St. Lorenzo Ruiz

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Saturday, 28 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are yet reminded again today of the futility of seeking and being ambitious for the matters of the world, in seeking pleasures and satisfaction from all the various kinds of worldly desires, achievements, glory, fame and more. All those things are ultimately impermanent and illusory, and as I have mentioned earlier in the week through similar discourses, and we are constantly being reminded that what we truly should seek in this life is not comforts and pleasures of this world, not the glory and fame, the greatness and ambitions of this world. We must instead be humble and realise that our purpose in this life is to live our lives in accordance with God’s will and to serve Him wholeheartedly.

In our first reading today, we continue to listen to the passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes, also known as Book of Qoheleth, in which the author had highlighted in the past few days the futility of worldly pursuits and glory, all the ambitions and desires of this world and all the false pleasures and joys around us. All those things can lead us down the slippery slope towards sin and destruction because of those sins, and if we are not careful, we will end up losing sight and direction towards the Lord and fall ever deeper into the path of wickedness and evil. That is why we must always resist the never-ending pursuits for power and worldly ambitions, all of which are likely going to bring us into our doom, as they lead us ever further away from the path towards God.

Many of our predecessors and ancestors, those who had come before us had faced this same problem, and many among them had faltered in their faith as they were unable to resist the temptations of worldly ambitions and all the things which had brought them down the path of sin and temptations to sin. Many of them had been swayed by the various temptations of this world, which are also present all around us as well. That many among them failed to resist those temptations spoke volumes about how challenging it may be for us to overcome those things if we do not put the conscious efforts and do whatever we can to keep our lives focused and centred on the Lord and not on our own personal ambitions.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord continued to tell His disciples about how He would face oppressions, rejection and betrayal, and how He would eventually face the worst persecutions and pain, made to suffer and endure humiliation and shame in the midst of Him completing and accomplishing everything that had been entrusted to Him. The Lord wanted all of His disciples to know and realise that to be His followers and disciples, one must not seek what is commonly sought in the world, such as all the pleasures and ambitions of our personal desires that many among the disciples might have had in them too. After all, they did bicker and argue before among them regarding who among them were the ones who were more worthy and better.

Instead, the Lord wanted to highlight to the disciples and hence to all of us as well that being His followers and disciples would often mean that we may have to face and endure challenges and hardships, all of which could dissuade and tempt us away from following the path towards the Lord and His salvation. But if we continue to hold fast to our faith in God and in the assurance which He has always provided to us, all these while, then we may be preserved and strengthened amidst all those challenges and temptations, that we do not end up falling into those wrong and wicked paths. We have to be strong and faithful always in devoting ourselves, our time and efforts to walk in the path that the Lord has shown us, and not to allow anything to separate us from His love and grace.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of several saints whose lives and courage in standing up to their faith and love for God ought to be good inspiration and examples for each and every one of us all to follow in our own lives. First of all we have St. Wenceslaus, the patron saint of Bohemia, which is now the Czech Republic. St. Wenceslaus was the Duke of Bohemia during the early decades of Christianity in that region. Previously Bohemia and its surrounding regions had been pagans and by the time of the reign of St. Wenceslaus, there were still quite a number of pagans living in that area. There were still conflicts between Christians and pagans in Bohemia and early on in his reign, his powerful and influential mother who favoured the pagans tried to persecute Christians, but was foiled and she was exiled by the Christian nobles and lords.

St. Wenceslaus as Duke of Bohemia carried out his duties and responsibilities most nobly and most wonderfully, establishing many important institutions for the benefit of the people under his dominion and care, while also supporting the many good works and efforts of the Church and its missionaries. However, the efforts and works of St. Wenceslaus did not win universal accord and support, as there were those nobles who were disgruntled against him and plotted against him with the support of his own brother, Boleslav. It was at a feast when these plots came to fruition, as St. Wenceslaus was attacked and struck by three of Boleslav’s own companions, and his brother also struck him with his lance. St. Wenceslaus therefore died a martyr defending his virtue and righteousness, and his faith in God against the corrupt forces of the world.

