Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 11-12-05, Memorial St. Josaphat, Bishop and martyr

November 12, 2005
Memorial of Saint Josaphat, bishop and martyr

Psalm: Saturday 48

Reading I
Wis 18:14-16; 19:6-9

When peaceful stillness compassed everything
and the night in its swift course was half spent,
Your all-powerful word, from heaven’s royal throne
bounded, a fierce warrior, into the doomed land,
bearing the sharp sword of your inexorable decree.
And as he alighted, he filled every place with death;
he still reached to heaven, while he stood upon the earth.

For all creation, in its several kinds, was being made over anew,
serving its natural laws,
that your children might be preserved unharmed.
The cloud overshadowed their camp;
and out of what had before been water, dry land was seen emerging:
Out of the Red Sea an unimpeded road,
and a grassy plain out of the mighty flood.
Over this crossed the whole nation sheltered by your hand,
after they beheld stupendous wonders.
For they ranged about like horses,
and bounded about like lambs,
praising you, O Lord! their deliverer.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 105:2-3, 36-37, 42-43

R. (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Then he struck every first.born throughout their land,
the first fruits of all their manhood.
And he led them forth laden with silver and gold,
with not a weakling among their tribes.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done!
or:

R. Alleluia.
For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Lk 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, “There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.’”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Catholic Culture

Collect:
Lord, fill your Church with the Spirit that gave Saint Josaphat courage to lay down his life for his people. By his prayers may your Spirit make us strong and willing to offer our lives for our brothers and sisters. 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.

Recipes:

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Activities:

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Prayers:

November 12, 2005

Memorial of St. Josaphat, bishop and martyr

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 was formerly November 14.

Before the reform of the Roman Calendar in 1969, this was 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 who planned 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

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Meditation
Luke 18:1-8

You’ve got to admire the courageous determination that this widow had! She persisted despite the formidable obstacles mounted against her. First, the local judge was unjust and ungodly. Second, women in her day were normally not allowed to even speak in court. Third, she had no husband to speak for her. Finally, judges at the time chose which cases they would hear, and most widows didn’t have access to the bribe money to get their cases heard.

But this widow didn’t let these hurdles deter her. Whether her demeanor was that of a stubborn nag or a joyful, optimistic intercessor, Jesus doesn’t tell us. But what he does tell us is that we should imitate her persistence. Jesus would love to see us cheerful and confident all the time, but he is also realistic. As far as he is concerned, even if our efforts at prayer stem from a raw, dogged nature, he still has something he can work with—and purify over time. At least we’re trying!

The Son of Man longs to see all of us displaying this widow’s faith and persistence when he returns. The last thing he wants to find is a lukewarm people with a defeatist attitude—an attitude that gives up at the first sign of trouble.

In giving advice about intercessory prayer, St. Basil the Great had this observation: “The reason why sometimes you have asked and not received, is because you have asked amiss, either inconsistently or lightly, or because you have asked for what is not good for you, or because you have ceased asking.”

Are you this widow, waiting for a just resolution in answer to your petitions? Or are you more like the portrait that Basil painted? Don’t give up hope or lose heart! Keep praying! Ask others to pray as well, even the saints. Be confident in the knowledge that Jesus continually intercedes for you at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:34). Remember that God is the righteous and merciful judge who hears all your pleas and will answer you for your good.

“Jesus, I turn to you with hope, for you always hear me and look out for my best interests. When I am weary and my faith is being tested, give me the strength I need to keep trusting in you. Praise be to you, O Lord, whose mercy endures forever!”

Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9; Psalm 105:2-3,36-37,42-43

From: Luke 18:1-8

Persevering Prayer. Parable of the Unjust Judge

[1] And He (Jesus) told them a parable, to the effect that they ought
always to pray and not lose heart. [2] He said, "In a certain city
there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; [3] and
there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him saying,
`Vindicate me against my adversary.' [4] For a while he refused; but
afterward he said to himself, `Though I neither fear God nor regard
man, [5] yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or
she will wear me out by her continual coming.' [6] And the Lord said,
"hear what the unrighteous judge says. [7] And will not God vindicate
His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over
them? [8] I tell you, He will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless,
when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Commentary:

1-8. The parable of the unjust judge is a very eloquent lesson about
the effectiveness of persevering, confident prayer. It also forms a
conclusion to Jesus' teaching about watchfulness, contained in the
previous verses (17:23-26). Comparing God with a person like this
makes the point even clearer: if even an unjust judge ends up giving
justice to the man who keeps on pleading his case, how much more will
God, who is infinitely just, and who is our Father, listen to the
persevering prayer of His children. God, in other words, gives justice
to His elect if they persist in seeking His help.

1. "They ought always to pray and not lose heart." Why must we pray?

"1. WE MUST PRAY FIRST AND FOREMOST BECAUSE WE ARE BELIEVERS.

"Prayer is in fact the recognition of our limitation and our
dependence: we come from God, we belong to God and we return to
God! We cannot, therefore, but abandon ourselves to Him, our
Creator and Lord, with full and complete confidence [...].

"Prayer, therefore, is first of all an act of intelligence, a
feeling of humility and gratitude, an attitude of trust and
abandonment to Him who gave us life out of love.

"Prayer is a mysterious but real dialogue with God, a dialogue of
confidence and love.

"2. WE, HOWEVER, ARE CHRISTIANS, AND THEREFORE WE MUST PRAY AS
CHRISTIANS.

"For the Christian, in fact, prayer acquires a particular
characteristic, which completely changes its innermost nature and
innermost value. The Christian is a disciple of Jesus; he is one
who really believes that Jesus is the Word Incarnate, the Son of
God who came among us on this earth.

"As a man, the life of Jesus was a continual prayer, a continual
act of worship and love of the Father and since the maximum
__expression of prayer is sacrifice, the summit of Jesus' prayer is
the Sacrifice of the Cross, anticipated by the Eucharist at the
Last Supper and handed down by means of the Holy Mass throughout
the centuries.

"Therefore, the Christian knows that his prayer is that of Jesus;
every prayer of his starts from Jesus; it is He who prays in us,
with us, for us. All those who believe in God, pray; but the
Christian prays in Jesus Christ: Christ is our prayer!

"3. FINALLY, WE MUST ALSO PRAY BECAUSE WE ARE FRAIL AND GUILTY.

"It must be humbly and realistically recognized that we are poor
creatures, confused in ideas, tempted by evil, frail and weak, in
continual need of inner strength and consolation. Prayer gives
the strength for great ideas, to maintain faith, charity, purity
and generosity. Prayer gives the courage to emerge from
indifference and guilt, if unfortunately one has yielded to
temptation and weakness. Prayer gives light to see and consider
the events of one's own life and of history in the salvific
perspective of God and eternity. Therefore, do not stop praying!
Let not a day pass without your having prayed a little! Prayer is
a duty, but it is also a great joy, because it is a dialogue with
God through Jesus Christ! Every Sunday, Holy Mass: if it is
possible for you, sometimes during the week. Every day, morning
and evening prayers, and at the most suitable moments!" (John Paul
II, "Audience with Young People", 14 March 1979).

8. Jesus combines His teaching about perseverance in prayer with a
serious warning about the need to remain firm in the faith: faith and
prayer go hand in hand. St. Augustine comments, "In order to pray, let
us believe; and for our faith not to weaken, let us pray. Faith causes
prayer to grow, and when prayer grows our faith is strengthened"
("Sermon", 115).

Our Lord has promised His Church that it will remain true to its
mission until the end of time (cf. Matthew 28:20); the Church,
therefore, cannot go off the path of the true faith. But not everyone
will remain faithful: some will turn their backs on the faith of their
own accord. This is the mystery which St. Paul describes as "the
rebellion" (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and which Jesus Christ announces on
other occasions (cf. Matthew 24:12-13). In this way our Lord warns us,
to help us stay watchful and persevere in the faith and in prayer even
though people around us fall away.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

