'So then, remove the blindfold from your eyes that is blinding you with self-love, that is keeping you from believing such an obvious truth by giving you very false ideas concerning the justice of God, "Just Father, the world has not known Thee," said Our Lord Jesus Christ. He does not say "Almighty Father, most good and merciful Father." He says "Just Father," so we may understand that out of all the attributes of God, none is less known than His justice, because men refuse to believe what they are afraid to undergo. Therefore, remove the blindfold that is covering your eyes and say tearfully: Alas! The greater number of Catholics, the greater number of those who live here, perhaps even those who are in this assembly, will be damned! What subject could be more deserving of your tears?'

St. Leonard of Port Maurice

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).

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3705332/posts?page=1

Saint of the Day — Saint Josaphat

ST JOSAPHAT Archbishop and Martyr 1584-1623 & ST LAURENCE O’TOOLE Archbishop of Dublin ca.1125-1180
Feast Day: St. Josaphat of Polotsk (Martyr or What? (Catholic Orthodox Caucus)
St. Josaphat of Polotsk
The Fraternity of St. Josaphat

Information: St. Josaphat

Feast Day: November 12

Born: 1580 at Volodymyr, Lithuania (modern Ukraine)

Died: 12 November 1623 at Vitebsk, Belarus

Canonized: 1876

Patron of: Ukraine

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Monday, November 12

Liturgical Color: Red

Today is the Memorial of St. Josaphat
Kuncevyc, bishop. In 1623, he was
martyred by a mob objecting to his efforts
to unite the Orthodox churches with Rome.
His death calmed the dispute and
ensured the Church's presence in the
country.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: November 12th

Memorial of St. Josaphat, bishop and martyr

MASS READINGS

November 12, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Stir up in your Church, we pray, O Lord, the Spirit that filled Saint Josaphat as he laid down his life for the sheep, so that through his intercession we, too, may be strengthened by the same Spirit and not be afraid to lay down our life for others. 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.

Almighty and merciful God, graciously keep from us all adversity, so that, unhindered in mind and body alike, we may pursue in freedom of heart the things that are yours. 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 (11)

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Activities (4)

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Prayers (4)

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Library (3)

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: St. Martin I, pope and martyr

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Josaphat, a Catholic of the Ruthenian rite. Born in the then Polish region of Lithuania of Orthodox parents, he became a Catholic and a Ukrainian Basilian monk. Chosen bishop, he worked faithfully for the unity of the Church until he suffered martyrdom at the hands of an angry mob in Russia. His feastday in the Extraordinary Rite is celebrated on November 14.

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Martin I who was pope from 649 to 654. He was a courageous defender of the faith against heresy. He held a council at Rome which condemned the Monothelite heresy which taught that Christ had no human but only a divine will. The heretical emperor, Constans II, had him treacherously arrested and taken to Constantinople. After many sufferings and humiliations, he was exiled to Cherson in the Crimea where he died of exhaustion in 654.

St. Josaphat
Josaphat Kuncewitcz was born about the year 1580 at Vladimir, Volhynia, [part of the Polish province of Lithuania at the time] and given the name John at baptism. While being instructed as a child on the sufferings of our Savior, his heart is said to have been wounded by an arrow from the sacred side of the Crucified. In 1604 he joined the Ukrainian Order of Saint Basil (Basilians), lived as a monk in a very mortified life, went barefoot even in winter, refrained from the use of wine and flesh-meat, and always wore a penitential garb. In 1614 he was appointed archimandrite of Vilna, Russia and four years later archbishop of Polotzk; in this position he worked untiringly for Church reunion. He was a great friend of the poor, once even pledged his archepiscopal omophorion (pallium) to support a poor widow. The foes of union decided to assassinate him. In a sermon, he himself spoke of his death as imminent. When he visited Vitebsk (now in Russia), his enemies attacked his lodging and murdered a number of his companions. Meekly the man of God hastened toward the mob and, full of love, cried, "My children, what are you doing? If you have something against me, see, here I am." With furious cries of "Kill the papist!", they rushed upon him with gun and sword. Josaphat's body was thrown into the river but emerged, surrounded by rays of light, and was recovered. His murderers, when sentenced to death, repented their crime and became Catholics.

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

Patron: Ukraine.

Things to Do:

Pray to St. Josaphat for the reunion of the separated Eastern Churches.
Read Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter on the Eastern Churches, Orientale Lumen.
Read more about St. Josaphat from
Read Pius XI's Encyclical Ecclesiam Dei on St. Josaphat and Pius XII's encyclical Orientales Omnes Ecclesias (On The Reunion Of The Ruthenian Chuch With Rome) .
Learn more about the different Eastern Rites which are in union with the Pope.
Josaphat is the patron saint of Ukraine, but his life has Russian, Polish and Lithuanian influences. The recipes section has several highlighted recipes from these different regions.

St. Martin I
Pope Martin I (649-654) was outstanding for virtue and knowledge. He was selected by divine Providence to be the supreme defender of the doctrine that in Christ there are two wills, a divine and a human, against the monothelite teaching of one will, favored at Constantinople. Immediately after ascending the papal throne, he convoked a synod at the Lateran which put the true teaching in its proper light and condemned the opposing error. Emperor Constans II supported the monothelite patriarch of Constantinople and commissioned the Exarch Olympios to assassinate the Pope. The Exarch entrusted the task to a lictor to murder Martin during Mass in the church of St. Mary of the Crib. The lictor could not accomplish the mission because he was suddenly struck blind. From that moment many misfortunes befell the Emperor, but no change in attitude resulted. Instead he sent the Exarch Theodor Kalliopes to Rome with orders to arrest the Pope.

Martin was carried to Constantinople to begin a tedious martrydom. He was given over to the scoffing of the rabble as he lay ill on the ship. For three months he languished in prison. Called before a tribunal, he was condemned, robbed of his episcopal garments and put into chains. Finally he was banished to Kherson in the Crimea and died there due to inhuman privations. Two letters written before his death give evidence of how he suffered under the dreadful treatment.

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

Symbols: Ball of fire; church and crosier; three geese; prison bars;
Often Portrayed As: Pope holding money; pope with geese around him; pope in a prison cell.

Things to Do: Learn more about the monothelite heresy.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 17:1-6

Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr (Memorial)

Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. (Luke 17:1)

Have you ever noticed how closely many children watch adults? They are always absorbing and learning from what they see—the bad and the good. It’s reminiscent of the phrase “Children learn what they live.” They learn to do what they see their parents doing and not necessarily what their parents tell them to do.

It’s not just children either. We all know how hard it is to avoid joining in gossip when we hear it, or how tempting it can be to chime in with hurtful comments on social media.

This is why Jesus warns us about leading other people to sin through our example. People watch us. Our witness matters. Just one negative example from us may be all someone needs to justify his or her own sin. But if a bad example has a powerful effect, imagine how much more powerful a good example can be!

The important issue, then, is not just that we avoid behaviors that could cause people to sin. It is also that we become good examples who help inspire people to holiness. Isn’t this what Jesus did? His prayer life was so attractive that his disciples asked, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). When he drove the money changers out of the Temple, the people were “hanging on his words” (19:48). And when he refused to condemn a woman caught in adultery, her accusers walked away “one by one,” humbled by their own sins (John 8:9).

St. Paul once wrote, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). That’s your goal as well. When you imitate Jesus, your example will whet people’s appetite for God. They will see a reflection of Christ in your actions and your demeanor, and it will move them to seek the Lord for themselves. When you set aside time to pray in the morning, your faithfulness will inspire other family members. When you let a negative comment slide off your back, your peace will make your coworker take notice. When you reach out to someone who is hurting, your compassion will melt that person’s heart.

How can you imitate Jesus today? Simply by living in love.

“Lord, make me like you so that other people can see you in me.”

Titus 1:1-9
Psalm 24:1-6

Daily Gospel Commentary

Pope Francis
General Audience of 29/05/2013

Increase our faith in the Church

Today I would like to begin some catecheses on the mystery of the Church, a mystery which we all experience and of which we are part. I would like to do so with some concepts that are evident in the texts of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. Today the first catechesis is: “The Church as the family of God”... The very word “Church”, from the Greek ekklesia, means “convocation”: God convokes us, he impels us to come out of our individualism, from our tendency to close ourselves into ourselves, and he calls us to belong to his family...

Still today some say: “Christ yes, the Church no”. Like those who say “I believe in God but not in priests”. But it is the Church herself which brings Christ to us and which brings us to God. The Church is the great family of God’s children. Of course, she also has human aspects. In those who make up the Church, pastors and faithful, there are shortcomings, imperfections and sins. The Pope has these too — and many of them; but what is beautiful is that when we realize we are sinners we encounter the mercy of God who always forgives. Never forget it: God always pardons and receives us into his love of forgiveness and mercy. Some people say that sin is an offence to God, but also an opportunity to humble oneself so as to realize that there is something else more beautiful: God’s mercy. Let us think about this.

Let us ask ourselves today: how much do I love the Church? Do I pray for her? Do I feel part of the family of the Church? What do I do to ensure that she is a community in which each one feels welcome and understood, feels the mercy and love of God who renews life? Faith is a gift and an act which concern us personally, but God calls us to live with our faith together, as a family, as Church.

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

Daily Marriage Tip for November 12, 2018:

As the weather gets colder, what inside activities do you like doing with your spouse? Reading, playing games, watching movies? Winter provides a lot of time to relax and just be together with your family.

