Feast of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz

Reflection Date: September 28, 2026 | Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and companions, martyrs
Memorial of Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr
Daily Readings: Job 1:6-22; Luke 9:46-50

Children of God:
September 28 is the feast day of St. Lorenzo Ruiz.

Lorenzo Ruiz was born in Manila, in the area of Binondo, to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother. 

He was raised by the Dominican community, served as an altar boy and later worked as a clerk and helper of the Dominican fathers. 

He married, became a father of three children, and lived the ordinary responsibilities of family life. 

He also became a member of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, which connected him closely with the Dominican mission. 

In 1636, Lorenzo became involved in a serious incident and feared that he might be accused of a crime, so he joined a group of Dominican missionaries who were leaving Manila for Japan. 

The missionaries intended to assist Christians in Japan at a time when Christianity was being severely persecuted. 

When the group reached Okinawa, they were arrested and eventually brought to Nagasaki after more than a year in prison. 

Lorenzo was interrogated and pressured to abandon his Christian faith, but he refused to do so and declared his willingness to die for Christ. 

He and his companions were subjected to brutal torture, including the Japanese method known as ana-tsurushi, in which prisoners were suspended upside down with their bodies placed into a pit. 

Lorenzo eventually died in Nagasaki in 1637, becoming remembered as the first Filipino martyr and, later, the first canonized Filipino saint.

The story of Lorenzo is striking because he was not a king, a bishop, or a famous theologian. 

He was a layman, a husband, a father, and an ordinary Christian who found himself facing an extraordinary test of faith. 

His story brings us directly into the gospel story of Luke, where the disciples argued about who among them was the greatest. 

Jesus responded by placing a child beside him and teaching that greatness is found in humility and welcome. 

He also told them not to prevent someone from doing good simply because that person did not belong to their group. 

Lorenzo's life gives flesh to that teaching because his witness was not built on position or prestige but on fidelity.

What are our inspirations for today? 

First, real greatness is seen in how we treat people who cannot increase our status.

The disciples argued about who was the greatest, and Jesus answered their argument in an unexpected way. 

He placed a child beside him and said, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (Luke 9:48). 

Jesus redirected their attention away from status and toward welcome.

That message remains deeply relevant because we often measure people according to what they can offer us. 

We notice someone's position, education, influence, wealth, followers, connections, or title. 

Sometimes we give more attention to the powerful person while overlooking the ordinary person who quietly needs our time.

Saint Lorenzo reminds us that God does not ask us to become important in the eyes of the world; God asks us to become faithful in the place where we are.

Real greatness is seen in how we treat people who cannot increase our status.

Second, authentic faith is seen when we remain faithful even when nobody applauds us.

The disciples also encountered someone driving out demons in Jesus' name and tried to stop him because he did not belong to their group. 

Jesus answered, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:50). 

He taught them that God's work was bigger than their circle and that discipleship was not a competition for recognition.

Sometimes we can fall into the same temptation. 

We want our group to receive the credit. We want our ministry to be noticed. We want our contribution to be recognized. We can even become uncomfortable when someone outside our circle does something good. 

But Jesus invited his disciples to rejoice in the good rather than compete for recognition.

Authentic faith is seen when we remain faithful even when nobody applauds us.

As we reflect, we ask ourselves: Do I measure my importance by my position, recognition, or influence rather than by the way I welcome and serve others? 

Am I able to appreciate the good that other people do even when they do not belong to my group or community? When my faith becomes difficult or costly, am I willing to remain faithful even when nobody sees or applauds me?

Children of God:
Saint Lorenzo Ruiz did not begin his journey as a famous saint. 

He began as an ordinary Filipino layman living an ordinary family life. 

Yet when the moment of decision came, his ordinary faith became extraordinary witness. 

His story reminds us that we do not know when our small acts of fidelity will become important in God's larger story. 

May we learn to seek greatness not through recognition but through service.