In the Catholic Church, martyrs will always have a special honor bestowed on them. But the Church does not forget the sacrifices of those that suffer a white martyrdom in the course of their lives, dealing with less dramatic situations that test our faith nonetheless.
After the Jesuit was arrested, his most faithful friends devised some escape plans, but João de Brito refused them.
What kind of Good News is this? “But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.” (Lk 6:27-38). Jesus’s words sound almost cruel and inhuman, because Jesus is not talking about patiently bearing with an annoying colleague, nor about forgiving someone who has done terrible things to us but later repented. Jesus is talking about being merciful while enduring abuse and the abuser shows no repentance. An unthinkable situation.