St. John Rigby
No relation to Eleanor
John Rigby was one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. When he admitted he was Catholic, John was arrested, imprisoned, and eventually martyred by being hanged, drawn, and quartered.
This is about the most English thing I can think of. First of all, the name John Rigby is so English, it conjures images of that Beatles song. Secondly, I can’t think of a more English way to torture someone than to hang, draw, and quarter them. Plus all that stuff about being against Catholicism.
John Rigby was courageous. He knew he would likely be martyred, but he admitted his faith anyway. He knew that to preserve his life here would be to lose it in the next. I generally hate this saying because there’s nothing wrong with having and loving life this side of eternity. We should try to preserve it! We shouldn’t be all willy-nilly with it. But if you have to lie, are you really living anyway? That’s why I’m so proud of my friends who are unabashedly LGBTQ+ because that could put them (me) in real and true danger. But to live authentically, even if it’s only for a short time, is worth not having a long life on earth over. Giving up a long life here, for the faith especially, is a sacrifice and a gift and that’s why that kind of bravery is rewarded with glorious eternity.
St. John Rigby, pray for us!
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