Saints celebrated on the 7th of July
SAINT MARK JI TIANXIANG, DOCTOR AND MARTYR
Saint Mark was born in Jizhou District, Hengshui, Zhili (now Hebei), China in 1834. He was a doctor and contracted a disease himself for the treatment of which he used opium, but instead of opium being a cure for him, he became heavily addicted to it.
He was a pious Christian, always going to confession and mostly spending time in prayer, attending Mass, and providing free treatment to his patients.
On July 7, 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, Mark and 119 other Christians were rounded up and told to renounce Christianity, but they refused. Mark asked the rebels to kill him last so that he could encourage his family to die as martyrs and they would not have to die alone. He did not renounce his Catholic faith and hence was beheaded.
Mark Ji Tianxiang was beatified on November 24, 1946 by Pope Pius XII. along with 120 other Chinese martyrs, including Augustine Zhao Rong, and canonised by Pope John Paul II. on October 1, 2000.
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Ji_Tianxiang
PRAYER:
Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that we who know how courageously your holy martyr Mark confessed the faith, may experience his goodness as he intercedes for us with you. 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. Amen.
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