Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s readings from the Holy Scriptures are truly appropriate for the occasion of the day. For today we celebrate the feast of many martyrs of the faith, that is the Chinese martyrs, who died defending their true faith zealously despite persecution and oppression from their own countrymen and authorities who viewed them as their enemies.

The Chinese martyrs are led with St. Augustine Zhao Rong, one of the first Chinese native priests, who was brought up in the faith, together with many others who were converts to the faith, and who zealously defended their faith, even unto the point of death. The Chinese martyrs, or more appropriately termed the martyr saints of China were a large group of holy martyrs, both native Chinese faithful and many missionaries from different countries who committed themselves to the spreading of the Word of God.

However, the situation and the general condition in China during the times when these martyrs lived, that is between the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, and some to the early twentieth century coincided with the reign of the Qing Dynasty in China, which was highly isolationist and suspicious of any threat to its rule, as they themselves were the conquerors of China and were not safe in their reign, beset by numerous rebellions.

Although I try not to go to much into detail about the history of China at the time, but it is very important for us to understand it briefly to know the reason why the faithful were tortured and had to suffer even death. The Chinese civilisation and the many dynasties ruling over the Empire of China had a very long and venerable history, and rich ensemble of achievements, as long as very long history of self-sufficiency and prosperity.

The Chinese people and the Empire in particular sees itself as the centre of the world, and the centre of all civilisations, as the Middle Kingdom, another name that China is well known of, a direct translation of what the Chinese people called their own state, even until today. The other civilisations, states and countries were considered inferior to the Chinese civilisation, and these were often regarded as barbarians.

When the first missionaries brought the faith to China, and in particular when the age of active missionary actions brought the faith to China a few hundred years ago, the faithful were seen with both contempt and suspicion by both the authorities and the people as a whole. The missionaries were valued by the authorities, including the Chinese Emperor, for their skills in science and other aspects of knowledge and learning, but regarding the faith, they were greatly restricted in their actions.

Yet this did not stop many from listening to the word of God, to the word of truth, and casting aside the falsehoods of the world, they chose to follow the Lord and became one of the faithful like us. But because of the prejudice and the hostility with which the others saw these faithful, they suffered greatly under persecution, both secretly and openly. And eventually many died and were killed under various circumstances, especially when the faithful were openly attacked and persecuted against.

St. Augustine Zhao Rong and many of his other companions in sainthood and martyrdom, coming from different era and times, encompassing several centuries, might have had different lives and different experiences of faith, but they all shared the same experience of defending their faith and their soul against damnation, in choosing to keep faithful to the Lord instead of apostasy for the sake of worldly safety and well-being.

Their examples showed us how martyrdom is not something confined to the past, to the times of the Ancient Rome or the Middle Ages, but is something that is real to us and to the faith. Persecution and martyrdom is common, especially in our world today, where intolerance against both our faith and we ourselves, the faithful is constantly on the rise, from various avenues and sources. Persecution and opposition against the faithful is getting more and more common, and even acceptable to the world.

But as we see in the Scripture readings today, the Lord called many to His side, and made them His disciples and Apostles, all with the sole intent of bringing His words and salvation to this world and all of the people living in it. God sent them first to His first chosen people, the direct heir and descendants of Abraham that is the people of Israel. Yet, the first among God’s chosen ones did not respond well, and thereafter, God sent all of His disciples to proclaim His words among all the nations, for the salvation of all peoples.

As rejection and opposition faced the disciples and the Apostles as they ministered with their Lord to the Israelites, the same kind of reception should also indeed be expected for all the servants of the Lord across the entire world, going about to preach the words of salvation and living their faith, just as what happened to saints and martyrs throughout the ages, including St. Augustine Zhao Rong and the others, the martyr saints of China.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all ask the intercession of the holy saints and martyrs of China, of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions, so that they may pray to God to strengthen our own faith, that in our time today, we may always be true to our faith, and live our faith genuinely in full obedience to the Lord, rebuking Satan and all of his false promises and lies.

May the examples of the martyrs help us to live our own faith with zeal and love, for the good of all of us, and for the good of all mankind. May Almighty God bless us all. Amen.