Apocalypse 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9 / Luke 21:20-28
John observes two things in his vision. First, an angel passes judgment on Rome, signified by the code name "Babylon." The angel casts a large stone into the sea. As the stone disappears into the sea without a trace, so will the evil forces of Rome be doomed to disappear without a trace. Second, John hears loud singing from heaven: "Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God! True and just are his judgments!" Then an angel appears and tells John: "Write this: Happy are those who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb."
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When trials and temptations descend upon us, do we
draw strength by considering the fate of those who yield to evil? "What we
suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is
going to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18
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In 539 B. C. King Darius had taken the great city of
Babylon that had driven the Jews into exile. Likewise, the new Babylon, the
city of Rome that was persecuting the young Church, will fall and Christians
will openly sing the praise of God.
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We can learn good lessons from nature just by
observing and reflecting. For example, the darker the night, the brighter the
stars. And cloudy skies make beautiful sunsets. So, nature has a way of telling
us that tribulation will give way to the celebration, and distress will give way to
success, just as the dark of night will give way to the light of day. These
lessons from nature are actually reiterating what we heard in the 1st reading
and the gospel.
The 1st reading began with tribulation and
destruction, but following that were songs of victory and rejoicing and the
celebration of a wedding feast. In the gospel, Jesus talks about a time of great
tribulation and distress and destruction of the city of Jerusalem and its
inhabitants. But He also talks about the coming of the Son of Man in power and
great glory and a time of liberation. So, the lessons of scripture tell us
that God who foresaw our tribulation has prepared us to go through it, not
without pain, but without stain. The trials and tribulations in life do not
build character; they merely reveal it.
So, let us be patient in tribulation, let us rejoice
in hope and let us be constant in prayer. That will be enough to be able to see
bright stars in the dark night.
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The destruction of Jerusalem and the signs of disaster
in nature are for us signs of the trials of the Christian life and of the
difficult coming of God’s kingdom among people. But let us not forget that we
ourselves too delay this kingdom, by our selfishness, our hunger for power, all
the evil we cause one another. Yet our meager efforts will help to bring
salvation nearer. With the help of Christ present among us, we can grow in
love, forgiveness, compassion, and peace. We should keep our heads raised in
hope.
Let us Pray:
Lord our God, we are your people on the march who try
to carry out the task of giving shape to your kingdom of love and peace. When we are discouraged and afraid, keep us
going forward in hope. Make us vigilant
in prayer, that we may see the signs of your Son’s coming. Let Jesus walk with us already now on the
road he has shown us, that he may lead us to you, our living God forever and
ever.
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Vietnam (then three separate kingdoms) received its baptism in the Christian Faith through the Portuguese. The first permanent mission was opened at Da Nang in 1615 by Jesuit missionaries who ministered to Japanese Catholics hunted out of Japan. The French and the Spanish gradually followed.
Severe persecution raged from time to time, all missionaries being banned and the rulers attempting to wipe off every trace of Christianity by way of getting the converts to apostatize by trampling on the crucifix. Between 100,000 to 300,000 were subjected to various kinds of hardship and fatal torture. The last to be so martyred numbered 17 laypersons which included a 9-year-old lad. That very year, i.e., 1862, a treaty with France guaranteed religious freedom to Catholics, though of course it did not stop all persecution.
Among those martyred between 1820 and 1862 were Andrew Dung-Lac and 116 others. Members of this group were beatified in batches on four different occasions between 1900 and 1951 and were all canonized by Pope John Paul II on 18 June 1988.
