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Collect:
Father, through the folly of the cross you taught St. Justin the sublime wisdom of Jesus Christ. May we too reject falsehood and remain loyal to the faith. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Activities:

Prayers:

June 01, 2007

Memorial of St. Justin, martyr

Old Calendar: St. Angela Merici, virgin

St. Justin, apologist and martyr, was one of the most important Christian writers of the second century. He himself tells how his study of all the schools of philosophy led him to Christianity, and how he dedicated his life to the defense of the Christian faith as "the one certain and profitable philosophy."

St. Justin is particularly celebrated for the two Apologies which he was courageous enough to address in succession to the persecuting emperors Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius. One of them contains a description of the rites of baptism and the ceremonies of Mass, thus constituting the most valuable evidence that we possess on the Roman liturgy of his day. He was beheaded in Rome in 165. Justin is also referred to as "the Philosopher."

Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar today was the feast of St. Angela Merici. Her feast is now celebrated on January 27. St. Justin's feast was celebrated on April 14.

St. Justin
Justin, the son of Priscus, was a Greek by race, and was born at Nablus in Palestine. He passed his youth in the study of letters. When he grew to manhood he was so taken with the love of philosophy and the desire of truth, that he became a student of philosphy and examined the teaching of all the philosophers. He found in them only deceitful wisdom and error. He received the light of heaven from a venerable old man, who was a stranger to him, and embraced the philosophy of the true Christian faith. Henceforth he had the books of Holy Scripture in his hands by day and night, and his soul was filled with the divine fire enkindled by his meditations. Having thus acquired the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ, he devoted his learning to the composition of many books explaining and propagating the Christian faith.

Among the most famous of the works of Justin are his two Apologies or Defences of the Christian faith. These he offered in the Senate to the Emperor Antoninus Pius and his sons, together with Marcus Antoninus Verus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus, who were cruelly persecuting the followers of Christ. By these Apologies and his vigorous disputations in defense of the faith he obtained a public edict from the government to stay the slaughter of the Christians. But Justin himself did not escape. He had blamed the wicked life led by Crescens the Cynic, who caused him to be accused and arrested. He was brought before Rusticus, the Prefect of Rome, and questioned concerning the doctrine of the Christians. Whereupon he made this good confession in the presence of many witnesses: "The right doctrine which we Christian men do keep with godliness is this: that we believe that there is one God, the maker and creator of all things, both those which are seen and those which bodily eyes do not see; and that we confess the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was of old foretold by the Prophets, and who is to come to judge all mankind."

In his first Apology Justin had given, in order to rebut the slanders of the heathen, an open account of the Christian assemblies and of the holy Mysteries there celebrated. The prefect asked him in what place he and Christ's other faithful servants in the city were accustomed to meet. But Justin, fearing to betray the holy mysteries and his brethren, mentioned only his own dwelling near the famous church in the house of Pudens, where he lived and taught his disciples. The prefect then bade him choose whether he would sacrifice to the gods or suffer a cruel scourging. The unconquered champion of the faith answered that he had always desired to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ, from whom he hoped to receive a great reward in heaven. The prefect thereupon sentenced him to death, and thus this excellent philosopher, giving praise to God, suffered the pain of scourging, and then shed his blood for Christ, and was crowned with martyrdom. Some of the faithful stole away his body and buried it in a fitting place.

Excerpted from The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.

Patron: Apologists; lecturers; orators; philosophers; speakers.

Symbols: Ox; pen; sword; red-hot helmet.

Things to Do:

St. Justin was a prolific writer, and one of the first Christians to write about the Eucharistic liturgy of the early church. Read some of Justin Martyr's writings.
Read this account of St. Justin's life and another account from the Church Fathers of his martyrdom.
The Catholic Encyclopedia has an excellent entry on St. Justin. Their summary: "The role of St. Justin may be summed up in one word: it is that of a witness. We behold in him one of the highest and purest pagan souls of his time in contact with Christianity, compelled to accept its irrefragable truth, its pure moral teaching, and to admire its superhuman constancy. He is also a witness of the second-century Church which he describes for us in its faith, its life, its worship, at a time when Christianity yet lacked the firm organization that it was soon to develop, but the larger outlines of whose constitution and doctrine are already luminously drawn by Justin. Finally, Justin was a witness for Christ unto death."

Regnum Christi

June 1, 2007
Saint Justin, martyr

From Mediocrity to Holiness

Father Todd Belardi, LC

Mark 11: 11-26
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it. Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, "Is it not written, ´My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations´? But you have made it a den of robbers." And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered." Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ´Be taken up and thrown into the sea,´ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."

Introductory Prayer:Heavenly Father, as I enter your presence with deep trust in your power, I humbly ask you to hear my poor prayer. Be with me during this meditation so that I can be transformed to become more like your Son. I know that you love me and that you are love. Make my heart more like yours.

Petition:Lord Jesus, increase my faith in your call to holiness.

1. It’s Always the Season Jesus inspires us by his fidelity, regardless of his personal situation: tiredness, lack of progress in the life of his disciples, continuous battles with those who hate him, betrayal. These things did not hinder our Lord’s resolve. It was always the season to fulfill the Father’s will. As long as we strive to overcome our weaknesses with God’s help, we always will bear fruit. However, when we are negligent and easily pardon our weaknesses, constantly making excuses and justifying our ill will, we will never see any progress. We need to stop making excuses and start making proposals to amend our sinful ways.

2. Mediocrity Withers Mediocrity damages beauty. When we settle for just being good instead of seeking holiness, we are traveling the path of mediocrity. Christ wants perfection: “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). And perfection means using all of our talents to their maximum capacity. The one who is beautiful is the one who is complete in virtue. That person has decorated his or her soul with the most beautiful decorations. We need to live up to our potential.

3. Faith Moves Personal Mountains Sometimes we think we can’t ever overcome a reoccurring difficulty. When will the day finally come? We have to believe that the answer lies in God’s hands. If we believe, then we can conquer with the power of Christ. We need to stop hindering God’s grace by putting limits on what we think we can accomplish. We have to confront those personal mountains with faith in Christ’s power. We need to launch into the deep, believing and trusting in God.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, may my life always bear fruit for the good of your kingdom. Help me to avoid mediocrity at all costs. Strengthen my will with the gift of your fortitude so that I can do the things you want me to do and conquer the things I think I can’t.

Resolution: Today I will complete something that I have put off for a long time.