[1]There are many times in my life where I’ve ended up in places and positions, I never would’ve ever imagined. Standing before you, at the pulpit and preaching, tops the list of these unimagined places and positions.
The story of Jacob’s encounter with God in a dream continues the development of the theme of promises. Jacob, the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, receives several promises made earlier to his father and grandfather. God now delivers the promises to him directly,[2] all Jacob has to “do is not be afraid to go down to Egypt. [God promises], I will go with you and I will bring you back, after Joseph has closed his eyes.” (Gen 46:3-4)
Faith, Trust, and Hope, sounds like the strange pep-talk Jesus was giving to his Apostles. “I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; you’ll be handed over to the courts, scourged, paraded before governors and kings. When this happens don’t worry about what to say, let the Spirit speak through you.” (Mt 10:16-20) “When one town persecutes you, flee to another” (Mt 10:23) and repeat. Again, and again, frankly you won’t be able to finish.
As Christians, we hold that the Creator, who gave us life, always wants to restore us to fullness of life, our eternal destiny. Today’s Gospel suggests that a deep faith and trust in Jesus can give us a foretaste of the glorious life awaiting us. This is a core hope surrounding today’s feast commemorating 120 martyrs, killed in a long trail of blood from 1648 to 1930. This roll call of martyrs includes lay women, catechists, seminarians, bishops, priests, a cook, a farmer, a widow, a 79-year-old man and a child of 9. Ordinary people, many of them, whose faith and trust in Jesus led them to unimaged places and positions.
The one saint the Church names on this feast is Saint Augustine Zhao Rong. Like so many other saints, he began his professional life as a soldier. As part of his military duties, Augustine was assigned to escort a French priest in China. The priest’s holy example made such a deep impression on Augustine that he decided to convert to Catholicism. After his baptism, he entered the seminary and became Father Augustine. Shortly after his ordination, Father Augustine was jailed, tortured, and left to die in prison.
Jacob, the Apostles, Fr. Augustine and his companions most likely never imaged themselves in the places and positions they found themselves. Even today, we may have never expected the state in which we find our society so easily choosing death as free will choice, for the unborn, the elderly, and means of resolving conflict. Yet, remaining faithful in our charge to witness to the Good News and bravely keeping a tight grip on the pearl of great price, the promise for our eternal destiny, our true promised land. May we, and all Christians, value our faith in easy times, so when times of persecution come, we may stand upright[3] in unimagined places and positions.
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