A martyr (Greek: μάρτυς, mártys, "witness"; stem μάρτυρ-, mártyr-) is somebody who suffers persecution and death

for refusing to renounce a belief or cause, usually religious.

In its original meaning, the word martyr, meaning witness, was used in the secular sphere as well as in the New
Testament of the Bible.[1] The process of bearing witness was not intended to lead to the death of the witness, although
it is known from ancient writers (e.g. Josephus) and from the New Testament that witnesses often died for their
testimonies.
During the early Christian centuries, the term acquired the extended meaning of a believer who is called to witness for
their religious belief, and on account of this witness, endures suffering and/or death. The term, in this later sense,
entered the English language as a loanword. The death of a martyr or the value attributed to it is called martyrdom.
Christianity
In Christianity, a martyr, in accordance with the meaning of the original Greek martys in the New Testament, is one
who brings a testimony, usually written or verbal. In particular, the testimony is that of the Christian Gospel, or more
generally, the Word of God. A Christian witness is a biblical witness whether or not death follows.[2]. However over time
many Christian testimonies were rejected, and the witnesses put to death, and the word "martyr" developed its present
sense. Where death ensues, the witnesses follow the example of Jesus in offering up their lives for truth. The first
Christian witness to be killed for his testimony was Saint Stephen (whose name means "crown"), and those who suffer
martyrdom are said to have been "crowned." In the context of church history, from the time of the persecution of early
Christians in the Roman Empire, it developed that a martyr was one who was killed for maintaining a religious belief,
knowing that this will almost certainly result in imminent death (though without intentionally seeking death). This
definition of "martyr" is not specifically restricted to the Christian faith.
Some Christians view death in sectarian persecution, as well as religious persecution, as martyrdom. In Christian
history, Foxe's Book of Martyrs recounts religious persecutions during the Protestant Reformation.
Usage of "martyr" is also common among Arab Christians (i.e. anyone killed in relation to Christianity or a Christian
community), indicating the persecution Arab Christians continue to experience to this day.
Islam
In Arabic, a martyr is termed "shahid" (literally, "witness," as in the Greek root of the English word). The word shaheed
appears in the Quran in a variety of contexts, including witnessing to righteousness (Quran 2:143), witnessing a
financial transaction (Quran 2:282) and being killed, even in an accident as long as it doesn't happen with the intention
to commit a sin, when they are believed to remain alive making them witnesses over worldly events without taking part
in them anymore (Quran 3:140). The word also appears with these various meanings in the Hadith, the sayings of
Muhammad.
Apostolic Age—1st century
 Saint Stephen, Protomartyr, was stoned c. 34 AD.
 James the Great (Son of Zebedee) was beheaded in 44 AD.
 Philip the Apostle was crucified in 54 AD.
 Matthew the Evangelist killed with a halberd in 60 AD.
 James the Just, beaten to death with a club after being crucified and stoned.
 Matthias was stoned and beheaded.
 Saint Andrew, St. Peter's brother, was crucified.
 Saint Mark the Evangelist, was dragged in the streets of Alexandria then beheaded
 Saint Peter, crucified upside-down.
 Apostle Paul, beheaded in Rome.
 Saint Jude was crucified.
 Saint Bartholomew flayed alive and crucified.
 Thomas the Apostle was killed by a spear in Mylapore, Madras, India in AD 72.
 Luke the Evangelist was hanged.
 Simon the Zealot was crucified in 74 AD.
 Antipas of Pergamum, according to tradition, roasted to death in a brazen bull during the persecutions of
Emperor Domitian, c. 92 A. D.
(Note: John the Evangelist according to legend was cooked in boiling hot oil but survived. He was the only one of the
original twelve Apostles who was not martyred).
THE DOLORS OF MARY
 
DISCOURSE.
MARY IS THE QUEEN OF MARTYRS.
I.                 The martyrdom of Mary was longer than that of all the martyrs
II.               The martyrdom of Mary was greater than that of all the martyrs
 
SERMON
ON THE DOLORS OF MARY.
I.                 The martyrdom of Mary was never equaled
II.               The martyrdom of Mary was without relief
 
