Today in the book In Caelo et in Terra, we read about a wonderful saint I'd never heard of named St John de Britto. I'm ashamed that I never heard of him because he was an amazing man and a Jesuit missionary! (For those who wonder why I should know this, I was a Jesuit novice for seven months, and my brother is a Jesuit priest.)
He followed in the famous footsteps of St Francis Xavier, and was a missionary to the people of India. He was a very effective missionary, and many people were converting to Christianity. This, of course, made the government angry, so they imprisoned him, beat him, and sent him back to Portugal. But he was undaunted, and even though his friends and family and fellow Jesuits in Portugal begged him to stay, he went back to India where he was ultimately martyred by beheading. This might seem like a horrible end to some, but there is no greater honor than to give our lives for Jesus. What an amazing example he was to us! You can read more about him here.
God, thanks for this undaunted priest who taught us how to be fearless in the face of the world's resistance. St John de Britto, pray for us.
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