In 1980 Archbishop Romero was shot dead as he was celebrating Mass in his cathedral city of the Central American country of El Salvador.

He was killed because he complained about the treatment of the poor by the government and army.  We can call to mind that the word “martyr” is a Greek word meaning “witness”.

On the 8 July 1979,  just nine months before he was killed, Archbishop Oscar Romero talked about the witness of Christians, and he even used the phrase “if they kill your bishop”:

“If some day they take away from us our Catholic radio station,

if they close down our newspaper,
if they don’t allow us to speak,

if they kill all the priests,  and the bishop, too,  and you are left
- a people without priests –

then each one of you must be God’s microphone,
a messenger, a prophet.

The Church will always exist even if there is only one
baptized person.

That one baptized person  would be responsible
before the world
for holding up high the banner  of the Lord’s truth and justice.”

Readings:  Micah 6: 8; Matthew 25: 31-46; Luke 10: 29-37