REFLECTIONS
ON EACH OF THE SEVEN DOLORS OF MARY.
I.                 St. Simeon's prophecy
II.               The flight of Jesus into Egypt
III.             The loss of Jesus in the Temple
IV.            The meeting of Mary and Jesus when he was going to death
V.              The death of Jesus
 VI.            The piercing of the side of Jesus, and his descent from the cross
VII.          The burial of Jesus
HYMNS.        
            Words of Mary in Sorrow on Mt. Calvary
            The same subject
            The Stabat Mater
 
PART THE FOURTH.
THE VIRTUES OF THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
I.                 The humility of Mary
II.               Mary's charity towards God
III.             Mary's charity towards her neighbor
IV.            Mary's faith
V.              Mary's hope
VI.            Mary's chastity
VII.          Mary's poverty
VIII.        Mary's obedience
IX.            Mary's patience
X.              The spirit of prayer and mediation in Mary's Touch By Mail
Stabat Mater (the mother stood) is a topic in Christian Marian art in which the Virgin Mary is depicted under the
cross during the Crucifixion of Christ. In these depictions, the Virgin Mary is almost always standing to the right hand
side of the body of her son Jesus on the Cross, with Saint John the Evangelist standing to the left.[1]
Stabat Mater is one of the three common artistic representations of a sorrowful Virgin Mary, the other two being Mater
Dolorosa (Mother of Sorrows) and Pietà. In the Stabat Mater depictions the Virgin Mary is represented as an actor and
spectator in the scene, a mystical emblem of faith in the Crucified Savior, an ideal figure at once the mother of Christ
and the personified Church.[2] The depictions generally reflect the first three lines of the Stabat Mater poem:[3]

The Miraculous Medal

"At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last".
The concept is also present in other designs, e.g. the Miraculous Medal and the more general Marian Cross. The
Miraculous Medal by Saint Catherine Labouré in the 19th century includes a letter M, representing the Virgin Mary
under the Cross.[4]
The Marian Cross is also used in the coat of arms of Pope John Paul II, about which the Vatican newspaper,
L’Osservatore Romano stated in 1978: "the large and majestic capital M recalls the presence of the Madonna under the
Cross and Her exceptional participation in Redemption." [5]
Seven Sorrows
The Seven Sorrows (or Dolors) are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are a popular devotion and are
frequently depicted in art.[1]
It is a common devotion for Catholics to say daily one Our Father and seven Hail Mary for each.
1. The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34-35) or the Circumcision of Christ
2. The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43-45)
4. Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary. (Luke 23:26)
5. Jesus Dies on the Cross. (John 19:25)
6. Mary Receives the Body of Jesus in Her Arms. (Matthew 27:57)
7. The Body of Jesus is Placed in the Tomb. (John 19:40)
Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Roman Catholic hymn to Mary. It has been variously attributed to the Franciscan
Jacopone da Todi and to Innocent III.[1][2][3] There are two Stabat Mater hymns, one the Stabat Mater Dolorosa is
about the Sorrows of Mary, the other, Stabat Mater Speciosa joyfully refers to the Nativity of Jesus.[4]
The title of the sorrowful hymn is an abbreviation of the first line, Stabat mater dolorosa ("The sorrowful mother
stood").[5] The joyful hymn refers to "The beautiful mother stood".[4][6] The Dolorosa hymn, one of the most powerful
and immediate of extant medieval poems, meditates on the suffering of Mary, Jesus Christ's mother, during his
crucifixion. It is sung at the liturgy on the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. The Dolorosa has been set to music by
many composers, with the most famous settings being those by Palestrina, Pergolesi, Haydn, Rossini, and Dvořák.
The Dolorosa was well known by the end of the fourteenth century and Georgius Stella wrote of its use in 1388, while
other historians note its use later in the same century. In Provence, about 1399, it was used during the nine days
processions.[4]
The Speciosa appeared in a 1495 edition of the Italian poems of Jacopone da Todi which contained both Stabats; but
the Speciosa was almost forgotten until it was re-transcribed in 1852 in the "Poètes Franciscains en Italie au Treizième
siècle" in Paris.[4] The Speciosa has since been viewed as one of the tenderest Marian hymns and one of the seven
greatest Latin hymns.[7][8] It has become part of standard oratorios, and given rise to various Christmas carols.[9]
Text and translation
The following translation of the Stabat Mater Dolorosa is not word-for-word. Instead it has been adapted so as to
represent the meter (trochaic tetrameter), rhyme scheme, and sense of the original text. A literal translation (word-for-
word, without concern for adaptation into the target language) can be found here.

