October, 2017

Pope's Prayer Intention

Workers and the Unemployed, That all workers may receive respect and protection of their rights, and that the unemployed may receive the opportunity to contribute to the common good.

Thursday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
The Roman Missal
Good Friday Reproaches

"They began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him"

My people, what have I done to you?
How have I offended you? Answer me! (Mi 6:3).

O my people, drawn astray by bitterness,
Hard of heart, remember!,
The Lord has set you free.
Is such great love to meet with no reply?
Great love of God, the crucified?

I, before the dawn of time,
Prepared your day;
And you renounce the only Life
That gives unclouded joy:
My people, answer me!

I burst your bonds of slavery,
Drowned your enemies in the sea;
Yet you hand me over to the foe,
You prepare a Pasch for me:
My people, answer me!

I went with you on your journey,
With a cloud I guided you;
In your night you cover me,
Know no more my glory's way:
My people, answer me!

I sent out to you my prophets
Who in your exile cried aloud;
But you would not return,
You were deaf to my appeal:
My people, answer me!

'Therefore gird yourselves manfully and take up joyful arms for the name of Christ.'

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions

Fr. Don Miller, OFM

<em>Martyrdom of Father Isaac Jogues S.J.</em> | Engraving by A. Malaer | Wellcome Images

Image: Martyrdom of Father Isaac Jogues S.J. | Engraving by A. Malaer | Wellcome Images

Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions

Saint of the Day for October 19

(d. 1642 – 1649)

Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions’ Story

Isaac Jogues and his companions were the first martyrs of the North American continent officially recognized by the Church. As a young Jesuit, Isaac Jogues, a man of learning and culture, taught literature in France. He gave up that career to work among the Huron Indians in the New World, and in 1636, he and his companions, under the leadership of Jean de Brébeuf, arrived in Quebec. The Hurons were constantly warred upon by the Iroquois, and in a few years Father Jogues was captured by the Iroquois and imprisoned for 13 months. His letters and journals tell how he and his companions were led from village to village, how they were beaten, tortured, and forced to watch as their Huron converts were mangled and killed.

An unexpected chance for escape came to Isaac Jogues through the Dutch, and he returned to France, bearing the marks of his sufferings. Several fingers had been cut, chewed, or burnt off. Pope Urban VIII gave him permission to offer Mass with his mutilated hands: “It would be shameful that a martyr of Christ not be allowed to drink the Blood of Christ.”

Welcomed home as a hero, Father Jogues might have sat back, thanked God for his safe return, and died peacefully in his homeland. But his zeal led him back once more to the fulfillment of his dreams. In a few months he sailed for his missions among the Hurons.

In 1646, he and Jean de Lalande, who had offered his services to the missioners, set out for Iroquois country in the belief that a recently signed peace treaty would be observed. They were captured by a Mohawk war party, and on October 18, Father Jogues was tomahawked and beheaded. Jean de Lalande was killed the next day at Ossernenon, a village near Albany, New York.

The first of the Jesuit missionaries to be martyred was René Goupil who with Lalande, had offered his services as an oblate. He was tortured along with Isaac Jogues in 1642, and was tomahawked for having made the sign of the cross on the brow of some children.

Father Anthony Daniel, working among Hurons who were gradually becoming Christian, was killed by Iroquois on July 4, 1648. His body was thrown into his chapel, which was set on fire.

Jean de Brébeuf was a French Jesuit who came to Canada at the age of 32 and labored there for 24 years. He went back to France when the English captured Quebec in 1629 and expelled the Jesuits, but returned to his missions four years later. Although medicine men blamed the Jesuits for a smallpox epidemic among the Hurons, Jean remained with them.

He composed catechisms and a dictionary in Huron, and saw 7,000 converted before his death in 1649. Having been captured by the Iroquois at Sainte Marie, near Georgian Bay, Canada, Father Brébeuf died after four hours of extreme torture.

