Throughout his life he preserved his virginity unblemished. As duke he was a father to his subjects, generous toward orphans, widows, and the poor. On his own shoulders he frequently carried wood to the houses of the needy. He often attended the funerals of the poor, ransomed captives, and visited those suffering in prison. He was filled with a deep reverence toward the clergy; with his own hands he sowed the wheat for making altar breads and pressed the grapes for the wine used in the Mass. During winter he would visit the churches barefoot through snow and ice, frequently leaving behind bloody footprints. 
Lawrence Ruiz is the first Filipino to be canonized a saint. He and 15 others were martyred at Nagasaki, Japan in 1637. The group included two consecrated women, two other laymen, two brothers and nine priests. 
St. John of Dukla was a Franciscan missionary who was born in Dukla, Galicia, Poland, around 1414 and grew up a deeply religious person. He began his religious life as a hermit but then entered the Conventual Franciscans and was ordained. From 1440-1463 he labored as a preacher, and he was elected superior of the monastery because of his holiness and sound judgment. After serving his term in the monastery, John traveled as a missionary to the area of Lvov, in the Ukraine. There a group of Observant Franciscans, called the Bernardines, were conducting their ministries. John was attracted by the Bernardine spirit and transferred to that branch of the order. He was stricken with blindness in the last years of his life, but he did not retire from his pastoral duties. John preached and found his way to the confessional by groping along the pews. He died in Lvov, on September 29, 1484, a beloved priest. He was beatified in 1733 by Pope Clement XII. Pope John Paul II canonized John in Krosno, Poland, on June 10, 1997. “God has made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
In this familiar passage, the wisdom writer reminds us that there is a proper time for everything. It’s important for us to discern the time we are living in so that we know how we should act. It’s pointless to plant seeds when they have no access to water. We’re out of step if we mourn at a wedding or rearrange the furniture just before we move.
Some times are harder to figure out. Halfway through a long explanation, we may suddenly notice that others have stopped listening and are impatient to chime in. We belatedly realize it should have been our “time for silence.”
In his precious time apart with the Twelve (Luke 9:18-22), Jesus invited his friends to reflect on the time in which they were living— and the One they were living with. In response to his question, they affirmed him as the long-awaited Messiah. The Eternal had broken into their world, and nothing would ever be the same for humankind.
However, the disciples might easily have come to the wrong conclusion. Many of them would have loved to be living in the time of God’s triumph and victory. But they had to come to grips with the fact that Jesus’ road to glory needed to pass through Calvary. For them and for their Messiah, it was a time of suffering.
It was also a time for choice. What did they believe about Jesus? Were they willing to follow their Master all the way to the cross, even if it meant setting aside not only their personal ambitions but their cherished notions of the way things ought to be?
We often feel jarred when we feel a difference between our expectations and what is actually happening around us. At times like these, it’s especially important to come aside and spend time reflecting with Jesus. When we get a clearer focus on the time in which we are living, we can learn how to respond appropriately. Jesus will always help us keep the Timeless in view.
“Jesus, you are the Lord of the past and the future. Help me stay close to you in this present time of opportunity.”
Psalm 144:1-4; Luke 9:18-22