St. Andrew Dung-Lac and the Martyrs of Vietnam

Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and the Holy Martyrs of Vietnam are 117 individuals who endured tremendous suffering and eventual death because of their Catholic Faith. They weren’t all martyred at the same time, but persecutions went on for nearly three hundred years. And there were far more than these 117 martyrs – it is estimated that there were between 100,000 and 300,000 people martyred for their faith, but their names are known only to God.

Christian missionaries first brought the Catholic faith to Vietnam during the 16th century. The traditional Vietnamese religion is Buddhism, mixed with elements of Taoism, Confucianism and the cult of ancestors. When Christianity came with missionaries it was seen as a foreign element and during those following three centuries the Faith became the object of persecution.

Over that time various emperors banned all foreign missionaries and ordered Vietnamese Christians to renounce Christianity by trampling on a crucifix. Churches were to be destroyed and teaching Christianity forbidden. A huge number of people suffered death or extreme hardship.

Imprisoned bishops were mocked by their captors, and were given a piece of bamboo as crozier and a paper mitre to wear – much like Jesus was mocked by the soldiers when he was arrested, and made to wear a crown of thorns. Older priests were put on display in cages to be publicly mocked, and simple poor peasants were murdered for refusing to trample on a crucifix. These tortures were barbaric and the persecutions have been compared with those of ancient Rome.

During the persecutions, Christians were marked on their faces with the words which meant “false religion.” Husbands were separated from their wives, and children from their parents. Christian villages were destroyed and their possessions distributed. It wasn’t until 1862 that there was religious freedom, which marked the beginning of the end of the persecutions.

O God, by whose providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: Grant that we who remember before thee St. Andrew Dung-Lac and his Companions, the Holy Martyrs of Vietnam, may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, to whom they gave obedience even unto death, and by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

St. Columban, Abbot

During his General Audience on 11 June 2008, Pope Benedict XVI gave an extended talk on the life, teaching, and importance of the great St. Columban, who lived from 543 to 615. The Holy Father then offered brief remarks in various languages, and this was his message to the English-speaking pilgrims:

“In today's catechesis we turn to Saint Columban, one of the many Irish monks who contributed to the re-evangelization of Europe in the early Middle Ages. Columban made his monastic profession in Bangor and was ordained a priest. At the age of fifty, he left the monastery to begin missionary work in Europe, where entire regions had lapsed into paganism. Beginning in Brittany, Columban and his companions established monasteries at Annegray and Luxeuil. These became centers for the spread of the monastic and missionary ideals brought by the monks from their native Ireland. Columban introduced to Europe the Irish penitential discipline, including private confession. His stern moral teachings led to conflict with the local Bishops and the Frankish court, resulting in the exile of the Irish monks, first to the Rhineland and then to Italy. At Bobbio, where he established a great monastic center, Columban worked for the conversion of the Arian Lombards and the restoration of unity with the Bishop of Rome. It was there that he died, leaving behind not only the example of an austere monastic life, but also a corpus of writings which shaped the monastic culture of the Middle Ages and thus nourished the Christian roots of Europe.”

O God, who in Saint Columban wonderfully didst join the work of evangelization to zeal for the monastic life: grant, we pray, that through his intercession and example, we may strive to seek thee above all things, and to bring increase to thy faithful people; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, Priest and Martyr

A little over a century ago in Mexico an evil and militantly anti-Catholic government instituted and enforced laws against the Church in an attempt to completely erase the Catholic faith in that country. Baptisms were declared illegal; celebrating Mass was illegal; training men for the priesthood was illegal.

Resistance to this took different forms. Some were militant in their protests, taking up arms; others resisted peacefully. Huge numbers, both clergy and laity, were martyred. On November 23 we commemorate one of them – a priest, Fr. Miguel Augustin Pro.

He was born in 1891, and from his childhood he was known for his happiness and his wonderful sense of humour. He was raised in a devoutly Catholic family, and at the age of twenty he became a Jesuit novice. He soon went into exile because of the Mexican revolution. He traveled to the United States, to Spain, to Nicaragua, and then to Belgium, where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1925.

