Governor
(Tormentor): If we let you live will you renounce your faith?"
St. Lorenzo Ruiz: "That I shall never do, because I am a Christian and I
shall die for God, and for Him I will give many thousands of lives if I had
them. And so do with me as you will please."
Lorenzo Ruiz was born in Binondo, Manila between 1600 to 1610. His father was
Chinese and his mother was native Tagalog.
During his youth he was an altar boy, sarcistan at Binondo convent. He was
educated by the Dominican Fathers and was their escribano because of his
skillful hand and unsurpassed penmanship.
It is most commonly believed that he left the Philippines in 1639 because the
Spaniards believed he had committed a crime against them.
He left the Philippines on 10 June 1636 with the aid of the Dominican Fathers
and Sr. Domingo Gonzales.
In Japan, Christians were persecuted and put to death. St. Lorenzo Ruiz together
with his imprisoned companions were captured and brought to Nagasaki around 10
July 1636. There they suffered incredible torture as they were hung by their feet and
submerged in water till they neared death. They also suffered 'water torture'
which brought some of St. Lorenzo's companions to recant their faith. Needles
were pressed in between their finger nails and skin and they were beaten
unconscious. St. Lorenzo never lost his faith.
On 27 September 1637 he was taken with his companions to the "Mountain of
Martyrs". There he was hung upside down into a pit in what was called a 'horca
y hoya'. This was the most painful way to die in those times and involved using
rocks to add weight to the person so that the person suffocates faster and is
crushed from their own and added weight. After two days he died from bleeding
and suffocation. His body was cremated and his ashes were thrown into the sea.
He always professed his love and faith in God.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II during the Papal visit to Manila on 18
February 1981. St. Lorenzo Ruiz was elevated to sainthood and received
canonization on 18 October 1987 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in Vatican
City, Rome.
St. Lorenzo Ruiz was a layman, with two sons and a daughter. He is recognized as
the first Filipino Saint and Martyr.
His story as his life is so much more then the forementioned summary of events.
Yet, his life stands simply for love, having true unyielding belief and faith in
God.
For everyday Christians and Catholics around the world his life is a story of an
ordinary person willing to give his life for God. But on a daily basis his life
is a constant symbol of how we should never lose faith in God nor ever be afraid
of meeting our Father.
For more
information please contact Jaymes at jaymes@diazfoundation.org
This page is sponsored by the DIAZ FOUNDATION to celebrate the first Filipino
Saint and Martyr, St Lorenzo Ruiz.
