(d.1886) Saint Charles served in the court of King Mwanga II. Charles, the 25-year-old chief page, denounced the king’s pedophilia and sought to protect the younger pages. The king filtered out the ones that were Christian, marched them for two days straight, and then had them burned alive when they continually refused to renounce their faith.
Martyrdom, yet again, though this time much later in history. Why is there still suffering nearly two thousand years after Christ? There are seasons in life and periods in recovery when we wonder why certain struggles remain. We trust that God knows things we can’t perceive yet, but the experience can produce the spiritual discomfort we call desolation. Saint Ignatius suggests three reasons we find ourselves in so-called desolation in his ninth rule of Discernment of Spirits: sometimes we are lazy or neglectful, sometimes it is to be strengthened or tested, and sometimes it is to remember that every good thing comes from God and not ourselves. Are we placing all hope and trust in our Higher Power, and if so, do we actually live that way in our day-to-day choices?
“The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude” (Catechism of the Catholic Church).