To coincide with the Canonisation of the Martyrs of Damascus, the Custody of the Holy Land organised a major symposium at St Saviour's Convent in Jerusalem. The event, entitled ‘Martyrdom in Christianity: a journey of faith towards eternal life’, paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives as a testimony to the truth and the Christian faith. The symposium, moderated by Br. Marwan Dides, was attended by Brother Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, Br. Alessandro Coniglio, Br. Ulysses Zarza, Br. Narcyz Klimas and Fr. Antoine Duwaihi, from the Maronite Church, in the presence of numerous priests and lay people. Br MARWAN DIDES, ofm Custody of the Holy Land The door of martyrdom in the Church is open to all and is not limited to priests, friars and nuns, but to every Christian. The baptised person is a person called to bear witness to life through his or her faith in Jesus Christ. The martyrs of Damascus, martyred in the year 1860, still teach us today to be true witnesses of Jesus Christ and missionaries before all peoples in the name of Jesus Christ. RULA SHABITA Jerusalem This is the first time I have heard of lay people becoming martyrs in the Church. They worked hard in their lives and struggled until they reached holiness. Let us hope that God gives us the strength so that we too can attain holiness. In his speech, Father Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, addressed the theme of martyrdom from a Franciscan perspective and the spirituality of St. Francis. He highlighted that the joy of martyrdom lies not only in a person's willingness to give his or her life out of love for faith in God, but above all in the greater joy that comes with entering heaven. Of course, the participation of the Maronite Church could not be missed, which presented the story of the martyrdom of the Massabki brothers to the Franciscan friars. On behalf of Monsignor Musa Al-Hajj, Maronite Bishop of Haifa and the Holy Land, the Maronite Patriarchal Bursar in Jerusalem, Fr. Antoine Duwaihi, raised the subject of martyrdom from the perspective of the Maronite Church in his speech. Fr ANTOINE DUWAIHI Maronite Catholic Church The peculiarity of our life is that we have never known tranquillity, especially here in the East. We are always exposed to persecution. However, we must live joyfully despite the difficulties, because we imitate Jesus Christ, who was born, lived, suffered, and died on this earth, rising to eternal life. We too, following his example, pursue our tormented path in faith, until we reach eternal life at his side. Br. Narcyz illustrated the historical situation of the time, describing the persecution of Christians that led to the testimony of the Franciscan friars, the Massabki brothers and other faithful. In his speech on martyrdom in the Christian faith, Br. Alessandro Coniglio noted that the Holy Bible shows us how martyrdom is a reflection of the image of Jesus Christ. In turn, Brother Ulysses Zarza spoke of ‘martyrdom in the Fathers of the Church’ who stated that a person, through his weakness, can also offer his life to the Lord, following the example of Jesus Christ. Br MARWAN DIDES, ofm Custody of the Holy Land As Christians, we are called to love, to spread the Gospel, and to be brothers and sisters to all. But we are also called to bear daily witness to a complete and integrated life, lived out of love for Jesus Christ.