Commentary on the Gospel of
“They knelt down with their arms in the form of a cross and shouted ‘Long live Christ the King!’ and that’s how they were shot.” This was how one witness described the final moment of the 51 Martyrs of Barbastro, Claretian missionaries, mostly seminarians, who were killed during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. In the face of death, they remained faithful to Jesus and were not daunted by any threat to their identities as religious missionaries. Why be afraid of what is to come? There will be destructions, persecutions, famine, wars; but who can separate us from Christ? Be not afraid because we have the assurance that with Christ, we are victors.
