Memorial of Saint Andrew Dũng-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
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| “Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and His Companions, Martyrs” artist and date are unknown |
Readings for the Memorial of St. Andrew Dũng-Lac and Companions [1]
Additional information about St. Andrew Dũng-Lac and Companions
From the Common of Martyrs (vol. II, III, or IV, nos. 713-718), or:
Readings and Commentary: [2]
FIRST READING
The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
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Commentary on Wis 3:1-9
This passage, while frequently used on the feasts of martyrs,
can be understood as an early description of the process of achieving a place
in the heavenly kingdom by all those who went before us in faith. The flow of
this description provides a good picture of the purification of all the
faithful that takes place in the transition from life, through purification in
purgatory (“chastised a little, they shall
be greatly blessed”), to new life
with the Father.
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 126: 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
R. (5) Those who sow
in tears, shall reap rejoicing.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears, shall reap rejoicing.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. Those who sow in tears, shall reap rejoicing.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears, shall reap rejoicing.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. Those who sow in tears, shall reap rejoicing.
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Commentary on Ps 126:1bc-2ab. 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
Psalm 126 is a lament. In this short psalm, the singer
rejoices at the return of Israel following the Diaspora, the conquering of
Israel and its enslavement. In this hymn, the people remember the greatness of
God as he restores their nation and brings them back to their own land ("Although they go forth
weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying
their sheaves"). The sense
is one of being overflowing with thanksgiving.
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GOSPEL
Jesus said to the Twelve:
"Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to
death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved."
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Commentary on Mt 10:17-22
Jesus gives his disciples instructions on how to deal with
the persecution they are to undergo at the hands of those who do not accept
him, especially those in power. His instruction is one that relies on faith
that the Father, through the Holy Spirit, will supply the words. There is also
a presumption that there will be loss of life. Here the Lord tells us that
those who are steadfast in their faith cannot die a spiritual death.
“Jesus does not so much caution his disciples against men, in
the sense of declaring mankind (οί άυθϱωποι) to be the natural enemies
of his disciple and , hence, of himself. Rather, he appears to be warning
them against becoming like the rest of men, against fighting violence with
violence rather than with the truth, against reacting to contempt and hatred
with contempt and hatred rather than with transformative and imaginative love.” [3]
"Here, the hostility the apostles will face comes into
sharp focus. They are being sent out like sheep in the midst of wolves -
an image of vulnerability and helplessness before fierce attackers. Yet
the apostles are not to be passive when enemies assail them. They are to
be as shrewd as serpents, prudently anticipating threats and finding ways to
survive. But they must at the same time be as simple as doves. The
word for simple means 'unmixed,' suggesting that the apostles' shrewd tactics
should be animated by pure motives and single-mindedness for their ministry.
Shrewdness should never lead them to seek survival or advantage in a way that
compromises their integrity." [4]
CCC: Mt 10:19-20 728; Mt 10:22 161, 1821
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Reflection:
“You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved."
We celebrate and revere the Vietnamese Martyrs today. Their story is one of heroic courage in the face of on-going persecution because of their faith. Christianity came to Vietnam in the 1600’s, ironically because Japanese Catholics who had fled persecution in their home country brought missionaries with them. It is instructive to note that this same mechanism, persecution of the Christianity, was responsible for Christ’s mission’s success. Recall that the disciples were all in Jerusalem at the time Christ was crucified. They were all from the area around modern-day Israel and would probably have stayed in that area had it not been for the persecution of the Jewish leadership. We recall specifically the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts of the Apostles 8:26 ff. The Gospel spread much more quickly that it might otherwise have done because powerful people were afraid of Jesus and tried to stamp out the memory of the Lord.
Programs of persecution have happened countless times in history, and we recall today those in Vietnam who fearlessly faced the fear of their oppressors and, like Christ, accepted death for the sake of the mission of salvation. It is noteworthy that it was not just one pogrom of persecution, but several that occurred over a period of two hundred years. Indeed, it is continuing to this day under the communist rule of that country. Father Andrew Dung-Lac, a Catholic convert ordained to the priesthood, was one of 117 people martyred in Vietnam between 1820 and 1862. From 1820-1880, between 100,000 and 300,000 Catholics were killed or subjected to great hardship. St. Andrew and his companions were all identified as having demonstrated incredible courage and faith in the face of martyrdom and were ordained by St. John Paul II.
On this their feast day we thank God for their fidelity to his Only Begotten Son, and we ask for their intercession. May we, who are facing less overt, but more insidious persecutions within our own societies be given the strength to bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all that we say and do. May we fear no reprisal recalling those words from St. Matthew’s Gospel: “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved."
Pax
[1] The picture is “Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and His
Companions, Martyrs” artist and date are unknown.
[2] The readings are taken from the
New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were
developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[3] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word
Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p.
554.
[4] The Gospel of Matthew, © 2010 Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, p.
145.
