St.
Paul Miki and Companions
Our brothers and sisters in Japan received the Christian faith by the teaching and witness of St. Francis Xavier in the sixteenth century. Soon thereafter, there were over two hundred thousand converts. However, the emperor of this mostly Buddhist country at the time ordered the banishment of all Catholics. Persecution soon followed. Among the victims were St. Paul Miki, a Jesuit novice, and 25 companions. The first thing the emperor ordered was to have the left ears of the Christians severed as a sign of disrespect. He then paraded the soon-to-be martyrs through town. The martyrs then were led to Nagasaki (which was later the site of the atomic bomb in WWII) where they were tied to crosses with their necks held in place by iron rings.
While he was on the cross, St. Paul Miki proclaimed to everyone that he was Japanese and a Christian. He gave thanks to God and ended his sermon by saying, "As I come to this supreme moment of my life, I am sure none of you would suppose that I want to deceive you. And so I tell you plainly, there is no way to be saved except the Christian way." Others in the group recited the "Our Father" and "Hail Mary," while some simply repeated, "Jesus, Mary." Eventually, each of the 26 men and women were put to death by the thrust of a lance. Their feast day is celebrated on February 6.
Our Lady of Lourdes
In
1858, Jesus sent His Blessed Mother to Lourdes, France, where she appeared
to a young girl by the name of Bernadette Soubirous. The Lady did
not give her name to Bernadette, but on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation,
she told her, "I am the Immaculate Conception." This astounded
priests and theologians, because Bernadette had no idea what the Lady
meant. Just four years earlier, Pope Pius IX had solemnly defined the
Immaculate Conception as a dogma of our Catholic faith -- that Mary was
preserved free from original sin from the moment of her conception.
Mary asked Bernadette to come to the grotto every day for fifteen days.
On one of her visits, she asked Bernadette to scratch the ground,
from which water immediately came forth. It was soon discovered that miracles
began to happen from this water. Many miraculous cures, which have baffled
scientists, have occurred at Lourdes where millions visit each year. Bernadette
eventually became a religious sister. We celebrate Our Lady of Lourdes
on February 11.
By Fr. Jerry Vincke
Director of Bethany House, Youth Retreat Center for the Diocese of Lansing
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