“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying: ‘How long, O Lord (holy and true) dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?’ And white robes were given to every one of them one; and it was said to them, that they should rest for a little time, till their fellow servants, and their brethren, who are to be slain, even as they, should be filled up.”
Upon opening the fifth seal, St. John sees those that, for love and truth, went willingly to death: “Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). These bear the image of the slain Lamb, being one with Him in His passion, in a particular way fulfilling the words of St. Paul: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (Romans 6:5), for there is no deeper union with Christ than in being united with Him crucified: “With Christ I am nailed to the cross” (Galatians 2:19). In addition, the martyrs being under the altar is the fulfillment of the old covenant sacrifice, that being poured out as an oblation of love, their lives are a sweet sacrifice to God: “And he shall put of the same blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord, in the tabernacle of the testimony: and the rest of the blood he shall pour at the foot of the altar of holocaust, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony” (Leviticus 4:18), thus making them a sacred offering. Now, in the tabernacle of the desert as well as in the temple there were two altars, one of gold: “Thou shalt make also an altar to burn incense, of setim wood… And thou shalt overlay it with the purest gold” (Exodus 30:1-2), one of brass: “Thou shalt make also an altar of setim wood, which shall be five cubits long and as many broad, that is, foursquare, and three cubits high. And there shall be horns at the four corners of the same: and thou shalt cover it with brass” (Exodus 27:1-2). The gold represents the heavenly Jerusalem after the resurrection, while the brass represents earth and the time in which souls are separated from their bodies, enjoying the bliss of the beatific vision, but wanting to be rejoined to their bodies in order to complete themselves and share with their body the delights of heaven: “And not only it, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). Thus, it is under the altar of brass that the martyrs cry out with a loud voice, which need not be the voice of the mouth, but a deep desire of the heart. While beautiful, it is not necessary for you to sing mightily to connect to God: “Let them praise his name in choir: let them sing to him with the timbrel and the psaltery” (Psalm 149:3), but rather a deep fervor of the heart, reaching out with love’s urgent longings: “Now Anna spoke in her heart, and only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard at all” (1 Kings 1:13). The martyr’s cry is not the desire of the damnation of their enemies: “Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you” (Matthew 5:44), but out of love for justice, which comes from God: “The works of God are perfect, and all his ways are judgments: God is faithful and without any iniquity, he is just and right” (Deuteronomy 32:4), they pray for an end to the reign of sin and the resurrection of their bodies: “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10). In addition, it is a crying out for the actions done against justice, that the actions done against the Church and her people should not be left unpunished, for this is an affront to the very concept of justice, and to keep anyone from taking arms themselves and acting in a way that is not loving, God reserves His action to balance the scales of justice for Himself: “Revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved; but give place unto wrath, for it is written: ‘Revenge is mine, I will repay,’ saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Like a Father that loves his children dearly, it is an act of love to show that they will not be idly scourged, but that He will act on their behalf. The martyrs then cry out their love of God in calling Him a Lord that is holy, true, and faithful to His promises, with those that dwell on the earth being a phrase St. John uses to describe those that do not love according to the Spirit, but are wrapped in the things of earth: “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16). They are, for their valiance, given white robes, which are indicative of persons of rank: “Beware of the scribes, who love to walk in long robes” (Mark 12:38) with the white showing their victorious holiness, and this is a rejoicing in their immortality, with an even greater reward to come when their souls are reunited with their bodies: “Therefore shall they receive double in their land, everlasting joy shall be unto them” (Isaias 61:7). Then they are told to rest, to enjoy their portion of heavenly joy: “The saints shall rejoice in glory: they shall be joyful in their beds” (Psalm 149:5) as more are added to their ranks, which is a delight to the one that loves: “And the Lord increased daily together such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47), as history nears its conclusion.