Then we have St. Lawrence Ruiz, also known as St. Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions in martyrdom. St. Lawrence Ruiz himself was born in the Philippines to a mixed Chinese-Filipino background, and had a relatively normal life as a married man, husband and father, working as a clerk in the employ of the then Spanish colonial government in the Philippines. However, one day, he was framed for a murder which he did not do at all, and he had to flee to avoid being persecuted and condemned falsely. He eventually sought refuge with several priests who happened to be on their way to Japan. Together they made it to Japan where they landed, at the time when Japan had become increasingly hostile against Christians under the early years of the Tokugawa Shoguns.

It was then that St. Lawrence Ruiz and his companions were arrested by the authorities, who persecuted and oppressed them for their Christian faith, and for the works of the missionaries in trying to spread the words of the Lord and His Good News to the people of Japan. Then, after a period of two years in suffering and incarceration in prison, St. Lawrence Ruiz and his companions were brought to Nagasaki where their final journey would be, and it was there that they were persecuted and eventually martyred through a most painful and gruesome method by being hung upside-down over a pit, a method known as tsurushi in Japanese. Despite the sufferings and hardships, St. Lawrence Ruiz and his companions remained firm in their faith in God, and they stayed true to their obedience to God to the very end of their lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all have heard from the Sacred Scriptures today and as we have all been reminded of the courageous examples of the great saints and martyrs, St. Wenceslaus of Bohemia, as well as St. Lawrence Ruiz and his companions in martyrdom in Japan, let us all continue to seek the Lord in all things, to do what He has called and entrusted to do, to be truly faithful to Him in all things. Let us all not be swayed by all sorts of worldly temptations and pleasures, by all the things that can easily distract us into the wrong paths in life. May the Lord continue to strengthen us all in faith and help us in our journey towards Him, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 28 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Luke 9 : 43b-45

At that time, while all were amazed at everything Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Listen, and remember what I tell you now : The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men.” But the disciples did not understand this saying; something prevented them from grasping what He meant, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

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Saturday, 28 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 89 : 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17

You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.

You sow them in their time, a dawn they peep out. In the morning they blossom, but the flower fades and withers in the evening.

So make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. How long will You be angry, o YHVH? Have mercy on Your servant.

Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. May the sweetness of YHVH be upon us; may He prosper the work of our hands.

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Saturday, 28 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) 11 : 9 – Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) 12 : 8

Rejoice, young man, in your youth and direct well your heart when you are young; follow your desires and achieve your ambitions but recall that God will take account of all you do.

Drive sorrow from your heart and pain from your flesh, for youth and dark hair will not last. Be mindful of your Creator when you are young, before the time of sorrow comes when you have to say, “This gives me no pleasure,” and before the sun, moon and stars withdraw their light, before the clouds gather again after the rain.

On the day when the guardians of the house tremble, when sturdy men are bowed and those at the mill stop working because they are too few, when it grows dim for those looking through the windows, and the doors are shut and the noise of the mill grows faint, the sparrow stops chirping and the bird-song is silenced, when one fears the slopes and to walk is frightening;

Yet the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper is fat and the caperberry bears fruit that serves no purpose, because man goes forward to his eternal home and mourners gather in the street, even before the silver chain is snapped or the golden globe is shattered, before the pitcher is broken at the fountain or the wheel at the mill, before the dust returns to the earth from which it came and the spirit returns to God Who gave it.

Meaningless! Meaningless! The teacher says; all is meaningless!

