Memorial of Saint
Charles Lwanga and companions, martyrs
(Acts 20:17-27; John 17:1-11a)
In today’s gospel Jesus has entered his final hour. As if it were the preface at Mass, he begins
his prayer to the Father which will lead to his passion, death, and
resurrection. He asks God for the grace
to endure the ordeal that will end in his glory. He has already won glory for the Father by
preaching His love for the world. Now he
seeks to model that love by dying so that his followers may have eternal life.
St. Charles Lwanga also won glory for God and
himself. He lived in Uganda during the
latter part of the nineteenth century.
By that time missionaries had arrived and converted many of the
natives. The country’s sovereign was
apparently cruel and tyrannical. When he
tried to force the young men of his court into sexual relations, Charles openly
protested. His actions, however, brought
the wrath of the king down on him and about one hundred other Christians, both
Catholic and Anglican, who were martyred.
We also can also win glory for God by raising our voices
in defense of the vulnerable. People
will criticize the mentally disturbed for being disruptive and illogical. Facing such people with the truth that mental
sufferers need more prayer than criticism, we exhibit a concern that resembles,
in a slight sense at least, the love of Jesus on the cross.
