Today the Church
celebrates the feast of St. Cristóbal Magallanes and
his companions, all martyrs to persecution in Mexico during the early 20th
century. In his homily for their canonization, St. John Paul II said:
They
did not stop courageously exercising their ministry when religious persecution
intensified in the beloved land of Mexico, unleashing hatred of the Catholic
religion. They all freely and calmly accepted martyrdom as a witness to their
faith, explicitly forgiving their persecutors. Faithful to God and to the
Catholic faith so deeply rooted in the ecclesial communities which they served
by also promoting their material well-being, today they are an example to the
whole Church and to Mexican society in particular.
After
the harsh trials that the Church endured in Mexico during those turbulent
years, today Mexican Christians, encouraged by the witness of these witnesses
to the faith, can live in peace and harmony, contributing the wealth of Gospel
values to society. The Church grows and advances, since she is the crucible in
which many priestly and religious vocations are born, where families are formed
according to God's plan, and where young people, a substantial part of the
Mexican population, can grow up with the hope of a better future. May the
shining example of Cristóbal Magallanes and his companion martyrs help you to
make a renewed commitment of fidelity to God, which can continue to transform
Mexican society so that justice, fraternity and harmony will prevail among all.
St. Cristóbal Magallanes and companions, please pray
for us on this day of your feast, that we might also have the courage to die to
ourselves in order to live the Gospel.
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