Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
In the Gospel for today, Jesus has three encounters that together illustrate the difficulties that may be encountered in following Jesus as a disciple. For me, the first encounter is the most telling. The person offers himself as a disciple, telling Jesus “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus’ response to this would-be disciple is that “the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” We do not know if this saying discouraged the would-be disciple or not. However, the life of one of the saints who has an optional memorial today, St. Lorenzo Ruiz, shows that what is true for the Master can also become true for the disciple.
St. Lorenzo Ruiz is the first person from the Philippines to be canonized as a saint, and he is also the first martyr from the Philippines. St. Lorenzo lived the life of a devout layperson. He joined the Dominican Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary as a young man. He married, and with his wife raised three children. His happy family life came to an end in 1636 when he was accused of murder. To escape jail, Lorenzo traveled with a group of Dominican missionaries to Japan. At this time in Japan, Christians were being persecuted. Lorenzo and his group were soon arrested, and in 1637 were tortured severely and put to death. According to the website Catholic Online, Lorenzo’s last words were “I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for God. Had I a thousand lives, all these to him I shall offer. Do with me as you please.” When we are disciples of Christ, as St. Lorenzo was, we don’t always know by what paths the Lord will lead us. But we can trust that He knows the destination.
Reflection by Fr. Aquinas Keusenkothen, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections