Memorial of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and Companions, Martyr
“To die for God—such is my will”
“Faith overcomes the world. The preaching of faith enlightens as the sun all who want to know the truth” - said the Holy Father John Paul II during the beatification’s homily of sixteen Japanese martyrs, including the Filipino Saint Lorenzo Ruiz.
During ceremony, Saint John Paul II recalled the solemn moment that occurred the arrival of the news of the deaths of some of them: " the hymn of glory to God which has just been sung by numberless voices is an echo of the Te Deum sung in the Church of Santo Domingo on the evening of December 27, 1637, when the news arrived of the martyrdom at Nagasaki of a group of six Christians. Among them were the head of the mission, Father Antonio González, a Spanish Dominican from León, and Lorenzo Ruiz, a married man with a family, born in Manila "extra muros”: in the suburb of Binondo. These witnesses had also in their turn sung psalms to the Lord of mercy and power, both while they were in prison and during their execution by the gallows and the pit, which lasted three days. The song of these "designated" martyrs—to use a definition made by my predecessor Benedict XIV—was followed in Manila, then as now, by the song of thanksgiving for the martyrs nοw "consummated" and "glorified". (Saint John Paul II, Homily, Manila (Philippines) February 18,1981)
Lorenzo Ruiz was born around 1600 in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the son of a Chinese and a Filipina. In his youth, he showed a love for the liturgy of the Church, which was manifested in the fact that he worked as a sacristan for the Dominican fathers and served at the Mass.
He was also associated with the order as a member of the Rosary Brotherhood. There he learned Spanish because the monks were missionaries who came from the Iberian Peninsula. Then the future Saint got married and had three children. His life was devoutly, happily and - simple.
Everything changed in 1636 when he was suddenly unjustly accused of murder. Wanted by an arrest warrant, he took refuge with the Dominican fathers, and they - knowing about his innocence - decided to facilitate his escape from the country, taking him on a journey to Japan. The ship reached the island of Okinawa, from where the fugitive was to go to Taiwan and find shelter there until the matter was resolved. It happened otherwise - he stayed in Okinawa with missionaries and it turned out to be decisive for his life.
If Lorenzo Ruiz had come to Japan twenty years earlier - he would have probably received the duties of a catechist from the fathers and he would have been able to return to his homeland quietly - because when Catholic missionaries reached Japan in the 16th century, their cooperation with the local people was extremely fruitful, and the government did not interfere with carrying out the apostolate. Everything changed in 1614 during the reign of the shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, who initiated bloody persecution of Christians, demanding that they renounce their faith. Those who insisted on faithfulness to Christ and the Church were, as usual in such cases, tortured and murdered.
In such circumstances, Saint Lorenzo Ruiz found himself on a Japanese island. All the newcomers were soon arrested and tortured, and this happened in year 1637. At the beginning, six of them who died first were tortured. They were ordered to drink an enormous amount of water, then long boards were placed on top of the prisoner on which guards walked; after it came the hammering of bamboo splinters under their nails.
The Holy Father beautifully describes the last moments of the Filipino Martyr, pointing to his example of offering himself to God: “This is what Lorenzo Ruiz did. Guided by the Holy Spirit
to an unexpected goal after an adventurous journey, he told the court that he was a Christian, and must die for God, and would give his life for him a thousand times.
Kahit maging sanglibo man
Ang buhay n'yaring katawan
Pawa kong ipapapatay,
Kung inyong pagpipilitang
Si Kristo'y aking talikdan.
(If I had many thousands of lives, I would offer them all for him. Never shall I apostatize. You may kill me if that is what you want. To die for God—such is my will.)
Here we have him summed up; here we have a description of his faith and the reason fοr his death. It was at this moment that this young father of a family professed and brought to completion the Christian catechesis that he had received in the Dominican Friars' school in Binondo: a catechesis that cannot be other than Christ-centered, by reason both of the mystery it contains and the fact that it is Christ who teaches through the lips of his messengers. […] The example of Lorenzo Ruiz, the son of a Chinese father and Tagala mother, reminds us that everyone's life and the whole of one's life must be at Christ's disposal. Christianity means daily giving, in response to the gift of Christ who came into the world so that all might have life and have it to the full. Or, as so aptly expressed in the theme of my visit to this country: To die for the faith is a gift to some; to live the faith is a call for all. (Saint John Paul II, Homily, Manila (Philippines)Wednesday, February 18,1981)
The remaining few missionaries were hanged by their feet, their hands shackled in stocks loaded with stones, and the bodies were tied with ropes to obstruct the flow of blood. Those who were still alive after three days were dragged to the Holy Mountain in Nagasaki and beheaded. Then the bodies of all were burned and scattered without honor.
Among the martyrs – in 1633 and 1637 – there were lay people and clergy, in addition to Lorenzo Ruiz, were nine Japanese, four Spaniards, one French and one Italian.
In February 18,1981, during his pilgrimage to the Philippines, Saint John Paul II beatified them, and in October 18,1987 in Rome, he canonized a total of sixteen martyrs - Asians and Europeans, men and women, who brought the Christian faith to the Philippines and Japan. Among them was Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, who is the first Filipino saint, patron of his homeland.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george