One Bread, One Body

<< Saturday, November 12, 2005 >>

St. Josaphat

Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9

Psalm 105:2-3, 36-37, 42-43

Luke 18:1-8

View Readings

THE WORD ON DELAY

"Will He delay long over them, do you suppose?" —Luke 18:7

Because the Lord is outside of time, His perspective on timing is far different than ours (see 2 Pt 3:8; Is 55:8-9). In our humanity, we might "consider it 'delay' " on God's part (2 Pt 3:9) when it seems He's doing nothing. However, if God seems to be moving slowly or not at all, it's because He is showing "generous patience" (2 Pt 3:9) either to us or for the sake of others. If He "delays, wait for" Him (Hab 2:3), because He "will not be late" and "will not disappoint" (Hab 2:3). We must continue to pray always (Lk 18:1), never wavering in faith (Lk 18:8) and never losing heart (Lk 18:1)

We don't want God to delay, but we hold ourselves to a different standard. So God turns the tables on us and warns us:

"Delay not" in keeping your promises to God (Eccl 5:3), especially your baptismal promises to reject sin and believe in the Triune God and the faith of the Church.
"Delay not your conversion to the Lord, put it not off from day to day" (Sir 5:8).
"Delay not to forsake sins" (Sir 18:21). Repent now!
"Delay not" to tithe and give alms to the poor (Sir 4:3).

The Church year ends in two weeks. Have you delayed doing God's will all year? "Why delay, then?" (Acts 22:16) Now is the time (2 Cor 6:2) to stop delaying and start delivering. God can save the best for last (Jn 2:10). Get moving! "Delay not!"

Prayer: Father, I've wasted enough of this year and my life on pleasures (1 Pt 4:3). Give me an urgency based on faith in You.

Promise: "He led forth His people with joy; with shouts of joy, His chosen ones." —Ps 105:43

Praise: St. Josaphat was only forty-three when he was martyred for the One for Whom he had given his all. He died in his attempt to unite opposing factions of the Ukrainian church.

The 100 year old Basilica of St. Josephat in Milwaukee is one of the most beautiful and interesting churches I have ever seen. It was restored to its original grandeur about 5 years ago with help from the entire Milwaukee community -- even non-Catholics. Anyone who visits Milwaukee should certainly make an effort to visit it. It has the most amazing acoustics and is frequently used for special concerts by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. You can't miss it -- you can see the dome from the freeway coming in from the airport.

Briefly, the church was founded by a Polish priest in a poor neighborhood more than 100 years ago. This is an area of town where there is a different ethnic church about every 5 blocks. "Polish flats" abound in that neighborhood -- a type of housing where an immigrant family would build a house. Then when they got enough money they would jack the house up and add another floor underneath -- making 2 units. When they really were getting ahead in the world, they would build another small house in the backyard so that there were 3 housing units on one lot -- filled with Polish immigrants and lots of children. In other words, there were lots of people needing to attend church and Confessions in Polish.

The priest wanted a larger church and he had visions of one patterned after St. Peter's in Rome. However the Parish was very poor. But, the priest was a visionary.

About that time the foundation cracked under the grand U. S. Post Office in Chicago and the whole building was condemned. This wise priest from the growing Polish parish in Milwaukee hopped a train and went to Chicago and purchased the whole Post Office at auction! He had all the materials (stone, doors, etc.) shipped to Milwaukee on a barge (I think), or perhaps it was brought north on rail cars. I've forgotten that part of the story.

In any case, after he had secured the materials he hired an architect to design a grand church using the materials he had already purchased at a huge discount. To save money, the men of the parish would labor on the church after their regular jobs ended for the day. This frugal priest used every stone and every piece of hardware that came from the Chicago Post Office.

St. Josephat's Basilica is the ONLY Catholic Church in the world that has a bronze door handle with the SEAL OF
THE UNITED STATES on it! I kid you not.

It was 25 years before the people of the parish could raise the funds for the paintings to adorn the interior. An artist was brought from Italy to take measurments of the inside of the huge copper dome and all around the church interior. Then he went back to Italy where he created the beautiful paintings. The canvases were carefully rolled and shipped to America and installed in St. Josephat's and they fit perfectly.

The priest died shortly after the church was completed. I've forgotten whether that was before, or after, the paintings were installed.

