Christopher Magallanes was a parish priest who cared for his people during the Mexican government's persecution of the Church. He and his companions, priests and laypeople, were executed for their faith and canonized together in 2000.
Life
Christopher Magallanes and his companions are twenty-five saints who gave their lives during the persecution of the Church in Mexico in the early twentieth century. The government harshly suppressed the Church, closing churches and banning priestly ministry, and the Cristero War broke out in response.
Father Magallanes was a parish priest in Jalisco who founded a seminary and worked among Indigenous peoples. He did not support armed struggle, yet he was arrested and shot in 1927. It is said that before dying he forgave those who executed him. Most of his companions were priests, and some were laymen. Pope John Paul II canonized them in 2000.
Spirituality
These martyrs' spirituality is a shepherd's love that kept the sacraments alive under persecution. Knowing the danger, they celebrated Mass in hiding and brought the sacraments to the faithful, and at the end they forgave their enemies, dying in the likeness of Christ.
Reflection
The Mexican martyrs risked their lives to keep the Mass and sacraments alive. I am free to attend Mass; how much do I treasure that grace?