Between 1642 and 1649, eight Jesuit missionaries were tortured and killed in what is now Canada and upstate New York. They had come to bring the faith to the indigenous peoples and to help end the warring between the tribes. Today the Church honors them as the North American Martyrs.
In this episode of A Word of Hope for the Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, and Companions, Father Andrew Carl Wisdom, O.P., novice master at the Dominican novitiate in Denver, Colorado, asks how these men found the courage to give everything. His answer comes from today's first reading: "We are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared in advance" (Ephesians 2:10). God is always at work in us, preparing us for good works and giving us the grace to do them—we simply need to cooperate.
The word "martyr" means witness. Most of us will never face physical martyrdom, but every one of us is called to an emotional and spiritual witness: to stand up for Christ in deeds and not just words, and to defend the dignity of every human being—especially when we see the crucified face of Christ in the suffering around us.
**Scripture referenced:** Ephesians 2:1-10 (First Reading, Monday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time)
**In this video:**
- 00:00 Welcome – Memorial of the North American Martyrs
- 00:26 Who were the North American Martyrs? (1642–1649)
- 00:45 The Jesuit mission: bringing the faith and peace among the tribes
- 01:12 Why martyrdom is hard for modern minds to grasp
- 01:27 "We are God's handiwork" – Ephesians 2:10
- 01:50 Martyr means witness: dispositions of faith and indomitable courage
- 02:20 Our call: emotional and spiritual martyrdom today
- 02:36 Seeing the crucified Christ around us
- 02:58 Policy vs. morality: respecting human dignity
- 03:29 Closing prayer for the courage of the martyrs
**About the Series:**
A Word of Hope offers brief reflections to inspire, challenge, and comfort you on your faith journey, featuring Dominican friars of the Province of St. Albert the Great.
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