O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen.

St. Wenceslaus was the Duke of Bohemia in the 10th century. He was the son of a Christian father; Wratislaw I, Duke of Bohemia, and a pagan mother; Dragomir, who converted to Christianity when she married. Around the age of 18, St. Wenceslaus assumed power and was a fair ruler. St. Wenceslaus was murdered by his brother, Boleslaw, for religious and political reasons. St. Wenceslaus is the patron saint of the Czech Republic and is mentioned in the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslaus.” [1]

St. Lawrence Ruiz was born in the Philippines in the early 1600’s. His mother was Filipino and his father was Chinese. He was educated in the Dominicans, married and fathered three children. He became a member of a Rosary Confraternity as well as a local church clerk. As part of a missionary expedition to Japan, St. Lawrence Ruiz was captured. He was tortured and killed along with his companions; 4 priests and a leper, under the Christian persecutions imposed by Tokugawa rulers. He was beatified by John Paul II in 1987, the first Filipino martyr so honored. [2][3]

360. Why are the beatitudes important for us?
 
 The beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching and they take up and fulfill the promises that God made starting with Abraham. They depict the very countenance of Jesus and they characterize authentic Christian life. They reveal the ultimate goal of human activity, which is eternal happiness.
 
 Further reading: CCC 1716-1717, 1725-1726
 
 
 361. What is the relationship between the beatitudes and our desire for happiness?
 
 The beatitudes respond to the innate desire for happiness that God has placed in the human heart in order to draw us to himself. God alone can satisfy this desire.
      
 Further reading: CCC 1718-1719
 
 362. What is eternal happiness?
 
 It is the vision of God in eternal life in which we are fully "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), of the glory of Christ and of the joy of the trinitarian life. This happiness surpasses human capabilities. It is a supernatural and gratuitous gift of God just as is the grace which leads to it. This promised happiness confronts us with decisive moral choices concerning earthly good and urges us to love God above all things.
       
 Further reading: CCC 1720-1724, 1727-1729