Regnum Christi

November 12, 2018 – Uprooting Sin

Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

Father Edward Hopkins, LC

Luke 17:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to (this) mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Introductory Prayer: I believe in you, Lord Jesus, as the only one who can fill my heart. I believe in the power of faith to change my life and the lives of others. I trust that you will grant me the light and strength to cast out sin from my life. I come to you in prayer so that I can love you even more with a firm but serene opposition to sin.

Petition: Lord, may I desire “death before sin.”

Causing Others to Sin: The negative effects of sin are many: offending God, damaging my conscience and soul, hardening my heart, forming bad habits, losing grace and will power, creating distance and difficulty in prayer, etc. But no result of sin is more damaging than that of scandal, where my sin leads others to sin. Why is this so serious? As a Christian I am called to live and teach Christ’s life to others. Scandal falsifies and contradicts my vocation and mission in life. We all have “little ones” entrusted to us: children, family members, those new to the faith, those searching, those who are especially weak…. If I am truly dedicated to lead them to Christ, then sin and scandal will have little room. How real and determined is my dedication?

Rebuke and Forgive: We must fight sin wherever we find it. How much more difficult does this become in a world where tolerance is ranked above virtue! Even in family life we are tempted to let things go and not create friction and uneasiness. But if sin is our greatest enemy, then we must always cast it out. The key is to do everything with the heart of Christ, a heart of love: ready to forgive the sinner, never judging their heart, but never minimizing an evil action. How well do I teach moral truth? Do I distinguish the sin from the sinner? Is Christ’s love always my motivation and dominant message?

Faith Uproots Sin: All of this — fighting personal sin and helping others conquer it — seemed a bit much for the apostles. They begged for an increase of faith. Faith of any size embraces God’s understanding of the evil of sin and seeks to live accordingly. Yet sin is not overcome easily, and mere understanding is not enough. We must uproot sin from our lives and reject it constantly in the lives of others. Only Christ’s love provides the strength we need, and often the perseverance in battling the same sins over time only comes through the strength that comes from Christ’s love. Only through Christ can our hearts be filled and not return to old habits of sin.

Conversation with Christ: Give me, Lord, the courage to fight sin in my life. Grant me your heart, Lord, so I can fight and suffer without cowardice, without taking time out and without discouragement, even if others do not understand or thank me. Help me to uproot sin from my life and put you first.

Resolution: I will fight to eradicate sins against charity in my family or work life. I will avoid it and call others to do so too in a gentle but firm manner.

Homily of the Day

November 12, 2018

In our community, we see many people who give themselves generously in service to the Church. In the first reading Paul lists the qualities that must characterize men chosen to be presbyters or bishops in the local churches in his day. We might well expect many of these qualities to describe also the men and women who in many different ways aspire to serve the Church today. We might hope surely that they would be, “hospitable and lovers of goodness; steady, just, holy and self-controlled.” Above all, they must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that they might encourage others and refute those who oppose it.

In the Gospel, Jesus warns his disciples not to be those who cause others to sin. Applying this to ourselves, we must be alert and watch ourselves lest we engage in such activity. While we must not judge others, we still should not be blind when our brother sins. We are called to rebuke him. But more than that, we must be able to forgive him when he repents. To forgive others constantly, we must pray as the disciples did, “Increase our faith!” Then like the tiny mustard seed we might be able to accomplish what seemed to be impossible.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 34, Issue 6

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St. Josaphat

Titus 1:1-9
View Readings

Psalm 24:1-6

Luke 17:1-6
Similar Reflections

"FATHER, FORGIVE" (LK 23:34)

"If he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times a day turns back to you saying, 'I am sorry,' forgive him." �Luke 17:4

We are made in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1:27). As disciples of Jesus, we try to be like Jesus in every aspect of our conduct (1 Pt 1:15). In this way, we are like God, for Jesus is God and the "exact Representation of the Father's Being" (Heb 1:3).

To be like God means to work, suffer, give, love, and forgive as God does. This means we must forgive seven times a day (Lk 17:4) and seventy times seven times (Mt 18:22), for we and billions of others frequently offend God and He keeps forgiving us. It is a conservative estimate to say that God forgives billions of times daily. That's what "seven" means � an infinite number.

To be like God, we too must forgive repeatedly and always. We must forgive those closest to us. Who else has the chance to wrong us seven times a day? We must forgive others repeatedly for the worst of injustices, even for scandals (Lk 17:1ff). Finally, we must forgive by God's standards. His standards are not limited to just praying for or being nice to those who have hurt us; they also require giving offenders affection, gifts, and honor (Lk 15:20ff).However, "nothing is impossible with God" (Lk 1:37). By God's grace, forgive everyone for everything.

Prayer: Father, may I and others be shocked by my forgiving � both those who apologize and those who don't.

Promise: "The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.' " —Lk 17:5

Praise: St. Josaphat was martyred while risking his life for Church unity. St. Josaphat, pray that we all may be one, as the Father and Son are one (Jn 17:21).