The View of St. Alphonsus
                                            by Timothy O. McAleer

Here is a quote by the great saint St. Alphonsus Liguori, sent to me by Denise Michele of "The Catholic Mom" website (see "Links" page) from his book Victories of the Martyrs:

"Among the women was found Thecla, the wife of Tafioie; she died in the fire with five of her children, three of whom expired in her arms. When the flames burst forth from the funeral pile, the executioners began to howl, and those who were spectators shed tears and uttered cries, while the martyrs sang and invoked the holy name of Jesus. At first the smoke was so dense that no one could see them; but after a short time these holy martyrs were seen dying with their eyes raised to heaven. What was more remarkable was, that so many persons who could have escaped, not one attempted to do so, and that even the children remained steadfastly in the fire till death. It is related that over this place a brilliant star was afterwards seen by the pagans as well as by Christians." (p. 370)

The front matter of this book reads "The Centenary Edition - The Complete Works of St. Alphonsus de Liguori... etc. etc. translated from the Italian.... The Ascetical Works Volume IX Victories of the Martyrs) Copyright 1954.  Broken into two main sections: Part I Martyrs of the First Ages. Part II The Martyrs of Japan p. 368 Chapter XIII Fifty Two Martyrs Burnt Alive at Meaco 1619

As Denise Michele pointed out to me, like "Bishop" Yoshinao, St. Alphonsus also does not mention Tecla's pregnancy, although I believe it is less likely due to political correctness as it is nearness to the event (in time) and therefore lack of proper documentation, especially as communication with Christians in Japan was strictly proscribed at the time.  It was also less urgent for St. Alphonsus to mention such a fact (if he knew of it), for abortion was hardly the rampant phenomena that it is in our time. Given the crisis of abortion in our time, especially in places like Japan, I doubt St. Alphonsus would have remained silent about Tecla's pregnancy.  In fact I rather think he would have shouted it from the rooftops.

It also was not St. Alphonsus's duty to bring up the pregnancy of Tecla in her martyrdom (had he known about it), whereas it is the duty of a bishop (if he were a true bishop) of the Kyoto Archdiocese in two lengthy "pastoral letters" on the subject to at least mention the pregnancy, if not expound on it at length.  St. Alphonsus was writing an account of all the Catholic martyrs in history, in every corner of the world, in a very general sense, and describing the Kyoto Martyrs from the distance of halfway around the world; whereas "Bishop" Yoshinao was focusing specifically on those martyrs from his own diocese who had recently been "beatified," and describing their martyrdom in "pastoral letters" meant to instruct the "faithful".  Now what better subject to address in a "pastoral letter" about a group of martyrs in which one was pregnant than the sanctity of life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death, and the need to fight strongly against "laws" of the "civil state" that war against these eternally inviolable laws?  Instead, we get the same kind of modernist drivel that appeared in Benedict-Ratzinger's recently released "encyclical letter" Caritas In Veritas.

There is one more thing of note in the St. Alphonsus Book.  Chapter XIII is entitled "Fifty-Two Martyrs," which again omits the child in the womb.  So not only is Tecla's unborn child not mentioned in the account of Tecla's martyrdom, but also, if known, not given martyr status.  This is the exact same dynamic of "ignoring" the child in Tecla's womb that has occurred in the modern diocese of Kyoto, but for apparently different reasons.  If St. Alphonsus had known about the child in the womb, would he not have at least brought up the issue of Baptism by Blood, a belief of his that has brought castigation upon himself by Feeneyites for some time now.

A couple final notes: St. Alphonsus tells us that "when the flames burst forth from the funeral pile, the executioners began to howl, and those who were spectators shed tears and uttered cries, while the martyrs sang and invoked the holy name of Jesus."  This is yet another extraordinary aspect of the Great Kyoto Martyrdom: how, not the martyrs, but the executioners, "howled"; and how, not the martyrs, but the spectators, "shed tears and uttered cries"; while, instead, the martyrs "sang and invoked the holy name of Jesus."  It reminds me of a quote I once read that the beginning of a Christian's glory is upon his death; and, from the reaction of the executioners and spectators in the Great Kyoto Martyrdom, we might add that it also marks the beginning of the Devil's defeat.

Also, as St. Alphonsus tells us, "What was more remarkable was, that so many persons who could have escaped, not one attempted to do so, and that even the children remained steadfastly in the fire till death." Finally, "It is related that over this place a brilliant star was afterwards seen by the pagans as well as by Christians." This would seem to corroborate Fr. Diego Yuki's dismissive claim that he had been told of lights coming from the ground of the site of Tecla's martyrdom (or was this an oblique reference to the St. Alphonsus account?), while reminding us of the star over the manger where Jesus was born.