Reflecting on the Saints

  There are plenty of worthy saints to reflect on this week: Sept 23 Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) , Priest  Sept 26 Saints Cosmas and Damian , Martyrs Sept 27 Saint Vincent de Paul , Priest  Sept 28 Saint Wenceslaus , Martyr Sept 28 Saint Lawrence Ruiz and companions , Martyrs Sept 29 The Holy Archangels of Gabriel , Michael and Raphael I decided to pick the Holy Archangels . I did so in good part because the Holy Archangels of Gabriel , Michael and Rafael transcend our Catholic Christian tradition.  The three along with four others - Salathiel , Jegudiel , Barachiel , and Jeremiel - show up in Jewish (both biblical and rabinnic) , Islamic , Bah’ai and even Zoroastrian and pre-Zoroastrian traditions.  (Note that in the Islamic tradition , the Holy Qur'an was dictated to the prophet Muhammad by the Archangel Gabriel ) There is even a small Middle Eastern sect,  called the Yazidis , who arguably venerate an angelic figure often portrayed...

  The Saints remembered this week include: 16 Saints Cornelius , pope and Cyprian , bishop Martyrs 17 St Robert Bellarmine , bishop and doctor 17 St. Hildegard of Bingen , religious and mystic 19 St. Janaurius , bishop and martyr 20 Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-gon and Companions , martyrs 21 St. Matthew, apostle All are worthy and often fascinating persons to learn about and reflect on. Since we have a large Korean American population at St. Philip Benizi Parish where I am stationed, I thought to devote my piece this week to St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon and Companions ,  The future St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon was born on August 21, 1821 into a Yangban family in the town of Solmoe, near the city of Dangjin , in Korea .   The Yangban formed the traditional gentry / ruling class of Korea, still largely Confusian , at the time.   Since the veneration of ancestors is an integral part of traditional religious practice across East Asia even preceding the Confusian and Taoist ...