Feast of St Andrew Dung Lac & Companion Martyrs.
"Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out 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." (Luke 19: 45 - 48).
Friday 24th November 2023 of the 33rd Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Andrew Dung-Lac and his companion martyrs.
St Andrew, a Vietnamese priest was martyred in 1839 along with 117 others, 96 of whom were Vietnamese.
The rest were foreign missionaries. Has any other religion the same experience of martyrdom in modern history as the Christian faith?
Why do Christians embrace martyrdom? Jesus Christ did not resist His martyrdom. Nor did St John the Baptist or any Christian martyr. Christians know that death is not the end of their life. We believe in the Resurrection. Jesus Christ defeated death by dying on the Cross. His word is true.
The catechesis on today's Gospel from Luke 19: 45 - 48 is the absolute necessity of soul cleansing or purification in Kingdom of God that Jesus established on earth through His death and Resurrection.
The Sacrament of Baptism gives us Entrance into the Church, which is the seed of the Kingdom of God on earth. The Eucharist nourishes us in the Kingdom and the Sacrament of Reconciliation heals us when we are sick from sin.
Do not underestimate the three Sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist and Confession.
The month of November is traditionally dedicated in the Catholic Church to honoring the dead and relieving the sufferings of the souls in purgatory. Do not neglect to pray for your loved ones.
For Catholic Church teaching on the Souls in PURGATORY and how to help them, click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/10/10-ways-to-assist-poor-souls-in.html
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