Ugandan martyr Charles Lwanga and peers’ killed for their ‘Faith in Jesus’ recounts Mwenya Mukuka
THE remains of Charles Lwanga, a Uganda martyr killed for his faith in Christ Jesus lies at the altar in this dome below, which is the center of prayer and adoration in Namugogo, Kampala, Uganda.
Between 31st January 1885 and 27th January 1887, 45 people were brutally executed for accepting Jesus Christ in Uganda at the orders of Mwanga II, the King of Buganda.
22 were Catholic and 23 Anglicans. These were later referred to as Uganda Martyrs.
Among those killed was Charles Lwanga, who was burnt to death with a group of his peers and is revered as a saint by both the Catholic and the Anglican Communion.
After killing these people, the executers went to wash blood in the nearby swampy area. Authorities have since mounted fountains there whose water has continued to record numerous miracles.
An altar has since been built over the swamp water as in the picture.
The blood of the martyrs has proved to be a profound seed of faith. Rather than deter the growth of Christianity, the martyrdom of these early African believers stood at the origin of new growth instead.
Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions’ Story
One of 22 Ugandan martyrs, Charles Lwanga is the patron of youth and Catholic action in most of tropical Africa. He protected his fellow pages, aged 13 to 30, from the homosexual demands of the Bagandan ruler, Mwanga, and encouraged and instructed them in the Catholic faith during their imprisonment for refusing the ruler’s demands.
Charles first learned of Christ’s teachings from two retainers in the court of Chief Mawulugungu. While a catechumen, he entered the royal household as assistant to Joseph Mukaso, head of the court pages.
On the night of Mukaso’s martyrdom for encouraging the African youths to resist Mwanga, Charles requested and received baptism. Imprisoned with his friends, Charles’s courage and belief in God inspired them to remain chaste and faithful.
For his own unwillingness to submit to the immoral acts and his efforts to safeguard the faith of his friends, Charles was burned to death at Namugongo on June 3, 1886, by Mwanga’s order.
When Pope Paul VI canonized these 22 martyrs on October 18, 1964, he also made reference to the Anglican pages martyred for the same reason.
Reflection
Like Charles Lwanga, we are all teachers and witnesses to Christian living by the examples of our own lives. We are all called upon to spread the word of God, whether by word or deed. By remaining courageous and unshakable in our faith during times of great moral and physical temptation, we live as Christ lived.
from franciscan media.org
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