At the massacre in the Syriac Catholic Church, even a 3-year-old was murdered

Monstrous:

“Among the victims of this senseless tragedy was a little boy named Adam. Three-year-old Adam witnessed the horror of dozens of deaths, including that of his own parents. He wandered among the corpses and the blood, following the terrorists around and admonishing them, ‘enough, enough, enough.’ According to witnesses, this continued for two hours until Adam was himself murdered.”

Jihadists, Truth and Father Raymond J. de Souza « The American Catholic

From American Catholic. And when you hear of so-called martyrs wearing bomb vests who detonate themselves and other people in their vicinity, remember that a martyr is, literally, a witness. What witness do they offer in these acts of violence? Long before such witness was ever conceived, Christian martyrs have been witnesses of a different sort. They were martyred in the coliseum, shredded by lions. Or on crosses, to die of asphyxiation after hours or days in agony. Or bludgeoned to death with rocks, fists or kicks. In all these, their witness was of a different sort, because they were unarmed. All they had was faith. Sometimes, they had words, but always, unarmed (or they would not be declared martyrs of the Christian faith).

Is that tragic? Yes, truly tragic, but not for them, for in their defenseless deaths, if they were not burning with hatred, they are victorious. The tragedy is for those who hear of these murders and shrug their shoulders in complete apathy.

Forgotten martyrs

Sandro Magister provides a good look at a forgotten page of history: how eight hundred martyrs in Otranto saved Rome from invaders. These are martyrs who were defending first their homeland from invaders, and finally their souls from the consequences of (albeit forced by the sword) apostasy. In the end, these people persevered and chose to forfeit their lives rather than rejecting our Lord, Jesus Christ.

[Link discovered via The Catholic Report.]

The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ

Thanks to the Catholic Report, I found the best thoughts and words to share about this feast of Corpus Christi. Nothing like a living witness, just as powerful as the Lord showed us it can be, and as he intended every one of our Christian lives to be. Fr. Owen Kearns at the National Catholic Register shares these victorious words on the Eucharist from Fr. Ragheed Ganni, recently martyred in Iraq outside his Church with some deacons:

“Mosul (Iraq) Christians are not theologians; some are even illiterate. And yet inside of us for many generations one truth has become embedded: Without the Sunday Eucharist we cannot live. “This is true today when evil has reached the point of destroying churches and killing Christians, something unheard of in Iraq till now. On June 2004 of last year, a group of young women was cleaning the church to get it ready for Sunday service. “My sister Raghad, who is 19, was among them. As she was carrying a pail of water to wash the floor, two men drove up and threw a grenade that blew up just a few yards away from her. “She was wounded but miraculously survived. And on that Sunday we still celebrated the Eucharist. My shaken parents were also there. For me and my community, my sister’s wounds were a source of strength so that we, too, may bear our cross. “Last August in St. Paul Church, a car bomb exploded after the 6 p.m. Mass. The blast killed two Christians and wounded many others. But that, too, was another miracle — the car was full of bombs but only one exploded. Had they all gone off together the dead would have been in the hundreds since 400 faithful had come on that day. “People could not believe what had happened. The terrorists might think they can kill our bodies or our spirit by frightening us, but, on Sundays, churches are always full. They may try to take our life, but the Eucharist gives it back. … “There are days when I feel frail and full of fear. But when, holding the Eucharist, I say ‘Behold the Lamb of God, behold, who takes away the sin of the world,’ I feel his strength in me. When I hold the Host in my hands, it is really he who is holding me and all of us, challenging the terrorists and keeping us united in his boundless love.”

Murder and Forced Takeover of a Church in Iraq

They murder the men who are guarding the Church then convert it into a mosque. How are they getting away with this without a squeak from the mainstream media?

Please pray for the Christians in Iraq!

[Story found via The Catholic Report.]

Martyrs

Chaldean priest and deacons killed by gunmen outside the Church (right after celebrating Mass). May God grant them perpetual peace in His kingdom, and may God have mercy and shed His light upon those who did this.

The trial and martyrdom of St. Justin

From today's office of readings, online via Universalis:

From the Acts of the martyrdom of Saint Justin and his companion saints
I have accepted the true doctrines of the Christians
The saints were seized and brought before the prefect of Rome, whose name was Rusticus. As they stood before the judgement seat, Rusticus the prefect said to Justin: “Above all, have faith in the gods and obey the emperors”. Justin said: “We cannot be accused or condemned for obeying the commands of our Saviour, Jesus Christ”. Rusticus said: “What system of teaching do you profess?” Justin said: “I have tried to learn about every system, but I have accepted the true doctrines of the Christians, though these are not approved by those who are held fast by error”. The prefect Rusticus said: “Are those doctrines approved by you, wretch that you are?” Justin said: “Yes, for I follow them with their correct teaching”. The prefect Rusticus said: “What sort of teaching is that?” Justin said: “Worship the God of the Christians. We hold him to be from the beginning the one creator and maker of the whole creation, of things seen and things unseen. We worship also the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He was foretold by the prophets as the future herald of salvation for the human race and the teacher of distinguished disciples. For myself, since I am a human being, I consider that what I say is insignificant in comparison with his infinite godhead. I acknowledge the existence of a prophetic power, for the one I have just spoken of as the Son of God was the subject of prophecy. I know that the prophets were inspired from above when they spoke of his coming among men”. Rusticus said: “You are a Christian, then?” Justin said: “Yes, I am a Christian”. The prefect said to Justin: “You are called a learned man and think that you know what is true teaching. Listen: if you were scourged and beheaded, are you convinced that you would go up to heaven?” Justin said: “I hope that I shall enter God’s house if I suffer that way. For I know that God’s favour is stored up until the end of the whole world for all who have lived good lives”. The prefect Rusticus said: “Do you have an idea that you will go up to heaven to receive some suitable rewards?” Justin said: “It is not an idea that I have; it is something I know well and hold to be most certain”. The prefect Rusticus said: “Now let us come to the point at issue, which is necessary and urgent. Gather round then and with one accord offer sacrifice to the gods”. Justin said: “No one who is right thinking stoops from true worship to false worship”. The prefect Rusticus said: “If you do not do as you are commanded you will be tortured without mercy”. Justin said: “We hope to suffer torment for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so be saved. For this will bring us salvation and confidence as we stand before the more terrible and universal judgement-seat of our Lord and Saviour”. In the same way the other martyrs also said: “Do what you will. We are Christians; we do not offer sacrifice to idols”. The prefect Rusticus pronounced sentence, saying: “Let those who have refused to sacrifice to the gods and to obey the command of the emperor be scourged and led away to suffer capital punishment according to the ruling of the laws”. Glorifying God, the holy martyrs went out to the accustomed place. They were beheaded, and so fulfilled their witness of martyrdom in confessing their faith in their Saviour.