Walking on water

St Kizito being baptised by St Charles Source: wikimedia (Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine)

 
Today is a significant day in Uganda, when Christians remember the sacrifice of many who gave their lives for the faith in the 1880s, including Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions.

The Uganda Martyrs were 45 young Christian converts – both Roman Catholics and Anglicans – who were killed between 1885 and 1887 on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II when they refused to compromise their faith.  Their witness became, as the Church has often said of martyrs, the seed of future conversions to the Gospel and the spread of Christianity in Uganda.

Meg Hunter‑Kilmer, a missionary and storyteller who travels the world sharing “the fierce and tender love of God,” writes about these martyrs in her article Killed for Being Christian: The Personal Stories of All 22 Catholic Ugandan Martyrs (Church Life Journal):

Imagine longing so deeply for the Eucharist that you would hike nearly fifty miles each way to go to Mass every Sunday, traveling through dense forests, fighting off wild animals, and crossing multiple rivers to do it. Imagine being so eager to die for Jesus that you would actually joke with the one who was sentencing you to death.

Their witness was grounded in the Eucharist – the sacrament that makes present the sacrifice of Christ, given in love for all people, including those who persecuted, tortured, and executed them.

In all, there are 45 recognised martyrs, of whom 22 are canonised saints of the Roman Catholic Church.
The remaining 23 are honoured as Anglican martyrs, and together they bore witness to Christ. Their shared testimony is recognised by both Roman Catholics and Anglicans alike.

At Namugongo there stand two shrines side by side: the Roman Catholic Basilica, where Saint Charles Lwanga is commemorated and the Anglican Shrine at Nakiyanja, which marks part of the execution grounds where many of the martyrs died.

The Ugandan martyrs faced death together, praying and singing as they underwent terrible sufferings. Like the disciples in the boat during the storm in John 6:16–21, they encountered Christ in the midst of trial, hearing his words: “It is I; do not be afraid” (Jn 6:20).
The same Lord whom they received in the Eucharist sustained them at the moment of their martyrdom.

In their sacrifice, the meaning of the Mass was brought to its fullest expression: their sufferings were united to the one, all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ. Their bodies were given, as Christ’s Body is given; their blood was shed, as Christ’s Blood is shed – so that they might remain in communion with him.

Christ Walking On The Water - by Julius von Klever