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Thursday, 28 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to follow the Lord and to entrust ourselves to Him, to do what He has taught and commanded us all to do in our lives. We must always be focused and centred on God, and not be swayed easily by the comforts and the temptations present all around us in this world. Otherwise, we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians, as to be true and devout Christians, and to be worthy of God’s inheritance and grace, all of us must be truly committed to Him in all things, and not merely just a formality or for appearances only. In our every words, actions and deeds, we should be filled with true and genuine love for God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Haggai in which the prophet delivered God’s words to His people, reminding the leaders and elders of the people, the heir of David’s House, Zerubbabel, descendant of the kings of Judah, and also Joshua, the son of the High Priest, essentially that they should place their emphasis in honouring the Lord their God above all else, and do not forget of the obligation they have in rebuilding the House of God in Jerusalem. Back then, after several decades in exile, the people of God, Israelites and their descendants, had been allowed to return to their homeland by the Persians, their overlords, and they had by then resettled comfortably in the lands of their ancestors.

Hence, it was truly inappropriate that while they had all rebuilt their houses and cities, their livelihood and their activities, back to how it was before the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple, that the House of God remained in ruins and shambles. The House of God is the pivotal site upon which the whole community of the people of God should revolve around, and they should prioritise rebuilding that place where the whole assembly of the faithful could once again worship the Lord, their God and Master. Otherwise, without that physical focal point and place for the Divine worship of God, it might be easy for the people to be swayed and tempted once again by the wickedness and evils of the world which had misguided and doomed their predecessors before.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard a short passage from the Gospel of St. Luke in which we heard about the remarks made by King Herod Antipas who found out about the activities of the Lord Jesus, and was perplexed and affected by it because he was reminded of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, the Lord’s Herald that happened because of his own folly and failure to resist the temptations of sin. If we have known more about the events that happened then, we should be aware that it was Herod’s fall into temptations and sin of the flesh that led to him inadvertently causing the death of the saint, by being trapped into the machinations of his wife, Herodias, who was not validly and legally married to him, being his own brother’s wife.

This is why, just as we have been reminded by these Scripture readings, we must not allow ourselves to be swayed by worldly comforts, desires and attachments, all of which may cause us to forget our focus on the Lord, and end up causing us to be easily distracted by all those temptations and distractions which had caused so many of our predecessors to fall into their downfall through sin and disobedience against God. We must learn from their examples and strive so that we will not end up walking down the wrong path in life, and that we will always be faithful and committed to God, regardless of the circumstances. This is why we should always remind ourselves of the obligations we have in living our lives as faithfully as possible as Christians, God’s holy people.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Wenceslas, a great man of God who was the Duke of Bohemia in the early Middle Ages. He was a great and upright man, who was dedicated to his role as the ruler over his country and people. At that time, the land of Bohemia, in what is now Czech Republic, was still only recently converted to the Christian faith, with significant numbers of the people still held on to their old pagan faith and beliefs. St. Wenceslaus and his many efforts were instrumental in improving not just the livelihood and well-being of the people under his rule, but also in the establishment of the strong foundation of the Church and the Faith among the people, and he also tirelessly did his best to advance the cause of the Lord and His Church. Unfortunately, he fell into the court politics and oppositions against him and his rule eventually led to him being assassinated by the collusion of his own brother, becoming a martyr of the Faith.

Then, today also marks the Feast of the Holy Martyrs of Japan, St. Lawrence Ruiz and his companions in martyrdom. St. Lawrence Ruiz himself, also known better as St. Lorenzo Ruiz, was not a Japanese, but rather hailing from the Philippines, where he was falsely accused of a crime, which led him to seek refuge overseas, and which led him to end up in Japan after boarding a ship bearing some Catholic priests from Macau clandestinely trying to enter the country. At that time, Japan under the reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate had closed its doors to any foreigners, except for very few merchants, and especially banned the Christian faith and its missionaries. Christians and the foreign missionaries, as well as local clergy were persecuted harshly and many died for their faith as martyrs.