He suffered greatly from a severe stomach problem which required several operations, but when his health did not improve, in 1926 his superiors allowed him to return to Mexico in spite of the religious persecution in the country.

The churches were closed and the priests ministered quietly and always in great danger. Father Pro spent the rest of his life in a secret ministry to the Faithful. In addition to fulfilling their spiritual needs, he also carried out the works of mercy by assisting the poor of Mexico City with their temporal needs. Many times he adopted disguises so that he could pass unnoticed.

The day came when he was betrayed to the police, being falsely accused of a bombing attempt. He was sentenced to death with no trial. On November 23rd, 1927, the day of his death, Father Pro forgave his executioners, he prayed, he refused the blindfold, and he died proclaiming “¡Viva Cristo Rey!,” (“Long live Christ the King!”).

The faith was not destroyed in Mexico. In fact, the Church continued to grow. The lively faith among the Catholics in Mexico today was purchased by the blood of brave souls like Blessed Miguel Pro, who would rather die than deny their faith in God.

Our God and Father, who didst confer upon thy servant Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro the grace of ardently seeking thy greater glory and the salvation of others: grant, through his intercession and example; that by faithfully and joyfully performing our daily duties and charitably assisting those around us, we may serve thee with zeal and ever seek thy glory; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Pope St. Clement I, Martyr

St. Clement I of Rome (92-101) was one of the first popes. According to St. Ireneus, he was the third after Peter, following Pope Linus and Pope Cletus. Clement died as a martyr, but otherwise we know little about his life. He may be the one Paul mentions as his companion in Phil. 4:3. St. Clement wrote a letter to the Corinthians, and we have the text of that, in which he intervenes as the Pope to that community, which had a number of troubles going on – showing us very early the place of the successor of St. Peter in the Church.

Because of his zeal for souls, Pope Clement was banished from Rome to a distant place, where he found two-thousand Christians who had also been banished. When he came to these exiles he comforted them. "They all cried with one voice: Pray for us, blessed Clement, that we may become worthy of the promises of Christ. He replied: Without any merit of my own, the Lord sent me to you to share in your crowns." When they complained because they had to carry the water six miles, he encouraged them, "Let us all pray to the Lord Jesus Christ that He may open to His witnesses a fountain of water." "While blessed Clement was praying, the Lamb of God appeared to him; and at His feet a bubbling fountain of fresh water was flowing." Seeing the miracle, "All the pagans of the neighborhood began to believe."

When the Emperor Trajan heard of these marvels, he ordered Clement to be drowned with an iron anchor around his neck. "While he was making his way to the sea, the people cried with a loud voice: Lord Jesus Christ, save him! But Clement prayed in tears: Father, receive my spirit." At the shore the Christians asked God to give them the body. The sea receded for three miles and there they found the body of the saint in a stone coffin within a small marble chapel; alongside lay the anchor. The body was taken to Rome by Sts. Cyril and Methodius and placed in a church dedicated to his honor (San Clemente). This is one of the most venerable of the churches in Rome because it retains all the liturgical arrangements of ancient times.

O Everlasting Shepherd, favourably look upon thy flock: and keep it with perpetual protection, through the intercession of blessed Clement thy Pope and Martyr, whom thou didst appoint to be shepherd of the whole Church; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Painting: "The Martyrdom of St. Clement" 

by Bernardino Fungai (1460–c. 1516)

St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr

St. Cecilia is one of several martyrs in the early Church who were young girls, and very serious about their faith. Cecilia was born into a noble family, and at an early age, she dedicated her life to God with a vow that she would not marry, but would give herself completely to Christ. However, her family wanted her to marry, and so she was engaged to a young nobleman named Valerian. 

On her wedding day, she prayed to the Lord and asked Him to help Valerian to understand that she could not live with him as his wife. History records, "The day on which the wedding was to be held arrived and while musical instruments were playing she was singing in her heart to God alone saying: Make my heart and my body pure that I may not be confounded." 

St. Cecilia's prayers were answered, and Valerian understood the importance of her vow to God. In fact, not only did he accept it, but he and his brother Tiburtius were both converted to the Christian faith, and were baptized.