Gabriel Lalemant had taken a fourth vow—to sacrifice his life for the Native Americans. He was horribly tortured to death along with Father Brébeuf.

Father Charles Garnier was shot to death in 1649 as he baptized children and catechumens during an Iroquois attack.

Father Noel Chabanel also was killed in 1649, before he could answer his recall to France. He had found it exceedingly hard to adapt to mission life. He could not learn the language, and the food and life of the Indians revolted him, plus he suffered spiritual dryness during his whole stay in Canada. Yet he made a vow to remain in his mission until death.

These eight Jesuit martyrs of North America were canonized in 1930.

Reflection

Faith and heroism planted belief in Christ’s cross deep in our land. The Church in North America sprang from the blood of martyrs, as has been true in so many places. The ministry and sacrifices of these saints challenges each of us, causing us to ask just how deep is our faith and how strong our desire to serve even in the face of death.

Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions are the Patron Saints of:

North America
Norway

The HOLY NORTH AMERICAN MARTYRS: John de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues and companions [Catholic Caucus]
[Saint John de] Brebeuf's Instructions to the Missionaries
[Saint] Isaac Jogues, S.J. 1607-1646
The adventures of Saint Isaac Jogues [and his companions]
Feast of St. Isaac Jogues and Companion Martyrs (Traditional Calendar)September 26th
Saints Lived Here:The Story Of the Martyr's Shrine[Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf & Companions]

Information: St. Isaac Jogues

Feast Day: October 19

Born: January 10, 1607, Orléans, France

Died: October 18, 1646, Auriesville, New York

Canonized: 29 June 1930, Rome, Italy by Pope Pius XI

Major Shrine: National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, Auriesville, New York, USA

Information: St. Paul of the Cross

Feast Day: October 19

Born: January 3, 1694, Ovada, Piedmont, Duchy of Savoy (now modern-day Italy)

Died: October 18, 1775, Church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Rome

Canonized: 29 June 1867, Rome by Pope Pius IX

Major Shrine: Church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Rome

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Isaac Jogues, St. John De Brebeuf and Companions

Feast Day: October 19
Born:(around) 1600 :: Died: between 1642 and 1649

More than three hundred years ago, six Jesuit priests and two holy laymen, all from France, died as martyrs in North America. These eight men were some of the bravest and most daring missionaries in the New World.

They put their own lives in danger to bring Jesus to the Red Indian people. They worked very hard and were able to convert many of the Huron tribe. But the Iroquois, bitter enemies of the Hurons, put them all to death.

St. Isaac Jogues was a Jesuit priest who was sent as a missionary to New France in Canada. This was a difficult job. Not only were the living conditions hard, but the locals blamed the "Blackrobes" for any disease, bad-luck or other problems they had. Then the Mohawks captured and made him suffer for thirteen months. During that time, he tried to teach the Faith to anyone who would listen. When he was set free by the Dutch, he went back to France to get better, but as soon as he could, he returned to North America to continue his work. Father Jogues finally had his head chopped off with a tomahawk (large axe) by the Bear Clan of the Mohawks.

When St. John de Brebeuf was in France, he had tuberculosis and was so sick that he could not teach much. But then he too was sent as a missionary to New France. There the harsh and hearty climate agreed with him so well that the Native Indians called him Echon or load-bearer. He was so huge that they were afraid to share a canoe with him as they feared it might sink. Although he was a famous professor of Theology in France, it took him a long time to learn the Huron language. Finally he was able to write a catechism in Huron for the native people. He also wrote a French-Huron dictionary and a list of Instructions for other Jesuit Missionaries on how to work well with the Indians. He was a wonderful and brave apostle of Jesus and his courage amazed the fierce Iroquois as they tortured him to death.

St. Gabriel Lallemont was also tortured to death with St. John de Brebeuf.

