Introduction
'Martyrdom and the vocation to martyrdom are not the result of human effort, but the response to an initiative and a call from God, they are a gift of his grace, which makes one capable of offering one's life for love of Christ and of the Church, and thus of the world. If we read the lives of the martyrs, we are amazed by their serenity and courage when facing suffering and death: The power of God is manifested fully in weakness' (Cf. 2 Cor. 12:9).
These words of Holy Father Benedict XVI (Catechesis of Benedict XVI, Castel Gandolfo, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010), with its reference to the Pauline allusion to the work of grace in the midst of human weakness and suffering for the sake of the Gospel, are fully applicable to the life, sufferings and the valiant death of the Servant of God Devasahayam Pillai, of the Roman Catholic (Latin) Church in India, the first Lay person from India to be beatified, and the first Indian to be declared martyr in India.