St. Lawrence Ruiz was among those Christians who were persecuted and arrested because of their faith, and they all chose to remain steadfast and true to their faith in God, rather than to safeguard their lives and betray their Lord and Master. They refused to give in to the pressures from the authorities, despite the threat of certain death and most agonising forms of sufferings that they all had to endure in defending their faith to the very end. Thus that was how St. Lawrence Ruiz and his fellow companions in martyrdom perished, but their bravery, faith and commitment to God became source of inspiration and strength for so many others who had witnessed and heard of their most exemplary faith in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, hence, all of us should also do our very best to live our lives worthily of the Lord, by doing whatever it is that He has commanded and taught us to do in our own respective lives. Let us all remind one another, and be inspired by the holy lives, virtues and the courage that our predecessors had shown, like those shown by St. Wenceslaus and by St. Lawrence Ruiz and his companions in martyrdom. May God also continue to help and guide us throughout the journey of faith and life, so that hopefully all of us can grow ever more committed in serving God, at all times. Amen.

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Thursday, 28 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Luke 9 : 7-9

At that time, king Herod heard of all that Jesus and His disciples had done, and did not know what to think, for people said, “This is John, raised from the dead.”

Others believed that Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets, had come back to life. As for Herod, he said, “I had John beheaded. Who is this Man, about Whom I hear such wonders?” And he was anxious to see Him.

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Thursday, 28 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 149 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

Alleluia! Sing to YHVH a new song, sing His praise in the assembly of His saints. Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the people of Zion glory in their King!

Let them dance in praise of His Name; and make music for music for Him with harp and timbrel. For YHVH delights in His people; He crowns the lowly with victory.

The saints will exult in triumph; even at night, on their couches, let the praise of God be on their lips. This is the glory of all His saints. Alleluia!

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Thursday, 28 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Haggai 1 : 1-8

In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, a word of YHVH was directed to the prophet Haggai, for the benefit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.

So says YHVH of hosts : This people claim that the time to rebuild the House of YHVH has not yet come. Well now, hear what I have to say through the prophet Haggai : Is this the time for you to live in your well-built houses while this House is a heap of ruins? Think about your ways : you have sown much but harvested little; you eat and drink, but are not satisfied; you clothe yourselves, but still feel cold; and the labourer puts the money he earned in a tattered purse.

Now think about what you must do : go to the mountain and look for wood to rebuild the House. This will make me happy; and I will feel deeply honoured, says YHVH.

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Wednesday, 28 September 2022 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures we are reminded to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and not be easily swayed by sins and disobediences. Each one of us should not be ignorant of our calling and mission to be good and dedicated disciples and followers of our God. To all of us, we have been entrusted with the mission and calling to serve the Lord in whichever opportunities and chances that He has presented us with, and all of us as Christians have been called to do the will of God at all times, to be His faithful followers and disciples, becoming the beacons of His light and truth.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in our first reading today we heard from the Book of Job the words of Job, a suffering man of God who was struck by many unfortunate losses and calamities because Satan was testing him before God to see if Job would abandon his faith in God and betray the Lord. But Job remained firmly faithful to God and refused to be swayed or coerced by Satan’s efforts, and even when his own wife and friends blamed him and told him to abandon the Lord, he also refused to do so. Nonetheless, he did suffer and despaired, thinking of just how insignificant he and his human nature was before God.

What Job spoke of in our first reading today essentially pointed out the limitations of our humanity and our mortal existence. He spoke of the greatness and the glory of God, and how everything happened in this world by God’s will, and nothing can happen in all unless it has been willed by God and unless God had deemed it right to happen. God had dominion over all things and over all of our lives, and we must realise just how small and insignificant we are in truth as compared to the greatness and the vast majesty of God, Who rules over all the whole entire Universe and over all existence.

