Daily Progress toward God

   "As Christians, our task is to make daily progress toward God. Our pilgrimage on earth is a school in which God is the only teacher, and
it demands good students, not ones who play truant.
    In this school we learn something every day. We learn something
from commandments, something from examples, and something from
Sacraments. These things are remedies for our wounds and materials for
our studies."
--St. Augustine--Sermon 16A, 1

Prayer: Lord, you help those who turn to you. You redeem us so that we
may come to you.
--St. Augustine--Commentary on Psalm 17, 15

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January 28th - Saint Jerome Lu and Blessed Lawrence Wang

Memorials
28 January
28 September as one of the Martyrs of China

January 28 marks the feast day of two modern-day martyrs, who gave
their lives in China: Saint Jerome Lu (1810-1858) and Blessed Lawrence Wang(1811-1858). These two courageous men, along with approximately
120 others (87 Chinese laypersons and 33 missionaries) were martyred
between 1648 and 1930, many dying during the bloody and violent Boxer
Rebellion in 1900. The “new” Martyrs of China were canonized by Pope
John Paul II in October 2000.

The earliest martyrs of China are recognized in the early 17th
century, although Christianity in China is recorded as early as the
Tang Dynasty (in the 600s). In the 1600s, however, the Emperor became
bothered by the frequent requests of his people for baptism and
participation in organized religious rites. Christians were being
persecuted in neighboring Japan at the time, and this is also thought
to have influenced the first wave of anti-Christian sentiment which
resulted.

In 1648, the first martyr of China is recorded. Blessed Francis
Fernandez de Capillas, a Franciscan brother and teacher, was beheaded
while praying the Holy Rosary and meditating on the Sorrowful
Mysteries. Subsequent to his death, persecution increased across the
continent, growing in frequency and intensity. Official decrees
followed in 1805, 1811, and 1813, ordering persecution against those
who were seeking ordination, studying Holy Scripture, and practicing
as servants of the Church. Those who voluntarily renounced their faith
were saved from harsh punishment. During this time, Saint Jerome Lu
and Blessed Lawrence Wang were martyred.

Saint Jerome Lu was born in Mao-Cheu, China where he joined the church
at an early age, working as a catechist and teaching the Holy
Scriptures to his neighbors. Upon discovery in 1858, he was beheaded
in his hometown at Maokou. Blessed Lawrence Wang has a similar story.
Born in Kuy-yang, he also served as a catechist in Maokou, and was
beheaded with Saint Jerome in 1858. Along with Saint Jerome and
Blessed Lawrence, a third catechist was beheaded, Blessed Angela Lin
Zao, after failing to renounce Christianity and the Rites of the
Catholic Church. They were ordered to be tortured and executed by the
Mandarin of Maokou, and likely died (like their predecessors), praying
the Holy Rosary together.

Active persecution of Chinese Christians ceased in 1846, during a 50
year period of tenuous peace with foreign traders and pressure from
the outside world. However, during the bloody Boxer Rebellion in 1900,
newer and harsher edicts were proclaimed against Christians, resulting
in the deaths of 86 recognized Catholic martyrs during that year
alone. It is estimated that thousands of Christians gave their lives
during this uprising for their faith.

Harsh persecution of Christians ceased in 1930, although with the rise
of communism in China, few personal liberties to practice Christian
faith were permitted. Rather than death, imprisonment became a common punishment for those who failed to renounce their faith. In recent
decades, this has improved, with organized (state-monitored) religious gatherings allowed.

The road for Christians in China, and many other countries, has been
long, difficult, and oftentimes dangerous. These courageous men and
women of faith have clung tightly to the Gospel, finding their peace
in Christ in the most difficult of times, and never losing site of the
promise of redemption and personal resurrection. These “new” martyrs
of China endured dangers and persecution, declaring their belief in
Christ, and their extravagant love for the Lord. As Saint Thomas
Aquinas (whose feast we also celebrate today) tells us, “The things
that we love tell us what we are.” This begs the questions: What are
we? What do we love? and How do we show that love to the world?
by Jacob


Saint Quotes:
"The true lover everywhere loves his Beloved, and continually remembers Him"

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy
whole soul, and with thy whole strength. And these words which I
command thee this day, shall be in thy heart: ... and thou shalt
meditate upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey,
sleeping and rising.
--St. Teresa of Avila (Foundress, 1515-82) - "Book of the Foundations”

Bible Quotes:
"And all the days [every possible moment] of thy life have God in thy
mind"  (Tobias  4:6)

"And thou shalt bind them as a sign on thy hand, and they shall be and
shall move between thy eyes. And thou shalt write them in the entry,
and on the doors of thy house."  (Deut 6:5-9)


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Prayer of the graces

Mary, Mother of the Eucharist,
precious gem of God,
shining pearl of the sky and the earth,
co-redemptrix of mankind,
Mother of us all,
look at your poor and humble creatures,
help us to understand the love
of Jesus the Eucharist.
Gain for us the graces
that each one needs,
provided that they are in accordance with God's will.
Mary, Mother of the Eucharist,
Mother of Jesus and our Mother,
we, even if imperfect,
count on your help.
Thank you Mary, Mother of the Eucharist.

 (At the end say three Hail Mary with the ejaculatory prayer: Mother of the Eucharist, pray with us)

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