Tradition holds that all of the apostles (the first Bishops of the Catholic Church), with the exception of Judas and St. John, the son of Zebedee, were martyred, including St. Paul. We are comforted in our faith and can withstand persecution because these Pillars of our Church lead the way and died for what they witnessed. They would not have given up their lives to spread the Good News if they did not literally witness the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.