Stabat mater dolorosa At the Cross her station keeping,

juxta Crucem lacrimosa, stood the mournful Mother weeping,
dum pendebat Filius. close to her son to the last.

Cuius animam gementem, Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,

contristatam et dolentem all His bitter anguish bearing,
pertransivit gladius. now at length the sword has passed.

O quam tristis et afflicta O how sad and sore distressed

fuit illa benedicta, was that Mother, highly blest,
mater Unigeniti! of the sole-begotten One.

Quae moerebat et dolebat, Christ above in torment hangs,

pia Mater, dum videbat she beneath beholds the pangs
nati poenas inclyti. of her dying glorious Son.

Quis est homo qui non fleret, Is there one who would not weep,
matrem Christi si videret whelmed in miseries so deep,
in tanto supplicio? Christ's dear Mother to behold?

Quis non posset contristari Can the human heart refrain

Christi Matrem contemplari from partaking in her pain,
dolentem cum Filio? in that Mother's pain untold?

Pro peccatis suae gentis For the sins of His own nation,
vidit Iesum in tormentis, She saw Jesus wracked with torment,
et flagellis subditum. All with scourges rent:

Vidit suum dulcem Natum She beheld her tender Child,

moriendo desolatum, Saw Him hang in desolation,
dum emisit spiritum. Till His spirit forth He sent.

Eia, Mater, fons amoris O thou Mother! fount of love!

me sentire vim doloris Touch my spirit from above,
fac, ut tecum lugeam. make my heart with thine accord:

Fac, ut ardeat cor meum Make me feel as thou hast felt;

in amando Christum Deum make my soul to glow and melt
ut sibi complaceam. with the love of Christ my Lord.

Sancta Mater, istud agas, Holy Mother! pierce me through,

crucifixi fige plagas in my heart each wound renew
cordi meo valide. of my Savior crucified:

Tui Nati vulnerati, Let me share with thee His pain,

tam dignati pro me pati, who for all my sins was slain,
poenas mecum divide. who for me in torments died.

Fac me tecum pie flere, Let me mingle tears with thee,

crucifixo condolere, mourning Him who mourned for me,
donec ego vixero. all the days that I may live:

Juxta Crucem tecum stare, By the Cross with thee to stay,

et me tibi sociare there with thee to weep and pray,
in planctu desidero. is all I ask of thee to give.

Virgo virginum praeclara, Virgin of all virgins blest!,

mihi iam non sis amara, Listen to my fond request:
fac me tecum plangere. let me share thy grief divine;

Fac, ut portem Christi mortem, Let me, to my latest breath,

passionis fac consortem, in my body bear the death
et plagas recolere. of that dying Son of thine.
Fac me plagis vulnerari, Wounded with His every wound,
fac me Cruce inebriari, steep my soul till it hath swooned,
et cruore Filii. in His very Blood away;

Flammis ne urar succensus, Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,

per te, Virgo, sim defensus lest in flames I burn and die,
in die iudicii. in His awful Judgment Day.

Christe, cum sit hinc exire, Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
da per Matrem me venire by Thy Mother my defense,
ad palmam victoriae. by Thy Cross my victory;

Quando corpus morietur, When my body dies,

fac, ut animae donetur let my soul be granted
paradisi gloria. Amen. the glory of Paradise. Amen.

The Martyrdom of Mary Was Never Equaled

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

The words of the prophet Jeremias explain my meaning on this point:

To what shall I compare thee? or to what shall I liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? ... for great as the sea is thy
destruction; who shall heal thee? (Lam. 2:13) No, the acuteness of the sufferings of Mary are not to be compared, even
with those of all the Martyrs united. "The Martyrdom of Mary," says Saint Bernard, "was not caused by the
executioner's sword, but proceeded from bitter sorrow of heart." In other Martyrs torments were inflicted on the body;
but Mary's sorrow was in her heart and soul, verifying in her the prophecy of Simeon, Thy own soul a sword shall
pierce. (Luke 2:35)

Arnold of Chartres writes that "whoever had been on Mount Calvary, to witness the great sacrifice of the Immaculate
Lamb, would there have beheld two great altars, the one in the Body of Jesus, the other in the heart of Mary; for on that
Mount, when the Son sacrificed His Body by death, Mary sacrificed her soul by compassion." So much so, says Saint
Antoninus, that whereas other Martyrs sacrifice their own lives, the Blessed Virgin consummated her Martyrdom by
sacrificing the life of her Son, a life which she loved far more than her own, and which caused her to endure a torment
which exceeded all other torments ever endured by any mortal on earth.

