Saint Paul Miki and Companions Still Speak to Us Today

Today, February 6, is the feast day of Saint Paul Miki and Companions. Although I’ve heard the name of Saint Paul Miki before, I didn’t know much about him, so I decided to find out more.  

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Who was Saint Paul Miki? 

Saint Paul Miki was a Jesuit priest who was born in 1564 and was martyred, with his friends and companions, in 1597. He was born in Japan and preached the Gospel, taught the faithful, and administered the sacraments to his own people. During this time of Japanese history, tensions ran high between Christian missionaries and Japanese authorities. Those who preached the Gospel were viewed suspiciously, in case they might undermine traditional Japanese culture, rule, and hierarchy. As a result, the feudal ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, began persecuting Christians. Saint Paul Miki and twenty-five other people, including Franciscan friars, other Jesuits, and several laypeople, were arrested.   

The group were marched several hundred miles to Nagasaki, and tradition records that they sang hymns, prayed together, and encouraged each other along the way. When they reached the end of their journey, they were each executed.   

 Although all of the martyrs suffered the same fate, Saint Paul Miki became the most well-known of the group. It is said that as he was dying, he preached his last sermon. It was a short speech where he expressed his desire to die like Christ, forgiving his persecutors and finding joy in doing the will of the Father.  

The 26 Martyrs, as they came to be known, were beatified in 1627, and canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1862. Today, there is a museum and monument commemorating their lives and deaths. Built in Nagasaki on Nishizaka Hill, the actual execution site, it was officially designated as a Catholic pilgrimage site by Pope Pius XII in 1950. 

What Can the 26 Martyrs Teach Us Today? 

Even though the martyrdom of Saint Paul Miki and his friends took place almost 430 years ago, their lives and death are still so relevant today. Here are three things they show us. 

1. Following Jesus is costly.  
   When we choose to follow Jesus, there will be a price to pay. Sometimes, this is a dramatic cost, as in the case of the 26 Martyrs. We might be asked to spill our blood, earning the Red Crown of Martyrdom. Or the price might be to earn the White Crown of Martyrdom, enduring taunts, rejection and public humiliation. But all of us are asked to pay the price for the Green Crown of Martyrdom, in living a life of sacrifice and self-denial, of witnessing and evangelization.
2. We may be rejected by our own families and our own places.  It’s ironic that Saint Paul Miki was put to death by a Japanese ruler who feared invasion from foreigners, since he himself was born and raised in Japan and spent his life ministering to his own people. Yet, nevertheless, the saint was considered an outcast in his own place, in his own country. This is what Jesus Himself experienced, and the 26 martyrs remind us of this truth.  
3. We will gain new friends and family. 
   Although Saint Paul Miki was put to death, he did not die alone. He perished surrounded by his brothers and sisters in Christ, in the new family that Jesus promised would be given to His followers. The Gospel of Mark reminds us of Jesus’ words, when He says, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come” (Mark 10:29-30). 

 Saint Paul Miki and his companions show us the reality of following Christ. Yet they died with joy in their hearts, proclaiming the glory of God. The Mass Collect for the Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions encourages us to pray with the 26 Martyrs, so that we, too, will have the strength and fortitude to persist until our last breath, no matter the circumstances.  

The Collect for the Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions: 

O God, strength of all the Saints, who through the Cross were pleased to call the Martyrs Saint Paul Miki and companions to life, grant, we pray, that by their intercession we may hold with courage even until death to the faith that we profess. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.  

Saint Paul Miki and companions, pray for us!