A Nigerian priest who ministered to the dead after the Christmas bombings in Madalla, Nigeria, said he gained new insight into martyrdom.
In a first-person piece for The Catholic Register in Toronto, Father Emmanuel-Mary Mbam said:
In my agony of ministering to the dead I gained insight into why the Church calls the day a person is martyred one’s birthday. These people were martyrs; they died for their faith. As Christ was born into the world, they were born into heaven. This is my only consolation. The past year saw an upsurge in religious violence in Nigeria as a determined Islamic sect intensified efforts to impose Sharia law on the country. Incidents of devastation and death are now common.
Read the whole story here, in The Catholic Register.
CNS Blog 
Yes indeed. Many times is our faith better understood when we come face to face with a painful or difficult reality. Nigeria, our prayers are with you especially in this time of intensified persecution & prosecution. May the Holy Spirit fill you with his courage & wisdom & fidelity. God bless+