This is the true account of the martyrdom of Catholics, who, because they chose to bear witness to the Faith, died for it. Of the many jewels that form the Christian diadem of Spain, that of the martyrs is the most beautiful. In cities, towns, and villages throughout the land, people were tortured for witnessing to the Truth. Many priests, religious brothers, nuns, men, women, and children were murdered. "You be the judge of the following events and decide if they are only terrible or also triumphant in their eternal heroism." The example of the Spanish martyrs makes us aware of the futility of our attempts to avoid guilt and escape from God by removing Him from society altogether. Their heroism forces us to take a long, clear, and unwavering look in the mirror. Is it possible that we find ourselves unknowingly in the enemy’s camp? Have we allowed ourselves to be absorbed by our culture merely to enjoy the safe but sterile existence of a microbe in a plastic society? Has much of what transpired in Spain in the heat of persecution already occured here and passed unnoticed? Are we deserving of persecution? The Spanish martyrs have left us an admonition proper for the age: Imagined paradises lead to real hells. The martyrs are models of what Christians, armed by the grace of God, can be. They rise above themselves, their infirmities, and the vicissitudes of history to escape the gravity of the world. In so doing, they provide us with an example that we can ignore only at our peril.