July 9, 2026 Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, Martyrs (Feast) Gospel: Jn 12:24-26
Today is Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time. In the Chinese missionary region and among Chinese-speaking Catholic communities, this liturgical celebration is typically observed as a Feast or Solemnity. This year, we offer a reflection based on the Gospel for the Proper Mass of this feast.
The Missale Romanum informs us that this feast commemorates the 120 martyrs who suffered in China between 1648 and 1930. They include European missionaries, such as Saint Gregory Grassi (1823–1900), the Italian-born Bishop of Northern Shanxi, as well as indigenous Christians martyred during the Boxer Rebellion, such as Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, a diocesan priest put to death in 1815. They were canonized by Saint John Paul II in the year 2000.
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus uses a common image from daily life—a grain of wheat—to describe our relationship with this world. I believe that in many nations, Christianity exists as a minority. Viewed globally, the Church of Christ appears as insignificant as a grain of wheat amidst the vast earth. Yet, it is precisely among these seemingly insignificant People of God that we often encounter those who relate to God according to their own perceived correctness, but who rarely, for God’s sake, are willing to lay down their lives. Their knowledge of God remains superficial; they lack sincerity of heart. Though they have received Baptism into Christ, they have not truly been buried with Him. They cling to their earthly lives and are unwilling to strive for that imperishable life found in Christ.
I wish to say: Through the grace of Christ’s Baptism, we have been incorporated into Christ. The Christ into whom we have been baptized is the One who, while we were still sinners, died for us (cf. Rom 5:8). By His Most Precious Blood poured out on the Cross, He made expiation for all our sins, so that we might be justified by His Blood and saved from God’s wrath through Him (cf. Rom 5:9). When we are in Christ and receive the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God dwells within us, interceding for us with ineffable groanings and assisting our weakness (cf. Rom 8:26). Thus, united with our brothers and sisters who have received the same Baptism and the same Spirit, we become one body in Christ through partaking of the Sacred Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. This Eucharist is consecrated by the priest in the full celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, following the Savior’s command and entrusted teaching. In this way, we are members of the Church founded by Jesus upon Peter, the Rock (cf. Mt 16:18-19).
Today, the Church invites all the faithful to celebrate the 120 martyrs who suffered in China between 1648 and 1930. She does so to call us to imitate these holy Chinese martyrs, who, for the sake of Jesus and His Gospel, were willing to lay down their lives solely to increase the number of God’s children in His Church. Now, let us join together in prayer:
O God, who in your wonderful providence have strengthened your church through the confession of the Matyrs Saint Augustine Zhao and companions, grant that your people, faithful to the mission entrust to it, may enjoy ever greater freedom and witness to the truth before the world. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who live and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever
July 9, 2026 Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Or Optional Memorial of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, Martyrs Gospel: Mt 10:7-15
Today is Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates today the Optional Memorial of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, Martyrs. In the Chinese missionary region and among Chinese-speaking Catholic communities, this liturgical celebration is typically observed as a Feast or Solemnity. For pastoral reasons, we offer two distinct versions of reflections this year.
The Gospel passage for Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time continues from yesterday’s reading. Matthew proceeds to recount the instructions Jesus gave to His twelve apostles when He first sent them forth to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom. Let us attempt some reflection.
Jesus instructed the apostles going forth to proclaim the Kingdom to first declare that “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” He further charged them to proclaim the Gospel to the sick, to those living under the shadow of death, to those afflicted with physical or spiritual sores, and to those bound by the devil, the flesh, and the world (cf. Mt 10:7-8). This was intended to demonstrate to the world that the Kingdom He proclaimed stood in stark contrast to the “Kingdom of God” preached by the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, elders of the people, and chief priests of that time. Their conception of God’s Kingdom centered on a God who rewards the good and punishes the wicked, a God who delights in sacrifice and who harshly chastises those who fail to offer Him oblations—a realm entered only through ritual offering. But the Kingdom of God preached by Jesus is a Kingdom ruled by a God who loves all, a God who is Love alone; whoever is loved by God may enter His Kingdom.
Today, we too are called to go forth and proclaim the Kingdom as Jesus taught. But how do we proclaim it? I believe many brothers and sisters have had this experience: At times, filled with zeal, they journey to unfamiliar environments to evangelize. Instinctively, they seek suitable lodging and amenities, even planning the budget for the mission before it begins. Should the projected costs exceed their means, or if local accommodation falls short of their expectations, they choose to abandon the effort. Other brothers and sisters initially integrate well into their communities, but over time, divisions arise. They then invoke the words from today’s Gospel: “Whoever does not receive you or listen to your words—go out of that house or town and shake the dust off your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town” (cf. Mt 10:14-15), seeking to justify their departure and the resulting schism.
To those brothers and sisters harboring such thoughts, I wish to say: There are moments when we all feel disheartened and hopeless. Sometimes, we may even grow resentful toward God and those we serve, resolving to sever ties. When such thoughts arise, let us turn to Jesus hanging upon the Cross, imploring His mercy. May He manifest His power within us, dispelling every negative inclination and obstacle that hinders our path to God, so that we may remain ever centered on the Word of God and faithfully proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom.
O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world, fill your faithful with holy joy, for on those you have rescued from slavery to sin you bestow eternal gladness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever
全属于祢 
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