Mattathias, father of the Maccabees, certainly felt that way.

Our story isn't from the Hebrew Bible we know as the Tanakh. This comes from the First Book of Maccabees, part of the Apocrypha, writings considered canonical by some Christians and important historical sources for Jewish history. It paints a vivid picture of a family facing impossible choices.

We're introduced to Mattathias and his five sons. Simon, later called Thassi, a title perhaps meaning "the wise." Then there's Judas, forever known as Maccabeus – "the Hammer." Eleazar, nicknamed Avaran. And Jonathan, who went by Apphus.

These weren't just names on a page; they were men of faith, living in a time of intense upheaval. Imagine witnessing the desecration of everything you hold sacred. That's precisely what Mattathias faced.

The text tells us that he saw the "blasphemies that were committed in Juda and Jerusalem." Just picture the scene: the Temple defiled, Jewish practices outlawed, the very essence of their faith under attack.

And what was his reaction? He cries out, "Woe is me! Wherefore was I born to see this misery of my people, and of the holy city...?"

Can you feel his anguish? The weight of history, the despair of witnessing his people's suffering... It's raw, it's visceral. He wonders why he was even born to witness such horrors.

He continues, lamenting, "Her glorious vessels are carried away into captivity, her infants are slain in the streets, her young men with the sword of the enemy."

The imagery is brutal. The sacred vessels, symbols of God's presence, stolen. Innocent children murdered. Young men, full of potential, cut down in their prime. Mattathias isn't just mourning the loss of objects; he's mourning the loss of a way of life, the potential future of his people.

This wasn't just a political conflict; it was a spiritual crisis. It was a battle for the very soul of Judaism. And in that moment of despair, Mattathias made a choice. He chose to fight back. He chose to resist. He chose to become a symbol of hope for generations to come. What would you have chosen?