The day after the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the Church commemorates the many unknown, possibly thousands of Christian martyrs who shed their blood for their faith under ruthless Emperors. What is known as the Persecution era, so many martyrs died defending their faith, either through crucifixion, being burned, being eaten by lions or other excruciating methods of torture. Many of them were arrested just by being seen carrying a cross in their hands. Most of them congregated for prayer underground in catacombs, for fear of being arrested and killed. Some of the known martyrs have been canonized by the church, St Agnes, St Agatha, St Cecilia, St Ignatius of Antioch, St Sebastian, most of the early Popes, and so many others. It was only thanks to King Constantine who ended the Persecutions in 313 AD, that Christians could once again profess their faith freely and build basilicas and churches to worship in. May we show gratitude that we can freely worship in our churches and chapels – yet the persecution of Christians goes on in Syria, in many African countries, in the Middle East and Far East. Priests, nuns and monks have been killed even recently while praying in their convents and monasteries and churches. They are the modern martyrs in the modern Persecution Era, besides the many unborn babies killed through abortion.
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