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On Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of Revelation (9: 1-12) entitled "The plague of locusts". Our treasure, which follows is from the first apology in defense of Christians by Saint Justin, martyr.
Saint Justin, known posthumously as Justin Martyr was born around A.D. 90–100 into a Greek family, in the city known today as Nablus near the ancient biblical city of Shechem, in Samaria, Palestine.
Saint Justin is best known as one of the earliest and most important Christian apologists, a philosopher who defended the faith using reason and explained it to the Roman world. Writing in the 2nd century, he showed how Christianity fulfilled the deepest truths sought by Greek philosophy and gave one of the earliest detailed descriptions of the Mass. He ultimately sealed his witness with his life, being martyred for refusing to renounce Christ, and is remembered for helping the Church clearly articulate and defend its beliefs in a hostile culture.
The "First Apology" by Saint Justin Martyr is addressed to the Roman emperor, explaining that Christians are not criminals but rational people who worship the true God and live moral lives. In it, Justin argues that Christian beliefs are consistent with reason, shows how Christ fulfills what philosophers sought, and describes Christian worship—especially the Eucharist—to correct misunderstandings. Its main purpose is to seek justice for Christians and to present the faith clearly and persuasively to a skeptical pagan world.
In today's first reading (Revelation 9:1–12) we are taught that when people persistently reject God, He may allow spiritual darkness and suffering—symbolized by the tormenting locusts—to afflict them as a consequence and a warning. Yet even this judgment is limited and purposeful, meant to prompt repentance rather than destroy completely. For Catholics, the message is to take sin seriously, remain under God's protection, and respond to His warnings with conversion, recognizing that turning away from Him leads to real spiritual harm.
