The Vietnamese Catholic persecution, which occurred from 1745 to 1862, resulted in the martyrdom of an estimated 130,000 to 300,000 individuals, according to the Vatican. St. Pope John Paul II canonized these martyrs, both known and unknown, assigning them a feast day on November 24th. Many Vietnamese communities worldwide observe this feast on the nearest Sunday to allow greater participation in the celebration.

Today, our commemoration will not only dwell on the horrific suffering our valiant martyrs endured; instead, we will honor their lives and their steadfast protection of their faith until the end.

LOVE TO THE END

Our martyrs faced a choice between life and death, to keep or renounce their faith. It was not a trivial decision, akin to choosing between one cake or another; it was a matter of life and death. The critical question is how they were able to make such a decision, and the answer lies in our heritage, the profound lessons from our forebears.

Reflecting on this, we recall the phrase “LOVE TO THE END” from the Gospel of John:


Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (John 13:1)

Our martyrs embodied ‘love to the end,’ inspired by witnessing their Lord’s love for them. They endured imprisonment, persecution, and even death, bolstered by Jesus’ unwavering love.
Though fearful, they placed their trust in God’s LOVE, a force stronger than death itself.

Today’s feast prompts us to remember this ‘LOVE TO THE END.’ True love is tested in adversity and can fortify our daily choices towards kindness, forgiveness, and unconditional love.
We should take pride in our heroic forebears and even more so in our Lord who LOVES US TO THE END.

Let us exalt our Lord and our ancestors.
May our forebears intercede for us, as we strive to emulate their exemplary ‘LOVE TO THE END.’

With love,

Little-pencil