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To: fatima; Salvation; Ciexyz; All

I will not only pray one "Hail Mary" for you but a Decade too.

I was trying to locate a Homily preached by an Orthodox/Conservative Catholic Priest or Bishop on the Memorial of Saint Justin, the Martyr but could not find any till I came across a Homily preached by Archbishop Denis Hart of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia.

I have also found some additional information regarding Saint Justin from a Catholic Church in Seminole, Florida named after him aptly.

1. Homily on Saint Justin, The Martyr:

http://www.melbourne.catholic.org.au/archbishop/homilies/DHhomily597-20050601.htm

Mass for the Catholic Women’s League

Celebrated b Archbishop Denis Hart
at Glowrey House, Fitzroy,
on Wednesday, 1st June, 2005, at 11.00am

Introduction

My dear friends in the Catholic Women’s League,
I am delighted to be here with you to encourage you in the faith which is the basis of everything we do and particularly of your involvement in mutual support, social works and in presenting among the women of our time a Catholic and faith-filled vision.

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Justin the Martyr, who suffered death with his companions about the year 165. His writing and defence of the faith are a reminder to us that faith is to be lived. We are challenged to take up a witness, which extends beyond our own experience and draws on the faith of Jesus Christ, which comes to us from the apostles.

As we review our lives, let us call to mind our sins and ask the Lord to be with us in the future.

Homily

My dear friends,

Jesus says, ‘You are the salt of the earth.’
(Matthew 5:13)

As I have celebrated this Mass with you three things have been uppermost in my mind. Firstly, Saint Justin’s profession of faith. Secondly, the Year of the Eucharist. Thirdly, God’s goodness in giving us Pope Benedict XVI.
Saint Justin’s story, from his birth as a member of a pagan family at Nablus in Samaria at the beginning of the second century, showed him as a philosopher and an articulate speaker and writer in defence of religion after his conversion. At the time of his martyrdom he told the Roman prefect, “I have adopted the true doctrines of the Christians. I follow them according to the right rule of faith. The God who is the one and only creator and maker of all creation. I am a mere man and what I say is insignificant compared with the infinite greatness of God.” When asked about whether he believed in heaven, Saint Justin replied, ”It is not a case of imagining. I know; I am certain.”

These extracts from Saint Justin’s Martyrdom show that essential to the belief of the Catholic faith is witness to Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

I have been remembering the Year of the Eucharist because there I know we meet Jesus as the Lord and Saviour, really present, who walks with us in our daily life. The great secret of Pope John Paul II and of Pope Benedict XVI is their deep spiritual life of prayer, which gave them the ability to reach out to all kinds of people throughout the world. Pope John Paul’s words of Christ present in the tabernacle, that he would become ‘a magnet drawing souls to him and sending them out in mission’, are a reminder that if we are to truly profess our faith, then we are impelled to live it and witness it to others.

It is for this reason that Pope Benedict XVI as a teacher and writer has sought to express so clearly how we encounter God in prayer and what we know about him as the pattern for living in the world of our time.

Holiness, a oneness with Christ, a witness to him. These are the yardsticks by which we live. It was Saint Paul who said to the Romans, “I am not ashamed of this Gospel. It is an instrument of God’s power that brings salvation to all who believe in it.” ( Romans 1:16 )

Our challenge in the League and in our own lives is to examine the extent to which we are nourished by regular prayer. We are people drawn to Christ in his Church, the two of these being inseparable, and because of this we are impelled to show him clearly to others.

As archbishop I thank you for your witness, for your welcoming not only of me, but of those who so often are part of your lives and communities. In this Year of the Eucharist it is important for us to rediscover a sense of oneness with Christ at Mass, in our churches and in our mission in society.

Thank you for all that you do.

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne.



2. All you want to know about Saint Justin, The Martyr

http://www.sjm87.org/patron_saint.htm

Getting to know ...

