In 1579, John Ogilvie was born to a noble family in Scotland and raised in the state religion of Calvinism. When he left home for studies in multiple European cities, he heard stories of Catholic saints and martyrs, decided to convert to Catholicism, and was received into the Catholic Church. He studied with the Benedictines then the Jesuits, was ordained a Jesuit priest in Paris in 1610, and he preached in France while eagerly awaiting approval to return home to do missionary work. After three years he finally got approval, and with a false identity as a horse dealer, he went back to Scotland and began winning converts back to the Catholic Church. One whom he tried to convert was a spy who betrayed him. John was arrested, beaten, interrogated, deprived of sleep and food, and brutally tortured. Failing to coerce him to renounce Catholicism or give up the names of any other Catholics, he was hung.
CHALLENGE
Despite months of imprisonment and torture, St. John Ogilvie kept his sense of humor as well as his faith. When asked if he was afraid to die, he replied: “I fear death as much as you fear your dinner.” He didn’t fear death because he was prepared for it. Are you as well prepared as he was? Today, spend 30 minutes in prayer meditating on your answer to the question: “Are you afraid to die?”
Deepen your love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus! The Sacred Heart Book of Devotions is full of prayers, litanies, meditations, and hymns that will enflame your love for the Sacred Heart!
