LORENZO RUIZ AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs
Introduction
The martyrs we honor today shed their blood at Nagasaki, Japan, in the years 1633-1637. Among them were Dominican priests, religious brothers and sisters, and three laymen. The person who heads the list was a married layman, who had a Chinese Father and a Filipina mother. Involved in a criminal case, he fled to Japan. He refused to renounce his faith, saying, “I am a Christian and I shall die for God, and for him I would give many thousands of lives if I had them.”
Opening Prayer
Lord God,
give us the endurance of your martyrs,
Lorenzo Ruiz and companions,
in serving you and our neighbor;
for those who suffer persecution for justice’s sake
are blessed in the kingdom of heaven.
We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Reading 1: Hg 1:1-8
On the first day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius,
The word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai
to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,
and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak:
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
This people says:
“The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.”
(Then this word of the LORD came through Haggai, the prophet:)
Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses,
while this house lies in ruins?
Now thus says the LORD of hosts:
Consider your ways!
You have sown much, but have brought in little;
you have eaten, but have not been satisfied;
You have drunk, but have not been exhilarated;
have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed;
And whoever earned wages
earned them for a bag with holes in it.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Consider your ways!
Go up into the hill country;
bring timber, and build the house
That I may take pleasure in it
and receive my glory, says the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Alleluia: Jn 14:6
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Lk 9:7-9
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
“John has been raised from the dead”;
others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;
still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
But Herod said, “John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”
And he kept trying to see him.
Intentions
– Lord, keep us always searching to understand you and our Gospel better, we pray:
– Lord, let our faith be a light that makes us see the meaning of our lives, we pray:
– Lord, make us patient with those who are lax in their faith, that we may not extinguish the smoldering wick, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Father of holiness,
accept the gifts we bring before you
on this memorial of the holy martyrs,
and grant that we, your servants,
may also persevere in confessing your name.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
O God,
in the death of your holy martyrs,
the mystery of the cross shines forth.
Grant that by the power of this sacrifice
we too may hold fast to Christ, your Son,
and labor in the Church for the salvation of all.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
Is everything really in vain? Is there no meaning in life? In moments of doubt and questioning, we ask ourselves perhaps this question. But then, we remember we are people of faith, and our faith and our life are very meaningful. Let God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Reflection:
September 28; 25th Thursday in Ordinary Time
Luke 9:7-9
Let us listen to the voice of our conscience
“Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33), we read this advice of Jesus in the gospel. Today’s first reading gives exactly this lesson. The Jews after returning from Babylonian exile forgot God and were more worried about their own affairs. Prophet Haggai pricks their conscience and tells them to set their priority right: First things first. Give to God the first place and everything will be in place.
The gospel of the day points out the guilt-feeling of Herod the tetrarch. It is natural that guilt-feeling disturbs us when we make mistakes and commit sins. Herod knew that he made colossal error in beheading John the Baptist even after knowing that he was a just man. So, he sees John the Baptist in the person of Jesus because of the guilt-feeling. Positively, it is good to have guilt-feeling as it can lead to conversion. Negatively, it can lead to stress and depression and disturb one’s happiness and sleep. There are some people who never listens to conscience and they domesticate its inner voice and thus guilt-feeling makes no difference to them. Herod belongs to that category. Even though conscience told him not to do any harm to John the Baptist, he beheaded him. Let us not be like this man. Let us listen to the voice of the conscience and lead a life worthy of our call as Christians.