Saints for today

Interesting background (from an obscure, online saint-of-the-day site) on the eleven martyrs of Almeria, Spain commemorated on this day:

The Spanish civil war began in 1936. It has been described as a struggle between atheism and belief in God. The particular object of persecution was the Catholic Church.

In one way or another, that transcends time. It’s still one of the remaining ‘intolerances’ allowed — even encouraged — in the communications media today.

But their’s was a terribly different persecution… 

In three years, 12 bishops; 4,184 priests; 2,365 monks and 300 nuns died for the faith. Today we celebrate eleven of those martyrs: two bishops, a diocesan priest, seven Brothers of the Christian Schools, and a young lay woman. The bishops were from Almeria and Gaudix, Spain. The seven Brothers of the Christian Schools were teachers at St. Joseph College in Almeria. Father Pedro Castroverde was a well-known scholar and founder of the Teresian Association.

All eleven martyrs chose to die for Jesus rather than give up their Catholic faith. Brother Aurelio Maria, soon to be killed, was the director of St. Joseph College. He said: “What happiness for us if we could shed our blood for the lofty ideal of Christian education. Let us double our fervor so to become worthy of such an honor.” Bishop Medina of Gaudix said: “We have done nothing to deserve death. But I forgive you so that the Lord will also forgive us.

Lately, we’ve been hearing about forgiveness offered by persecuted Christians to murderers, from Sr. Leonella Sgorbati gunned down in Somalia, to the Amish community whose daughters were murdered in cold blook in their Pennsylvania schoolroom. That message should get more attention. It’s far more powerful than the hatred that provoked these attacks.

Christians are supposed to know what’s most important, like this:

Father Castroverde, the Teresian founder, wrote in his diary: “Lord, may I think what you want me to think. May I desire what you want me to desire. May I speak as you want me to speak. May I work as you want me to work.”

The grace to do this, and nothing more.