St. Josephat's usually has tours after the 12 o'clock Mass on Sundays. It's well worth going.

Lk 18:1-8
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
1	And he spoke also a parable to them, that we ought always to pray and not to faint,	dicebat autem et parabolam ad illos quoniam oportet semper orare et non deficere
2	Saying: There was a judge in a certain city, who feared not God nor regarded man.	dicens iudex quidam erat in quadam civitate qui Deum non timebat et hominem non verebatur
3	And there was a certain widow in that city; and she came to him, saying: Avenge me of my adversary.	vidua autem quaedam erat in civitate illa et veniebat ad eum dicens vindica me de adversario meo
4	And he would not for a long time. But afterwards he said within himself: Although I fear not God nor regard man,	et nolebat per multum tempus post haec autem dixit intra se et si Deum non timeo nec hominem revereor
5	Yet because this widow is troublesome to me, I will avenge her, lest continually coming she weary me.	tamen quia molesta est mihi haec vidua vindicabo illam ne in novissimo veniens suggillet me
6	And the Lord said: Hear what the unjust judge saith.	ait autem Dominus audite quid iudex iniquitatis dicit
7	And will not God revenge his elect who cry to him day and night? And will he have patience in their regard?	Deus autem non faciet vindictam electorum suorum clamantium ad se die ac nocte et patientiam habebit in illis
8	I say to you that he will quickly revenge them. But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth?	dico vobis quia cito faciet vindictam illorum verumtamen Filius hominis veniens putas inveniet fidem in terra

From: Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9

[14] For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its
swift course was now half gone,

Passover Night

[15] Thy all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne,
into the midst of the land that was doomed, a stern warrior [16]
carrying the sharp sword of thy authentic command, and stood and
filled all things with death, and touched heaven while standing on the earth.

The Crossing of the Red Sea (Continuation)

[6] For the whole creation in its nature was fashioned anew, complying
with thy commands, that thy children might be kept unharmed. [7] The
cloud was seen overshadowing the camp, and dry land emerging where
water had stood before, an unhindered way out of the Red, Sea, and a
grassy plain out of the raging waves, [8] where those protected by thy
hand passed through as one nation, after gazing on marvellous wonders.
[9] For they ranged like horses, and leaped like lambs, praising thee,
0 Lord, who didst deliver them.

Commentary:

18:14-16. In these lovely verses, the sacred writer gives a poetic
rendering of God’s doings on the night of the Passover. They
constitute an epic poem embedded in the (also poetic) account of the
escape from Egypt. It is easy to see that this passage evokes the
episode of the destroying angel who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem in the
time of David (1 Chron 21:15-22:1). The warrior-Word, descending from
heaven, carries the sword that executes the irrevocable sentence. This
impressive scene may have had some influence on the description of the
“defeat of the beast” in the book of Revelation (cf. Rev 19:11-21). In
another sense, as the personified Word that links heaven and earth
(cf. v. 16), the tradition of the Church applied these verses to the
incarnation of our Lord, and the liturgy uses them as the entrance
antiphon for the Mass on the fourth day of the octave of Christmas.

19:1-9. God is rich in mercy (cf. 2 Sam 24:14; Neh 9:19; Ps 119:156;
Is 54:7; etc.) and quick to forgive those who repent; but his mercy
has its limits for those who persist in doing evil. This happens in
the case of the Egyptians who, after allowing the Israelites to go,
revert to their wicked policy and pursue them, thereby ensuring their
own defeat (vv. 1-4). The punishment that overtook them is not the
outcome of blind fate ("anagké"); on the contrary, it is “the fate
they deserved” ("axia anagké"). The miraculous nature of the events is
underlined by the writer when he says that their punishment for
obstinacy in sin and God’s determination to deliver the Israelites
cause God to change the course of nature by acting with a power
similar to that which he showed when creating the world (v. 6). It is
like a retelling of the first account of creation in Genesis 1 in
which the dry land emerges from the waters and vegetation begins to
appear (vv. 7—8). The underlying idea is that the Exodus was a kind of
new creation.

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