June 1st, 2025: Ascension of the Lord
The film “The 21” was released a couple of months ago and is one of the shortlisted movies for an Oscar in the animated category. Jonathan Roumie, who played the role of Jesus in The Chosen series, is the executive producer of the movie. It recounts the martyrdom of 21 Coptic Christians that took place ten years ago in Libya, on February 15, 2015.
ISIS filmed the execution and uploaded the video to instill fear among Christians in Egypt. All twenty-one men, dressed in identical orange jumpsuits, knelt in the sand, their hands bound, their eyes fixed on eternity. Behind each of them stood a black-clad ISIS militant, sword drawn.
With courage beyond words, the twenty-one men uttered the name of Jesus as their lives were mercilessly taken by these terrorists.
This was February 15, 2015—a date forever etched into Christian memory. Twenty Egyptians and one Ghanaian, all Coptic Christians, executed for one reason: they refused to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.
-These were not soldiers. They were not theologians. They were not missionaries. They were men in their twenties and early thirties—construction workers, laborers—who had left Egypt for Libya, seeking work to provide for their families. Fathers, sons, brothers. They lived simple lives, with hearts full of faith.
Captured by ISIS, they were held in a basement for 40 days. At first, they were treated decently. Then came the real test. Their captors offered them gifts, wealth, and freedom—if only they would deny Christ. They refused.
When persuasion failed, the torture began.
They were sprayed with cold water, deprived of sleep, forced to drag wet sand through the desert, burned with hot irons, isolated, and emotionally tormented. But through it all, these 21 men did not waver.
They chose Christ.
+ By their death, parents lost their sons, wives lost their husbands, children lost their fathers, and siblings lost their brothers.
You might expect their families to be filled with hatred, vengeance, and bitterness. But when the filmmakers of The 21 visited Egypt and asked the widows and children what message they wanted the world to hear, they said this:
“We don’t want ISIS to go to hell. We want them to know the love of Christ. We want them to know God.”
They were living out the Gospel—the very words of Jesus:
“Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.”
Jonathan Roumie, who played Jesus in The Chosen and served as executive producer of The 21, was deeply moved by their joy, forgiveness, and witness. It defies human comprehension—but it is the power of divine love.
+ These 21 men became saints not only in the Coptic Church but also in the Catholic Church—the first time in history that both traditions canonized the same martyrs together. Their blood, like the blood of the early Church martyrs, has become the seed of faith for a new generation.
They died whispering the name of Jesus.
And we believe the next face they saw… was His.
Today, on the Feast of the Ascension, we remember that Jesus returned to the Father in glory—not to abandon us, but to reign from heaven as Lord of all. Just before ascending, He left us with this mission:
“You will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
The 21 were witnesses to the ends of the earth—not with words, but with blood.
These 21 Christian martyr’s heroic witness and courage continue to inspire millions of people around the world. The unconditional forgiveness shown by their widows and mothers toward their persecutors, ISIS, is also a powerful testimony—living the Gospel of the Lord even in the most difficult circumstances.
We, too, are called to love and live the Gospel of the Lord—joyfully and faithfully.
We live in a world where faith can be diluted, where following Christ might seem inconvenient or uncomfortable. But we are not asked—yet—to give our lives.
We are asked to live them—for Him.
So on this Feast of the Ascension, let us ask ourselves:
How are we living our Christian faith?
How are we witnessing to our Catholic Christian identity?
Do we forgive as these widows forgave?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You ascended to the Father, but You did not leave us alone.
You gave us Your Spirit, and You gave us examples—like the 21 martyrs—who remind us what true faith looks like.
Grant us the courage to stand for You, the grace to forgive like You, and the joy to proclaim You to the ends of the earth.
May their blood not be forgotten.
May their witness not be wasted.
And may their final word—“Jesus”—be always on our lips and forever in our hearts.
Amen.