Congratulations! You survived the very first day of Lent Madness 2019. Which is more than we can say for Mary of Bethany, who was bounced by her sister Martha 58% to 42%. Martha becomes our first saint to qualify for the Saintly Sixteen, where she'll face the winner of James the Greater vs. Nicodemus.
You should also congratulate yourself for having participated in a record setting day in the annals of Lent Madness history. Yesterday's sibling matchup received nearly 10,500 votes, with over 500 comments, and more page views than we've ever had on a single day (almost 39,000, for those keeping score at home). And, despite a few shaky moments, you didn't crash the server!
Today, in saintly action it's William Wilberforce, the 18th century English abolitionist and reformer, squaring off against Agatha Lin Zhao, Chinese Christian and educator.
Don't forget that tomorrow is the ONLY SATURDAY MATCHUP of Lent Madness 2019. After Ignatius of Loyola faces Tikhon of Zadonsk, voting will strictly take place on the weekdays of Lent, giving everyone a needed breather from the intensity of everyone's favorite online Lenten devotion.
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was an English politician who underwent a dramatic conversion experience and spent his life trying to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire.
Born in Yorkshire in 1759, he lived with his aunt and uncle for a number of years, who influenced him with their love of Methodism. However, during his years at St. John’s College in Cambridge, their religious influence waned, and he was known as a man about town, fond of “theater-going, attending balls, and playing cards.” The horror.
He decided to run for Parliament when still a student, based on the solid premise that his friend was also doing it and it seemed like fun. Wilberforce turned out to be good at politics, being persuasive and gifted with a great speaking voice, but his persistent disorganization and proclivity for lateness meant he wasn’t much of a powerhouse.
In 1785, Wilberforce had a conversion experience, and after a period of discernment, he decided to use his public position to spread Christian ideals and ethics. He began meeting with several other high-profile politicians in England who were concerned about the moral depravity of the slave trade. At the time, the so-called Triangle Trade contributed about 80 percent of British income that derived from trade. The group, which included William Pitt, Thomas Clarkson, and others, became known as the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade.
The group launched an intense and long-lasting campaign, with logo, pamphlets, and chapters that sprang up across the United Kingdom—effectively the first grassroots human rights campaign in history. Wilberforce’s group networked with abolitionists in France, Spain, Portugal, and the United States and brought together Quakers and Anglicans on the same cause for the first time.
Finally, after a long and difficult fight, Wilberforce and his society succeeded in banning the slave trade in the United Kingdom in 1807. Wilberforce continued lobbying and working for a total abolition of slavery. He received word that a total abolition law would be enacted three days before his death in 1833.
Collect for William Wilberforce
O Lord, reassure me with your quickening Spirit; without you I can do nothing. Mortify in me all ambition, vanity, vainglory, worldliness, pride, selfishness, and resistance from God, and fill me with love, peace and all the fruits of the Spirit. O Lord, I know not what I am, but to you I flee for refuge. I would surrender myself to you, trusting your precious promises and against hope believing in hope. Amen.
(-Attributed to Wilberforce)
Agatha Lin Zhao
Agatha Lin Zhao devoted her life to educating others about traditional Chinese culture, the world, and her faith. Ultimately, that commitment to education cost her life.
Early on, two conflicting commitments were made in Agatha’s life. Her parents had committed Agatha to be married to a young man whom they thought would help secure their family’s future. Meanwhile, Agatha had committed herself to serving God and the church.
Agatha’s parents were no strangers to the sacrifices of faith. Themselves Christians, Agatha’s father was in prison for refusing to renounce his faith when his daughter was born in 1817. When they found out about her commitment to God, her parents released Agatha from the betrothal. In the following years, Agatha pursued her education under her religious tutors, coming home at intervals to care for her parents.
At twenty-five, Agatha Lin Zhao took religious vows and was sent out as a missionary and educator. She proceeded to the frontier of Southern China, weaving together traditional Chinese culture and Christian faith as she taught in the local villages of the Hmong, Hmub, and Xong people (collectively known as the Miao by the Chinese).
Agatha did not see the Chinese culture of her childhood in conflict with her faith, but the Chinese authorities disagreed. Refusing to renounce her Christian faith, she was arrested and beheaded on January 28, 1858.
The work and sacrifice of Agatha Lin Zhoa was recognized as a martyr saint of China canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000. She is remembered on February 19 alongside Anges Tsao Kou Ying and Lucy Yi Zhenmei.
Collect for Agatha Lin Zhao
Lord Jesus Christ, who willingly walked the way of the cross: Strengthen your church through the witness of your servant Agatha Lin Zhao to hold fast to the path of discipleship even unto death; for with the Father and Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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234 comments on “William Wilberforce vs. Agatha Lin Zhao”
All of us are limited by the conditions into which we are born. A white male at the turn of the 19th Century couldn’t choose to be otherwise, but he could choose how to live as such a person. Wilberforce chose, as few did, to struggle for the freedom of millions of others whose circumstances precluded their doing so on their own behalf. He applied his own privilege to a cause that would undermine and eventually overthrow it; but in doing so he very possibly thought in the paternalistic, colonialist terms that shaped his own context.
As a white male expecting to be dead within the next twenty or so years, and carrying as my burden the baggage of the past seventy-five, I feel perplexed and conflicted. Has privilege made it impossible for Western white men ever truly to do good? Might we find an example in how Jesus made of his status as a revered teacher a fulcrum for bringing about the salvation of the world?
None of this is to deny that the lives of women, persons of color, and other groups have been and continue to be diminished to the point of obscurity by our racist, sexist, patriarchal culture, and that there is a gigantic imbalance (even the word is inadequate to describe it) to be redressed as we revisit our history. But this needn’t be a zero-sum enterprise. Valuing and exalting those people’s lives need not, I hope, require devaluing the lives of those who are born privileged and do their best, notwithstanding the limitations that very privilege imposes upon them.
