Saint Alban: Inspiring Martyrdom

St. Alban reminds us that Faith is not a trend.

Although I have only lived for 31 years on this beautiful ball we call earth, I have observed many fads in those 3.1 decades: the Atkins Diet, Beanie Babies, baggy pants, boy bands, gluten free diets, Livestrong bracelets, the Macarena, and selfies just to name a few. Really there are so many fads that websites exist solely dedicated to making sure we remember how ridiculous all of us are for jumping on whatever novel thing is trending. Nowhere on any of those websites can be found the fad of martyrdom; however, in the early 200s Saint Alban seemed to inspire just such a trend.

For some time in Christian history scholars believed that Alban lived in the late 200s and died around 303 or 304; however current Church studies show that he lived a whole century earlier, and died inspiring others to follow Christ to the point of death. Alban did not begin his life as a Christian. Instead, he grew up pagan and served the Roman Empire as a soldier. In the time of his life Britain was under the ruling arm of Rome. Alban, stationed at Verulamium—about twenty miles north of London—one day encountered a fleeing priest, which was the event that changed Alban’s life.

Alban met the runaway priest and had a choice to make. Would Alban turn the Christian into Roman authorities certainly sealing the priest’s fate or would Alban respond compassionately? In conversations with the priest Alban was converted to following Christ Jesus. Alban’s faith was immediately tested, as Roman authorities came looking for the priest. When Alban discovered that his fellow soldiers were looking for the priest, the neophyte convert to the Faith dressed in clerical attire.

The authorities took Alban to be tortured and in the process he revealed that he was not the priest, but a Roman soldier who had turned to follow Jesus after hearing the Good News of Jesus. Even in the face of death Alban never renounced his belief in Jesus. Thus, he was to be beheaded. However, the initial executioner upon hearing Alban’s story of conversion would not kill the man and even converted to Christianity on the spot. The actual priest got wind of the bravery of Alban and came to clear up the misunderstanding; however Alban, the would-be-executioner, and the priest all were eventually beheaded. Alban was thus the first martyr of Britain, but was quickly followed by the two others.

The life and witness of Alban should give us pause to hold fast to those things that are good and enduring in a world of fads. He was bold enough not to turn on his new Faith even though he was immediately put under immense stress to recant. During the makeshift trial a judge kept insisting on knowing about Alban’s family, but he simple replied, “My parents named me Alban and I worship and adore the living and true God, who created all things.” Our reading from Matthew reminds us that Faith might call us into situations where we must deny even our family and our national identity to follow Jesus. This is easier said than done, but through the iconic lens of Alban’s witness we see what Christ calls each and every one of us to do.

There are many things in this life that are passing fads, but Faith in the living and true God who created all things lasts forever. We might look at Alban’s life and think, “I can’t do that;” however, the Spirit of Christ strengthens each one of us to take up that same call of martyrdom. In our world that probably does not mean an actual, physical death, but rather killing a part of us that associates more closely with selfish ambition, radical patriotism, or even family name over following Jesus. To follow Jesus will never be a fad, but Faith in the living and true God requires daily dying to those parts of us that beg us to do anything other than living our life in Christ!