Let the Divine Mercy Fuel Us to Serve the Lord as Lorenzo-like Christian Samurais!

September 28 is the feast day of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila (St. Lorenzo Ruiz of Manila). 

Lorenzo and his companions arrived in Japan to preach the Gospel, during the time of intense Christian persecution.

In my last two blog entries on St. Cosmas & St. Damian and St. Vincent de Paul, whose feasts precedes the feast of San Lorenzo, I pointed that the spirit of mission is one common factor among these saints, as Jesus' compassion, from which ministries of charity, such as the works of St. Cosmas, St. Damian, and St. Vincent de Paul, have evolved, has been the driving forces to send out missionaries to wherever there is a need of works of mercy.

For St. Cosmas, St. Damian, and St. Vincent de Paul, their primary works of mercy were the corporal works of mercy. For San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, it is more of the spiritual works of mercy, in particular, instruction.

In reflecting San Lorenzo's mission to Japan at the time of severe persecution, these words of Jesus from his mission discourse in Matthew 10 come up:

"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.  But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.  You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:16-22)

Unbeknownst to Lorenzo and his companions, they were sent out to Japan from Manila, Philippines, like "sheep in the midst of wolves".  No turn back. 

Soon after their entry into Japan through Okinawa, Lorenzo and his companions were arrested by Japanese officials and sent to Nagasaki for execution. 

Like Japanese martyrs, such as St. Paul Miki and his companions, San Lorenzo and his companions from Manila kept praising the Lord for their opportunity serve Him in the most honorable way, by shedding their own blood, on their gruesome long  journey to Nagasaki. 

Imagine a bunch of captured soldiers were praising the Lord during the Bataan death march of 1942. How Lorenzo Ruiz and his companion, as well as Paul Miki and his companions, were during their respective excruciating journeys to executions in Nagasaki would seem like a group of captured soldiers marching on the Bataan death march, shouting and singing their praises to the Lord. 

As a Japanese Catholic, who has been benefited from the seed of faith that he had planted with his own blood in my country, I have a special a feeling toward San Lorenzo. Also, as a person of Samurai ancestry, the way he responded to a Japanese executioner, tempting him into denouncing his faith to save his own life,  really makes me consider Lorenzo as "Samurai" in Christian faith. The Lorenzo's way to chose death for his Lord, Christ,  is what the Code of Samurai in the Book of Hagakure teaches. 

For Lorenzo, as an exemplary Christian Samurai, his Lord to serve with his life was Lord Jesus Christ, while Japanese samurais had their respective feudal lords to serve likewise. 

The Lorenzo's Samurai-like courageous faith also makes an interesting contrast to the coward faith of Padre Rodriguez in Endo Shusaku's "Silence". In this Japanese Catholic writer's historical fiction story, Padre Rodriguez apostatized for his fear of losing his own life. Though the way Endo wrote his story may suggest that the apostasy of Padre Rodriguez might serve its unique purpose for surviving to continue preach the Gospel underground. Maybe it is so. But, in light of the Samurai's spirit, it is Lorenzo, not Padre Rodriguez in Endo's "Silence", who is considered as honorable. 

In honoring my favorite saint, San Lorenzo, also in light of the spirit of the Divine Mercy, I have contributed an essay to a publication of the Divine Mercy Community of Illinois. And, I thought that it would be a good opportunity share it here today, in honoring San Lorenzo.

Adelante!

******

Let the Divine Mercy Fuel Us to Serve the Lord as Lorenzo-like Christian Samurais!

by Masa Nakata *

On September 23, 1637,  in Nagasaki, Japan, when he was given a chance to be set free upon renouncing his faith San Lorenzo told his executioner: “I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for the Lord; If I had a thousand lives, all these I shall offer to Him”. Leaving these powerful words, after a series of gruesome tortures, Lorenzo offered up his life. 

As a Japanese Catholic with Samurai ancestry, I find the Filipino Saint to be exemplary in responding not only to the call of Jesus: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me”(Luke 9:23), but also to the ideal set by the Book of Hagakure, the Code of Samurai: “The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it comes to either/or, there is only the quick choice of death. It is not particularly difficult. Be determined and advance. To say that dying without reaching one's aim is to die a dog's death is the frivolous way of sophisticates. When pressed with the choice of life or death, it is not necessary to gain one's aim.”

