Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
According to the 2025 Ordo, in Vietnam in the 18th and 19th Centuries, more than 130,000 Christians “suffered cruel martyrdom” (275) merely because they obeyed Our Lord’s Great Commission at the end of Matthew’s Gospel: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20).
In 1988, Pope Saint John Paul II canonized 117 of these martyrs, 96 of them Vietnamese. As we remember these holy men and women, we might reflect on our response to the Great Commission. How have we “made disciples of all nations” in our daily lives as Christians?
Today’s readings give us models of the behavior of faithful disciples of the Lord. Daniel and his companions, exiled in Babylon, insist on obeying the dietary laws of their people and thrive on a simple diet far less nourishing than the one offered to the young men in training for the king’s service. At the end of the training period, all the young men in training have an audience with the king, and “none [of this group] was found equal to Daniel (and his three companions). And they entered the king’s service” (Daniel 1:19).
The action of the poor widow in giving all she had to the Temple Treasury demonstrates her love for God, which she values above all the world’s riches. How are we doing on this front? How do we demonstrate that the most important thing in our lives is our love of God?
In a pastoral note printed between the entries for yesterday and today, the Ordo suggests that “beginning on Monday the 24th, the days before Thanksgiving be set aside for deeds of charity, for penance, and for prayers for economic justice.” Let’s go for it! Happy Thanksgiving!
Let Us Pray:
Remember us, Lord, now that you are in your Kingdom. May we live Jesus in our hearts, forever!