At this time, Christianity was illegal in Rome. Both Valerian and his brother Tiburtius were soon discovered to be Christians, and they were martyred. Cecilia was discovered soon after, and she was condemned to death. It required two attempts, however, before the death of Cecilia was successful. She was first locked in a bath in her own home to be suffocated by the steam. When she emerged from the bath unharmed, she was then beheaded. The stroke of the axe failed to sever her head from her body, however, and she lived for three days. During this time, she saw to the disbursment of her assets to help the poor, and she donated her home to be used as a church, and there is a great church on that site to this day, which bears her name. 

When Cecilia finally died, she was buried in the Catacombs of Callixtus. In the 9th century Pope Paschal I had St. Cecilia's remains unearthed from the catacombs and reported that her body was incorrupt and that her hands signaled the Trinity, with one extending three fingers and the other a single finger.

O God, who makest us glad with the yearly festival of blessed Cecilia thy Virgin and Martyr: grant that we who venerate her in our service, may also follow the example of her godly life; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Pictured: "Evensong, St. Cecilia" 

by John Melhuish Strudwick (1849-1937)

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Joachim and St. Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, had prayed for a child, and part of their prayer was the promise that they would dedicate their child to the service of God. Little did they know at that time what great service would be given by their infant daughter.

When Mary reached the age of three, her parents fulfilled their vow. Together with their family and friends, they took her to the Temple. The High Priest and other Temple priests greeted the procession, and tradition says that the child was brought before the fifteen high steps which led to the sanctuary. It is said that the child Mary made her way to the stairs and, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, ascended all fifteen steps, coming to the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could enter. Tradition then says that the High Priest, acting outside every rule he knew, led the Holy Virgin into the Holy of Holies, astonishing everyone present in the Temple. So it was that she, whose own womb would become the Holy of Holies, came into the presence of the God Whom she would bear.

St. Joachim and St. Anne returned to their home, but the Handmaid of the Lord remained in the Temple until her espousal, where she was prepared by God and protected by angels.

O God, who on this day didst vouchsafe that blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, the dwelling-place of the Holy Ghost, should be presented in the Temple: Grant, we beseech thee; that by her intercession we may be found worthy to be presented unto thee in the temple of thy glory; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Each year on the Sunday before Advent we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, but the reality of Christ’s Kingship is a truth which is woven throughout the year in every liturgy, throughout the pages of Holy Scripture, integral to our prayers. Our royal Saviour is in front of our eyes constantly; whether at Christmastime when we speak of the Prince of Peace; or at Epiphany when we celebrate the revelation of the royal Christ as being a “light to the Gentiles;” or during Holy Week when we are brought face to face with our Lord as the King who reigns from the cross; or on the Ascension, when we celebrate His enthronement in heaven; or on Corpus Christi when we honour the King and High Priest hidden in the Holy Eucharist. In fact, not a day passes without the Church commemorating the kingship of Jesus Christ, as we pray in the name of Him who “liveth and reigneth with the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost…” In the scriptures we find a multitude of references to Christ’s kingship, especially in the Psalms of King David, where there are so many references to the Messiah-King.

In fact, Christ was first presented to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a king, when the archangel said to her, “…the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” And Christ, when facing condemnation and death, spoke to Pilate who was judging Him, “You have said I am a king… although my kingdom is not of this world,” by which our Lord meant that his realm was no temporal kingdom, like that of earthly rulers, but rather, a supernatural kingdom. And to uphold this title to kingship He willingly accepted death, even enduring the mockery of the crowning with thorns. On the cross itself there was nailed the inscription in three languages, which expressed the main reason for His condemnation; and what did it say? “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

A king must have a kingdom to rule. Christ is not a king in title only. He has a kingdom which is a tremendous empire, embracing all of creation. In that kingdom, He must rule and govern, and it is our obligation is to see to it that He is acknowledged as King throughout His entire realm; therefore we must understand something of the nature of Christ’s kingdom.