In fact, San Lorenzo is a great Samurai to Christ, the Lord.  His faith in Christ the Lord, is as strong as the loyalty of Samurai to his feudal lord because the martyr’s faith withstood fear of death and agony of tortures.  Because Lorenzo loved the Christ with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength and with all his mind, he was as selfless as he was willing to give up his own life for the Lord.  This is like how Samurais are trained to be selfless in the Zen Buddhist tradition in order not to give into the temptation to betray their lords out of fear of dying.

Our Lord Jesus Christ desires a steadfast faith, like San Lorenzo’s. In fact, upon receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, we have become soldiers of Christ – Samurais for Christ, strengthened by the Holy Spirit!  In response to this desire of our Lord, we must cultivate our faith to make it strong like the Christian Samurai’s or San Lorenzo’s. If we are not like San Lorenzo, it really hurts our Lord, because it means a compromise in our loyalty and discipleship.

In his message to St. Faustina Kowalska, Jesus said: “Today bring to Me souls who have become lukewarm, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: "Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will." For them, the last hope of salvation is to flee to My mercy.”(1228). 

To strengthen our faith, we must respond to the calling of our Lord Jesus Christ to immerse ourselves in the Divine Mercy, symbolized with the blood and water gushing from his wound marks. By letting our souls be cleansed by the blood and water of Christ, the Divine Mercy, we can courageously endure tribulations, no matter how agonizing they may become, and joyfully offer up our own lives, as San Lorenzo did, like an exemplary Samurai, in Japan.

Let us make this Divine Mercy Community a gathering of Christian Samurais, like San Lorenzo, empowered by the Holy Spirit and fueled by the Divine Mercy. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!

(*The writer is a Japanese Catholic with Samurai ancestry, a graduate of Loyola University in pastoral studies, an active member of the Life in the Spirit community in Chicago, and a devotee to the Divine Mercy)

St. Vincent of DePaul - An Embodiment of the Corporal Works of Mercy: A Challenge to Keep Up With the Vincential Spirit of Mercy Today

Following the feast day of twin saints – St.  Coasmas and St. Damian, September 26, today, September 27, is the feast day of St. Vincent de Paul (and September 28 is the feast day of St. Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila). 

There is something common among the twin saints and St. Vincent de Paul as they were all so devoted for caring for the poor, the sick, the abandoned, and those who were not able-bodied. Their solid dedication for anawin in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

As a young man, who just finished studying theology, St. Vincent de Paul’s life had made quite a turn! It has been said that Vincent de Paul was captured by pirates on hid trip back from  Marseilles to his hometown, Toulouse.  He was, then, taken to Tunis to be sold as a slave. 

Vincent de Paul has been believed to have converted his “owner” during his time as a slave. Subsequently to the conversion of his “owner”, Vincent de Paul became a freeman.  Vincent de Paul sure knows how he can turn his adversities into great opportunities for God. 

Upon this unique experience, Vincent de Paul’s commitment to God further evolved, as he skillfully dealt with the wealthy, while deeply committed to caring for the poor.  In fact, he even made his way to serve as an advisor to the regency of Queen Anne of Austria, the wife of King Louis XIII of France!  Though he had the privileged to go to a fancy palace, he courted the imperial support for his charitable works for the poor.

In this regard, Vincent de Paul was quite skillful in balancing the practicality in financing his ministries and the Gospel mandate to run the ministries. 

As he was able to secure support for his ministries, St. Vincent de Paul founded two religious communities: La Congregation de la Mission (CM), also known as the “Vincentian” and “Lazarists”, and Les Files de la Charite  (FDiC).  They are known to be the first religious congregations to live outside the cloisters, basing themselves on wherever the poor and the sick live. 

Before Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, there was St. Vincent de Paul, reaching out to the poor, the abandoned, the sick, and those who are not able-bodied, and care for them wherever they were. 

The Vincentian communities formed hospitals and orphanages wherever they found the sick, the abandoned, the poor, and those who are not able-bodied, throughout France and beyond. They also inspired and taught those who were illiterate and offered vocational trainings, too.  

