A brief mention of Saint Cristobal Magallanes Jara and 26 companions, all canonized on this day in the Jubilee year of 2000 by Pope Saint John Paul II, when they are now commemorated.
Father Cristobal was captured while on his way to say Mass, and shot without a trial, in odium fidei. The other saints offered their lives in different ways to Christ and His truth.
As the great Pontiff said in his homily, words that could be referred to himself a few years afterward:
Through profound union with Christ, begun in Baptism and nourished by prayer, the sacraments and the practice of the Gospel virtues, men and women of all times, as children of the Church, have reached the goal of holiness. They are saints because they put God at the centre of their lives and made seeking and extending his kingdom the purpose of their existence; saints because their deeds continue to speak of their total love for the Lord and for their brethren by bearing abundant fruits, thanks to their living faith in Jesus Christ and their commitment to loving as he loved us, including their enemies.
Amen, et orate pro nobis.