Thursday, September 15, 2005

José Luis Sánchez del Río, Martyr at the Age of 14

This from Regnum Christi:

Guadalajara, September 15, 2005. After having received official notification from Pope Benedict XVI, the Archbishop of Guadalajara, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, announced that this coming November 24th, 13 Mexican martyrs who died during the Cristero War will be beatified in this diocese.
Among them is José Luis Sánchez del Río (1913-1928), who was assassinated for the simple fact of refusing to hate his faith. One year before his martyrdom, José Luis had joined the “Cristero” forces led by General Prudencio Mendoza, based in the town of Cotija, Michoacán.
The martyrdom was witnessed by several people, among them a seven-year-old boy who would later become the founder of a religious congregation,
Fr. Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ and of the Regnum Christi Movement. In the book-length interview “Christ is my Life” (www.christismylife.org), he speaks of the decisive role that his friend, José Luis,’ testimony had for his vocation.
“He was captured by government forces, which wanted to give the civilian population that supported the Cristeros an exemplary lesson,” remembers the founder, who was then seven years old. “[…] Then the skin of the soles of his feet was sheered off, and he was obliged to walk through the village towards the cemetery,” he remembers. “He wept and moaned with pain, but would not give in. Every now and then, the stopped and said: ‘If you cry out “Death to Christ the King,” well will spare your life. Say “Death to Christ the King!”’ But he answered, ‘Hail to Christ the King!’” […] “Once in the cemetery, before shooting him, they asked him once more if he would deny his faith. He refused and was killed right then and there. He died crying out as many other Mexicans did: ‘Hail to Christ the King!’” […] “These are indelible images of my memory and of the memory of the Mexican people, although often there is not much mention of it in the official history” (Christ is my Life, n. 4).
José Luis’ mortal remains rest in the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in his hometown.


http://www.christismylife.org/

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS WONDERFUL STORY, I AM FROM THE SAME HOMETOWN SAHUAYO, MICHOACAN I AM VERY PROUD OF HIM, HE IS A TRUE EXAMPLE OF FAITH, BELIEVER OF JESUS OUR SAVIOR, HE DIED FOR JESUS AND HE IS WITH HIM NOW...AND AS HE WOULD SAY NOW VIVA CRISTO REY, VIVA CRISTO REY...