In thinking of the mission of St. Vincent de Paul for the poor, the sick, the abandoned, and those who are not able-bodied, the below words of Jesus have come up:

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and  you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,  naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.  (Matthew 25:35-36)

These  words of Jesus reflect the Corporal Works of Mercy:  feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 2447). And, the mission of St. Vincent de Paul is, indeed, the Corporal Works of Mercy in sacramental actions. 

In regard to the Corporal Works of Mercy, namely, acts of charity, CCC 2447 further states, reflecting James 2: 15-16 and 1 John 3: 17:

“Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God:

He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise. But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? “

These words really captures the Vincentian spirit of charity. 

 The Gospel reading designated for the feast of St. Vincent de Paul comes from Matthew 9:35-38.  If you read this Gospel narrative and further into Matthew 10, you realize Matthew 9:35-38 describes that Jesus’ compassion for the troubled and abandoned motivated to send his twelve apostles on mission. 

In commissioning, Jesus commanded his apostles to provide truly unmercenary care for those who are in need (Matthew 10:8). In my yesterday’s blog in commemorating the feast of St. Cosmas and St. Damian and honoring their truly charitable medical service,  I also mentioned Matthew 10:8 in light of these twin saints’ works as missionary works of compassion. Now, you can see that St. Vincent de Paul comes fits in the same charitable tradition of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, solely devoted for the poor, the sick, the abandoned, and those who are not able-bodied and totally unmercenary.  

During his time in imperial France, St. Vincent de Paul was able to gain financial supports from the imperial family, even backed up by the Hapsburg because of Anne of Austria, as well as many wealthy people in France.  Burt, today, because of the constitutional separation between the state and religion,  faith-based charitable organizations, like the Vincentian charity ministries, cannot enjoy the kind of large scale financial support as what Vincent de Paul was privileged to receive for his ministries. 

This means that we are facing a new challenge to keep the charitable spirit of St. Vincent de Paul in today’s post-imperial secular republic societies.  

How can we keep up with growing financial costs to run the Vincentian ministries of charities and other similar ministries without a support from the state?

This is an important question that we must keep tackling while we continue to move forward with our commitment to the Gospel mandate of Jesus, especially the above-quoted words of Jesus, and the Catechism teaching on the Corporal Works of Mercy. 

Let us be as generous as we can in giving alms and whatever else we can offer so that the poor, the sick, the dying, and those who are not able-bodies among us won’t be in isolation.  Let’s remember that Jesus did not teach his apostles to gain financial support for his ministry and mission from the Roman Empire. 

This is a very important theme for us to keep pondering as republic governments, like the Obama administration of the United States , are becoming more and more paternalistic toward the Church and faith-based programs as they are eager to advance their own secularization agendas and policies.  Today, in the United States, under the Obama administration, many faith-based charity problems are facing greater threat of extinction. 

Though we are in a much tougher social climate to maintain charitable ministries like the Vincentian ministries of charity these days,  because of the government like the Obama administration, we, the faithful, are still hopeful because the apostles managed to grow the Church and its ministries under the persecutory Roman imperial administration. 

All of these powerful words of Jesus, James and John, cited above to meditate on the spirit of St. Vincent of DePaul came during the time of Roman Empire. 

Challenges to Take on, Inspired by St. Cosmas and St. Damian, Twin Saints and Unmercenary Surgeons

On this feast day of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, I want to ask: 

Are there any truly unmercenary physicians these days?

Nowadays, physicians are regarded as professionals who care more about profits than patients. 

In the United States, by law, hospitals cannot turn down any patients because of their abilities to pay. But, even admitted, those who are with less abilities to pay are not getting the same quality care as what patients who are wealthy enough to have good insurance policies. 

Some physicians argue that they deserve good pays because they worked so hard to get into med school, continue to work so hard to graduate from med schools and made it through residency, while accumulating huge student loan debts.  And, it is true, unlike the case of lawyers, that they cannot start making huge incomes right after graduation. For medical school graduates to become real physicians, they have to endure years of residency, with relatively small stipends, while paying back huge student loan debts. 

