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What is a martyr?



    "Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he/she is united by charity. He/she bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He/she endures death through an act of fortitude." - CCC n. 2473


Martyrs do not just die for the Catholic faith.  They live the faith before they become martyrs. Blessed Pedro Calungsod was endowed with the Christian virtues needed by saints and martyrs to live and to die for Catholic faith:  

 Faith
  • by making God the center of his life and his constant reference point. Not only did Pedro firmly believe the truths of the faith taught by the Church, but he also studied them thoroughly.  His knowledge so affected his life that he volunteered to go to the missions with Fr, Diego.


 Hope 
  • that was rooted in his strong faith in God and fully alive with the enthusiasm of his youth.  The virtue of hope gave him the daring to leave home for the missions as a young man.


 Charity  
  • Charity gives absolute priority to God and neighbor.  Because of this love, Blessed Pedro offered his young life as a gift for the salvation of as many as possible. 


 Generous Service 
  • to the mission, particularly the preparation of children for baptism, his participation in the building of churches and chapels, and his being the faithful assistant of Fr. Diego in his missionary journeys. 


 Courage 
  • which kept him firm and strong in the face of oppositions and aggressiveness. Once, when things were not going well, he had the chance to go back to the Philippines but he stayed put. He gave a proof of his courage to the very last moments of his life.  


 Consistency
  • effectively putting into practice in his daily life what he proclaimed to believe in and tried to teach to others. 


 Purity
  • protected it against external and internal attacks, and practiced it in his thoughts, words and actions as a most precious diadem in his adolescent life. The licentious life of the Urritaos had succeeded in attracting and perverting several assistants of the missionaries, but did not dent the purity of Pedro. 


 Trustworthiness
  • Whenever he received an assignment from Fr Diego, he never let him down. People knew that when he said something, things were really so, and if he had made a promise he would not renege on his word.


 Piety
  • and prayer life. His child-like but strong devotion brought him, to be united with the Lord. not only during the Mass and in other moments of formal prayer, but even in the midst of bustling activities. Pedro loved to pray, especially in front of the Blessed Sacrament. 

source: http://www.pedrocalungsod.net/life-of-a-martyr.html

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