A THOUSAND DEATHS

Memorial of Sts. Lorenzo Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs
Mt 10:28-33

The question: “If we grant you life, will you renounce your faith?”

The answer: “That I will never do because I am a Christian, and I shall die for God, and for Him I will give many thousands of lives if I had them. And so, do with me as you please.”

The man: Lorenzo Ruiz, son of a Chinese father and a Filipina mother, born in Binondo, Manila between the years 1600 and 1610.

Today we celebrate the blessed memory of his martyrdom together with sixteen others, Asians and Europeans, who spread the Faith in the Philippines, Formosa and Japan.

Documents at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints cite that the parents of Lorenzo Ruiz were devout Catholics. He was baptized at the Binondo church which still stands until today and keeps the baptismal font where Lorenzo was baptized. While he was christened "Lorenzo" after a 3rd century Christian martyr, his surname "Ruiz" was taken from the last name of his godfather.

As a young boy, Lorenzo served as a sacristan at the convent of the Binondo church. Because he lived at the convent together with Dominican priests, Lorenzo learned from them not just Spanish but also catechism.

After several years, Lorenzo Ruiz earned the title of "escribano" or notary. He worked as a parish secretary and was an active member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, an organization devoted to the Blessed Virgin that was organized in the Philippines in 1587.

Although documents do not record the name of his wife, Lorenzo confessed before he was convicted that he was a family man with three kids, two boys and a girl. He would have lived the ordinary life of a husband and father until his life took an abrupt turn in 1636.

In 1636, a grave crime was committed in Manila. Authorities conducted a manhunt for Lorenzo because they believed he knew something about it or was himself involved in it. Documents are silent except with the statement of two Dominicans that Lorenzo was sought by the authorities because of a homicide to which he was present or which was attributed to him.

Meanwhile three Dominican priests, Antonio Gonzalez, Guillermo Courtet and Miguel de Aozaraza, together with a Japanese priest, Vicente Shiwozuka de la Cruz, and a layman named Lazaro, a leper, were about to sail to Japan in spite of a violent persecution there. Lorenzo learned about the journey these missionaries were about to undertake. But he did not know that the missionaries were bound for Japan. Nonetheless, Lorenzo begged that he be allowed to join them. His request was granted. We can only imagine today the tearful farewell between Lorenzo and his wife and children as, with the missionaries, Lorenzo sailed the seas, safe from fear of being implicated in a crime, safe but separated from his family.

Only at sea did Lorenzo learn that their ship was bound for Japan. Though he was informed that he could disembark at Formosa, Lorenzo opted to remain with the missionaries because he feared that the Spaniards would arrest and hang him there. After several months at sea, they landed at Okinawa.

In Japan, Lorenzo assisted the missionaries in their ministry. But soon enough the Japanese authorities found them out and arrested them. The missionaries, together with Lorenzo Ruiz, were taken to Nagasaki. Records show that widescale persecution in Japan during that time resulted to not less than 50,000 Catholics dispersed and persecuted in Nagasaki alone. While those who renounced their Christian Faith were spared, thousands upon thousands of Christians remained steadfast and suffered martyrdom.

As it was with the other Christian martyrs of Japan, Lorenzo Ruiz and companions were subjected to unspeakable kinds of torture. “Water Torture” was the first. After huge quantities of water were forced down their throats, they were made to lie down. Long boards were then placed on their stomachs and guards stepped on the ends of the boards, forcing the water to spurt violently from mouth, nose, ears, and practically all body-openings.

Chronicles of the martyrdom of Lorenzo Ruiz and companions say that the superior of the mission, Fr. Antonio Gonzalez, died after some days. Both the Japanese priest, Vicente Shiwozuka de la Cruz, and Lazaro, the leper layman, broke under torture, which included the insertion of bamboo needles under their fingernails. But, according to documents, both were brought back to courage by their companions and also died as martyrs.

Lorenzo himself was tempted to apostatize. In his moment of crisis, he asked the interpreter, "I would like to know if, by apostatizing, they will spare my life." The interpreter was noncommittal, but Lorenzo, in the ensuing hours, felt his faith grow strong.

The Japanese Governors, called “shogun” asked Lorenzo: "If we grant you life, will you renounce your faith?"

Lorenzo stood up for his Christian Faith and proclaimed: "That I will never do, because I am a Christian, and I shall die for God, and for him I will give many thousands of lives if I had them. And so, do with me as you please."

