Today we remember the countless unnamed Christians who gave their lives for Christ in the early days of the Church under Emperor Nero. After a terrible fire swept Rome in A.D. 64, Nero falsely blamed the Christians, unleashing a brutal wave of persecution.
These first martyrs — men, women, and even children — were tortured, crucified, and burned as human torches in Nero’s gardens. They died not for what they had done, but for who they were – followers of Jesus Christ.
While we do not know their names, the Church honors their courage, their faith, and their love. Their blood, like that of Saints Peter and Paul, became the seed of the Church in Rome — and around the world.
As we celebrate this memorial, we’re reminded that the faith we hold today was made possible by the sacrifice of martyrs. Their witness invites us to respond with gratitude to God for the gift of faith and the love for which the martyrs were willing to give up everything. May we always strive to live lives worthy of such love!
