tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145704.post-73200077651860697272008-06-30T10:21:00.001-04:002008-06-30T10:21:36.025-04:00but soon there were more and more of them.<br /><br />At first, they all looked like the other immigrants from the Middle East, but soon normal-looking people were found to have converted to this religion and were setting themselves apart from the mainstream of society.<br /><br />They became the subject of rumors, ridicule, and investigations.<br /><br />Then, a horrific criminal act laid waste to the center of the great city, killing many.<br /><br />The focus quickly fell upon these outsiders.<br /><br />They and their leaders were rounded up. Many were tortured and many were killed.<br /><br />These first Christian martyrs of the Church of Rome remained true to their faith, rejoicing to share in the salvific sufferings of Christ, and helped stoke the fires of a spiritual awakening that would flourish when the empire that had sought to crush them was itself dust.<br /><br /><strong>Today </strong>the Church celebrates the memory of the first martyrs of the Church of Rome.<br /><br /><em>(from an earlier post)</em>Penitenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946480498233458183noreply@blogger.com