Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs
Today's Readings
First Reading: Sirach 47:2-11
Responsorial Psalm: 18
Gospel: Mark 6:14-29
Read today's readings at USCCBReflection: The Company of Martyrs
Today we remember twenty-six martyrs who died in Nagasaki, Japan, on February 5, 1597. Among them was Paul Miki, a Jesuit brother who had been preaching the Gospel for years. As he hung on his cross—for they were crucified in the Japanese manner—he preached his final sermon.
"I have committed no crime," he said, "and the only reason I am put to death is that I have been teaching the doctrine of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I am very happy to die for such a cause, and see my death as a great blessing from the Lord."
He was thirty-three years old.
Among the martyrs were also young boys—some as young as twelve. They had been altar servers and catechists. They died singing hymns.
The Gospel today gives us another martyr: John the Baptist, beheaded because a king made a foolish promise and was too proud to break it. John's disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. That is all. No vindication, no resurrection—just a burial, and the silence of grief.
The readings from Sirach praise David—his courage against lions and bears and giants, his thanksgiving to God in all his works. David died old, in his bed, having lived a full life. John died young, in a prison, for speaking truth. Paul Miki and his companions died in the middle of their work, the harvest barely begun.
God does not promise us a particular kind of death. Some saints die peacefully after long lives. Others are taken suddenly, violently, young. The common thread is not the manner of death but the manner of life: faithfulness, courage, thanksgiving.
Most of us will not be martyrs. But we are all called to the witness (martyria in Greek) of our lives. We are all called to give thanks in all our works, as David did. We are all called to speak truth, as John did. We are all called to proclaim Christ, as Paul Miki did with his last breath.
The martyrs of Nagasaki died singing. Their crosses were planted on a hill overlooking the harbor—and from those crosses, Christianity spread. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.
What are you planting with your life? What will grow from your witness after you are gone?
The Rosary Today
Friday: The Sorrowful Mysteries
As you pray, consider the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery—the Crucifixion. Christ's death looked like defeat. It was victory. The martyrs followed him to the cross, and their deaths too were victories. Offer to Christ whatever crosses you carry—physical suffering, loneliness, the slow diminishments of age—and trust that he transforms them into something fruitful.
Prayer of the Faithful
Response: Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who are persecuted for their faith today, especially in places where Christianity is forbidden, that they may be strengthened by the example of the martyrs, we pray to the Lord.
For the grace to give thanks in all circumstances, even in suffering and approaching death, we pray to the Lord.
For missionaries who bring the Gospel to new lands, that their labors may bear fruit even when they cannot see it, we pray to the Lord.
For the faithful departed, especially the holy martyrs whose names are known to God alone, that they may rejoice in the Kingdom they died to proclaim, we pray to the Lord.
Something to Do
Paul Miki preached from his cross. Consider what your life preaches—not your words, but your actions, your patience, your faithfulness. Today, let your witness be intentional. In some small way—a kind word, a prayer offered, a suffering accepted—preach Christ with your life.
If you are able, pray for the Church in Japan, which to this day remains a tiny minority. The seed planted by the martyrs continues to grow, slowly, quietly, in soil watered by their blood.
“Blessed be the Lord, my rock!”
— �� Psalm 18:2