Well said.
Very well said, indeed, Davis. I’m having a terrible time deciding between these two, but cheap shots in either direction are no help to anyone. And deciding on the fly, I cast my vote for Wilberforce with gratitude for having been introduced to Agatha.
Splendid commentary.
Do these saints use Juuls?
I had to vote for Agatha Lin Zhao today, not only for her martyrdom, but also because today is International Women's Day.
While I admire William for his abolitionist work, and believe it was very important, I had to vote for Agatha. Being a female in China is/was hard enough, but an unmarried Christian woman teaching about her faith was a true testament of her faith.
Wilberforce is a deserving candidate. But my vote goes to a woman of a non-white culture who gave her life for her beliefs and faith. We don't hear enough, or know enough, about women saints.
Dear SEC,
I just checked the WordPress Support page. Apparently it is possible to have a "Like" button. Please Make It So.
Love,
The Lent Madness Faithful
Like.
Wilberforce used his platform and his talents and took on the system and fought for what he believed was right. Slavery and Forced labor seems to be flourishing worldwide. We need to fight it. Tricky as it is. Most of us don't buy slaves at auction these days, but we help pay their owners, globally. We buy food picked or processed by children--like shrimp. We support companies that don't pay a living wage. Most don't bat an eye at "Made in China". Some vacation in countries that enslave whole families, like Thailand. We need to quit financing all kinds of slavery. I voted for Wilberforce.
I changed my mind. Everyone might not know this. We have thousands of slaves in the U.S.
The standard price for sex at a brothel in the U.S. is $30. Typically, trafficked children see 25-48 customers a day. They work up to 12 hours a day, every day of the week; every year, a pimp earns between $150,000 and $200,000 per child.
http://www.endslaverynow.org also has a Slave-Free Buying Guide you can download.
See, this is one of the many things that’s so wonderful about Lent Madness. I’ve learned so much in the last ten years! I’ve never heard of Agatha and love her story. But I had to go with the man about town. Go Willy!
I like Wilberforce not only for his abolitionist work, but also for going to the theater and for being disorganized and late. I guess his conversion experience straightened him out to make him more effective.
I went with Wilberforce, in this time of reflection, revisiting all those times I spent squandering or on spun wheels, an example of a man who redirected his life gives me hope
I had to vote for Agatha. It is International Women's Day.
Good to learn about Agatha Lin Zhao. But slavery still exists, and every day is still a day when lives, peoples, nations, and the whole world are still scarred by the legacy of slavery. My vote goes to William Wilberforce, for his mighty force and witness that helped to bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice.
On this International Women's Day, my vote goes to Agatha Lin Zhao, much as I admire Wilberforce. It is so good to discover a woman educator who dedicated her life to God's service. My vote is also for Agatha's parents who supported her and recognised her vocation.
Saw Amazing Grace recently, what a magnificent film. Had to go with Wilberforce, for what he did affected more people all over the world, not just in his native country. Agatha's was an interesting and moving story, first assumed when I saw she had been martyred that it happened after the Communist takeover, not in the 19th century.
Agatha is new to me. I love learning about new saints of God. I admire Wilberforce, but Agatha it is!
only day 2 and the tough choices are upon us! Have admired Wilberforce for a long time, but today went with Agatha. Martyrdom usually wins out for me.
Having your head chopped off for refusing to denounce Jesus Christ gets my vote, Agatha
I came into this thinking that I'd vote for William Wilberforce, whom I admire greatly. But I was moved by the story of Agatha Lin Zhao's dedication to Christ. This is the first I've ever heard of her, and I'm voting for her today.
When I was a kid growing up Catholic, I was always deeply discouraged that all the saints were hermits, clergy, nobility, martyrs, and/or virgins. There were no models for my everyday life. One of the reasons I love Lent Madness is that I learn about so many everyday models. William Wilberforce is a magnificent example of a long lifetime of fighting the good fight. He gets this old-school feminist’s vote.
A mostly modern martyr and a mostly modern abolitionist. Now throw in it's Woman's Day......it's just never easy! Disloyal to my gender though I am feeling, I had to go with Wilberforce; I simply can't put aside the grief I feel around what I know of the history of slave trade, and considering how variations of the same hatred continue to plague our culture, anyone who fights it is my winner.
Anyone who has tried to travel in southern China knows sister Zhao had it rough. Wilberforce was persistent, but Agnes Lin Zhao's trial in the face of imperial persecution wins hands down!
Wilberforce, a force to be reckoned with!
Wilberforce was an amazing man. I urge everyone to read Amazing Grace by Eric Metaxas, a
good biography. He was also instrumental in founding the British society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, and promoted true Christian ideals. Here's hoping he wins this year!
I went with William.jik
Wilberforce, one of the great heroes of England.
We lived in Singapore for a time - I have to vote for our Asian sister!
My son attended a church service in Beijing in 2010 when he spent a semester there studying Mandarin. There were many cameras there filming, not the service but the congregation who took the risk to worship in public. My vote is for Agatha to honor the many Chinese Christians who are still persecuted for their faith.
This was a tough vote. I have admired Wilberforce for a long time. This is the first that I heard of Agatha. Both are compelling stories. Wilberforce won, but just barely.
I like saints that go against the norm...Wilberforce had a vision and nothing stood in the way of his "force" for good.
Wilberforce has been my dude since I first learned about him. Dedicating year after year of your life to a cause is saintly. I hope in Lent Madness X he gets beyond the first round this time! And starting it off with lyrics to Jesus Christ Superstar just clinches it for good.