They will live with Christ in heaven, who lived on
earth
according to the words and ways of
Christ." - St Nicetas
of Remesiana
"I believe, O Lord, but strengthen my
faith…
Heart
of Jesus, I
love Thee; but
increase my love.
Heart of Jesus,
I trust
in Thee;
but
give greater vigor to
my confidence.
Heart
of Jesus, I
give my heart to Thee; but
enclose it
in
Thee that it may never
be separated from Thee.
Heart
of Jesus, I
am all Thine; but
take care of
my
promise so that I may be able to put it in practice
even
unto the complete sacrifice of my life."
Bl
Miguel Agustin Pro
Jesuit priest,
Martyr
Mexico ~
1891-1927
FEAST
DAY – November 23
Image above:
Triumph of Christianity ~ Gustave Dore
"How can I explain to you
the sweet grace of the Holy Spirit, which invades my poor miner's soul with such
heavenly joys? I could not keep back tears on the
day of my ordination, above all at the moment when I
pronounced, together with the bishop, the words of the
consecration. After the ceremony the new priests gave their first blessing to
their parents. I went to my room, laid out all the photographs of my family on
the table, and then blessed them from the bottom of my
heart." ~ Bl Miguel
Pro
Bl
Miguel Pro, pray for us!
MORE on Bl Miguel
Pro...
In
the 1920s the churches in Mexico were closed and priests went into hiding. Fr
Pro spent the rest of his life in a secret ministry to the sturdy Mexican
Catholics. In addition to fulfilling their spiritual needs, he also carried out
the works of mercy by assisting the poor in Mexico
City with their
temporal needs. He adopted many interesting disguises in carrying out his secret
ministry. He would come in the middle of the night dressed as a beggar to
baptize infants, bless marriages and celebrate Mass. He would appear in jail dressed as a police
officer to bring Holy Viaticum to condemned Catholics. When going to fashionable
neighborhoods to procure for the poor, he would show up at the doorstep dressed
as a fashionable businessman with a fresh flower on his lapel. His many exploits
could rival those of the most daring spies. In all that he did, however, Fr. Pro
remained obedient to his superiors and was filled with the joy of serving
Christ, his King.
Falsely accused in the bombing attempt on a former Mexican
president, Miguel became a wanted man. Betrayed to the police, he was sentenced
to death without the benefit of any legal
process.
At the time of the killing, Mexico was under the rule of the fiercely
anti-clerical and anti-Catholic President Plutarco Elías Calles who had begun
what writer Graham Greene called the "fiercest persecution of religion anywhere
since the reign of Elizabeth."
On the day of his execution, as Fr. Pro walked from his cell to the
courtyard and the firing squad, he blessed the soldiers, knelt and briefly
prayed quietly. Declining a blindfold, he faced his executioners with a crucifix
in one hand and a rosary in the other and held his arms out in imitation of the
crucified Christ and shouted out, "May God have mercy on you! May God bless you!
Lord, Thou knowest that I am innocent! With all my heart I forgive my enemies!"
Before the firing squad were ordered to shoot, Pro raised his arms in imitation
of Christ and shouted the defiant cry of the Cristeros, "Viva Cristo Rey!"
-"Long live Christ the King!" When the initial shots of the firing squad failed
to kill him, a soldier shot him point blank.
Calles
had the execution meticulously photographed, and the newspapers throughout the
country carried them on the front page the following day. Presumably, Calles
thought that the sight of the pictures would frighten the Cristero rebels who
were fighting against his troops, particularly in the state of Jalisco. However,
they had the opposite effect. The Cristeros became more animated and fought with
renewed enthusiasm, many of them carrying the newspaper photo of Pro before the
firing squad.
Miguel
Pro's last request prior to execution was to be allowed to kneel and
pray.
Pro himself refused a
blindfold. A Crucifix in the
right hand, a rosary in the
other.
He
blessed and forgave the firing squad.
November 24, 1927, at the front of
the Jesuit church of the Holy Family, a multitude accompanied the remains of
Father Pro. Father Mendez Medina cried out, "Make way for the martyrs of Christ the
King!"
Although
Calles had forbidden any public demonstration, the people acted in open
defiance. Never had the city seen such an enormous turnout for a funeral. As the
martyrs' caskets left the house, a great and unanimous cry soared from the
hearts and mouths of thousands:.. "¡Viva
Cristo Rey!" Thousands
thronged the streets and balconies, throwing flowers, praying the rosary and
singing. It was a triumph - a glorious witness to the heroism of martyrs for
Christ the King.
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