September 28 2022 - St. Lawrence Ruiz - The life offered to God

Saint Lawrence Ruiz is the first canonized Filipino martyr.  He was born in Manila around the year 1600 to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, who were both Christians.  As a young boy he was educated by Dominican priests and served as an altar boy.  He became a professional calligrapher, transcribing documents in beautiful penmanship, and he was a member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary.  He married and was a devoted husband and father of two sons and a daughter. He was a man of faith.

His life took an abrupt turn when he was unjustly accused of murder.  The threat of arrest led Lawrence to flee his home.  He sought asylum with several Dominican priests who were going to Japan to do missionary work.

As God’s mysterious providence would have it, Lorenzo along with the missionaries were arrested shortly after arriving in Japan. Catholics were being persecuted heavily in Japan at that time, and those who professed the Catholic faith, especially missionaries, were being jailed by the Japanese government, subjected to unspeakable tortures in attempt to force them to renounce their faith. Those who refused to apostatize were sentenced to death by the Japanese.  

As he faced his persecutors, St. Lorenzo said, “If I had a thousand lives to offer, I would offer them to God. So, do with me as you please."  He was killed by being hung upside down and exsanguinated. 

The world thinks (many Catholics think) that the purpose of life is escape a fate like St. Lorenzo’s—to do anything we can from being arrested, tortured, and murdered for our faith. But we must offer our lives to God no matter what that means.

The life offered to God might mean a long life, surrounded by grandchildren—helping your family to become strong in the faith. It might mean being the victim of a false accusation, like St. Lorenzo, and then tortured for your faith. It might mean to have the hatred of the worldly powers bent on your demise. But, the martyrs show us that offering our lives to God, whatever that means, will always bring about a greater good. 

The Courage of the Martyrs comes from a passivity, an acceptance, and surrender to the Holy Will of God. And that’s something that every Catholic is called to imitate no matter our state in life or our circumstances. Surrendered to God, the slave becomes free, the poor becomes rich, the weak becomes strong in bearing witness to God, the crucified becomes an instrument of grace. 

May the martyrs help us to seek and surrender to the Holy Will of God with courage and love for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That religious indifference and hatred in our country and around the world may be transformed to radical commitment to the Gospel of Christ.

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to war, violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution.

For the conversion of Atheists, hardened sinners, lapsed Catholics, and the conversion of all hearts.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering. 

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14

It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law. One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said: "What do you expect to achieve by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors." 

At the point of death, the second brother said: "You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever. It is for his laws that we are dying."

After him the third suffered their cruel sport. He put out his tongue at once when told to do so,

and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words: "It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again." Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man's courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing.

After he had died, they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way. When he was near death, he said, "It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life."

Jn 15:18-21

Jesus said to his disciples: "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me."

July 20 2018 - St. Apollinaris - Perseverance and the Crown of Life

Behind the altar of the great Cathedral in Ravenna Italy, there is a beautiful mosaic of that city’s first bishop, the saint who we honor today, St. Apollinaris. Apollinaris was a disciple of the apostle Peter, who accompanied Peter from to Antioch, and finally to Rome, the place of Peter’s martyrdom.

Before his death, St. Peter sent Apollinaris to Ravenna, to be that place’s first bishop. There he preached the faith with great courage and performed many healing miracles. Upon his arrival, he was welcomed into the home of a Roman Tribune who had a blind son. Apollinaris shared with the tribune the good news of Jesus Christ. Apollinaris then healed the blind boy, and the tribune and his family converted. His house became the headquarters of the Bishop. Soon, many families were coming to the bishop to be instructed in the faith. The faith began to flourish, priests and deacons were ordained.

The pagan Roman priests soon became disgruntled at the number of Christian conversions, and had the city officials arrest, imprison, and torture the bishop in order to get him to leave Ravenna. He was flogged, put on the rack, and plunged into boiling oil. When he survived these tortures, he was exiled for a time, and after preaching the Gospel and winning many conversions in exile, he returned to Italy, where he was imprisoned and tortured again, and eventually beaten to death on July 23rd in the year 79. His feast was transferred to July 20th after the revision of the Liturgical Calendar at Vatican Council II.

