December 21st - Saint Anrê Tran An Dung

[Weedy]

December 21st - Saint Anrê Tran An Dung
Also known as Andrew Dung Lac, Andrew Dung Lac An Tran, Anreâ Duõng Laïc

Memorial
21 December
24 November as one of the Martyrs of Vietnam

(1745-1862)
Before our national involvement in the Vietnam War, most Americans
knew little about this part of “Indo-China.” Today, as a consequence
of that terrible conflict and the dispersal of so many of the
Vietnamese, we are getting accustomed to having a large number of
these Asiatics among us, and we are discovering how strong is their
Catholic Faith.

It was persecution that strengthened that faith. French missionaries
in particular introduced Catholicism among the Vietnamese from the
early 17th century onward. Conversions were abundant in the 18th
century and up till 1819. But when the profligate Emperor Minh-mang
ruled (1820-1841), he initiated a brutal persecution of Catholics. In
an edict of January 6, 1833, he ordered all Christians to renounce
their faith, and as a sign of that renunciation, to tread on a
crucifix. This command was followed by the destruction of Catholic
churches and religious houses, and the death penalty for all priests.
Thousands died in the prolonged massacre, among them not only numerous
missionary clergy and religious, but myriads of native Christians,
priests, religious and laity, cruelly tortured and executed.

The death of Minh-mang marked a slackening of the slayings, but under
his successors, new legislation was eventually enacted to resume the
war of hatred against Christianity. Only in 1862 did the
anti-Christian movement begin to give way, thanks to the imposition of
religious liberty by the French; and when this tolerance had not yet
been fully implemented by 1883, the French government took over
Vietnam as one of its protectorates. Vietnam remained a French
protectorate until it threw off French control in 1954. In the 1960s
the country had a population of 31 million and a well-organized
Catholic population of 2.25 million, governed by native bishops, and
blessed with a flourishing religious contingent.

Few nations have had to pay so dearly for their Catholicism. As many
as 100,000 had died for the Faith by 1800. In the 19th century the
number of victims increased, with from 100,000 to 300,000 executed. It
would have been impossible to canonize all these martyrs. In an
understandable compromise, the popes have beatified groups of these
victims on four different occasions, totaling 117. This number
includes eight missionary bishops, several missionary priests, and a
large number of native victims: priests and religious, and lay people,
some killed simply for sheltering priests. Among the “blessed” were
one woman, Agnes Le thi Thanh and one boy, Joseph Tuc, aged nine. On
June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II canonized these 117. Their feastday
is November 24. Earlier the group of 117 was referred to as “the
martyrs of Tonkin.” Since their canonization they are called “SS.
Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions, Martyrs.” St. Andrew was a diocesan
priest.

One of the martyrs, St. Paul Le-Bao-Tinh, executed in 1843, sent a
letter from “death row” to the seminarians of Ke-Vinh. His words
demonstrate the heroism of these Vietnamese saints. They could have
been written by one of the earliest martyrs of the ancient Church:

“I, Paul, in chains for the name of Christ, wish to relate to you the
trials besetting me daily … the prison here is a true image of
everlasting hell; to cruel tortures of every kind–shackles, iron
chains, manacles–are added hatred, vengeance, calumnies, obscene
speech, quarrels, evil acts, swearing, curses, as well as anguish and
grief. But the God who once freed the 3 children from the fiery
furnace is with me always; He has delivered me from these tribulations
and made them sweet, ‘for His mercy is forever.’

“In the midst of these torments, which usually terrify others, I am,
by the grace of God, full of joy and gladness, because I am not
alone–Christ is with me. Our Master bears the whole weight of the
cross, leaving me only the tiniest, last bit …

“Come to me with the aid of your prayers, that I may have the strength
to fight … We may not again see each other in this life. But we will
have the happiness of seeing each other again in the world to come,
when, standing at the throne of the spotless Lamb, we will together
join in singing His praises and exult forever in the joy of our
triumph. Amen.”
–Father Robert


Saint Quote:
The principal act of courage is to endure and withstand dangers
doggedly rather than to attack them.
--St. Thomas Aquinas

Bible Quote:
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like
the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals,
crying,
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb[a] has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said[b] to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are
invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These
are true words of God.” [Revelation 19:6-9] RSVCE


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PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX # 3

O good and dearest Jesus,
I kneel before Your face.
With all my heart
I ask You
to place in my heart
more faith, hope and charity.
Give me a true sorrow for my sins
and a strong will to do better
With great sorrow and grief
I look upon your five wounds
and think about them.
Before my eyes are the words
that the prophet David said of You,
O good Jesus:
"They have pierced my hands and feet
They have numbered all my bones."