About Today
Monday 24 November 2025
Saints Andrew Dũng-Lạc and his Companions, Martyrs on Monday of week 34 in Ordinary Time
The Lord is the king of martyrs: come, let us adore him.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: Red.
Saints Andrew Dũng-Lạc and his Companions
The evangelization of Vietnam began in the 16th century and was formally established with the setting up of two Vicariates Apostolic in 1659. There are now about 6 million Catholics in Vietnam, some 10% of the population.
This growth comes partly from the fact that since the earliest times the seed of the Faith has been watered by the blood of the martyrs of Vietnam – the missionary clergy, the local clergy and the ordinary Christian people. They have all shared the labour of apostolic work and have together faced death to bear witness to the truth of the Gospel. In the course of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries no less than 53 decrees, signed by the lords and emperors of the country from 1625 to 1886, launched one persecution of Christians after another, each one more savage than the last. Over the whole territory of Vietnam about 130,000 Christians were killed in these persecutions. Over the centuries the names of most of them have been lost, but their memory is still alive in the Catholic community.
Since the beginning of the 20th century 117 of these heroes (those whose sufferings were cruellest and best documented) were beatified, in four groups. They were all canonized together by Pope John Paul II on 19 June 1988.
Each one of them was a soul individually created and loved by God, with a life and gifts uniquely his or her own; but with such a huge crowd one can only classify. By nationality, there were 96 Vietnamese, 11 Spanish and 10 French. By status, there were 8 bishops, 50 priests, and 59 laymen and women. By mode of death, 75 were beheaded, 22 strangled, 6 burned alive, 5 torn to pieces while still alive, and 9 died of torture in prison.
A description in French or Spanish can be found on the Vatican web site. An interesting and detailed history of the Catholic Church in Vietnam can be found in this blog entry. It includes an English translation of the Vatican text.
Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22 The Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you
At that time: Jesus instructed his Apostles: ‘Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors andkings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to saywill be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child,and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated byall for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.’
Reflection on the Contemporary Art Photograph Reflection on the Contemporary Art
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that “the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you” whenwe bear witness to our faith. Our contemporary art work captures this beautifully: the Holy Spirit, depicted as a dove, leans close to whisper divine words into a woman’s ear as she sits quietly beneath an icon and a crucifix in a simple, bare room. The photographer, Laura Makabresku, is a Polish visual artist known for her poetic imagery that blends dream, myth,and faith. Her photographs often explore themes of spirituality and the sacred hidden within everyday life. This image conveys beautifully a visual prayer.
our Gospel reading reminds us that the Holy Spirit does not merely speak to us IN prayer, Hespeaks THROUGH us. When we share our faith, the Spirit Himself gives us the words wen eed. Jesus knew that His disciples would face great challenges in proclaiming the Good News, and He promised they would never have to do it alone. The Holy Spirit would be their voice, their strength, their courage.
That same Spirit is alive in us today. We, too, are called to be brave witnesses to Christ, not only in what we say, but in how we live. As Max Lucado once wrote, “To call yourself a child of God is one thing. To be called a child of God by those who watch your life is another thingal together.” May the Holy Spirit give us the grace to live so authentically that others see in usthe living witness of God’s love.
Lessons of Hearing,Photograph by Laura Makabresku (born 1987),Executed in 2021,Photograph© Laura Makabresku artist
Saints Andrew Dũng-Lạc and his Companions, Martyrs on Monday of week 34 in Ordinary Time
The Lord is the king of martyrs: come, let us adore him.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: Red.
Saints Andrew Dũng-Lạc and his Companions
The evangelization of Vietnam began in the 16th century and was formally established with the setting up of two Vicariates Apostolic in 1659. There are now about 6 million Catholics in Vietnam, some 10% of the population.
This growth comes partly from the fact that since the earliest times the seed of the Faith has been watered by the blood of the martyrs of Vietnam – the missionary clergy, the local clergy and the ordinary Christian people. They have all shared the labour of apostolic work and have together faced death to bear witness to the truth of the Gospel. In the course of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries no less than 53 decrees, signed by the lords and emperors of the country from 1625 to 1886, launched one persecution of Christians after another, each one more savage than the last. Over the whole territory of Vietnam about 130,000 Christians were killed in these persecutions. Over the centuries the names of most of them have been lost, but their memory is still alive in the Catholic community.
Since the beginning of the 20th century 117 of these heroes (those whose sufferings were cruellest and best documented) were beatified, in four groups. They were all canonized together by Pope John Paul II on 19 June 1988.
Each one of them was a soul individually created and loved by God, with a life and gifts uniquely his or her own; but with such a huge crowd one can only classify. By nationality, there were 96 Vietnamese, 11 Spanish and 10 French. By status, there were 8 bishops, 50 priests, and 59 laymen and women. By mode of death, 75 were beheaded, 22 strangled, 6 burned alive, 5 torn to pieces while still alive, and 9 died of torture in prison.
A description in French or Spanish can be found on the Vatican web site. An interesting and detailed history of the Catholic Church in Vietnam can be found in this blog entry. It includes an English translation of the Vatican text.
Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22 The Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you
At that time: Jesus instructed his Apostles: ‘Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors andkings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to saywill be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child,and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated byall for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.’
Reflection on the Contemporary Art Photograph Reflection on the Contemporary Art
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that “the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you” whenwe bear witness to our faith. Our contemporary art work captures this beautifully: the Holy Spirit, depicted as a dove, leans close to whisper divine words into a woman’s ear as she sits quietly beneath an icon and a crucifix in a simple, bare room. The photographer, Laura Makabresku, is a Polish visual artist known for her poetic imagery that blends dream, myth,and faith. Her photographs often explore themes of spirituality and the sacred hidden within everyday life. This image conveys beautifully a visual prayer.
our Gospel reading reminds us that the Holy Spirit does not merely speak to us IN prayer, Hespeaks THROUGH us. When we share our faith, the Spirit Himself gives us the words wen eed. Jesus knew that His disciples would face great challenges in proclaiming the Good News, and He promised they would never have to do it alone. The Holy Spirit would be their voice, their strength, their courage.
That same Spirit is alive in us today. We, too, are called to be brave witnesses to Christ, not only in what we say, but in how we live. As Max Lucado once wrote, “To call yourself a child of God is one thing. To be called a child of God by those who watch your life is another thingal together.” May the Holy Spirit give us the grace to live so authentically that others see in usthe living witness of God’s love.
Lessons of Hearing,Photograph by Laura Makabresku (born 1987),Executed in 2021,Photograph© Laura Makabresku artist