It is a kingdom which is on earth, but it is not of the earth. It is a kingdom with a two-fold aspect: one is external, and the other internal. The external aspect of it is the Church, which was founded by Christ, with her visible head, the Pope, with those bishops in communion with him, and her priesthood, along with all the sacraments, those visible instruments of grace, which are ministered through the Church’s visible organization. The internal aspect is the Mystical Body of Christ, of which Christ is the head, we are the members, and the Holy Spirit is the soul, the life-giving principle, of sanctifying grace.

When Christ appears on the Last Day in great power and majesty, surrounded by a multitude of angels, his kingdom will be fully revealed. Every day until then we are to honour and give glory to Christ the King by being faithful and by being obedient. Remember our Lord’s words, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” So simple, so beautiful, so straightforward. His commandment is that we should love – with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. In doing that, we give witness to the kingdom of our divine and glorious King.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in thy well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

Rose Philippine Duchesne was born in Grenoble, France in 1769. After preparing for her first communion at the Visitation convent nearby, her desire to give her life to God led her to join the Visitation community, a cloistered, contemplative order, despite her longing to serve God in missionary lands. In the aftermath of the French revolution, her convent was closed by the government. For ten years Philippine served the destitute of Grenoble as she searched for God’s desires for her.

In 1804 Madeleine Sophie Barat was told about Philippine Duchesne, a woman of uncommon gifts and grace. Their first meeting led to an immediate soul friendship. Philippine joined the Society of the Sacred Heart and her desire to bring God to distant lands was realized in 1818 when she and four companions sailed to the New World. Here she longed to work among the Native Americans but it would be 23 years before she went to live among the Potawatomi. Before realizing her heart’s desire Philippine established the first Catholic schools west of the Mississippi and oversaw the growth of the Society of the Sacred Heart in the United States.

Frontier life exacted an enormous toll both physical (hunger, cold, poverty, sickness) and psychological (the difficulties of distance and communication, letters sometimes delayed six months or more). Philippine never believed she had the gift of leadership and died in 1852 thinking herself a failure. History reveals otherwise: Native Americans saw in her a woman “who prays always”; the schools she founded became part of a network of Sacred Heart Schools around the world; and the Society of the Sacred Heart remains an international community, bound together across six continents as much by relationships as by a common spirituality and mission.

Rose Philippine Duchesne was named a saint of the Church in 1988.

- from the website of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Almighty God, who didst fill the heart of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne with charity and missionary zeal, and gave her the desire to make thee known among all peoples: grant us to follow her way, and fill us with that same love and zeal to extend thy kingdom to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul

We commemorate the Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul because the Church wants us to remember the importance of consecrated places in which the worship of God takes place. It is a testimony to the importance of the consecration of every Catholic Church throughout the world. It is a reminder to us of the incarnational principle on which our faith is based – that God extends His spiritual blessings to us through the use of physical things. He took human flesh upon Himself. He has instituted seven sacraments which use outward forms to communicate inward grace. He has established a hierarchical Church, with a physical presence in the world, to be a sign of His own presence with us.

Defend thy Church, O Lord, by the protection of the holy Apostles: that, as she received from them the beginnings of her knowledge of things divine; so through them she may receive, even to the end of the world, an increase in heavenly grace; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

St. Elizabeth lived in the 13th century, and she was a princess, the daughter of the King of Hungary. She married the young man she had loved for as long as she could remember, Ludwig of Thuringia, and their life together was blessed with three children. 

St. Elizabeth took seriously her duties as wife and mother, and because of her deep love for Christ, she took seriously also her duty toward the poor. She embraced the words of our Lord, “Whatever you do to the least of these, you have done it to me.” She put herself at the service of widows and orphans, she cared for the sick and the needy. Her life was really an expression of her deep love – love for God, love for her husband and children, and love for those who had no one else to love them. Hers was a very beautiful life, and no doubt she would have liked it to go on like that forever.

But sometimes things can change dramatically – we might not understand why, but it is always for God’s purpose. St. Elizabeth experienced an especially painful change in her life when her husband, whom she so deeply loved, went off to the Crusades, and there he was killed. Elizabeth was devastated – and not only was she sorrowing for the death of her husband, but her husband’s family, who never approved of her charitable works, cast her and her children out of the family home, and left her with no means of support.

So Elizabeth, a princess and the widow of a nobleman, reduced to poverty, was reduced to wandering with her children with no place to live, until a poor man whom she had helped previously was able to offer her shelter in an abandoned pig sty. Her faith sustained her – not only was she not bitter, but she put in even more effort to caring for the poor, with a renewed feeling for them, since she and her children were now counted among them. She supported herself and her children, as well as her works of charity, by spinning wool and making cloth to sell. She exhausted herself, and was only 24 years old when she died. Her feast day is November 16th.

O Lord God, who didst teach Saint Elizabeth of Hungary to recognize and to reverence Christ in the poor of this world: grant that we, being strengthened by her example and assisted by her prayers, may so love and serve the afflicted and those in need that we may honour thy Son, the servant King; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Painting: "St. Elizabeth of Hungary Spinning Wool for the Poor"

by Marianne Stokes (1855–1927)

St. Gertrude the Great

At the General Audience in Saint Peter’s Square on Wednesday, 6 October 2010, Pope Benedict XVI offered this reflection on the life and witness of St. Gertrude:

“St Gertrude the Great, of whom I would like to talk to you today, brings us once again this week to the Monastery of Helfta, where several of the Latin-German masterpieces of religious literature were written by women. Gertrude belonged to this world. She is one of the most famous mystics, the only German woman to be called “Great”, because of her cultural and evangelical stature: her life and her thought had a unique impact on Christian spirituality. She was an exceptional woman, endowed with special natural talents and extraordinary gifts of grace, the most profound humility and ardent zeal for her neighbor’s salvation. She was in close communion with God both in contemplation and in her readiness to go to the help of those in need.

Gertrude was born on 6 January 1256, on the Feast of the Epiphany, but nothing is known of her parents nor of the place of her birth. Gertrude wrote that the Lord himself revealed to her the meaning of this first uprooting: “I have chosen you for my abode because I am pleased that all that is lovable in you is my work…. For this very reason I have distanced you from all your relatives, so that no one may love you for reasons of kinship and that I may be the sole cause of the affection you receive” (The Revelations, I, 16, Siena 1994, pp. 76-77).

Gertrude was an extraordinary student, she learned everything that can be learned of the sciences of the trivium and quadrivium, the education of that time; she was fascinated by knowledge and threw herself into profane studies with zeal and tenacity, achieving scholastic successes beyond every expectation. If we know nothing of her origins, she herself tells us about her youthful passions: literature, music and song and the art of miniature painting captivated her. She had a strong, determined, ready and impulsive temperament. She often says that she was negligent; she recognizes her shortcomings and humbly asks forgiveness for them. She also humbly asks for advice and prayers for her conversion. Some features of her temperament and faults were to accompany her to the end of her life, so as to amaze certain people who wondered why the Lord had favoured her with such a special love.

On 27 January 1281, a few days before the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, towards the hour of Compline in the evening, the Lord with his illumination dispelled her deep anxiety. She had a vision of a young man who, in order to guide her through the tangle of thorns that surrounded her soul, took her by the hand. In that hand Gertrude recognized “the precious traces of the wounds that abrogated all the acts of accusation of our enemies” (ibid., II, 1, p. 89), and thus recognized the One who saved us with his Blood on the Cross: Jesus.

Looking forward to never-ending communion, she ended her earthly life on 17 November 1301 or 1302, at the age of about 46.”

O God, who didst prepare a delightful dwelling for thyself in the heart of the Virgin Saint Gertrude: graciously bring light, through her intercession, to the darkness of our hearts; that we may joyfully experience thee present and at work within us; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Margaret of Scotland

St. Margaret lived in the 11th century, and she was the great-niece of St. Edward the Confessor. She was a Saxon princess, but she was raised in Hungary in exile. Eventually, she and her parents returned to England, but she was forced flee once again after the Battle of Hastings. She went to the court of Malcolm, who was the King of Scotland.

Malcolm was an unrefined man, and Scotland was a wild place – but Margaret and Malcolm came to love one another, and they were married. Margaret, in her gentle way and through her exemplary life, lived her Catholic faith in such a way that Malcolm and the people of Scotland gradually changed their ways to be more conformed to Christ’s teaching.

