4th Week, Thursday, Feb 6; St Paul Miki and Companions
Hebrews 12:18-19, 21-24 / Mark 6:7-13
The new covenant; the blood of Jesus changed our lives.
Bishop Sheen used to compare the Old Testament to radio and
the New Testament to television. The Old Testament lets you hear God’s word.
But the New Testament not only lets you hear God’s word but also lets you see
the God who utters it.
Commenting on this point, Jesus himself said, “Whoever has
seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9. The Letter to the Hebrews
lists other important comparisons between the Old Testament and the New
Testament. For example, today’s reading compares Abel’s blood, which cried out
for God’s vengeance, to Christ’s blood, which cries out for mercy. Thanks to
the blood of Jesus, which sealed the new covenant, justice and vengeance
have given way to mercy.
***
When was the last time we meditated on the suffering Jesus
underwent for us? “He endured the suffering that should have been
ours.” Is 53:4
***
Our religion today is not inspired or instilled by the fear
of the terrifying signs of Mount Sinai but rests on Christ our mediator of the
new covenant who sacrificed himself for us. Jesus wants his disciples to
be without security and power, so as to be free to go to people in their own
life situation and to be free to preach and witness to the gospel without
ambiguity. Would that the Church today could give such an unambiguous witness.
"To be sent" would imply that the one who is sent
has a mission or a task at hand. At the same time, that would also mean that
there would be some anxiety and uncertainty and there may also be some
difficulties. Especially when one is sent to negotiate for peace or to do
trouble-shooting and to clear up some mess.
In the gospel, we heard that after Jesus had been teaching around the villages,
He began to send out His apostles in pairs and gave them authority over the
unclean spirits. By the very fact that Jesus had to give authority to those He
was sending out, means that He was sending them to "troubled spots"
and that they would face challenges and difficulties as well as opposition from
evil.
So as we heard from the gospel, they set off to preach repentance; and they
cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them. It
was quite obvious that the apostles were sent to places where there was a need
and where it needs to be liberated and free from the clutches of evil.
Yet, where there is a need and where people are living in darkness and in
shadow of fear and oppression, God will be there, and in fact He is already
there. But He needs people who are willing to be sent to these troubled spots
so that they can be His channels and instruments of grace and healing. God
wants to empower us to carry out His mission. May we be willing to heed His
call and be sent.
*****
Encountering Christ:
1. He Gave Them Authority: Each of the Apostles
was personally called and chosen by Christ after much prayer and discernment.
He knew their strengths, talents, qualities, and gifts, and he also knew their
weaknesses, failings, and struggles. And he still called them. He formed them
through his own witness of life—how he lived and prayed. He also taught and
instructed them, assuring them that he would accompany them in spirit by
sending them forth in his name. Jesus entrusted them with this mission of
making present his kingdom through their witness, prayer, and sacrifice, and
with his authority.
2. Two by Two: Christ sent them out together. He
knew that they would lean on each other, and find support and encouragement as
they worked together and modeled charity in the way that they related to each
other in love. How much we need community in our own lives! We are not lone
rangers as we seek to make Christ’s kingdom present in the world. That was not
his design. Even Jesus communed with the Holy Spirit as he revealed to people
the heart of his Father. Let’s thank God for the people he has placed alongside
us to accompany us on the journey through this life to heaven.
3. They Bore Fruit: Jesus was very clear about
what he was calling the Apostles to do, and they set off to fulfill his
instructions. The Scripture tells us that they did in fact fulfill that
mission. They drove out demons and miraculously healed many who were sick. The
mission unfolded as Christ had predicted, and their obedience, trust, and
surrender bore fruit. They were able to touch many people on their journey in
Christ’s name. If we discern the path that Christ wants us to follow and we
take action, he will bless it. But it takes time to create space for him to
reveal that plan, and discernment to intuit the quiet voice of Christ making
known how and where he longs to mission alongside us. Let’s ask the Lord, “What
can I do for you today?” and listen in the stillness for his answer.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, you have drawn me
close to yourself. Confirm me in the mission you entrust to me, that I may be a
true friend and witness to others. Please allow my small efforts to bear great
fruit. Continue to bless those with whom you send me, that we may be a sign of
charity and love rooted in friendship with you.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace show me if
there is someone with whom you want me to mission more often or with a deeper
sense of communion.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, to go to the poor and to set them free, your disciples must be credible as people who are free themselves. We pray you today for a spirit of poverty that makes us free and available to all those imprisoned by the forces of evil. May we thus, become authentic witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord for ever. Amen
***
Saint Paul Miki and Companions
Feast day February 6
When the first missionaries, like St. Francis Xavier, came to Japan in 1549 they were welcomed. Many Japanese became Christians. When the leader Hideyoshi took command, he feared that Christians would take over the government. In 1587 he banished them and destroyed many of their churches. Some missionary priests stayed and went into hiding, dressing like Japanese in order to minister to the Christians.
More than 3,000 Christians were martyred in Japan. On December 8, 1596, Hideyoshi arrested and condemned to death the friars of Miako. Among them were three Japanese Jesuits, six Franciscans (four of them Spanish), and seventeen Japanese laymen. Charged with attempting to harm the government, they were sentenced to crucifixion. Some of these men were very young: Louis was 10; Anthony, 13; Thomas, 16; and Gabriel, 19. The best known is Paul Miki, who was a Japanese of a noble family, a Jesuit brother, and a brilliant preacher.
The twenty-six men were tortured and then forced to walk more than 300 miles from Miako to Nagasaki through snow and ice and freezing streams. Along the way they preached to the people who had come out to see them. They sang psalms of praise and joy. They prayed the rosary and told the people that such a martyrdom was an occasion of rejoicing, not of sadness. Finally, on February 5, they reached Nagasaki, where twenty-six crosses awaited them on a hill now called the Holy Mountain. It is said that the Christians ran to their crosses, singing. Soldiers bound them to the crosses with iron bands at their wrists, ankles, and throats. Then they thrust them through with lances. Many people came to watch the cruel deaths. Hideyoshi and his solders had hoped the example would frighten other Christians. Instead, it gave them the courage to profess their faith as the martyrs had.
In 1858, Japan again permitted Christianity in Japan. Missionaries found thousands of Christians still in Japan. For two hundred years they had carried on the faith in secret.
Paul Miki was born in Japan and educated by the Jesuits. He would have been the very first Japanese priest if he had escaped arrest, for he had already completed his studies for the priesthood. From his cross he forgave his persecutors and told the people to ask Christ to show them how to be truly happy.
