Sep 28 – Memorial for St. Wenceslaus, martyr; Memorial for St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs
St. Wenceslaus (907-929) was the son of Vratislav I, Duke of Bohemia, whose family had been converted by St. Cyril and St. Methodius, and Drahomira, daughter of a pagan chief, who was baptised on her wedding day but apparently never seriously took to the faith. He was the grandson and student of St. Ludmilla.
When his father was killed during a pagan backlash against Christianity, Wenceslaus ascended to power as the Duke of Bohemia and fought the pagans with prayer and patience. He was murdered by his brother, Boleslaus, at the door of a church. Though he was killed for political reasons, he is normally listed as a martyr since the politics arose from his faith. Miracles have been reported at his tomb, and he is the subject of the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas.
- Patron Saint Index
St. Laurence Ruiz (1600–1637) had a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, both of whom were Christians. He learned Chinese and Tagalog from them, Spanish from the Dominicans whom he served as altar boy and sacristan. He was a professional calligrapher and documents transcriptionist. He was a member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. He was a married layman, and the father of two sons and a daughter.
For unknown reasons, Laurence was accused of murder. He sought asylum on board ship with three Dominican priests, St. Antonio Gonzalez, St. Guillermo Courtet, and St. Mguel de Aozaraza, a Japanese priest, St. Vincente Showozuka de la Cruz, and a layman St. Lazaro of Kyoto, a leper. Only when they were at sea did he learn that they were going to Japan during a time of intense Christian persecution.
Laurence could have gone to Formosa (modern Taiwan), but feared the Spaniards there would hang him, and so stayed with the missionaries as they landed at Okinawa. The group was soon exposed as Christian, arrested, and taken to Nagasaki. They were tortured in several ways for days. Laurence and the Japanese priest broke at one point, and were ready to renounce their faith in exchange for release, but after their moment of crisis, they reclaimed their faith and defied their tormentors. He was the first canonised Filipino martyr.
- Patron Saint Index
Job 1:6-22
Lk 9:46-50
In all this misfortune Job committed no sin nor offered any insult to God.
The book of Job is about a man who, despite losing almost everything, remained faithful to God.
Job was “a sound and honest man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). He had a loving family and was wealthy, with thousands of livestock and many servants. By any standard, he was living an enviable life — a ‘dream life’, even by today’s standards.
And then, suddenly, everything came crashing down.
In a series of misfortunes that came upon him in quick succession, Job lost his children and his wealth. Later, he was afflicted with physical suffering as well.
Yet instead of cursing God, Job fell to the ground and worshipped Him.
How is this possible? Isn’t anger a natural human response when things go terribly wrong? Don’t we look for someone to blame? The story of Job confronts us with one of the hardest questions of faith: why do good people suffer? Why does God allow it?
Job shows us that faith does not mean we will understand why suffering happens. Nor does it mean we cannot grieve, lament or question God. What matters is that we do not turn away from Him.
Today’s Scripture reminds me of three things.
First, to worship God not only when things are going well, but also when life falls apart. When everything seems to be going against me, my prayer can still be one of surrender and trust, even when it is also filled with lament and questions.
Second, that my idea of justice is not necessarily God’s. It is easy to think that because I have worked hard, tried to do the right thing, or lived faithfully, I somehow deserve a good outcome. So it can be difficult when someone else gets the promotion I worked hard for, or when people who seem to live good and healthy lives suddenly face serious illness.
And third, not to blame God. This is perhaps the hardest of all when I am wallowing in self-pity and wondering, “If You are Almighty, why aren’t You doing something about this?”
Biblical Job is certainly a hard act to follow. But then I realised — I know a real-life Job.
Matthew Job Tan is a young man whose steadfast faith continues to inspire me. At 16, he suffered a traumatic brain injury in a judo accident and woke from a two-month coma to discover that he could not move nor speak. I cannot imagine what life was like for someone so young and promising, to have his life changed so dramatically. He then faced years of arduous physical, speech and cognitive rehabilitation to relearn how to walk, talk, and eat – things that most of us take for granted.
Sixteen years later, Matthew is a polite young man with a ready smile who always greets me by name when we meet in church. Recently, I asked him why he chose ‘Job’ as his confirmation name. He told me that Job remained faithful to God despite losing almost everything, and that this was the kind of faith he aspired to have as he faced his own disabilities.
He admitted that his disabilities often frustrate him. He struggles with physical limitations, reduced mental stamina, speech difficulties and slow mental processing. Yet, like his namesake Job, he continues to talk to God and refuses to give up on Him.
He asked himself: “Do I have the faith Job had? Why and why not? Aren’t my difficulties much easier than Job’s?”
Those words stayed with me.
Matthew reminds me that faith is not about having all the answers, or pretending that suffering does not hurt. It is about continuing to turn towards God, even when we do not understand what He is doing.
Perhaps that is what Job ultimately teaches us. We may not understand why certain things happen. We may question, lament and even struggle with God. But we can still choose to trust Him.
And sometimes, God gives us living examples of that faith — people like Matthew — to remind us that surrender is possible, even in the midst of suffering.
Brothers and sisters, when troubles come our way, perhaps we can ask ourselves: Do I have the faith Job had? And if not, what is God asking me to surrender to Him today?
(Today’s OXYGEN by Esther Leet)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to remain faithful in good times and in bad. When I do not understand why things happen, give me the grace to trust in Your providence. Help me to surrender my fears, frustrations and questions to You, knowing that You are always with me. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings each day, and for the people You place in my life to inspire and strengthen my faith. May their example draw me closer to You and teach me to trust You more deeply. Amen.
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