St. Anthony Daniel had just finished celebrating Mass for his Huron converts (those who had become Christians) when the Iroquois attacked the village. The Christian Indians begged him to try and escape. But Father Daniel stayed. He wanted to help all those who were crying to him for Baptism before they would be killed. The Iroquois burned him to death in his little chapel.

St. Charles Garnier was shot by an Iroquois musket during a surprise attack, but he still tried to crawl to help a dying man. When the Iroquois saw this they angrily killed him with a hatchet blow.

Father Noel Chabenel found the life of a missionary very hard, but had made a promise to stay in North America. He was killed by a Huron traitor using a tomahawk.

The two lay helpers, Rene Goupil and John Lalande, were also both killed with tomahawks.

These brave martyrs were heroes of Christ and gave their lives for the native people of North America so that they too could know the love and friendship of Jesus. After their death, new missionaries were able to convert almost every tribe that the martyrs had known.

List of Instructions

You must love these Hurons as brothers because Jesus paid for their lives by his blood, as he did for ours.
You must never keep the Indians waiting when it is time to leave on a journey.
Carry a tinder-box or piece of burning-glass, or both, to make fire for them during the day for smoking, and in the evening to light the bonfire at camp; these little services win their hearts.
Try to eat the little food they offer you, and eat all you can, for you may not eat again for hours.
Eat as soon as day breaks (when the sun rises), for Indians when traveling, eat only at the rising and the setting of the sun.
Be quick to get in and out of the canoes and do not carry any water or sand when you get in.
Try not to be troublesome to the Indians.
Do not ask many questions; silence is golden.
Bear with their faults, and you must try always to appear cheerful.
Carry folding knives and some plain and fancy beads with which to buy fish and things you need from the other tribes you visit. Tell your Indian companions at the very beginning that here is something with which to buy fish and treat them to the food.
Do not be formal with the Indians.
Do not begin to paddle unless you always intend to paddle.
The Indians will always remember how you handled your first trip.
Always show any other Indians you meet on the way a cheerful face and show them that you willingly accept the tiring journey.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Thursday, October 19

Liturgical Color: Red

Today is the Memorial of St.
John de Brébeuf and St. Isaac
Jogues, priests and companions,
martyrs. St. Isaac was captured
and tortured on several
occasions but continued
evangelizing native peoples in
Canada. He was martyred in
1649.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: October 19th

Memorial of Sts. Isaac Jogues and John de Brebeuf, priests and martyrs and companions, martyrs

MASS READINGS

October 19, 2017 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who chose to manifest the blessed hope of your eternal Kingdom by the toil of Saints John de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues and their companions and by the shedding of their blood, graciously grant that through their intercession the faith of Christians may be strengthened day by day. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (1)

Indian Pudding

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Activities (2)

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Prayers (2)

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Library (1)

The Church and the Native Americans: The Real Story | Margaret Bunson

Old Calendar: St. Peter of Alcantara

Today in the dioceses of the United States the Church celebrates the optional memorial of Sts. Issac Jogues and John de Brébeuf (priests and martyrs) and their companions (martyrs). They were Jesuit missionaries who died as martyrs in North America where they preached the Gospel.

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Peter of Alcantara, priest. He was one of St. Teresa's spiritual directors and encouraged her in her reformation of the Carmelite Order.

St. Isaac Jogues, St. John de Brébeuf and Companions
French Jesuits were the first missionaries to go to Canada and North America after J. Cartier discovered Canada in 1534. Their mission region extended from Nova Scotia to Maryland. Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, Noel Chabanel, Charles Garnier, Anthony Daniel, Rene Goupil and John de Lalande (the first six Jesuits, the last two laymen) preached the gospel to the Iroquois and Huron Indians, and after being tortured, they were martyred in the area of what is now Auriesville, New York. The martyrdoms took place between 1642 and 1649. Ten years after the martyrdom of St. Isaac Jogues, Kateri Tekakwitha was born in the same village in which he died. These martyrs are co-patrons of Canada.

The missionaries arrived in Canada less than a century after its discovery by Cartier in 1534, in the hope of converting the Indians and setting up "New France." Their opponents were often the English and Dutch colonists. When Isaac Jogues returned to Paris after his first capture and torture, he said to his superior: "Yes, Father, I want whatever our Lord wants, even if it costs a thousand lives." He had written in his mission report: "These tortures are very great, but God is still greater, and immense."

In the Office of Readings we have an excerpt from the mission journal of St. John de Brébeuf, who had been a student of the great Jesuit spiritual writer, Louis Lallemant. He wrote:

For two days now I have experienced a great desire to be a martyr and to endure all the torments the martyrs suffered.... I vow to you, Jesus my Savior, that as far as I have the strength I will never fail to accept the grace of martyrdom, if some day you in your infinite mercy should offer it to me, your most unworthy servant.... On receiving the blow of death, I shall accept it from your hands with the fullest delight and joy of spirit.... My God, it grieves me greatly that you are not known, that in this savage wilderness all have not been converted to you, that sin has not been driven from it.

Excerpted from Saints of the Roman Calendar by Enzo Lodi

Patron: Americas; Canada.

Symbols: men dressed in Jesuit black robes with crucifix in hands; IHS is the symbol for the Society of Jesus; red (color for martyrdom); red roses (symbol of martyrdom);

Things to Do:

Pray to the Holy Spirit to renew the evangelization of distant countries as well as the re-evangelization of our own nation.
More Christians have been martyred in the 20th century than in the previous nineteen centuries combined. For example, pastors are being arrested and sometimes shot in China and Cuba. Believers are forbidden to buy goods or own property in Somalia. Christians who testify to their faith in Iran or Saudi Arabia may be put to death for blasphemy. Mobs have wiped out whole villages of Christians in Pakistan. Pray for courageous and zealous missionaries in these countries where the Church is persecuted.
Support the Indian Missions in the USA.
Visit the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York. This site offers a wonderful gallery of pictures of the shrine.
Learn more about each of the martyrs. You might also like to read this definitive scholarly biography, Saint Among Savages: The Life of St. Isaac Jogues, by Francis Talbot, S.J.
Learn for Christmas the Indian Christmas Carol, the first American Christmas carol John de Brébeuf wrote to teach the Christmas story to the Huron Indians.

St. Peter of Alcantara
Peter, surnamed Alcantara after the town of his birth, was eminent among the saints of the sixteenth century for an extraordinary spirit of penance and for attaining the heights of contemplation. He was a great mystic. Born in 1499, at the age of sixteen he entered the Order of Friars Minor. He was an apostle of spiritual reform in his own community and aided St. Teresa in her reform of the Carmelites. God revealed to her that no one would remain unheard who begged in the name of Peter; thereafter she was most eager to have his prayers and honored him as a saint while he was still alive. With great humility Peter shunned all favors from eminent personages, even though they esteemed him as the mouthpiece of God or asked his counsel; for instance, he declined the request to act as confessor to Charles V. Although she was at quite a distance at the time of his death, St. Teresa saw his soul entering heaven. Later he appeared to her and said: "O happy penances which won for me such blessedness!"

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Brazil (named by Pope Blessed Pius IX in 1862); Estremadura, Spain (named in 1962); watchmen.

Symbols: Cross of twigs or boughs; ladder and star; dove; star.

Things to Do:

Born of wealthy parents, highly educated, and eminently successful, Peter of Alcantara left all things so that he might find in the poverty of Christ the inestimable riches of God. Meditate on how to be poor in spirit (Fr. Thomas Dubay's book, Happy Are You Poor: The Simple Life and Spiritual Freedom, is a good place to start).
Pray for all those with power, authority, status, privilege and assets, that they will come to Jesus in humility and poverty of spirit and that as a result of this on-going conversion, they will change their ways and manners of living.
Imitate St. Peter's self-denial by fasting and sacrificing a little sleep by getting up early enough to go to Mass.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Psalm 130:1-6

Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial)

My soul waits for the Lord. (Psalm 130:6)

Did you know that there is a restaurant inside Disneyland with a fourteen-year waiting list? Most of us will never wait that long for tickets to a Broadway play, let alone a nice meal! We’re probably more used to waiting a few minutes for the bathroom to become free, for the microwave to finish, or for a bus to arrive. What’s more, with the growth of devices like smartphones, we now have so many ways to pass the time that we can forget that we’re waiting at all. But that’s not the kind of waiting the psalmist is talking about today.

We have all experienced God answering our prayers on a different timescale than our own. It’s only natural to feel frustrated if we’ve been praying for something for a long time and still do not see him intervene. “If you are almighty God, then why am I waiting so long for you to come and help?” While it may be closer to the sentiment in today’s psalm, this kind of impatient, frustrated waiting is probably not what the psalmist had in mind either.

So if waiting for the Lord doesn’t mean keeping yourself distracted or grumbling impatiently, then what does it mean? More than anything else, it means trusting that God is always good and that his timing is always perfect. It means saying, “Lord, you know best. My life is in your hands.” It also means keeping our eyes peeled and not letting ourselves get so distracted or upset that we forget about the wait altogether.

Try waiting right now. Begin by recalling the faithfulness of God. Tell yourself that you will place your trust in him, no matter how long he takes. Then name the things you are waiting for him to do. Make the list as long and specific as you like. Maybe even write it down. Now, peacefully and confidently, take each item and say, “Lord, I ask you to do this, I trust you to do what is best, and I know you will do it at the right time. I will wait, in trust, to see what you will do.” Then go about your day confident in God’s goodness, his wisdom, and his schedule.

“Lord, I will wait, in trust, to see what you will do.”

Romans 3:21-30
Luke 11:47-54

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for October 19, 2017:

Marriage enrichment programs aren’t just for marriages in trouble! Research shows that couples attending marriage enrichment programs report more marital happiness. Look for a retreat or program in your diocese to attend with your spouse.

Regnum Christi

October 19, 2017 – History Need Not Repeat Itself

19 Oct 2017

Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priest, and companions, Martyrs

Father Daniel Ray, LC

Luke 11: 47-54

The Lord said: “Woe to you! You build the memorials of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute’ in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” When he left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in return.

Petition: Lord Jesus Christ, help me to follow your example and set a good example for others.

1. History Will Teach Us Something: Israel’s response to God’s love, as seen in the Old Testament, is pocked and pitted with infidelity, abuse, and ingratitude. At times the people outright reject God and whomever he sends to guide them back to his loving care. These falls from God’s grace are instructive for us today. We see the grandeur of what God did for the people of Israel and marvel at it. We should be aghast at how a people who received so much could respond so little. But more than this, we need to use this history of Israel as a mirror in which to regard our own lives: to recognize the same patterns of failure and lack of fidelity in our own lives and use this self-reflection to inspire us to return to the Lord. If we fail to admit our weaknesses and failures, however, we will be like the Pharisees to whom Christ spoke, who brought the blood of the prophets upon their own heads because of their stubbornness and hardness of heart.

2. History Repeats Itself: On one occasion Christ warns the disciples that if this is the way he is treated, they should expect no less themselves (cf. John 15:20). Do we honestly expect not to have to face some difficulty as disciples of the Lord? Of course not. But what if that difficulty comes from within? This is from where the most serious menaces to our discipleship come. Our pride, our vanity, our love of comfort: these are the battlegrounds and the martyrs’ fields where first and foremost we need to suffer for being a disciple of the Lord. The prophets and martyrs who suffered for their zeal for the Lord did so even up to the cost of their lives. He might not need us to lay our lives on the line in quite the same way, but an interior sacrifice is what Christ does ask of everyone whom he calls.

