ST JOHN WANG KUIXIN, MARTYR - 14 JULY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JULY

 Saints celebrated on the 14th of July

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

ST JOHN WANG KUIXIN, MARTYR

A native of Qi County, China (Hebei Province), Saint John Wang Kuixin was a fervently Catholic husband and father. In 1900 a Chinese quasi-religious faction known to history as the “Boxers” embarked upon a bloody persecution of Christians in China.

THEY MOVED TO A VILLAGE THAT WAS CONSIDERED RELATIVELY SAFE

In the face of this threat, John and his cousin (Saint) Joseph Wang Kuiju took their families by wagon to a village that was considered relatively safe because of its large Catholic population.

John and Joseph then began a return journey to their own village. Rain compelled them to take shelter at an inn, where in the course of a conversation they avowed their Catholic identity.

HE WAS URGED NOT TO SPEAK OF HIS FAITH

The Boxers came and immediately beheaded Joseph. John attempted to escape, but he was quickly captured.

He was brought before a pagan mandarin (magistrate), who sought to spare his life by urging him not to speak of his faith.

HE LOUDLY INVOKED THE NAME OF JESUS

John, however, considering this proposal tantamount to a denial of faith, refused it. Reluctantly the mandarin delivered him into the hands of the Boxers. On July 14, 1900, John prayed as he went to his execution, loudly invoking the Holy Name of Jesus before dying.

“To do your will is my desire, to live in you, Lord, is my life.”