Margaret was a model mother and queen who brought up her eight children in an atmosphere of great devotion and she continued to work hard to improve the lives of the people of Scotland. She had a particular love for the poor, and provided for them out of her own resources, very often serving them herself.

O God, who didst call thy servant Margaret to an earthly throne that she might advance thy heavenly kingdom, and didst endue her with zeal for thy Church and charity towards thy people: mercifully grant that we who ask her prayers and commemorate her example may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious fellowship of thy Saints; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Albert the Great

The life of St. Albert covered almost all of the 13th century. His father was a very wealthy German nobleman, and Albert was able to receive an excellent education at the best universities of his day. He was a philosopher, a bishop, a prolific writer, and one of the most influential scientists of the Middle Ages. We are familiar with the phrase, “a know-it-all” – but St. Albert really was, and in the best sense. He was able to compile a complete system of all the knowledge of his day. The subjects he encompassed included astronomy, mathematics, economics, logic, rhetoric, ethics, politics, metaphysics and all branches of natural science. It would take him more than 20 years to complete this phenomenal presentation.

St. Albert taught that there is no discrepancy between theology and science; rather, they are simply different aspects of a harmonious whole. Among his most important contributions to the development of scientific thought in the Middle Ages was helping the scholarly community to recognize the value of Aristotle’s philosophy, and he had as one of his chief students, St. Thomas Aquinas. It was Thomas who carried St. Albert’s teaching out to its logical conclusions.

St. Albert was appointed by Pope Alexander IV to be the bishop of Regensburg and he was installed in January 1260, but he found life as a bishop to be unsuitable and after the death of the pope in 1261, Albert was able to resign his episcopal see and return to the life he loved most - that of being a scholar and teacher.

St. Albert is the only scholar of his time to have earned the title "Great" - a title that was applied to him even during his lifetime.

O God, who gavest grace unto blessed Albert, thy Bishop and Doctor, to become truly great in the subjection of human wisdom to divine faith: grant us, we beseech thee, so to follow in the footsteps of his teaching; that we may enjoy the perfect light in heaven; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Trinity XXII: God In Control

 

As some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, Jesus said, "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?"

- St. Luke 21:5-7

Our Lord is standing with His disciples before the great Temple in Jerusalem. This was the Temple begun by Herod some forty or so years before. It wasn’t yet finished, but already – with its immense wealth – it was on its way to becoming one of the wonders of the world. Its huge blocks of marble were in beautiful shades of green and white. The eastern front and part of the side walls were covered with gold leaf, brilliant in the sunlight. In fact, the whole Temple gleamed, which made it an amazing site even from a distance. Within the Temple, it was highly ornamented with votive offerings. Surely the disciples must have thought, “This is none other than the House of God; and this is the Gate of Heaven!” when they said to Jesus, “Look, Master!”

But what they saw wasn’t what Christ saw when He looked. What they saw in all its glory, He saw in its destruction, which would happen some forty years in the future. And He saw also another temple which was even then being fashioned – a temple “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” Even before the old Jerusalem was laid waste, the walls of another city were rising, which would be that new Jerusalem seen by St. John the Divine in his vision, “coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

So as Christ speaks of this destruction, the disciples ask, “When will this be?” If it was just idle curiosity which prompted their question, Christ certainly wouldn’t give them a satisfactory answer – after all, He wasn’t about to act like a soothsayer or fortuneteller, pulling aside the curtain of the future for a momentary glimpse of things which were hidden by God.

Christ’s purpose was much more serious than that. As Scripture records, “No man knows the day nor the hour...” His answer to them was really a warning: “There will be many who will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘the time is at hand.’” “Do not go after them,” He instructs them. How often people seem to be willing to give themselves over to other allegiances. The tragedy of Israel’s history is the tragedy of a people given to running off in pursuit of other gods; indeed, the long history of mankind is exactly that – a record of man’s blindness, of his fickleness, of his willingness to run after the latest thing, as though salvation can be found there.

