Today is the feast of several men, who were childhood heros of mine. Frs John DeBrebeuf, Isaac Jogues, and six other Jesuit missionaries, who tortured and eventually kiiled, by Huron and Iroquois native Americans, in 1649. This first group of missionaries brought the Gospel message to the Native Americans and set the stage for further evangelization and exploration in a new land. As a child it was the tenacity and courage of these individuals which I found outstanding and appealing.
The challenges to be the first to evangelize are overwhelming. The writings of the early apostles and Church Fathers certainly spoke to the difficulty of establishing and maintaining a faith community. A lot of arishes today are simply on auto-pilot as they move from pastor to pstor, and year to year. In a very real way these men found their strength and courage in realizing the close proximity of the cross to their own lives. The Paschal Mystery becomes very real when we embrace the cross.
In the many years as a priest I have met some outstanding men and women who remain steadfast in faith and faithful in the middle of abuse, alcoholism, disease, and all sorts of other afflictions. We had a young man at our parish last year who escaped Angola, a culture of violence and torture, to speak to our youth group. These folks engage the cross and find peace and courage because of the power of the Paschal Mystery.
While we do not have people chasing us down with pointy sticks and sharp instruments, we really need the courage of the martyrs today. Our Church and our belief in Christ meets up with a lot of hostility and scorn. The North American Martyrs remain a challenge as to how we might react to those who want to hurt us because of our beliefs. We do have to go into the fray embracing the cross of Jesus Christ.
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