On September 23, 1637, together with three Dominican priests and Lazaro, his fellow layman, Lorenzo was finally put to death by being hanged upside down in a pit. A board fitted with semicircular holes was secured around his waist, with stones placed on top of it to increase the pressure. He was tightly bound to slow blood circulation and prevent a speedy death, but a cut was made on his forehead so that blood would trickle down. Lorenzo and his companions were allowed to hang for three days. On the third day, Lorenzo and Lazaro were already found dead while the three Dominican priests were still alive and thus beheaded. Their bodies were burnt and the ashes were thrown into the sea.

Lorenzo Ruiz and companion martyrs were beatified by Pope John Paul II in February 1982 at Luneta Park, Manila. They were canonized by the same Holy Father on October 18, 1987 at the Vatican City. Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila was declared “Patron of the Laity”.

Let us take to heart three lessons from the life of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, who was not only our brother in the Faith but also our fellow Filipino.

First, we, Filipinos, are not only “worth dying for”. We are also capable of dying for a godly cause and for God Himself. We are not always found at the receiving end. Many of us are not only willing but are also actually giving. Many are dying a thousand deaths each day for their families, for their country, and, most importantly, for God. Yes, graft and corruption, regionalism, mediocrity, and a host of other social menaces continue to be our curse, but voluntarism, generosity, and godliness are also just a few of our intrinsic goodness. Heroism is innate in us. Let us focus on our positive values that make the heroes and heroines in us shine brightly. Let us use every opportunity to bring out the heroic qualities in each of us. Let us be heroes, not celebrities.

Second, having a lay person – with a wife and three children – as the first Filipino canonized saint puts across the clear message that holiness is not the exclusive domain of priests and religious. We are all called to holiness. Holiness is our common vocation, whether we are priests, people in consecrated life, or lay. Our dignity is not in the titles that come before or after our names. Those who are addressed to as “Cardinal”, “Bishop”, “Monsignor”, “Father”, “Sister”, and “Brother”, or given salutations such as “Your Eminence”, “Your Excellency”, and “Your Reverence” are not first class citizens in the Church. Titles attached to names such as “Doctor of Divinity”, “Doctor of Sacred Theology”, “Doctor of Canon Law”, and “Licensed in Sacred Theology” do not guarantee personal holiness which is the only fulfillment of our ultimate calling. The greatest among us is the one who serves the least. We do not need titles and salutations to serve the least. He or she who loves in the pattern of Jesus Christ who laid down His life for others is the truly holy man or woman, for holiness is the perfection of charity.

Just as the heroic quality is inherent in us, Filipinos, the virtue of holiness is likewise not found wanting in us. We have many holy, even saintly, Filipinos in our midst. They are those who serve with utmost charity without fanfare. Hidden from the lenses of cameras, but not from our clear sight, many of them are simple lay people. We must admit that many of them are the ones who serve us, rather the ones we serve. Like Lorenzo Ruiz, they make us examine the veracity of our claim, perhaps not vocal but nonetheless actual, to holiness.
We are capable of holiness not because of our ecclesiastical titles and positions. We can be holy, and many of us are indeed holy, because that is what we are called to be. Filipinos – whether priests or laypersons – can be saints. Canonized by the Church or simply known to God alone, we are a saintly people. Let us be saints together.

Third, heroes and saints are not produced overnight. Lorenzo Ruiz was steadfast in his faith because throughout his life he was attached to the Church, to God and to the Blessed Mother. He was able to give his life for the Church because he was always at the service of the Church. As a young boy, he was a sacristan. As a young man, he was an “escribano”, a parish secretary. And though he went with the missionaries not primarily to do mission, he answered the need of the situation when he was actually with them. He assisted the missionaries when they were in Japan to spread the Gospel of Christ. In the same way, we become heroes and saints only if we keep our selves attached to what is heroic and saintly. Service to others through the Church is heroic. Love of Jesus and His Blessed Mother is saintly.

In this regard, the home and the school are two important training grounds of heroes and saints. Let our homes be homes of saints. Let our schools be schools of heroes. Keep our families attached to Jesus and His Blessed Mother. Make our schools always remind the young of our heroes and train them well so as to be able to respond when the ultimate sacrifice is demanded of them.

Lorenzo Ruiz said, “I shall die for God, and for Him I will give many thousands of lives if I had them.” He died once for God, for one life was all that he had. We die our thousand deaths for God each day, for martyrdom begins with living for God, not dying for him. To die for the Faith is a gift to some, but to live for it is a call for all. That gift may never become ours. But that call is always certainly ours.

Have you died for God today?

...one thousand, one thousand and one, one thousand and two, one thousand and three, one thousand and four deaths for God…and still counting....