Martyred Missionaries Day

Today is Martyred Missionaries Day, a day of prayer, fasting, and remembrance. It is also a good day to reflect on the meaning of the word "martyr." Andrea Riccardi, Professor of the History of Christianity and Religions at the III University of Rome, succinctly defines the word in A Call to Recover Real Sense of "Martyr":

"The Christian martyr, in the conscience of Christians, has a specific function; he does not insist on vengeance or claims.

"Today, martyr is a word that is abused in our speech. There is talk of martyrdom in the secular sense. There is talk of martyrdom to refer to Muslim suicides. But the 'sahid,' the suicide 'martyr,' is very different from the Christian martyr.

"The Christian martyr does not commit suicide to kill others. The Christian martyr gives his life so that others will not die, so as not to abandon his own faith, and to support other believers, out of love.

"He does not seek death, but he does not give up his faith or a certain human behavior, even if he has to pay the price of his own life."

Here are some other stories on the martyrs we remember today:

Rome to Remember Martyrs in Algeria
Vatican urges record of communist-era martyrdom of Eastern Catholics
Dramatic account of Eastern Catholic martyrs
New book charts history of Eastern Churches in 20th Century