As a general rule, the sufferings of children are also the sufferings of their mothers who are present at and witness their
torments. This Saint Augustine declares, when speaking of the mother of the Machabees, who witnessed the execution
of her children, Martyred by order of the cruel Antiochus: he says that "Love caused her to endure in her soul all the
torments inflicted on each of her children." Erasmus adds that "Mothers suffer more at the sight of the sufferings of
their children than if the torments were inflicted on themselves." This, however, is not always true; but in Mary it was
verified; for she certainly suffered more in witnessing the sufferings of her Son than she would have done had she
endured all the torments in her own person. "All the wounds," says Saint Bonaventure, "which were scattered over the
Body of Jesus were united in the heart of Mary, to torment her in the Passion of her Son" so that, as Saint Lawrence
Justinian writes, "The heart of Mary, by compassion for her Son, became a mirror of His torments, in which might be
seen, faithfully reflected, the spittings, the blows, the wounds, and all that Jesus suffered." We can therefore say that
Mary, on account of the love that she bore Him, was in heart, during the Passion of her Son, struck, scourged, crowned
with thorns, and nailed to the very Cross of her Son.

The same Saint Lawrence considers Jesus on His road to Calvary, with the Cross on His shoulders, turning to Mary and
saying to her, "Alas, My Own dear Mother, where are you going? What a scene will you witness? You will be agonized
by My sufferings, and I by yours." But the loving Mother would follow Him all the same, though she knew that, by
being present at His death, she would have to endure a torment greater than any death. She saw that her Son carried
the Cross to be crucified upon it; and, adds Abbot William, she also took up the cross of her sorrows, and followed her
Son to be crucified with Him. Hence Saint Bonaventure considers Mary standing by the Cross of her dying Son, and
asks her, saying, "O Lady, tell me where did you then stand---was it near the Cross? No, you were on the Cross itself,
crucified with your Son." About these words of the Redeemer, foretold by the prophet Isaias, I have trodden the wine-
press alone, and of the Gentiles there is not a man with me. (Isaias 63:3) Richard of St. Lawrence says, "It is true, O
Lord, that in the work of human redemption You did suffer alone, and that there was not a man that sufficiently pitied
You; but there was a woman with You, and she was Your Own Mother; she suffered in her heart all that You endured in
Your Body."

To show the sufferings endured by other Martyrs they are represented with the instruments of their torture; Saint
Andrew with a cross, Saint Paul with a sword, Saint Lawrence with a gridiron; Mary is represented with her dead Son
in her arms; for He alone was the instrument of her Martyrdom, and compassion for Him made her the Queen of
Martyrs. On this subject of Mary's compassion in the death of Jesus Christ, Father Pinamonti gives expression to a
beautiful and remarkable opinion: he says, that "the grief of Mary in the passion of her Son was so great, that she alone
compassionated in a degree by any means adequate to its merits the death of a God made man for the love of man."

Blessed Amadeus also writes, that "Mary suffered much more in the Passion of her Son than she would have done if she
herself had endured it; for she loved her Jesus much more than she loved herself," Hence Saint Ildephonsus did not
hesitate to assert, that "the sufferings of Mary exceed those of all Martyrs united together." Saint Anselm, addressing
the Blessed Virgin, says, "The most cruel torments inflicted on the holy Martyrs were trifling or as nothing in
comparison with your Martyrdom, O Mary." The same Saint adds, "Indeed, O Lady, in each moment of your life your
sufferings were such that you could not have endured them, and would have expired under them, had not your Son, the
source of your life, preserved you." Saint Bernadine of Sienna even says, that "the sufferings of Mary were such that
had they been divided among all creatures capable of suffering, they would have caused their immediate death." Who,
then, can ever doubt that the Martyrdom of Mary was without its equal, and that it exceeded the sufferings of all the
Martyrs; since, as Saint Antoninus says, "they suffered in the sacrifice of their own lives; but the Blessed Virgin suffered
by offering the life of her Son to God, a life which she loved far more than her own."

