THE MEMORIAL OF ST PAUL MIKI AND COMPANION MARTYRS.
THE MEMORIAL OF ST PAUL MIKI, SJ AND COMPANION MARTYRS.
TAKE NOTHING FOR THE JOURNEY.
THE GOODNEWS:
"Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
"He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.
"He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.”
"So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them." (Mark 6: 7 - 13).
Thursday February 6th 2025 in the 4th Week of Ordinary Time is the Memorial of St Paul Miki, SJ and companion martyrs.
St Paul Miki was a Japanese Jesuit seminarian. He was crucified with 25 other companion martyrs. St Paul Miki and 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! The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity, says Tertulian.
The Gospel of today presents us a challenge to examine our lifestyle to see if clutter and bagages are hindering the penetration of the Good News and make us ineffectual disciples.
Jesus never teaches a lesson He never lived Himself. Like the Beatitudes which is a portrait of Himself, the evangelical poverty and simplicity Jesus prescribed to His disciples is what they see every day in His life among them.
Poverty like disease and ignorance frightens many people. But the fear is altogether irrational if we consider a few salient points:
#1. Jesus, our Leader and Captain is without doubt the best in our human race. If it is good for Him, it should be not be frightening for us.
#2. God knows exactly what we need and when we need it. He will always take care of the essentials.
#3. Who owns all the gold, silver, diamond, oceans, lands, etc if not God? There is a deeper lesson for God to ask us to let go of attachment to all this stuff.
#4. God asks: "Is anything too marvelous for me to do for you?" (Cf Genesis 18: 14).
Jesus for excellent supernatural reasons "summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts." (Mark 6: 7 - 8).
Jesus knows that the greatest asset of the disciple is faith and complete trust in Him.
If a disciple is armed with faith, he needs nothing more. It was therefore necessary to train His disciples at the outset of their ministry in this great truth.
"Fear is useless. All that is needed is trust." (Mark 5: 36).
FEBRUARY - THE MONTH CONSECRATED TO THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH.
"Christ chose to be born and grow up in the bosom of the holy family of Joseph and Mary. The Church is nothing other than "the family of God." From the beginning, the core of the Church was often constituted by those who had become believers "together with all [their] household." When they were converted, they desired that "their whole household" should also be saved. These families who became believers were islands of Christian life in an unbelieving world." (1655: CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH).
Consecration of the Family to the Holy FAMILY PRAYER.
"Lord Jesus Christ, Who, being made subject to Mary and Joseph, hallowed domestic life by Your ineffable virtues; grant that we, with the assistance of both, may be taught by the example of Your holy Family and may attain to its everlasting fellowship; Who lives and reigns world without end. AMEN. "— Roman Missal.
For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:
amen🙏
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