Pray with Rosary and Chaplet or just read the meditations.
Chaplet: 1. On an auspicious day some thirty four years ago, Lorenzo Ruiz and companion martyrs were beatified by Pope John Paul II in February 1982 at Luneta Park, Manila. Five and a half years later, Lorenzo was canonized at the Vaticanby the same pope as the first Filipino saint and named "Patron Saint of the Laity".
2. Lorenzo Ruiz, after more than 37 years after his beatification, his life continues to inspire devotion and love of Mary and Jesus. He was an ordinary layman, doing ordinary layman's work but with an extraordinary devotion to Mary and the catholic faith.
3. Lorenzo's life was full of lessons for us, the faithful, which are relevant during his time and up to now. He was a good husband, family man and provider. He was a devoted member of his church, a conscientious church worker, a prayerful person and devout follower of the Blessed Mother.
4. Lorenzo's life: First, we, are not only “worth dying for”. We are also capable of dying for a godly cause and for God Himself. We are not always found at the receiving end. Many of us are not only willing but are also actually giving. Many are dying a thousand deaths each day for their families, for their country, and, most importantly, for God. Yes, graft and corruption, regionalism, mediocrity, and a host of other social menaces continue to be our curse, but voluntarism, generosity, and godliness are also just a few of our intrinsic goodness. Heroism is innate in us. Let us focus on our positive values that make the heroes and heroines in us shine brightly. Let us use every opportunity to bring out the heroic qualities in each of us. Let us be heroes, not celebrities.
5. Second, having a lay person – with a wife and three children – as the first Filipino canonized saint puts across the clear message that holiness is not the exclusive domain of priests and religious. We are all called to holiness. Holiness is our common vocation, whether we are priests, people in consecrated life, or lay. Our dignity is not in the titles that come before or after our names. Those who are addressed to as “Cardinal”, “Bishop”, “Monsignor”, “Father”, “Sister”, and “Brother”, or given salutations such as “Your Eminence”, “Your Excellency”, and “Your Reverence” are not first class citizens in the Church. Titles attached to names such as “Doctor of Divinity”, “Doctor of Sacred Theology”, “Doctor of Canon Law”, and “Licensed in Sacred Theology” do not guarantee personal holiness which is the only fulfillment of our ultimate calling. The greatest among us is the one who serves the least. We do not need titles and salutations to serve the least. He or she who loves in the pattern of Jesus Christ who laid down His life for others is the truly holy man or woman, for holiness is the perfection of charity.
Rosary: 1. Just as the heroic quality is inherent in us, the virtue of holiness is likewise not found wanting in us. We have many holy, even saintly, Filipinos in our midst. They are those who serve with utmost charity without fanfare. Hidden from the lenses of cameras, but not from our clear sight, many of them are simple lay people. We must admit that many of them are the ones who serve us, rather the ones we serve. Like Lorenzo Ruiz, they make us examine the veracity of our claim, perhaps not vocal but nonetheless actual, to holiness.
2. We are capable of holiness not because of our ecclesiastical titles and positions. We can be holy, and many of us are indeed holy, because that is what we are called to be. – whether priests or laypersons – can be saints. Canonized by the Church or simply known to God alone, we are a saintly people. Let us be saints together.
3. Third, heroes and saints are not produced overnight. Lorenzo Ruiz was steadfast in his faith because throughout his life he was attached to the Church, to God and to the Blessed Mother. He was able to give his life for the Church because he was always at the service of the Church. As a young boy, he was a sacristan. As a young man, he was an “escribano”, a parish secretary. And though he went with the missionaries not primarily to do mission, he answered the need of the situation when he was actually with them. He assisted the missionaries when they were in Japanto spread the Gospel of Christ. In the same way, we become heroes and saints only if we keep our selves attached to what is heroic and saintly. Service to others through the Church is heroic. Love of Jesus and His Blessed Mother is saintly.
4. In this regard, the home and the school are two important training grounds of heroes and saints. Let our homes be homes of saints. Let our schools be schools of heroes. Keep our families attached to Jesus and His Blessed Mother. Make our schools always remind the young of our heroes and train them well so as to be able to respond when the ultimate sacrifice is demanded of them.
5. Lorenzo Ruiz said, “I shall die for God, and for Him I will give many thousands of lives if I had them.” He died once for God, for one life was all that he had. We die our thousand deaths for God each day, for martyrdom begins with living for God, not dying for him. To die for the Faith is a gift to some, but to live for it is a call for all. That gift may never become ours. But that call is always certainly ours. Have you died for God today?