Blessed Pedro Calungsod, the Cebuano Teenage Martyr Objectives: 1. To retell the martyrdom of Pedro Calungsod in the island of Guam in 1672 2. To realize and explain that our Christian faith is worth living for 3. To illustrate ways to be instruments of God‟s loving presence in our world today 4. To seek the intercession of Blessed Pedro Calungsod for strength to face life‟s challenges regarding faith and moral I. Exposition A. Word of God Acts 6:1-15, 7:51-60 At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit.... Now Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. Then they instigated some men to say, "We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God." They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They presented false witnesses who testified, "This man never stops saying things against (this) holy place and the law. For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us." All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Stephen preaches to the Sanhedrin, concluding: "You stiff- necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law as transmitted by angels, but you did not observe it." When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them"; and when he said this, he fell asleep. B. Text Analysis 1. Who was Stephen? 2. Why did they stone him to death? 3. Where did he get his strength to face death? 4. Who did he see before his death? 5. What were his last words before he died? C. Definition of terms 1. Hellenist refers to a Jew of the Diaspora (Jewish communities outside of Israel) who adopted the Greek language and culture, 2. Hebrew is one of several names for the Jewish people. 3. The Twelve also known as Apostles were men whom Jesus chose and called to preach the Kingdom of God. 4. Disciples are the followers of Jesus 5. Deacons http://www.bible.ca/H-deacons.htm a. Pseudo-Clement, Epistle to James 12 “Let the deacons of the church move about intelligently and act as eyes of the bishop, carefully inquiring into the actions of every church member....let them find out those who are sick in the flesh, and bring such to the notice of the main body who know nothing of them, that they may visit them and supply their wants, and the president may judge fit. b. Didache 15. “Appoint therefore to yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, men who are meek and not lovers of money, and true and approved ; for unto you they perform the service of the prophets and teachers. c. Polycarp, Epistle 5.2 “In like manner deacons should be blameless in the presence of his righteousness, as deacons of God and Christ and not of men; not calumniators, not double-tongued, not lovers of money, temperate in all , compassionate, diligent, walking according to the truth of the Lord who became a deacon of all. 6. Kingdom of God is where the love of God is. 7. Great Sanhedrin was the highest council of the ancient Jews, consisting of 71 members, and exercising authority from about the 2nd century B.C. D. Summary St. Stephen was one of the first seven deacons chosen by the disciples to serve the needs of the new Christian community during the time of the Apostles. A deacon was assigned to help distribute the goods while the apostles devoted themselves to prayer and preaching. Stephen was full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. He was also full of grace and power and did great wonders and signs among the people. And because of these, some people became envious and accused him of blasphemy against Moses and God. He was brought before the Great Sanhedrin, They were so angry with his defense that Jesus was indeed the Son of God whom they betrayed and murdered. With this, Stephen was stoned to death. However, before his death, he was filled with the Holy Spirit he told everyone around that he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And while they were stoning him to death he asked Jesus to receive my spirit and to forgive his all those who persecuted him. E. Linkage Stephen was the first man recorded in the Acts of the Apostles who bravely proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God. And because of his unwavering belief, he was persecuted and later stoned to death. Centuries after him were thousands of men and women who fought for truth and died for their faith. They were not afraid to die for what they believed in and the Church honors them. Let us now focus on a young Cebuano boy who risked his life to save a Missionary in the Ladrones Island, now known as Guam in the 1600‟s. II. Context A. Story telling on the Life of Pedro Calungsod Pedro Caungsod was a young boy from the Visayan region. The Jesuits who were evangelizing the Visayas in the 1600 have trained young boys as assistants or catechists to help them in their missions. The training was in Jesuit-run boarding schools for boys. Pedro could be one of the boys who attended the school. He was among those brought by the Jesuit priest Fr. Diego Luís de San Vitores to start the Mission at the Ladrones Islands together with other Jesuits. Fr. Diego Luís de San Vitores was assigned in Antipolo. Fr. Juan Lopez, OP, the bishop of Cebu at that time, manifested his willing support to the Mission organized by Fr. Diego since the Ladrones were then part of the ecclesiastical territory of the Diocese of Cebu. The bishop himself may have sent boys from the Visayas to support the Mission. Another possibility is that the Jesuits in the Visayas themselves may have sent the boys to their fellow priest Fr. Diego. Overcoming all difficulties, the missionaries left with the ship named “San Diego” from the port of Cavite on August 7, 1667. They sailed first to Acapulco in Mexico to get some provisions for the Mission. They arrived in Acapulco on January 6, 1668 and stayed there until March 23, 1668 when they left for the Ladrones. They reached the island of Guam in the Ladrones on June 15, 1668. A Chinese quack, named Choco, envious of the respect that the missionaries were gaining among the Chamorro, started to spread the talk that the baptismal water of the missionaries was poisonous. In addition, since some sickly Chamorro infants died after baptism, many believed the calumniator. The Macanjas, and Urritaos supported the evil campaign of Choco. Together with the apostates, they began to persecute the missionaries, to the point of killing them. The missionaries were able to persevere in the Mariana Mission because of their firm spiritual life. They were fervent in their prayers and sacrifices for the salvation of souls. They were faithful to the daily celebration of the Holy Eucharist. They regularly and frequently received the Sacrament of Confession, which helped them be at peace with God and always prepared for death. Moreover, they were so devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary as their inspiration and protector. The most unforgettable attack happened on April 2, 1672, the Saturday just before the Passion Sunday of that year. At around seven o‟clock in the morning, Pedro who was about seventeen years old, and the superior of the Mission, Padre Diego, came to the village of Tomhom in Guam.