Martyrdom and its Moral Dilemmas

"We are not here to triumph by fighting, by stratagem, or by resistance,

Not to fight with beasts as men. We have only to conquer 

Now, by suffering. This is the easier victory."

- T.S. Eliot, Murder in the Cathedral

In this episode, Rachel and Phoebe delve into two texts, T.S. Eliot's verse drama Murder in the Cathedral about the death of St. Thomas Becket, and the opera Dialogues des Carmélites by Poulenc, about the execution of a community of nuns towards the end of the French Revolution. Drawing on both of these texts we discuss the moral dilemma of 'doing the right thing for the wrong reason' and how these fictional accounts of martyred saints can help us prepare our soul for martyrdom and a life led in obedience to God's will.

 

Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson

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Works Mentioned:

“A Temple of the Holy Ghost” A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor

Dialogues des Carmélites by Poulenc 

Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot 

Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton

“Patience - Our Share in Your Passion” The Joy of Believing by Ven. Madeleine Delbrêl

Orthodoxy by G.K Chesterton

 

What we are Enjoying at the Moment

Phoebe: Risking Enchantment: A Pilgrimage in Paintings: Tissot's “Life of Christ"

Rachel: Taskmaster