The Cross of the Lord is Guide and Cyrenean of those who also shed their blood for his sake. Today, III Sunday of Lent, the Sunday readings of this Cycle A begin, which focus on baptismal catechesis, which we will remember at the Easter Vigil. On this day the Passage of the encounter of Christ with the Samaritan woman is remembered, in the Well of Siquem. And, in the midst of this already Lenten equator, we remember the martyr from China, Saint Joseph Zhang.
The Popes have always said that Asia is a Continent of hope in the Faith. John Paul II said it, Benedict XVI repeated it and Francis signed it on his trip to Japan evoking Pablo Miki and fellow martyrs of the Japanese people. The life of this Chinese that we remember today dates back to 1754, the year he was born in Duyun, Guizhou Province. Since he was little, he shows that restlessness characteristic of the ferment in the mass of a world far from the Faith where it is most necessary to preach the Good News.
However, as happened to Saint Augustine, he went through different paths. Began assuming Taoism of which he became a fervent diffuser with an ideology very close to religious syncretismwhere any religious and philosophical ideology is taken for granted without distinguishing whether it is true or wrong. Later he immigrates to Guiyang to work in the silk trade with a friend of his. This friend’s son is a Christian and José Zhang will embrace the Faith hand in hand with him.
Baptized by some missionaries, he leaves his previous beliefs and becomes an enthusiastic catechist. He comes the chase and runs away until he meets the French bishop also Holy Monsignor Dufresse, who encouraged him a do the same thing that Peter did in the movie Quo Vadis when he meets Christ, returning to Rome. In this case, he returns to Guiyang. Knowing his work, the authorities put a price on his head. Betrayed by his family, José Zhang will be martyred and finished off with a Cross in the year 1815.
