The Feast of St Paul Miki and Companions.

Looks like "When the time of David’s death drew near, he gave these instructions to Solomon his son:  “I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong and be a man!  Keep the mandate of the Lord, your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do, and wherever you turn." (1 Kings 2: 1 - 3).

Thursday 6th of February in the 4th week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Paul Miki of the Society of Jesus (+ 1597), Priest and 25 Companion Martyrs. St Paul Miki, a Japanese Jesuit and his 25 companions faced death courageously in Nagasaki, Japan in 1597 and thus were the first Christian martyrs in East Asia. The bloody persecution of the Church in Japan wiped out the Church in Japan and seemed to have obliterated the missionary efforts of St Francis Xavier and others. The mystery of Divine Providence is inscrutable!

Our hero David, the warrior and champion is ready to go back to God.  David calls his son and successor Solomon and gave him the Last Testament. He tells him all he needs to know to succeed as king of Israel. This sounds similar to what God says to Joshua after Moses died:
"Only be strong and steadfast, being careful to observe the entire law which Moses my servant enjoined on you. Do not swerve from it either to the right or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you go." (Joshua 1: 7).

Solomon and Joshua are to adhere scrupulously to God's commandments. This is the principle of success for earthly rulers and for all of us. The Bible teaches that it is God who promotes and demotes. He reveals all the questions to us. Have God's principles of success changed?
No! History continues to validate these laws for success every day.

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