ANDREW, DUNG-LAC and COMPANION, Martyrs from Vietnam
Cleansing the Temple
Introduction
St. Andrew Dung-Lac and his 116 companions were martyred when Christians in Vietnam were persecuted from 1625 to 1886. Among them were twenty-one foreign missionaries. Thirty-seven of the Vietnamese were priests and 59 were lay people. Rather than renounce the faith, they chose to suffer countless suffering and dreadful torture. Andrew Dung-Lac, who represents the group, was a diocesan priest, who was beheaded in 1839. The group was canonized on 19 June 1988 by Pope John Paul II.
Opening Prayer
Our living and loving God,
you commanded us to proclaim the Good News
throughout the world,
that everyone may know your offer of life and love.
Through the life and witness of St. Andrew Dung-Lac and companions,
the message of salvation was proclaimed;
they did live in the world
but chose to live not of this world.
May the prayers of these martyrs help us
to stand firm in the midst of the present world,
and to give witness to your love and justice.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Reading 1: 1 Mc 4:36-37, 52-59
“Now that our enemies have been crushed,
let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it.”
So the whole army assembled, and went up to Mount Zion.
Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month,
that is, the month of Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-eight,
they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law
on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made.
On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it,
on that very day it was reconsecrated
with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals.
All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven,
who had given them success.
For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar
and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices
of deliverance and praise.
They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields;
they repaired the gates and the priests’ chambers
and furnished them with doors.
There was great joy among the people
now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.
Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel
decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar
should be observed with joy and gladness
on the anniversary every year for eight days,
from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.
Responsorial Psalm: 1 Chr 29:10bcd, 11abc, 11d-12a, 12bcd
“Blessed may you be, O LORD,
God of Israel our father,
from eternity to eternity.”
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
“Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory.
For all in heaven and on earth is yours.”
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
“Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty;
you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you.”
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
“You have dominion over all,
In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.”
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
Alleluia: Jn 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Lk 19:45-48
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.
Intercessions
– That in our churches, the Christian community may experience the presence of God in prayer and joyful worship, we pray:
– That we may make our houses of prayer places of hearty encounter for God with his people, we pray:
– That as living stones of the Church, we may build up our communities as people who love and serve, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
your Son came to live in our midst
to be the living bread
that gives life and strength to us,
even as he shared with us his words
of love and hope.
Let Jesus be our hope,
that we may never waver in our faith
and be strong in witnessing
that he is our Lord and Savior for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
we have celebrated the strength and determination
of your martyrs who stood firm in their faith.
Grant us that same determination and courage
to be living witnesses to your love and justice
for our sisters and brothers.
Make us strong and able to love you,
even as you have loved us
through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
By his word and actions, Jesus has spoken to us today that we must serve God as he himself did: in spirit and in truth, that is: our everyday living must correspond to what we believe, in loyal service of God and people. May God bless you and guide you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Reflection:
24 November 2023
Luke 19: 45-48
Beware of the holy bribe!
The temple of Jerusalem, made of stones, expressed the religious structure of Israel. In the minds of many, the Temple is the central point and physical embodiment of their entire religious and cultural system. An assault on the Temple was an act of violence against Israel and an act of violence against God.
The temple authorities spread a false understanding of God among their people. The ordinary people were taught a distorted view of God through a false catechism. They promoted the idea that God could be appeased through material offerings and sacrifices. Jesus exposes their hypocrisy by asking for a coin.
Offerings in the temple could not be made with coins bearing the image of a pagan emperor. Hence, they had the money changers inside the temple premises. They had no objection in having money-changing booths inside the temple premises. To maintain the temple’s ritual purity, the devotees had to buy sacrificial animals from the temple — no wonder the place of prayer had soon turned into a market.
By driving out the traders, Jesus symbolically stopped the faulty and misleading sacrificial activities within the temple.
The message is relevant for us Christians today because the temple symbolises the Church. Churches will always be tempted by power and worldliness. This is not a power that comes from Jesus. “A den of robbers” is what Jesus calls it because the temple authorities cheated the poor!
Pope Francis says, “There is always the temptation of corruption within the Church”. If we allow ourselves to be seduced by money and power instead of fidelity to Jesus, the Lord of peace, joy, and salvation, we will fall into this trap. The priests and leaders in the Church may not directly do business in the Church, but they may be connected to the people who actually do the business. This connection may bring them a profit – by allowing them to do business even in the Holy Places. The Pope calls it the “Holy Bribe!”
Each of us faces this daily struggle, as does the Church: to always cling to his every word, to hear what he says, and to never seek security in material wealth and powers. After all, “you cannot serve two masters: either God or riches; God or power”.