Modern Martyrs

In January 2015, 21 poor migrant workers clad in orange jumpsuits were abducted and beheaded by Daesh in Libya. All were Christian: 20 Coptic Christians from Egypt and one Christian from Ghana. They died with the words "Jesus" or "Lord Jesus Christ" on their lips. Within a week after the crime, they were acclaimed martyrs by the Coptic pope with their names listed in their martyrology with a feast day on February 15. Their remains were taken to Egypt and a church was built in their honor.

I wondered how many more  martyrs have given their lives for their faith in our lifetime. It is hard to believe such cruel treatment still persists in our modern times. This sounds more like the 1st century when the Roman kings sent Christians into an arena to be slaughtered by soldiers or torn apart by lions.

I am reminded of Sister Dorothy Stang who was murdered in Brazil in 2005 for helping poor farmers keep their land and preserve the Amazon rain forest. When ranchers, loggers, land speculators and
agribusiness became aware of the rich natural resources of the Amazon rain forest, they began to take over the land. Sister Dorothy fought for the  rights of the farmers and she was put on a death list. She was shot down while reading the Beatitudes from her bible.

I also remember the five Sister Adorers of the Blood of Christ who worked in a medical clinic and mission in Liberia in the 1980's and 1990's. They died at the hands of soldiers during the civil war started by Charles Taylor and his supporters.

Another modern martyr is Father Stanley Rother who served in Guatemala in the 1980's. He served the Indians in Santiago Atitlan and was caught in the conflict between the military government and the guerillas. He was killed at his home by some men in July 1981; his killers remain unknown.

And in El Salvador, the beloved Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot down while offering Mass in March 1980, and four church women were murdered a few months later on their way home from the airport by death squads during the civil war in that country.

There are many more that remain unknown. Their crime is being poor or working with the poor and standing up for human rights. They follow in Jesus' footsteps.