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A blind widow from Cappadocia (quite possibly converted by Longinus himself) traveled to Jerusalem with her son, who served as her guide. Their pilgrimage had as its object visiting all the holy sites in the hope of a cure for her affliction. While on their mission, the young man became ill and died, leaving the poor woman alone in the world.
Longinus appeared to her in a dream, stating that her son had achieved his salvation and that she would be joining him at her own death. He then directed her to retrieve his head from the refuse dump. She did so, and immediately upon touching the relic, she too was cured of her blindness! She carried the head of Longinus to Cappadocia and buried it with dignity along with the body of her son.
Longinus, for obvious reasons, is invoked as a favorite patron for those afflicted with blindness. His cult is widespread; the Latin Church celebrates his feast day on March 15, the Byzantine Churches on October 16, and the Armenians on October 22.
The Lance of Longinus
The most famous relic of Longinus surviving (or maybe not surviving) to this day is his lance. Although in the acting world it is John Wayne who is most indelibly connected with Longinus, perhaps the history of the Holy Lance might be better represented by an Indiana Jones epic!
The spear is variously reported to be in France, Austria, Armenia, Antioch, Constantinople, England and the Vatican, to say nothing of a secret Nazi treasure hoard in Antarctica! It has (or perhaps has not) passed through the hands of popes, saints, charlatans, Crusaders, sinners, emperors, Alaric and Attila, Charlemagne, Adolph Hitler and his henchman Heinrich Himmler, and even General George S. Patton! The lance has figured into tales of the Arthurian legends and Nordic myth. Theologians and occultists have assiduously studied the history of the lance in search of spiritual authenticity or illicit spiritual power.
But, whatever the status of the actual lance, the lesson we learn from it must obviously lead to a consideration of the precious Blood of the Saviour.
Spiritual Bloodletting
Most medical authorities are convinced that hemorrhage is generally not conducive to the health and well-being of the human body; bleeding as a valid means of healing has been largely debunked at this juncture in medical history. But, in the topsy-turvydom of spiritual economy, it is clear that Christian truth demands a slightly different take on the matter.
The great Christian apologist Tertullian famously stated, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Longinus experienced the raw power of Christ’s Blood on Calvary; his cure in itself was a mighty deed, but when coupled with the spectacle of earthquakes, storms and the walking dead, the conclusion is inescapable that the shedding of this particular Blood was a rather extraordinary event. In short, on Calvary Christ was revealed at His most powerful, precisely in the shedding of His Blood. So too it is with the Mystical Body.
Precisely when the Church is bleeding, when there is a real experience of persecution, and especially when the world is blessed by an abundance of martyrs, then it is that the Church exhibits its greatest glory.
Martyrdom is not to be regarded as some isolated event in the history of Christianity. Rather, it lies at the very heart of Christian life. Christ crucified and dying is the norm, the standard, for our lives, so it follows that the normal state of being for the Christian is to hang upon the Cross. In some fashion, each Christian must accept martyrdom. In fact, like Longinus, we must absolutely insist upon it!
We cannot afford to settle for anything less!
