At his martyrdom, St. Paul Miki forgave his enemies: “I believe that not one of you thinks I want to hide the truth. That is why I declare to you that there is no other way of salvation than the one followed by Christians. Since this way teaches me to forgive my enemies and all who have offended me, I willingly forgive the king and all those who have desired my death. And I pray that they will obtain the desire of Christian baptism.”

Saints inspire us to seek the perfection of God which is not so much as to become perfect in the sense of having no sin, but to be like God in the perfect love of loving even enemies. For when we were his enemies, Christ loved and forgave us to the point of giving up his life for us. Therefore, we learn that perfect love consists in forgiveness of the wrong and evil that others have committed against us. This experience calls many to conversion, and affirms the truth that God exists because forgiving the enemy is a divine act.