Saint of the Day: St. Barbara Cui Lianzhi

Martyr (ca. 1849-1900)

Her life

+ Barbara (who is also known as “Parui”) was born in Xiotian, Hebei, China.

+ A wife and mother, she was a faithful member of the apostolic vicariate of Southeastern Zhili (in modern-day China).

+ Imprisoned and tortured during one of China’s period persecutions of Christians, she was executed on June 15, 1900.

+ Saint Barbara Cui Lianzhi was canonized with other Chinese martyrs in 2000.

Spiritual bonus

On this day, the Church also remembers the Prophet Amos. A shepherd who leaved near Bethlehem in the eighth century BC, he was called by God to speak out against the evils plaguing Israel. According to ancient traditions, Amos died as a martyr.

For prayer and reflection

“For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to these women, who despised life in the world, and have reached the rewards of the kingdom and washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.”—The Entrance Antiphon for the Mass of a Holy Woman Martyr

Prayer

O God, by whose gift strength is made perfect in weakness, grant to all who honor the glory of blessed Barbara that she, who drew from you the strength to triumph, may likewise always obtain from you the grace of victory for us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal: Common of Martyrs—For a Holy Woman Martyr)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.