Our Patron, St. Justin, Martyr (Feast Day - June 1)

St. Justin, Philosopher and Martyr, was born of pagan parents at Flavia Neapolis in Samaria at the beginning of the second century. Following his conversion to the faith, he wrote in defense of religion. We have today only two of his writings, The "APOLOGY" and the "DIALOG WITH TRYPHO", but these writings give us a wealth of information on his life and work. In fact, the Liturgy as we celebrate it today, has its foundational form in the teachings of St. Justin. From the writings of St. Justin we know how the Mass in the early church was celebrated, its rites, and its sacred moments. His writing was done in reply to the accusations made against the Christians. He explained to his accusers exactly how the Christian banquet went - the what, the why, and the how.

In his writings, Justin points out that the Eucharist is the rite that completes the process of Christian initiation, for after being baptized, the new Christian comes to the banquet. They gathered "on the day of the sun" (our Sunday) to celebrate the banquet of the Lord. For the early Christians, the sun now symbolized Jesus, who in His resurrection had become a blazing light.
When the Christians left their homes and gathered together, they first listened to "the readings of the recollections of the Apostles and of the writings of the prophets." This is our Liturgy of the Word. ":When the reader has finished, the presider gives a talk, admonishing those present and encouraging them to imitate the good examples they have just heard about." This is our homily.

Justin goes on to write, "Then we all stand up and pray ... for ourselves, for the new Christians, and for all others, wherever they may be. We pray that all who have come to know the truth may do good in their lives, observe the precepts, and thus gain eternal salvation." In this rite it is easy to recognize our prayer of the faithful.

In the early Church, the greeting of peace, which is symbolic of forgiveness, was made before the offering of the gifts in observation of Jesus' admonition, "If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (Mt. 5:23-24) Today in our liturgy we observe this rite immediately before receiving the precious Body and Blood of Christ.
The Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass (and today there are four or five variations) all follow the same basic format: prayers of humble thanksgiving made in the name of the community, the words of Consecration, prayers for the living and the dead, prayers for unity and expression of our own faith, the Amen, which is our response to all the words and actions that have just been expressed.

Regarding Communion, Justin did more than describe the rite; he explained what it meant. "We call this food the Eucharist. We do not take it as ordinary food and drink. According to our doctrine, this nourishment, consecrated with a prayer of thanksgiving composed of Christ's words, is the Flesh and Blood of Jesus."

While the substance of the Liturgy of the Eucharist remains the same in all of the prayers, it is the words of the second Eucharistic prayer that we attribute to St. Justin.

We of St. Justin, Martyr Parish have special reason to be grateful today to our patron saint for his gift of this Sacred Act of Praise and Thanksgiving as we know it today.
St. Justin and his companions maintained their belief in the doctrines of the Church, specifically Christ's presence in the Eucharist, and refused to sacrifice to pagan idols.

For this, they were scourged and were led away to suffer the capital punishment. They were beheaded, and so fulfilled their witness of martyrdom in confessing their faith in their Savior.

Prayer Of St. Justin, Martyr
Almighty Father,

We give thanks for all you have given us.

In your goodness you have favored this, your family of St. Justin, Martyr, with a faith rooted in the Love of Jesus, your Son.

Teach us that same devotion to the Eucharist, which prompted our Patron, St. Justin, to witness with his life.

Through his intercession grant that we may never fall into error but remain firm in the Faith.

O Glorious Patron, St. Justin, grant us a share of that courage which strengthened you to defend the truth of Christ, and thus attain the Crown of Martyrdom. Amen.




28 posted on 06/01/2006 11:59:45 AM PDT by warriorforourlady (I Love Pope Benedict, The XVI. Our Lady, Help of Christians protect him and guide him.)
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To: warriorforourlady

Thank you warriorforourlady.


29 posted on 06/01/2006 1:43:55 PM PDT by fatima (Kathy in Alaska is the best.)
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