What drives true missionary work? Some argue that fear of eternal punishment—hell—fuels the urgency to bring the Gospel to the world. In evangelical circles, it’s often said that without the high stakes of hellfire, there wouldn’t be enough motivation for mission work. But the lives of the saints and martyrs tell a different story.

Saint Jean de Brebeuf, a French Jesuit missionary to the Huron people in the 17th century, stands as a powerful example of someone who gave his life to the Gospel, not out of fear of what awaited others in the afterlife, but from a deep love of Christ and a desire to suffer with Him. His story, along with countless others, shows us that the heart of true mission is not rooted in fear but in love—love for Christ, His passion, and for those who have yet to know Him.

Saint Jean de Brebeuf left behind the comforts of France to immerse himself in the lives of the Huron people in what is now Canada. For nearly two decades, he lived among them, learning their language, understanding their culture, and sharing the Gospel. Brebeuf didn’t see the Huron people as projects to be saved from hell, but as brothers and sisters whom Christ loved deeply.

He endured unimaginable hardships—extreme weather, disease, hunger, and threats from rival tribes. Despite these challenges, his mission was clear: to bring the love of Christ to the Huron people, not through coercion or fear, but through patience and compassion. His dedication was grounded in the belief that Christ’s suffering on the cross was the ultimate expression of love, and to share in that suffering was to be close to Christ Himself.

Brebeuf’s martyrdom in 1649 stands as the culmination of his lifelong commitment. When the Iroquois captured him and other missionaries, they subjected him to brutal torture. They sawed off pieces of his body, placed burning coals on his skin, and poured boiling water over him, mocking baptism. Yet even in the face of this agony, Brebeuf did not curse his captors or cry out in despair. Instead, he remained steadfast, offering his suffering as a testimony to the love of Christ, even praying for his torturers. His death was not about escaping punishment or ensuring the salvation of others through fear—it was about love, the kind of love Christ showed on the cross.

From his diary entry shared in today’s Office of Readings:

“For two days now I have experienced a great desire to be a martyr and to endure all the torments the martyrs suffered.

Jesus, my Lord and Savior, what can I give you in return for all the favors you have first conferred on me? I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name. I vow before your eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, before your most holy Mother and her most chaste spouse, before the angels, apostles and martyrs, before my blessed fathers Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier—in truth I vow to you, Jesus my Savior, that as far as I have the strength I will never fail to accept the grace of martyrdom, if some day you in your infinite mercy would offer it to me, your most unworthy servant.

I bind myself in this way so that for the rest of my life I will have neither permission nor freedom to refuse opportunities of dying and shedding my blood for you, unless at a particular juncture I should consider it more suitable for your glory to act otherwise at that time. Further, I bind myself to this so that, on receiving the blow of death, I shall accept it from your hands with the fullest delight and joy of spirit. For this reason, my beloved Jesus, and because of the surging joy which moves me, here and now I offer my blood and body and life. May I die only for you, if you will grant me this grace, since you willingly died for me. Let me so live that you may grant me the gift of such a happy death. In this way, my God and Savior, I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!

My God, it grieves me greatly that you are not known, that in this savage wilderness all have not been converted to you, that sin has not been driven from it. My God, even if all the brutal tortures which prisoners in this region must endure should fall on me, I offer myself most willingly to them and I alone shall suffer them all.”

Here is a man motivated by the passion of Christ and the spiritual yearning to partake in that passion for the benefit of his neighbor.

Martyrs at Large

Brebeuf’s story is not unique among the saints and martyrs. From the earliest days of Christianity, men and women have given their lives for the Gospel, not because they feared hell but because they were filled with a profound love for Christ and a desire to participate in His passion. Saints like Ignatius of Antioch, who eagerly embraced martyrdom, saw their deaths not as a way to escape damnation but as an opportunity to be united with Christ in His suffering.

Saint Perpetua, an early Christian martyr, faced death in the Roman Colosseum with the same resolve. She did not fear the punishment of her executioners; instead, she saw her suffering as a way to witness to the reality of Christ’s love. In her prison diary, Perpetua wrote of the joy she felt in knowing she would soon see Christ, even if it meant enduring the painful death of a martyr. Like Brebeuf, Perpetua’s motivation was not fear of punishment but love—a love so deep it could withstand any earthly trial.

These martyrs understood that Christ’s passion was the heart of the Gospel. They believed that to follow Christ was to embrace the cross, to share in His sufferings, and to bring the hope of resurrection to others. They saw their suffering not as something to be avoided, but as something that brought them closer to Christ and allowed them to witness to the power of His love.

In many evangelical circles today, the idea persists that eternal punishment—hell—is the necessary motivator for missionary work. The argument often goes that if we did not believe in eternal damnation, we would lose the urgency to evangelize. Without the threat of hell, some say, there would be no reason to risk comfort, safety, or life for the sake of the Gospel.

But the lives of the saints and martyrs tell a different story. Saint Jean de Brebeuf and others were not driven by fear of hell. Their missionary zeal came from a place of deep love for Christ and a desire to share His love with others. They were not motivated by the need to save others from punishment, but by the beauty of Christ’s passion and the opportunity to share in His sufferings.

The saints show us that the stakes of missionary work don’t have to be framed in terms of hellfire and eternal punishment. Instead, the greatest motivator can be love—the love of Christ that compels us to go to the ends of the earth, to suffer alongside others, and to bring them the joy of knowing Him. Missionary work grounded in love rather than fear has the power to transform not only the people being evangelized but also the missionaries themselves, as they come to experience Christ in a deeper, more intimate way.

Saint Jean de Brebeuf, along with countless other martyrs, reveals that true missionary work is not fueled by fear of punishment but by love—love for Christ and love for those who do not yet know Him. Their willingness to suffer and die was not about avoiding hell or ensuring others avoided it. Instead, it was about sharing in Christ’s passion and bringing the Gospel to others out of a deep and abiding love.

As we reflect on the lives of these saints, we are reminded that the Church’s mission is not about instilling fear but about sharing the love of Christ. When love is at the center of our missionary work, the need for punishment and fear fades away, and what remains is the joy of sharing in the sufferings of Christ and the hope of the resurrection.