3. Stoppage Time: One of the key moments in Edith Stein’s conversion happened when she went into a Catholic Church to see what it was like, and as she sat there in silence, an older woman came in to spend a few moments with Christ in the Eucharist. She had groceries in her hand and was obviously on her way home to prepare dinner. For young Edith, still struggling with belief in God, it was an example of just how grounded in day-to-day reality the Catholic faith is. There is little chance that woman ever knew the importance her example played in helping form this future saint and patroness of Europe, but the woman’s authentic faith was just what Edith needed to see. Our living witness is critical for those around us, whether or not we ever see or hear of the consequence. We can serve as an occasion of grace, or we can be a stumbling block on the path that delays someone from arriving at the place God wants to lead them.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I know that I am an integral part in your plan to save souls. You have the confidence to use me as a channel of your grace for those around me, particularly those closest to me. I offer you my life today. Use me as a channel of grace and a testimony to your love.

Resolution: I will offer to God today the sacrifice necessary to change something in my behavior that might be an obstacle for someone else coming to know Christ better.

Homily of the Day

October 19, 2017

In the Gospel, Jesus challenges the motives of the Pharisees and the scribes on showing off their good deeds. This kind of hypocrisy is still very much alive in our generation. We are driven to show off what we have or do because of our need to be appreciated and recognized. Showing off our material wealth and success is often a cover up of our iniquities and incapacity to love. That is why in the first reading, God is encouraging us not to be scandalized of our sins because the sacrifice of Jesus to die on the cross was an act of love that has the power to redeem us, and his resurrection can free us from our sins.

This life transformation took flesh in St. Teresa, whose feast we celebrated last week. She had a lot of sufferings and pains early in her life struggles which ordinary people like us experience. But through prayer and faith in the love of God, she overcame all her “dark nights” and saw the light of Christ. She said, “Prayer is an act of love, and words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts us from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love.” She also said that “it is of great importance, when we begin to practice prayer, not to let ourselves be frightened by our thoughts.” If we embrace this kind of attitude in our prayer life, we can remain happy and be at peace in the midst of our daily life struggles. May these words of St. Teresa comfort us, “Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing make you afraid. All things are passing. God alone never changes. Patience gains all things. If you have God, you will want for nothing. God alone suffices.”

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 33, Issue 6

<< Thursday, October 19, 2017 >>

St. Isaac Jogues,
St. John de Brébeuf, and
the North American Martyrs

Romans 3:21-30
View Readings

Psalm 130:1-6

Luke 11:47-54
Similar Reflections

JUST NOW

"He did so to manifest His own justice." �Romans 3:25

"Just yesterday, I was just just, just as he was." The preceding sentence contains grammatically correct English. It shows the many usages of the word "just." The sentence can be more clearly stated: "As recently as yesterday, I was merely fair, exactly as he was." The English word "just" is just plain confusing.

Similarly, throughout the history of Christianity, most notably from the time of the Protestant Reformation, the words "just," "justice," and "justification" have been taught and understood in ways that are confusing. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you the truth (Jn 16:13) about justice by prayerfully meditating on the following truths:

God is just.
"Both law and prophets bear witness" to God's justice (Rm 3:21).
The justice of God "works through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe" (Rm 3:22).
"All men are now undeservedly justified by the gift of God, through the redemption wrought in Christ Jesus" (Rm 3:24).
"You must perceive that a person is justified by his works and not by faith alone" (Jas 2:24).

After praying about these Scriptures, look up grace, faith, and justice in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (see the Catechism's index for help). Let the Spirit teach you (Jn 14:26) about justice (Jn 16:8, 10).

Prayer: Father, make me just, and not just just but also merciful.

Promise: "I trust in the Lord; my soul trusts in His word. My soul waits for the Lord more than sentinels wait for the dawn." �Ps 130:5-6

Praise: St. Isaac Jogues and companions suffered injustice bravely, yet they still spread the good news of Jesus to their torturers.

Video about Trig Palin