Christ goes on: “You will hear of wars and tumults…nation will rise against nation; there will be great earthquakes, famines, pestilences… but do not be terrified.” All that would come to pass, even before the end of the century in which Christ lived on earth. In 63 AD Vesuvius erupted, destroying the city of Pompeii; there were earthquakes in Greece and in Asia Minor and even in Judea and Samaria; under the Emperors Claudius and Nero there were pestilences and famines – and there have been such things throughout history – as we know all too well, even in our own day.

How could Christ have said, “Do not be terrified”? Because in the rising of nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, Christ wants us to see not the forerunner of ultimate disaster, but of the breaking through of the Messianic age – just as the pain of a woman in childbirth isn’t the harbinger of death, but rather of life. These signs spoken of by Christ are, in reality, promises. “You will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake...you will be delivered up…some of you they will put to death…you will be hated by all for my name’s sake...but not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.”

This is the point of Christ’s words: that in the midst of the uncertainty and danger of this world – even with its pain and problems and persecution...even in the midst of confusion and calamities...God is in control.

Unfortunately, people tend not to learn the lesson that life is at its most insecure and dangerous when we’re trying to handle it by ourselves, and that life is most safe and secure when we leave it in God’s hands.

As Jesus warned His disciples, “The days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” In other words, every one of us will experience times of darkness and confusion and difficulty: a beloved spouse dies; a child goes off in a direction which causes great distress; a body becomes racked with pain; a job is lost. But Christ makes a promise: “By your endurance you will gain your lives.” He’s not talking about mere human stoicism here, where we simply face the odds and outstare them. No, He’s talking about real Christian heroism in the face of adversity – that heroic spirit which is ours in Christ, when we know God really is near, when we place our faith in Him, and give Him real control over our lives. That’s why it’s so important for us to turn ourselves over to Him – to give Him ourselves – our souls and bodies, our resources and all we hold precious – knowing that when we do that He will always bring good out of evil, light out of darkness, healing out of pain.

By Christ’s sacrifice, we have been made whole. Let’s return that to Him, by giving back to Him all that we are and all that we have, as an acknowledgement that we want Him to be in control of our lives. Giving ourselves to Him is our act of love to the God Who truly loves us.

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Image: "Christ Enthroned" from the Westminster Psalter, c.1200

St. Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

St. Josaphat was born about the year 1580 in what was the Polish province of Lithuania and was raised as an Eastern Rite Catholic. He had a deep devotion to the suffering of Christ, and looked at the schism between East and West as a wound in the Church as the Sacred Body of our Lord. As a young man in his mid-twenties he entered religious life, joining the Ukrainian Order of Saint Basil (known as the Basilians), and as a monk he gave himself over to penance and mortification, going barefoot even in winter, and eating only the poorest food.

In 1618, after living as a monk for nearly fifteen years, he was appointed to be archbishop of the Eastern Rite Diocese of Polotzk, and he devoted his energies to work for the reunion of the Church, all the while deepening the faith of his people through his preaching and his example. There were those in the Orthodox Church, not in union with Rome, who were very much against his work towards unity, and a group of them decided he must be stopped, making plans to assassinate him. In fact, St. Josaphat knew there were many who did not want unity, and he knew his life was in danger; however, he pressed forward in his work to heal the rift between East and West.

One day when he was visiting part of his diocese in territory which is now in Russia, his enemies made an attack on the place where he was staying, and many of those who were traveling with St. Josaphat were killed. Quietly and with humility, St. Josaphat went toward the attackers and asked them why they had done such a thing, saying to them, “If you have something against me, see, here I am.” The crowd screamed at him saying, “Kill the papist!” They ran towards him with their weapons, killing him with an axe-blow to his head.

St. Josaphat's body was thrown into the river, but it remained on the surface of the water, surrounded by rays of light, and was recovered. Those who had murdered him, when they were sentenced to death, repented of what they had done. Through the gentle example of St. Josaphat and helped by his heavenly intercession, through the grace of God they became Catholics.

Stir up in thy Church, we pray, O Lord, the Spirit that filled Saint Josaphat: that, as he laid down his life for the sheep; so through his intercession we, too, may be strengthened by the same Spirit and not fear to lay down our life for our brethren; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.