"The True Story of Little Li (Chinese Girl Martyr of the Eucharist) & Holy Communion" [Homily #198a]

(Photo Credit of Girl Under Hammer & Sickle: John Bulmer/Popperfoto)

"The True Story of Little Li (Chinese Girl Martyr of the Eucharist) & Holy Communion" [Homily #198]

By Deacon Dennis Purificacion

17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jesus Miraculously Feeds 5,000

July 25, 2021

 

I

Before the days of online social media, the Venerable Fulton Sheen was viewed over 30 million times every week on his show “Life is Worth Living.”  One day, a few months before his death, he was asked about what inspired him to touch the lives of so many people.  They asked: Well, was it some great Pope perhaps or some other grand popular religious figure that inspired you?  The archbishop simply replied by telling the true unknown story of a little Chinese girl martyr of the Eucharist.  Her name was Little Li.

[READ THIS STORY SLOWLY AND LET IT SINK IN FOR PEOPLE.]  When the Communist Party rose to power in China, soldiers entered Little Li’s village and ordered everyone to turn in all religious objects.  [PAUSE.]  They even went into the village church and started shooting at the Tabernacle.  [PAUSE.]  [SAY THE FOLLOWING WITH EMPHASIS.]  Eventually, one of the officers took out the Ciborium holding the Eucharist and threw the Eucharist on the floor and ordered the horrified villagers watching this to not touch the Hosts on the floor.

But every day for 32 days (because there were 32 hosts), 10-year old Little Li would [SAY SLOWLY] risk her life for the Holy Eucharist.  She would sneak into the church, fall down on her knees, adore the Eucharistic Hosts on the floor for an hour, and then with her tongue she would scoop up ONE Holy Communion on the floor.  [PAUSE.]  On the day that the very last Eucharist was on the floor, Little Li snuck into the church, fell down on her knees, adored the last Eucharistic Host on the floor for one hour again, and then with her tongue received the last Holy Communion.  After that moment, one of the soldiers shot her and she died.

The soldier who did this eventually repented and said, “If every village had a girl like her, there would be no soldiers in the Communist Party.”  Venerable Fulton Sheen said that his inspiration to spend one hour of prayer before Jesus in the Eucharist every single day of his life was because of unknown Little Li, the Chinese girl martyr of the Eucharist.  [Include comment about being a married deacon with a 10-year-old daughter and how this story inspired me to prayer.]

II

With all the debates going on in our own time by our bishops and the Church about who should receive Holy Communion or not, whether this politician or that married couple, or this person or that person should receive, the story of Little Li and the blood of this martyr puts me to a heartbreaking state.  Little Li was like a Bride receiving the adorable Sacrament of Charity.  Her wedding garment was ready, properly disposed, and in the state of friendship or grace with God.  There was a “Eucharistic coherence” or a child-like honesty about whether she should receive Communion or not.  She wasn’t pompous or entitled or argumentative about her sins insisting that she should receive the gift of Holy Communion.  But she like a trusting little child of the Eternal Father, she received is pleasing to God.  Like Little Li we too are called to receive this Sacrament of Charity in the state of grace.

[SUMMARIZE @ 12 p.m. Mass if time allows: For the next four weeks, we’ll be hearing in the Scriptures about Jesus, the Bread of Life.  In today’s Gospel, we heard proclaimed the miracle of the multiplication of 5 loaves and 2 fish and feeding 5,000 people.  Biblical scholars have said that when we compare the Gospel of John Chapter 6, which we just heard, with the other 3 Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, there is a noticeable difference: Whereas, in the 3 Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke IMPLICITLY prepare the audience for the Institution of the Eucharist by Jesus on Holy Thursday, the Gospel of John EXPLICTLY prepares the audience for the Institution of the Eucharist by Jesus on Holy Thursday.  In other words, it is clearer in John’s Gospel that the author is making ready, preparing and having his audience before properly disposed, to be in the state of friendship and right mind and heart before receiving the Eucharist.  When John wrote, “The Jewish feast of Passover was near,” John explicitly and directly makes a connection.  And in today’s First Reading from the Second Book of Kings, the Prophet Elisha also fed 100 people with 20 loaves and said, “For thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over’” (2 Kings 4).]

III

So what does this practically mean for us today?  The first is to increase our faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  When Little Li risked her life and shed her blood, she teaches us that we do not give our lives to just ordinary bread.  So the first is to be aware of not what but WHO we are receiving.  We are not receiving just a piece of bread, like the Wonder bread that we buy at a grocery store.  But we are receiving Jesus under the appearance of bread.  When the minister says, “The Body of Christ,” the reply is “Amen” not “thank you” but Amen.  This is your special moment with Jesus as you come forward.  Don’t be poorly taught or catechizing about this teaching on the Eucharist.  You know, it is said that there is poor catechetical formation about the Eucharist, where only 1 out of 3 believe in the Real Presence.  In the USA, only 1 out of 4 Catholics go to Mass (and this was before the pandemic! which is worse).  In Europe, only 1 in 10 go to Mass.  This is heartbreaking.  What a sad reality that so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ do not take advantage of the Great Sacrament of Charity and Unity that heals us, consoles us, strengthens us, and washes away venial sin.

A second practical action to work for is Christian unity, within our own parish and diocese, but also with those from other Christian communities.  The Sacrament of Charity, instead of being a sign of unity, should not be a source of division.

 

 Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 1336) teaches: “The first announcement of the Eucharist divided the disciples, just as the announcement of the Passion scandalized them: ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’  The Eucharist and the Cross are stumbling blocks.  It is the same mystery and it never ceases to be an occasion of division.  ‘Will you also go away?” the Lord’s question echoes through the ages, as a living invitation to discover that only he has ‘the words of eternal life’ and that to receive in faith the gift of his Eucharist is to receive the Lord himself.

This is what happened to Jesus.  The Jews of Jesus’ time could not understand the gift of the Eucharist.  When they walked away from Jesus, Jesus didn’t say, “Oh, sorry guys, I didn’t mean that.”  Instead, Jesus insisted, “Amen. Amen.  I am the Bread of Life.”  So on the one hand, we should not be embarrassed in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, but on the other we should still respect yet call to conversion those that have walked away from this Sacrament of Charity.  Perhaps, while we do not have common doctrine with our Protestant brothers and sisters, we still have a communion love (agape) of service to the needy.  Catholics and Protestants can still work together in acts of charity and common witness, like working for the unborn, the hungry, and the poor or the sanctity of marriage, or the person needing our help at home together, and even prison and shedding blood together for the Gospel.

Third and finally, we can practically examine our consciences and, if we have any serious or mortal or deadly sins to confess, to go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion.  Otherwise, we commit another mortal sin or a sacrilege, if we receive Communion in the state of mortal sin instead of the state of grace.  We should ask ourselves:  1)  What does the Church teach me about how to live a moral life?  2)  Am I living according to these teachings?  3)  If not, how can I be reconciled to Christ once again, so as to be without stain on my baptismal garment when I receive Holy Communion?

IV

In closing, dear brothers and sisters, may we have the simple, childlike faith of Little Li, the Chinese girl martyr of the Eucharist.  When Jesus teaches us about the Eucharist and he asks us, “Will you also go away” let us persevere!  Let us love the Eucharist!  Let us endure!  Let us stay with Jesus in the Eucharist!  Like Little Li, let our response, our Responsorial Psalm to Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist be, “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.”

 

 

 

 

 

18th Wedding Anniversary (July 12, 2021) & What I Did For My Birthday

On Monday, July 12, 2021, Tove Ann and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary.

I took the day off of work.  

We went to the 12:05 p.m. Mass at St. John's in Napa.  This fit our schedule this day.

There, we met the new parish priest, Fr. Marlon, for the first time in person.  

After Mass, Father did a blessing for a couple celebrating an anniversary for us.  David Perez assisted him as acolyte.  We also ran into some others that we know like Adrianna and Veronica.  

Some other parishioners stayed to join us in the blessing.  One lady, whose name I do not know, smiled and said some kind words afterwards.  Kinds words go a long way.

I included this black "field ring" for Father to bless alongside my original wedding ring from 18 years ago.  I know it's a bit unusual, but this is the ring I wear "in the field" for law enforcement chaplaincy.  I don't want to lose my original platinum ring which has become loose on my ring finger and has come off many times.

After St. John's in Napa, my son Peter wanted to get In-N-Out Burger for lunch.  

And then we went to one of the local parks.  Here is my better half -- just me and Tove Ann.

She keeps my head on straight.

A deacon's wife is the deacon's first bishop.  A married deacon's home is his first seminary.

My wife and kids are my priority and first vocation.  Then, service to others follows:

God, family, work, ministry.

Here we are sporting our new P-Team shirts.

Mariana drew this.  Then, we put it to a t-shirt.

 

Kids were also studying about Coat of Arms and even military history.  So they developed one for our family.

I told them we were royalty because of our baptism.  We are princes and princesses of the Heavenly Father who is King and Mama Mary is Queen.

At top of family Coat of Arms is Cross and Crown of 12 Stars to represent Jesus and Mary.

Flanking the Coat of Arms are the U.S. Flag and Philippine Flag to represent Filipino roots before coming to America.  The kids are 4th generation Americans with roots in the Philippines.  This also shows the alliance between the U.S. and Philippines that was forged in blood, particularly in World War II when Filipinos and Americans fought, bled and died together for freedom.

I told E.J. to make sure to color the top part of the Philippine flag dark b/c it means the country is in a state of peace, but when you turn the Philippines' flag upside down that means the country is in a state of war.  

In the USA, when the U.S. flag is upside down it represents being in distress.

Bottom of the Coat of Arms is the motto "Love Drives Out Fear" from the First Letter of John.  This has roots when Tove Ann and I were dating.

The arrow pointing up reminds me of St. Louis Martin, father of St. Therese, who before he died pointed up and said his last dying words to his girls, "Heaven."

The eight-pointed star is an ancient symbol of Mary under title Star of the Sea.  

"P-Team" means "Purificacion Team."

J.M.J. means "Jesus, Mary and Joseph."

There are 9 stripes for each family member: 2 parents (mom and dad) & 7 kids.

Emmanuel Jeremiah (E.J.) took the initiative with this Coat of Arms.

We then drove back to our city and then went shopping.

This is a cup set I thought of getting for my wife, but I ended up not getting it....yes, it's a marriage joke.

We had Costco pizza for dinner.

I wanted to watch "Matrix 2" with Tove Ann.  But as a family we ended up watching "Saints Perpetua & Felicity."  I was inspired after watching it and felt rejuvenated, perhaps more so than had I watched "Matrix."

Card from my wife:

My mom's choice of cards has always been meaningful over the years.

Card from kids below.

I have to re-tell the story of Tove Ann and my first act of charity as a married couple.  We were originally scheduled on the parish calendar to get married on July 26, 2003, the Feast of Sts. Joachim and Ann.  This is one of Tove Ann's feast days b/c it is the feast of Jesus' grandmother, and Tove Ann bears her name.

Well, several months before our marriage, we got a phone call from the office asking if we could move our wedding date to July 12, 2003.  There was a couple that asked for July 26, 2003.  And our time slot was the only one available.  Obviously, we could have said no.  But we didn't.    

So Tove Ann and I moved our wedding date to July 12 as "our first act of love as a married couple" for another married couple.  

Well, fast forward about 10 years later into our marriage, we found out that St. Louis and St. Zelie (who were then "Blessed" which is the step before official sainthood) also got married on July 12.  And July 12 is their official liturgical feast day by the Catholic Church.

It was a gift.

So we've told the story of our wedding date of July 12 to our kids.  And they made this for us:

We prayed the nightly family rosary during an hour of family prayer time.  

We finished reading this book together as a family.  'Took us about a month.  You can order it here.

I learned that St Louis helped his country's National Guard during time of war.  

I am grateful to the Almighty for our 18 years of ups and down, joys and sadness, rich and poor, sickness and health, for better and for worse.  I know marriage is difficult.  But I am strengthened by faith that Jesus elevated it to the dignity of a Sacrament.

So thank you for reading this story.

Then we ended the day.

_____________________________

Here are some random photos over the past few months:

Mariana wrote and published (through the local printing company) her first book called "I Love Our Family."

At the beach:

At Mass:

Notes of what I did for my bday later in the month:

- began around midnight with prayer and thanksgiving to God for another year of life to serve Him

- slept in

- my daughter, Hope, asked for senorita bread for breakfast (went to nearby store b/c family wanted to get favorite onion rings and sunflower seeds for a little trip)

- went to get fish and chips out of town

- returned to town and did some window shopping

- as we got home, the ice cream truck passed by (Tove Ann and I have childhood memories of the ice cream truck so we wanted to continue that), so we got ice cream from the ice cream truck

- wife made homemade sushi with tilapia (usually we have it w tuna) and spaghetti

- E.J. made me a humongous vanilla peanut butter cookie "It's It" for cake

- Watched "Cheaper By the Dozen" for a family movie (had to correct some parts for kids)

- watched Mass followed by family rosary and prayer time

- kids did a surprise concert for me (w EJ playing his first real guitar piece to "Little Eyes")- 

- Mariana made me a small book called "Tatay's Saints Book" with my favorite saints in it

- grateful for the family greetings

Life is precious.  I am grateful for all these things God has given (and even for things He has not given).

I finished this blog on the Memorial Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

A.M.D.G.

Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, Master.  Thank you.

- 

RIP Grandpa Benny

Police Chaplain Service as Part of My Deacon Ministry

As part of my deacon ministry, I serve as a police chaplain for Vallejo PD.  

The official appointment date was May 18, 2021.

I informed the parish lay leaders, my work, and my family, before announcing it here on my personal social network on July 4.

I do chaplaincy as time allows.  Before, during and after formation, my life priorities (in this order) have been: God, family, work, ministry.  That is how my wife and I try to balance commitments.  So this form of service to the margins is somewhat the same as before.

Below are some other statements that were sent out already.  

Thank you and may God bless you and our city.

Happy 245th birthday, America!

God mend thine every flaw. /

Confirm thy soul in self control. /  Thy liberty in law.

_______________________________

For Jesus and Mary.

_______________________________

14 June 2021

Dear Pastoral Council,

I'd like to share some developments with you.  

Last year (July 2020), as part of my evaluation meeting with my Diaconate Review Board, I was invited to pursue police chaplaincy as part of my diaconate ministry.  They said there was a need and call for deacons to serve in this way, and so they asked me to step forward.  

I told them that I would need to discern serving in this capacity but would need to also scale back on current duties at the parish while serving as a chaplain.  I would still be assigned to St. Catherine's, esp for weekend Masses, but my main duties during the week outside weekend Masses would shift toward chaplaincy.

After a year of discernment, training and conversation with the Vallejo Police Department, I have informed the Diocese that I have accepted its invitation to serve as a volunteer chaplain.  I will start with 6-12 months for now and then evaluate the process.  I've already passed an extensive background check (which checked me as far back as age 15) and completed basic and advanced training for this.  So as far as the Vallejo Police Department is concerned, I am ready to start with them. 

Thank you, dear brothers and sisters.  Even though you won't see me as much during the week, I hope this change will reflect well on St. Catherine's in the wider community.  One of the tasks I'd like to do is help recruit more priests and deacons to police chaplaincy in our area.  VPD said, at this time, they asked for a deacon because the priests tend to be transferred in and out of Vallejo while the deacons are more stable and stick around in the community over the years.  But I still plan to recruit more priests.

I have learned how having a team of deacons at a parish is a gift, so I am grateful to all of you for this opportunity to share me even more with others.  Salamat po y mil gracias a todos!

A fellow servant,

Deacon Dennis

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Bio for Chief’s office

Chaplain Dennis Purificacion was ordained a Catholic deacon in 2014 for the Sacramento Diocese and is assigned to St. Catherine's Church in Vallejo.  He completed Advanced P.O.S.T. Chaplain Academy training and holds a Basic Credential from the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC).  Professionally, Chaplain Purificacion is a religious education administrator for the Santa Rosa Diocese.  He previously worked as staff at Cal Maritime, and he was a multiple award-winning teacher (nicknamed "Mr. P.") at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School.  He also served as Adult Advisor for Vallejo's Youth Activities Commission.  Chaplain holds a doctorate in education administration (EdD) and theology degrees (STL, STM, MA, BA) with theses on social ethics and just policing.  He moved to Vallejo in 1998 and has been married since 2003.  He enjoys the outdoors and superhero movies.

_____________________________________

My first thesis was on the Beatitudes.  Here is a photo of one of those Beatitudes.

_____________________________________

You called.  I answered.

God's people asked.  I said yes.

Deacon's Wife (Tove Ann) Stopped By Baptism Prep Class To Encourage Parents/Godparents to Love Jesus Through Mary

 

Please enjoy this 3 minute audio clip from the mother of my children to other fellow parents:

The witness of a deacon's wife can be more powerful than any preaching (homily) her husband gives from the pulpit (ambo).

Thank you to our pastor, Fr. Glenn, for this shirt.  

The deacon's wife is the deacon's first bishop.

My Dream That I Went To Hear Confession For First Time

I had a dream this early morning that I went to hear the Confession of penitents in the Sacrament of Penance.

There was a line waiting for me.  The first penitent knelt on my left behind a screen. But I could see that he looked like a deacon I work with. 

I then fell on my knees sobbing how unworthy I was to hear a Confession, after I had made many Confessions myself.  I saw that I was wearing a clerical collar and a purple stole as I was on my knees.  I sobbed in the dream but also sobbed in real life as I was asleep.

The penitent looked puzzled why I was sobbing, and I was going to tell him, "You're my first Confession to hear" to put him at ease.  But as I did I noticed there were other penitents within hearing distance, so I went to tell them to keep some distance for the penitent's privacy.

And with that, I woke up.

It was like the dream I had two years ago on Corpus Christi 2019 about celebrating Mass HERE.  Note: After posting that dream about celebrating Mass, I took it off after a while and reverted it back to draft because I was embarrassed.  But then some time later I read about how one can put the (unconsecrated) host on the corporal like I saw somewhat in my dream.  I never knew that until recently. That image inspired me to put the post back up.

I submit all this to Holy Mother Church.