November 24, 2020

Sts. Andrew Dung-Lac, SJ and Companions

Lk 21: 5-11

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

What is your cornerstone?

“The days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” With these words, Jesus underscores a fundamental truth: ours is a world of flux and transience. 

Is there anything that will not, ultimately, be reduced to rubble? Ayocuan Cuetzpaltzin, the 16th century Nahuatl poet, poses this question with words of lament: “What shall my heart do, O Giver of life? In vain have we sprouted… only to wither and fade?” At times, all our achievements, like the stones of the temple in today’s Gospel, seem destined to crumble and fall. 

And yet, martyrs like Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions bear witness to an eternal sanctuary, a home unscathed by war, illness, and destruction. Take some time to pray about what projects will endure, and what will be thrown down. What is your cornerstone?

—James Millikan, SJ, is a scholastic of the Jesuits West Province currently studying philosophy, social science, and applied mathematics at ITESO, the Jesuit university of Guadalajara in Mexico. 

Prayer

Oh God, font of all that truly endures, grant that, as we attend to the work of this day, we may always build over the sure foundation of your love and grace. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

—James Millikan, SJ

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