who were tortured and murdered rather than deny their faith.
But they had to come to that. It was a process of theosis, not a one-time event. Even +Peter denied Christ three times and sank when walking on water. The saints give us hope because they also had to mature in their faith, and they also had moments of weakness and doubt. But they persevered.
Many people in those days were tortured and murdered then, common folk like you and me. It's still going on today in many countries. They won't be canonized but God will still see them as saints if they die for the faith.