The Collect prayer for the mass in honor of Apollinaris speaks of perseverance; we certainly see perseverance in the life of this holy bishop, enduring torture, exile, the hatred of rival religions and secular government, not to mention the ordinary crosses that every Christian faces: the temptations to abandon the commandments, to lose our temper when things don’t go our way, to grow lax in our attentiveness to the needs of the poor, to give in to being grumpy, gloomy, irritable, impatient.

Christians need to look to the martyrs constantly to remind us that if they can endure such great suffering, we can certainly endure the ordinary difficulties of life with the help and grace of God if we really want to.

St. James writes, “Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life.” May we open our hearts to the help of the martyrs, like St. Apollinaris, that we may so persevere in keeping the commandments as to merit being crowned with them, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Our Savior’s faithfulness is mirrored in the fidelity of his witnesses who shed their blood for the Word of God. Let us praise him in remembrance of them:

The martyrs professed their faith by shedding their blood, may we have a faith that is constant and pure.

The martyrs followed in Christ’s footsteps by carrying the cross, may we endure courageously our earthly trials and all the misfortunes of life.

The martyrs washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb, may we be helped by their prayers to overcome the weaknesses of the flesh and worldly allurements.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of July: That priests, who experience fatigue and loneliness in their pastoral work, may find help and comfort in their intimacy with the Lord and in their friendship with their brother priests. We pray to the Lord.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

September 28 2017 - Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, martyr - "If I had a thousand lives to offer..."

Saint Lorenzo Ruiz is the first canonized Filipino martyr.  He was born in Manila around the year 1600 to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, who were both Christians.  As a young boy he was educated by Dominican priests and served as an altar boy.  He became a professional calligrapher, transcribing documents in beautiful penmanship, and he was a member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary.  He married and was a devoted husband and father of two sons and a daughter.

His life took an abrupt turn when he was unjustly accused of murder.  The threat of arrest led Lawrence to flee his home.  He sought asylum with several Dominican priests who were going to Japan to do missionary work.

However, Catholics were being persecuted heavily in Japan.  All those who professed the Catholic faith, and especially missionaries were being jailed and even being sentenced to death by the Japanese.  Lorenzo along with the missionaries were arrested shortly after arriving in Japan and were subjected to unspeakable tortures.  He was killed by being hung upside down and exsanguinated.

As he was dying he said, “If I had a thousand lives to offer, I would offer them to God. So, do with me as you please."  Lorenzo was martyred for his faith, along with 15 Dominicans from Spain, Italy, France, Japan, and the Philippines.

In the Gospel, Herod the Tetrarch is greatly perplexed when Jesus persists in his mission even after John the Baptist had been beheaded. The powers of the world are perplexed by Christ. The Japanese torturers could not understand why Saint Lorenzo and his companion Christians willingly suffered for Christ. “The world does not know us, because it did not know him”.

The world does not understand why we remain true to the teachings of Christ amidst the changing moral values of the world.  It does not understand why Christians in the third world will often walk 3 or 4 hours to Church in Sunday day to celebrate Eucharist. It does not understand why we undergo the embarrassment of confessing our sins to a fallible priest. It does not understand why we fast and do penance and seek the mortification of the flesh. It does not understand why we sacrifice so much of our time and talent and wealth to help people we don’t even know.

And in the world’s lack of understanding, we say, along with Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, “if I had a thousand lives to offer, I would offer them to God.” In our temptations and our hardship, may we be found faithful to Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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That religious indifference in our country and around the world may be transformed to radical commitment to the Gospel of Christ.

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to war, violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution.

For the conversion of Atheists, hardened sinners, lapsed Catholics, and the conversion of all hearts.
For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of September: “That our parishes, animated by a missionary spirit, may be places where faith is communicated and charity is seen.”

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.