In essence, Job reminded us all that God Who is our Lord and Master has control over all things, and truly, if we are able to put our trust in Him, there is nothing that we have to worry about. God will provide as long as we do our best to live our lives in accordance with His will, and He will help and guide us in our journey through life. We have to follow Him and entrust ourselves to His cause, and allow Him to guide us down the way. We all have to commit ourselves wholeheartedly and not be distracted by the many other attachments and temptations of the world. Otherwise, as we heard in our Gospel passage today, we may not be truly worthy for the kingdom of God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples regarding their calling and mission, and responsibilities as one of His disciples and followers. He laid it clearly to them how being His followers will often mean that they had to leave behind the comforts of the world, the attachments to their many worldly matters, just as He Himself, the Son of Man, did not even have any place or home to lay His head on. What the Lord told those whom He called to be His disciples, is that in following Him, they have to put their whole attention and focus on Him, and not to let the distractions of the world to be obstacles in the path of their journey towards God and His salvation.

Often times, we allow our preoccupations and attachments to the world to put God aside, ignoring Him and His call for us to follow Him. We often put our many worldly matters, preoccupations, considerations and other things as excuses why we cannot follow the Lord with all of our commitment and heart. When we always make excuses like this, then it is little wonder if we can be easily swayed or tempted, persuaded or coerced to abandon the path that the Lord has shown us in exchange of the path which we may find to be more agreeable or more convenient to us. It is always about us, about our selfish desires and wants, and not about what we should do as a follower of God.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the saints, St. Wenceslaus of Bohemia, a great servant of God and martyr of the faith, as well as the Holy Martyrs in Japan, St. Lorenzo Ruiz or St. Lawrence Ruiz, the first Filipino saint, as well as his companions in martyrdom who perished during the intense persecution against Christians in Japan back then. Hopefully the examples shown by these saints and martyrs can become inspiration and good examples for all of us in how each and every one of us ought to live our lives as Christians from now on, in doing God’s will and in obeying His commandments, and in staying true to our faith, and our respective mission and calling in life as Christians.

St. Wenceslaus of Bohemia was the Duke of Bohemia during the Middle Ages, who was renowned for his great faith in God, his dedication for his people and hard work, committing himself for the betterment of his realm and people. He helped the development and expansion of the Church, which flourished greatly during his reign. He also encountered opposition particularly from the ones who still subscribed and followed the pagan faith of their ancestors, and who plotted with the Duke’s brother, Boleslav. That culminated with the assassination and murder of this holy and devout man of God, out of jealousy, rivalry and politics.

Meanwhile, St. Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions were persecuted greatly by the Tokugawa Shogunate government in Japan, who severely persecuted the Christian missionaries and local Christian converts at that time. Thousands were arrested, tortured and martyred, and many others were forced to choose between abandoning their faith and live, or to remain firm in their faith and perish in great suffering. St. Lorenzo Ruiz himself was not in Japan then intentionally, as he was on the run from those who accused him wrongly of murdering someone. He was on the refuge on a Spanish ship loaded with missionaries bound for Japan, which was then closed to all foreigners and missionaries.

As he ended up in the midst of the intense persecutions of the Christian faithful at that time, St. Lorenzo Ruiz did not give up his faith, even when he was forced to do so, amidst the most painful torture and treatment that he was made to go through. Many other of his fellow Christians also endured the same kind of fate, and many among them all including St. Lorenzo Ruiz chose to suffer and die rather than to betray and abandon the Lord. And in their courageous life and dedication to God, each and every one of them, just as St. Wenceslaus of Bohemia had shown us, have inspired us all to live our lives ever more worthily and with ever greater commitment as Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best to live our lives faithfully from now on, so that in our every actions, words and deeds, we will be good witnesses of the Lord and the bright, wonderful beacons of His light and truth. May God be with us always, and may He continue to bless us in our every efforts and good endeavours for His greater glory, now and always. St. Wenceslaus of Bohemia, St. Lorenzo Ruiz and companions, holy men and women of God, martyrs of the Church, pray for us sinners. Amen.

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Wednesday, 28 September 2022 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Luke 9 : 57-62

At that time, as Jesus and His disciples went on their way, a man said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

To another, Jesus said, “Follow Me!” But he answered, “Let me go back now, for, first, I want to bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them, and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Another said to Him, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” And Jesus said to him, “Whoever has put his hand to the plow, and looks back, is not fit for the kingdom of God.”