No fear of speaking, no fear of dying, and courage to confess Jesus.
Last Sunday’s gospel recalled the choice of the twelve disciples and the beginning of the discourse that Jesus addresses to them before sending them on mission: the recipients to whom they must go, the task to be accomplished, the gratuity. Then he speaks at length about the opposition and persecutions they will encounter, and about the courage and generosity they must show in difficulties (Mt 10,16-42). From this section, this Sunday’s gospel has been chosen, which we can divide into two parts: not being afraid of being killed and having courage to confess Jesus.
Do not be afraid to speak or to die (Mt 10,26-31)
In the first part, the triple repetition of “do not be afraid” stands out. Although these words are often used in the Old Testament, we should not interpret it as a mere formula of little value. The disciples will feel fear at certain moments. A fear so terrible that it will drive them to silence, to avoid being killed. The way Jesus addresses this issue is strikingly matter-of-fact, using three very different arguments: 1) the death of the body is of no importance, what matters is the death of the soul; 2) therefore, one must not fear men, but God; 3) in reality, you should not fear God because you matter greatly to him; even if you fall to the ground like sparrows, he will care for you.
Have courage to confess me (Mt 10,32.33)
The second part deals with a somewhat different theme: the danger now consists not in remaining silent but in denying Jesus. When Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia, had someone denounced to him as a Christian, he would ask him three times if it were true, threatening to punish him if it were. Depending on the times and regions, the punishment could range from loss of property to imprisonment, even death. To encourage him in that difficult moment, the argument Jesus uses is not fear of God, but his possible reaction “before my Father in heaven”: I will treat him as he treats me. It recalls the maxim: “The measure you give will be the measure you get back” (Mt 7,2).
Anyone who thinks this is only of interest to Matthew’s community twenty centuries ago should read the appendix I add at the end about the martyrs of the 21st century.
In summary
In the first case, what the apostles should fear is God, the only one who can kill the soul. In the second, what they should fear is Jesus, who could deny them before the Father in heaven. Those they should not fear are men.
When one thinks of the recent murders of Christians in Egypt, Syria and other countries, those of us who live in a society with religious freedom may have the impression that these words are inhuman, almost cruel. However, persecuted Christians throughout all ages have drawn enormous hope and energy from them to confess their faith. They have chosen death rather than renounce Jesus; they have chosen to stand with him, to save the soul before the body.
Jeremiah, apostle and anti-apostle (Jeremiah 20,10-13)
The first reading serves as a parallel and contrast to the gospel. Jeremiah was a native of Anathoth, a small town 4 km from Jerusalem (today it lies within the modern city). At a time of grave political crisis, when the Babylonians posed a great threat, the people put their trust in the temple of the Lord, as if it were a magical amulet that could save them. Jeremiah, in a very harsh discourse, denounces this idolatrous trust in the temple and encourages conversion and a change of conduct. Otherwise, the temple will lie in ruins. This attack on what is most sacred will earn him the criticism and hatred of all, beginning with his fellow citizens of Anathoth, who plot to kill him.
The prophet’s reaction has been chosen as a concrete example of the persecutions Jesus announces to his disciples. But there is a great difference. The prophet ends by asking God to avenge him of his enemies. Jesus never suggests anything like this to his disciples. On the contrary, he will die forgiving those who kill him.
Final note
A commentary on the entire mission discourse can be found in J. L. Sicre, The Gospel of Matthew. A Drama with a Happy Ending. Verbo Divino, Estella 2019, 194-212.
Martyrs of the 21st Century
October 5, 2003. Annalena Tonelli, Italian Catholic volunteer. She worked for 33 years in Africa caring for refugees. Murdered in her hospital by an armed Somali.
2005. Dorothy Mae Stang, missionary of the Sisters of Our Lady of Namur, American, naturalized Brazilian. Murdered by a hired assassin on the orders of the livestock and agricultural lobby.
February 5, 2006. Andrea Santoro, Catholic priest, murdered in the church of Santa Maria in Trebizond, Turkey.
September 17, 2006. Leonella Sgorbati, Italian nun of the Consolata Missionary Sisters, murdered in Somalia.
March 12, 2008. Paulos Faraj Rahho, Archbishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church of Mosul, Iraq. Kidnapped and murdered by Islamists.
October 31, 2010. Attack on the Christian church in Baghdad, which left at least 58 people dead, including 2 priests, and another 75 wounded, after more than 100 parishioners had been taken hostage.
March 2, 2011. Catholic politician, murdered for his opposition to the blasphemy law, a tool of violence against minorities, especially Christians.
April 7, 2014. Frans van der Lugt, French Jesuit, murdered in Syria at the age of 75.
July 26, 2016. Jacques Hamel, French priest, murdered during the attack on the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray where he was an assistant pastor.
October 29, 2019. Paul McAuley, missionary of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, environmental activist, found dead in the intercultural student community “La Salle”, in Iquitos, Peru.
***
Since the above list ended in 2019, I asked the Artificial Intelligence Perplexity to add the martyrs between 2020 and 2026. It responded as follows.
There is not yet a complete public listing, year by year, of Catholic martyrs only between 2020 and 2026. What we do have are recent global data and some significant examples.
1. Recent global figures (not only Catholics)
The Commission of the New Martyrs – Witnesses of the Faith, created by Pope Francis in 2023, has compiled cases of Christians murdered “out of hatred for the faith” in the 21st century (from all Christian denominations, not just Catholics):
· According to the press conference of September 8, 2025, approximately 1700 martyrs and witnesses of faith of the 21st century have been identified.
· Another news article, based on the same work of the Commission, speaks of 1624 faithful dead for their faith in barely 25 years of the 21st century.
These numbers include Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Protestants and other Eastern Churches, because the Pope explicitly requested that the investigation be extended “to all Christian denominations”.
2. Geographic distribution (2000–2025 approx.)
The Commission provides a breakdown by regions (for the entire period of what has been the 21st century so far):
· Americas: 304 martyrs and witnesses of faith.
· Europe: 43 murdered in Europe + 110 Europeans dead on mission outside the continent.
· Middle East and Maghreb: 277.
· Asia and Oceania: 357.
· Africa: 643 (the region with the most Christians murdered for their faith, largely due to jihadist attacks).
José Luis Sicre