moment we fall in love and want to invest in a dream. We put all our heart and energy into making a better world. On day two, the dream is betrayed; our love dies and our heart becomes broken, tempting us to withdraw and loose heart. “I was in pain because they were my friends. Imagine if they’ve done that to them. Imagine what they are going to do to us,” said Mariana a Salvadorian woman. Lastly, on day three, new life rises out of death. Love is renewed, and we find a way to hope again and to reinvest in a world that has broken our heart.

When people hope, Father Ravizza stated, they hope for what they want. They approach it in a willful way and expect a certain outcome. When what is hoped for does not come about, despair sets in. The death of the martyrs teaches us two things, Father Ravizza said: we cannot be our own saviors, and dreams do not always come true. But out of these failed dreams, God draws new life. We move from the philosophy of “hoping that” to “hoping in.” Hope is what arises from trials and captivity. As a result, light emergences from the darkness, and faith is reborn. It is unexpected and comes unforeseen. Hope is the belief that in the midst of darkness a positive outcome lies ahead.

The death of the martyrs challenges us to live for a cause no matter the consequences. The rebels made it clear that if you spoke up you would be silenced, persecuted if you worked for justice and killed for working for the poor. When the people of El Salvador talk about the "hope of the martyrs", they often refer to an aphorism by Mons. Romero's: “If I am killed, I shall arise in the Salvadoran people." The Salvadorian people rose up and protested against their government. They spoke up against the injustices they saw and committed themselves to working for the needy. The hope the people find in the martyrs is seen through the fact that the message the rebels tried to suppress lived on. Not only did the message of the martyrs survive it grew stronger in the hearts of the people. In a video clip shown, a man named Lolo proclaims that the faith and legacy of the martyrs is the only thing he wants present in his life, and he wants to pass this on as an inheritance on to his daughters: “I don’t have any material possessions. I don’t think I ever will, but that is not important to me. What is important to me is the inheritance of commitment of martyrdom.”

"Hope is not submissive; it is a commitment to continue to struggle in the midst of despair, when hope flares,it allows human beings to overcome monstrous difficulties.”