The Martyrs suffered under the torments inflicted on them by tyrants; but Our Lord, Who never abandons His
servants, always comforted them in the midst of their sufferings. The love of God, which burnt in their hearts, rendered
all these sufferings sweet and pleasing to them. Saint Vincent suffered, when on the rack he was torn with pincers and
burnt with hot iron plates; but Saint Augustine says that "the Saint spoke with such contempt of his torments, that it
seemed as if it was one who spoke and another who suffered." Saint Boniface suffered when the flesh was torn from his
body with iron hooks, sharp reeds were forced under his nails and melted lead was poured into his mouth; but in the
midst of all, he could never cease to thank Jesus Christ, Who allowed him to suffer for His love. Saint Lawrence
suffered when roasting on a gridiron; "but the love which inflamed him," says Saint Augustine, "did not allow him to
feel the fire, or even that prolonged death itself."

The greater the love of the Martyrs for Jesus Christ, the less they felt their pains: and in the midst of them all, the
remembrance of the Passion of Christ sufficed to console them. With Mary it was precisely the reverse; for the
torments of Jesus were her Martyrdom, and love for Jesus was her only executioner. Here we must repeat the words of
Jeremias: As the sea is all bitterness, and has not within its bosom a single drop of water which is sweet, so also was the
heart of Mary all bitterness, and without the least consolation: Who shall heal you? Her Son alone could heal her and
heal her wounds; but how could Mary receive comfort in her grief from her crucified Son, since the love she bore Him
was the whole cause of her Martyrdom?

"To understand, then, how great was the grief of Mary, we must understand," says Cornelius a Lapide, "how great was
the love she bore her Son." But who can ever measure this love?

Blessed Amadeus says, that "natural love towards Him as her Son, and supernatural love towards Him as her God,
were united in the heart of Mary."

These two loves were blended into one, and this so great a love that William of Paris does not hesitate to assert, that
Mary loved Jesus ''as much as it was possible for a pure creature to love Him." So that, as Richard of St. Victor says, ''as
no other creature loved God as Mary loved Him, so there was never any sorrow like Mary's sorrow."

Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother. Let us stay awhile to consider these words before concluding our
discourse; but I entreat you to renew your attention.

There stood. When Jesus was on the Cross, the disciples had already abandoned Him; they had done so from the
moment in which He was taken in the Garden of Olives: then the disciples all leaving Him fled. (Matt. 26:56) The
disciples abandoned Him; but His loving Mother did not abandon Him; she remained with Him until He expired.

There stood by. Mothers fly when they see their children suffer much, and are unable to give them relief; they have not
the strength to endure the torment, and therefore fly to a distance. Mary beheld her Son in agony on the Cross; she saw
that His sufferings were slowly depriving Him of life; she desired to relieve Him in that last extremity, but could not;
but with all this she did not fly, she did not go to a distance, but drew nearer to the Cross on which her Son was dying.

She stood by the Cross. The Cross was the hard bed on which Jesus Christ had to die. Mary, who stood by its side, never
turned her eyes from Him; she beheld Him all torn by the scourges, thorns, and nails; she saw that her poor Son,
suspended by those three iron hooks, found no repose. She, as I have already said, would have desired to give Him
some relief; she would have desired, at least, that He should have expired in her arms; but no, even this is forbidden
her. "Ah, Cross!" she must have said, "restore me my Son; you are a gibbet for malefactors, but my Son is innocent."
But wait, O sorrowful Mother; God's will is that the Cross should only restore you your Son when He has expired.
Saint Bonaventure, considering the sorrow of Mary in the death of her Son, writes, that "no grief was more bitter than
hers, because no son was as dear as her Son." Since, then, there never was a son more worthy than Jesus, nor any
mother who ever loved as Mary loved, what sorrow can be compared with the sorrow of Mary? "Ah, there never has
been in the world a more amiable Son than Jesus," says Richard of St. Lawrence, "nor was there ever so loving a
Mother. Had there been less love between this Mother and Son, His death would have been less cruel, their griefs
would have been diminished: but the more tender were their loves, the deeper were their wounds." Mary saw that
death approached her Son; therefore, casting her compassionate eyes upon Him, she seemed to say, "Ah, Son, You
already depart, already You leave me; and are You silent? Give me a last remembrance." Yes, He did so. Jesus Christ
left her a remembrance; it was this: Woman, He said, behold your son, referring to Saint John, who stood near; and
with these words He bade her farewell. He called her woman, that by the sweet name of mother He might not increase
her grief: Woman, behold your son, he will take charge of you when I am dead.

There stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother. Let us, finally observe Mary, who stood at the foot of the Cross and
beheld her Son expire. But, a God, what Son was it that died? It was a Son Who from all eternity had chosen her for His
Mother, and had preferred her in His love to all men and Angels: it was a Son so beautiful, so holy, so amiable; a Son
Who had always obeyed her; a Son Who was her only love, for He was her Son and her God; and Mary had to see Him
die before her eyes, of pure suffering. But behold, the hour of the death of Jesus has already come; the afflicted Mother
saw her Son then enduring the last assaults of death; behold, again, His Body was already sinking, His head drooped
down on His breast, His mouth opened, and He expired. The people cry out, "He is dead! He is dead!" And Mary also
said, "Ah, my Jesus, my Son, You are now dead!"

When Jesus was dead, He was taken down from the Cross. Mary received Him with outstretched arms; she then
pressed Him to her heart, and examined that head wounded by the thorns, those hands pierced with nails, and that
body all lacerated and torn. "Ah, Son," she said, "to what has Your love for men reduced You!" But the disciples, fearing
that with her Son clasped in her arms she would die of grief, out of compassion approached her, and with reverential
determination, removed her Son from her arms, wrapped Him in the winding sheet, and carried Him away to bury
Him. The other holy women accompanied Him, and with them the sorrowful Mother followed her Son to the tomb;
where, having herself deposited Him with her own hands, she bade Him a last farewell and retired. Saint Bernard says,
that ''as Mary passed along the way, her sorrow and grief were such, that all who met her were thereby moved to tears;"
and he adds that "those who accompanied her were weeping rather for her than for Our Lord."

My readers, let us be devout to the sorrows of Mary. Saint Albert the Great writes, that ''as we are under great
obligations to Jesus Christ for His death, so also are we under great obligations to Mary for the grief which she endured
when she offered her Son to God by death for our salvation." This the Angel revealed to Saint Bridget: he said that the
Blessed Virgin, to see us saved, herself offered the life of her Son to the Eternal Father: a sacrifice which, as we have
already said, cost her greater suffering than all the torments of the Martyrs, or even death itself. But the Divine Mother
complained to Saint Bridget that very few pitied her in her sorrows, and that the greater part of the world lived in
entire forgetfulness of them. Therefore she exhorted the Saint, saying: "Though many forget me, don't you, my
daughter, forget me." For this purpose the Blessed Virgin herself appeared in the year 1239 to the founder of the Order
of the Servites, or Servants of Mary, to requested them to institute a religious order in remembrance of her sorrows;
and this they did.

Jesus Himself one day spoke to Blessed Veronica of Binasco, saying, "Daughter, tears shed over My Passion are dear to
Me: but as I love My Mother Mary with an immense love, the meditation of the sorrows which she endured at My death
is also very dear to Me." It is also well to know, as Pelbart relates it, that it was revealed to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary,
that Our Lord had promised four special graces to those who are devout to the sorrows of Mary: 1st, that those who
before death invoke the Divine Mother, in the name of her sorrows, should obtain true repentance of all their sins: 2nd,
that He would protect all who have this devotion in their tribulations, and that He would protect them especially at the
hour of death: 3rd, that He would impress upon their minds the remembrance of His Passion, and that they should
have their reward for it in Heaven: 4th, that He would commit such devout clients to the hands of Mary, with the power
to dispose of them in whatever manner she might please, and to obtain for them all the graces she might desire.

++++++++++

There are two kinds of Martyrs, one in open suffering, the other in the hidden virtue of the spirit. For many, enduring
the snares of the enemy and resisting all carnal desires, because they have sacrificed themselves in their hearts to
Almighty God, have also become martyrs in time of peace, and if they had lived in time of persecution, they could have
been Martyrs in reality.

---Saint Isidore