Today's Gospel in Art - The Blessed Martyrs of Douai College (correction)*

Universitas Duacensis, The three colleges of Université de Douai, by Adrien de Montigny © Christian Art

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 29th October 2020 - Luke 13:31-35

Some Pharisees came up to Jesus. 'Go away' they said. 'Leave this place, because Herod means to kill you.' He replied, 'You may go and give that fox this message: Learn that today and tomorrow I cast out devils and on the third day attain my end. But for today and tomorrow and the next day I must go on, since it would not be right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.

'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! So be it! Your house will be left to you. Yes, I promise you, you shall not see me till the time comes when you say:

'Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!'

Reflection on the Manuscript Page

Today we celebrate the The Blessed Martyrs of Douai College. The 158 Martyrs of Douai were a group of seminarians who trained for the priesthood at Douai College in France during the English Reformation. After their training, they returned to England and were executed for preaching the Catholic faith. Their executions took place over a period of time, between 1577 and 1680, when being a Catholic priest was considered high treason. They gave their lives to defend and preserve what we can so easily take for granted today: the Eucharist and the other sacraments. The Douai Martyrs teach us about sacrifice. Eighty of them were beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI.

With around 2,000 registered students and several hundred professors, Douai was the second largest university of France during the 17th and 18th centuries. Although it was known mainly for mathematics and physics, the Faculty of Theology, too, was an important centre for Catholic scholarship. In our Gospel reading today, Jesus was in the last stages of his earthly journey, making his way towards the immense act of sacrifice on Calvary. The Douai martyrs joined him by their sacrifice, traveling from France back to England knowing their own death was also imminent…

*(Editor's note: Very sorry - I posted up tomorrow's piece today earlier. This is the correct one for today's date!)

LINKS

Friday's story (30 October) www.indcatholicnews.com/news/40780

Thursday's story (29 October) - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/589

Christian Art - www.christian.art