Martyred Monks Of Tibhirine Research Paper

Throughout history, there have been many examples of martyrs who have lived a life influenced by the sacraments. Through the grace of God, these people have given up their lives for an ideal greater than themselves. The Martyred Monks of Tibhirine, killed in Algeria in 1996, was one of the groups of people that were killed for their devotion to a higher power. Granted, since they lived a life influenced by the sacraments, they were able to see that because worship and faith are interwoven, they had to help others. As a result, they saw that they had to be unselfish, they sought to make peace with those that ostracized and demeaned them, and through their martyrdom, they lived as Christ did. From their actions, we can see that these men sought

As depicted in "An Offering of Peace: The Martyred Monks of Tibhirine", they fed the hungry, clothed the clothless, and healed the ill. They gave up their own time and resources in order to help a community that shared different beliefs. This example shows us that they lived a sacramental life because they weren't selfish people; they didn’t want to leave the village because they knew that things wouldn’t be the same without them. When celebrating the sacraments, it is important to realize that our relationship with God doesn’t just end with us, it also includes Christ’s church. These monks were able to see that we are all one united body through Christ, and we should treat everyone with the care that we would show ourselves. This harkens back to the quote from Pope Benedict XVI, “Faith, worship and ethos are interwoven as a single reality which takes shape in our encounter with God's agape. Here the usual contraposition between worship and ethics simply falls apart. “Worship” itself, Eucharistic communion, includes the reality both of being loved and of loving others in turn. A Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented.” From this example, we can see how these monks saw both worship and human dignity as an interwoven part of their lives. This perspective helped them to form the unselfish mindset that helped

The Monks of Tibhirine, however, showed us that we are to rise above these natural tendencies. In the movie, Of Gods and Men, on Christmas Eve 1993, the monks were antagonized by the extremists demanding medicine and medical aid from the village. Even after this event, the monks still showed love to both sides of the conflict. One example of this was when Christian( the leader of the Monks of Tibhirine) lamented for a man that had died on the enemy side, to the surprise of an opposing commander. This moment helps us realize that we are to love others as our own, even those who oppose us. Through the social dimension, we will be able to become a sacrament, in which we will signify God’s love on