September 10--Servants of God Pedro de Corpa and Companions, Priests, Religious, and Martyrs

Georgia has martyrs for the faith and for marriage. These martyrs were killed over 420 years ago in the missions of the Spanish Franciscans to the natives of Georgia. The five martyrs had been missionaries to the region for a few years and had been accepted by the natives, converting many, including the leader and the presupposed successor of one village. However, Juanillo, the nephew of the leader, was opposed by the missionaries. He was rebuked for marital infidelity, even though he was baptized. This offended Juanillo, who then planned and carried out the martyrdom of the five priests. The reasons for the killings, by one who had participated in it, was that they were “troublemaker[s], had forbidden the natives to have dealings with spirits, and had said that they should not have more than one wife.” All of the martyrs had been clubbed to death by Christian natives. The cause for their canonization was opened in 1984, with the positio, or the document/s used to promote the cause, presented in 1993.

We are called to share our faith by being disciples. Sometimes that means we are called to evangelize those who have already been baptized. We may also suffer at the hands of our fellow Catholics and Christians who support marital infidelity of various kinds, including divorce, adultery, fornication, same-sex, so-called, marriage, contraception, abortion, and so forth, in the name of “tolerance” or “diversity” or “legality” or “rights” or “happiness”. We may not be bludgeoned to death but shamed into silence and acquiescence. Keep in mind, silence implies acceptance. Be not afraid of the truth and joy and beauty of marital love. Jesus wasn’t, and neither were the Georgia martyrs.