In 1593, Spanish Franciscans arrived and took a more confrontational approach to conversion than the Jesuits did. Tensions grew, and in 1597, the situation came to a head. When Hideyoshi seized the cargo of a shipwrecked Spanish ship, the angry captain threatened that the Spanish missionaries were sent to prepare for a Spanish invasion of the island. Hideyoshi then enforced his decade-old edict outlawing Christianity by arresting twenty-six Catholics, including three Jesuits: Brother Paul Miki, only months away from being ordained a priest, another brother, and a priest. Paul was born into an affluent Japanese family and became a Catholic when his whole family converted. At the age of twenty, he attended a new Jesuit seminary in Japan and became a brother two years later. He spent thirteen years as a Jesuit, during which time he was known as a gifted preacher who helped convert many of his countrymen. Brother Paul and his companions were arrested, tortured, had one of their ears severed, and were paraded 600 miles through many towns for 30 straight days, to dissuade the people from being Christian. When they arrived in Nagasaki, the center of Japanese Christianity, the soon-to-be martyrs were permitted to go to Confession one last time, chained to their crosses, secured with an iron collar, and lined up next to each other as four soldiers stood beneath them, each with spear in hand.. Brother Paul Miki preached his final sermon, professing Jesus as the only way to salvation, forgiving his persecutors, and praying that they would turn to Christ and receive baptism. As they all awaited death, they were filled with joy and continually cried out, “Jesus, Mary!” Then, with one thrust of the spear and one blow, each martyr went home to God. Over the next 250 years, hundreds of thousands of Christians were martyred and many others were tortured mercilessly until they publicly renounced their faith. Despite this, pockets of Catholics remained. In 1854, Japan’s borders opened to the West, and numerous missionaries arrived to feed the faith of these hidden Christians. By 1871, religious toleration returned, making public worship possible. Today, a national monument marks the place of the executions in Nagasaki. *St Paul Miki and Companions, pray for us*