Saint Pedro Calungsod in the Modern Times
Pedro Calungsod was 17 years old, a Filipino catechist who went with Jesuit missionaries to Guam in the 1600s. He helped Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores teach and baptize those who wished to join the faith.
A man named Choco spread a rumor that the baptismal water was poison. Because of fear, Chief Matå’pang got angry when his child was baptized with the mother’s permission only. Matå’pang attacked Fr. Diego. Pedro could have escaped but chose to stay by his side. Both were killed, and their bodies were thrown into the sea.
If Pedro Calungsod’s story happened now, no one would call him a saint.
People would say it was a crime. They’d ask why a priest baptized a child without the father’s consent. They’d question why a teenager didn’t run for safety. Some would call it foolish, not holy.
That’s how the world changed. People look at the surface—law, mistake, reaction. No one asks what was inside the choice.
Pedro stayed beside Fr. Diego when he could have escaped. He didn’t stay for reward, fame, or even a selfie to prove he was there. He stayed because loyalty meant something real to him. That’s what makes his death different.
He wasn’t trying to prove faith. He was simply being true when fear said to run.
And that’s what strikes hardest today—choosing others over your own life doesn’t come naturally anymore. But it did for him. And that’s why his story still matters.
⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ
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