Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 9, 2019
A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,
and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
But the Pharisees said,
“He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
She sat and stared at the blank page. I could see the struggle on her face, her eyes welling up with tears. Across the room, another student weaved and bobbed and tore through the task. I had barely finished my instructions for the assignment, and here I had one student who was nearly finished and another who didn’t even know where to begin. “The laborers are few.” Never were those words truer than when I was teaching. Daily, I was reminded that I was only one person.
Many of us are in professions or vocations where we are stretched thin. We want to help, but sometimes we feel so overwhelmed that we throw in the towel. But, through this Gospel, Jesus encourages us by laying the groundwork for how we can help others and spread the Good News.
Jesus encountered many of the same struggles we face today. He was one person. Yet he was able to accomplish so much. Jesus’ strength came from his compassion for others. The original word used in the Bible to describe Jesus’ empathy is splagchnizomai. It comes from the Greek word splagchnon, which means entrails or intestines. Jesus’ compassion was felt deep within, in his gut, in his very core. This deeply-felt compassion was the force behind Jesus’s ministry of miracle and word.
Although I am only one person, I know that I can have an impact, I can bring in the harvest. If we work from the core of our compassion our capacity to help others is seemingly limitless. Today, let’s ask ourselves: are we sharing the Good News with deeply-felt compassion?
Prayer
Lord, you gave the human tongue power to give voice to our real thoughts and feelings. The crowds spoke words of praise and awe. The Pharisees spoke words of criticism and judgment. May our voice be raised in praise, always. And in the spirit of the second part of the Gospel, we pray for vocations to religious life and the priesthood. We pray too for the growth in holiness of all our sisters, brothers, and priests. May they continue to help us find our home in your heart. Amen.
Saint of the Day
In the 19th century, China opened its doors to world trade, and missionaries traveled there to evangelize the nation. By the end of the century, as China’s economy wavered, attitudes towards foreigners had begun to change. A nationalist movement took shape that opposed foreign imperialism and Christianity.
A secret society was formed to drive the Europeans away—they called themselves the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists. In 1900, these “Boxers” led attacks on embassies and diplomats, merchants and missionaries. Any Chinese who had converted to Christianity was also killed—a total of some 30,000 Christians were massacred.
In many cases, these martyrs were given a chance to renounce their faith and were killed by strangulation when they refused.
The Catholic Church honors 120 Catholics who died between 1648 and 1930 as the “Martyr Saints of China”—86 of these died during the Boxer Rebellion.
Among them were Augustine Tchao, who was a Chinese soldier who escorted a bishop to Beijing during his missionary work. The bishop, St. Gabriel-Taurin Dufresse, had such a powerful personal witness that Augustine was moved to consider the faith. He was among those who were converted by Gabriel, and went on to become ordained a priest. He was arrested during a persecution in 1815, and was tortured and killed.
Of the 120 Martyr Saints, 87 were Chinese lay people and 33 were missionaries. These saints were canonized by St. Pope John Paul II in 2000, and are sometimes referred to as Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions.
Martyr Saints of China, you remained true to your faith even under torture, and died for what you believed—pray for us!
Image Credit: Courtesy of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery