07/09/2022 – Many Martyred Saints Today

Thirty four saints are listed in the Church calendar of feast days today and of these all but four are martyrs and one of these was imprisoned and prepared for martyrdom.

The earliest was martyred in the year 250 and the most recent 1900. St Zeno is honoured on behalf of the 10,000 other Christians who were martyred with him. These holy deaths took place in Italy, Egypt, England, Holland and China.

A day like today reminds us that the gift of faith comes to us at a price, the price of Jesus’ crucifixion and of all those who have shared in His suffering.

We may never be asked to shed our blood for Christ but we are asked like the martyrs to participate in His Passion. We can do this everyday through the Mass and the Rosary, especially in the Sorrowful Mysteries in which we accompany Jesus bead by bead from His Agony to His Death on the Cross.

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