In such today’s reality, it is impossible to expect physicians to practice medicine for no pay.  But, let’s not forget that there are many physicians volunteering their high-quality services with true compassion. Some go so far from home to take care of the abject poor, disaster victims and refugees, while others battle with the critical needs of the poor in their own cities and rural areas.  Their charitable hard works are supported by the generosity of people who care to cover actual operation costs. 

Though difficult to imagine having unmercenary physician, it is, nevertheless, important to reflect the significance of St. Cosmas and St. Damian of 3^rd century Roman Providence of Syria (today’s Turkey), who were twin brothers and both practiced surgery, accepting no payment from patients.

It is believed that what motivated Cosmas and Damian were these words of Jesus:

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8)

These words are from Jesus’ second discourse, focusing on the mission – also known as the mission discourse (Matthew 10: 5-42).  As Jesus was sending out the Twelve Apostles on mission, he emphasized that they do not accept any payment for their ministerial services, including healing.  

Cosmas and Damian sure considered themselves as disciples of Christ, using their gifts and talents in surgery and medicine for God, who bestowed these gifts and talents on them, by serving people of God, especially, the poor, whom God favor – anawin.

 

These twin brothers’ medical practice is centered with the compassion of Christ, guided by his mission commands from Matthew 10:5-42. Then, financial reward for their medical and surgical services  did not become their concerns. Thus, they were able to practice unmercenary medicine.

I wonder – if physicians can reflect  their practices upon St. Coamas and St. Damian regularly, perhaps, if medical students can learn about these twin saints, then,  more physicians become willing to provide charity cares.  Negative impressions of physicians, such as “financially motivated”, “greedy”, may dissipate, too. 

The first reading  for this past Sunday – the 26^th Sunday Year C , was take on from Amos 8:4-7, and it reminds that God would be disturbed and punish if we had exploited the poor.   In the Sunday Gospel reading, the parable of the crooked steward (Luke 16: 1-13),  Jesus challenged us if we are the children of the light or the children of the world, as the former act prudently with God’s gifts, while the latter are clever in worldly or secular wisdom, like the crooked steward. 

It is evident that Cosmas and Damian belong to the former category – the children of the light.

In the eyes of the crooked steward, whose cleverness was impressive enough for Jesus to be impressed, Cosmas and Damian might be regarded as “stupid”, for they worked so hard for no pay for themselves.  But, in the eyes of God, they  have been not only blessed but also those who were benefitted from their free services have been blessed, given what Jesus meant by his concluding remarks of his mission discourse – Matthew 10: 40-42. 

                       (St. Cosmas and St. Damian transplanting and grafting a patient's leg, assisted by an angel)

It will not be impossible to see more unmercenary medical services, even in these days of costly health care reality, if physicians and medical students find their calling to care for and treat patients in light of Jesus’ calling for missionary – in the context of his mission discourse (Matthew 10: 5-42), with more focus on the poor, as anawin, the ones God have special favor.  Then, both physicians who provide unmercenary charity care and patients who accept such care will be blessed together. After all, the ultimate reward for Christians – the Kingdom of God – is where both givers of service and receivers of service rejoice together.  There is no argument and fuss about who owes whom, how much, in heaven.  There are just blessings and joy. 

In this regard, unmercenary medical practice helps physicians to ensure that they are entitled to their ultimate reward: the Kingdom.  And, finding  their ways of such free charity care amidst of today’s challenging health care reality must be as difficult as striving to enter the Kingdom through the narrow gate (Luke 13:24) but this challenge must be worth – if physicians consider themselves as the children of the light, rather than the children of the world, like the crooked steward in Luke 16:1-13.

Prayer to Saints Cosmas and Damian,  Physicians and Martyrs

O Physicians of souls, Saints Cosmas and Damian, stand before the Lord of All and ask Him to heal me and all those dear to me of any spiritual ills we may endure. 

Drive away from us all sin and sadness of mind, all darkness and despair.  Make us then willing and loving servants of Christ, following your holy example of detachment from the things of this world and care for the needs of our neighbors.

On the glorious day of the Universal Resurrection may we shine with you in the full health of our nature restored by the mercies of Jesus who lives and reigns forever and ever. 

Amen.