19 October 2021 - North American Martyrs - Isaac Jogues - Jean de Brebeuf and Companions - Tuesday of the 29th week of Ordinary Time - Psalm 40

       In the Early Church, to be considered a saint, one had to die a death as a martyr, to give his life for the faith.  This was the time of great persecution for Christians in the first several centuries of the Early Church before Christianity was recognized as a religion in the Roman Empire.  We recognize many great saints from this time period.  Today, we commemorate and recognize eight martyrs from the early days of missionary work in North America, when the faith was brought over by missionaries from countries such as Spain and France.  These six Jesuit priests and two Jesuit laymen who were martyred over an eight year period in the middle of the 17th century as they served as missionaries in North America in the present day countries of Canada and the United States.  These French missionaries met violent deaths in the region of eastern Canada and New York states as they brought the Gospel message to the native people of the Americas.  These eight martyrs were canonized as a group by Pope Pius IX in 1930.  With the month of October designated as World Mission Month and this upcoming Sunday designated as World Mission Sunday, it is appropriate that we recognize them on their feast day today, highlighting their missionary spirit, a missionary spirit that all of us are called to have in our hearts as modern disciples of Christ.  

     One of those martyred was Jean de Brebeuf.  He arrived in the French settlements in present-day Canada in 1624.  He spent 24 years ministering to the Huron people there and baptized thousands of them into the Catholic faith. Brebeuf spoke the Huron language fluently.  His dictionary and catechism in that language are the best records modern linguists have of that language.  He even composed a Christmas hymn entitled the Huron Carol in both French and Huron.  It is the first Christmas Carol composed in North America.  Brebeuf was martyred in 1649 with another Jesuit priest, Father Gabriel Lalemant, at the hands of the Iroquois, enemies of the Hurons.  

      Father Isaac Jogues is also included in this list of North American martyrs.  He arrived at the Jesuit missions in 1635, following in the footsteps of Brebeuf.  Seven years later, he was captured by the Iroquois and was tortured terribly, with many of his fingers severed from his right hand.  He was able to survive being kept as slave of the Iroquois for more than a year.  He returned to France, but had to get a dispensation from the Pope in order to continue as a priest who could celebrate mass due to the disfigurement of his hand and his inability to hold the host properly.  He returned to North America in 1646, where he was again captured, but this time put to death.  

      These courageous missionaries call out to us today.  Our psalmist states today:  Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.  So many of our missionaries and saints exemplify this in their lives, in the missionary work and in this sacrifices.  Let us unite our prayers with the prayers of the North American martyrs today.