Memorial of Saint John de Brébeuf and Saint Isaac
Jogues, priests and martyrs, and their companions, martyrs
Lectionary:
471
Brothers and sisters:
In Christ we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory.
In Christ we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has
chosen to be his own.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Gospel Lk 12:1-7
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
"Beware of the leaven--that is, the hypocrisy--of the Pharisees.
"There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows."
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
"Beware of the leaven--that is, the hypocrisy--of the Pharisees.
"There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows."
Meditation: "Do not fear those who kill the body"
What
does leaven have to do with hypocrisy? To the Jews leaven was a sign of evil. It was a piece of
dough from left-over bread which fermented. Fermentation was associated
with decay and rotting – the state of foul-smelling decomposition. Why did
Jesus warn his disciples to avoid the ways of the Pharisees? The Pharisees
wanted everyone to recognize that they were pious and good Jews because they
meticulously and scrupulously performed their religious duties. Jesus turned
the table on them by declaring that outward appearace doesn't always match the
inward intentions of the heart. Anyone can display outward signs of goodness
while inwardly harboring evil thoughts and intentions. The word hypocrite means actor – someone who pretends to be what he
or she is not. But who can truly be good, but God alone? Hypocrisy thrives on
making a good appearance and masking what they don't want others to see. The
good news is that God's light exposes the darkness of evil and sin in our
hearts, even the sin which is unknown to us. And God's light transforms our
hearts and minds and enables us to overcome hatred with love, pride with
humility, and pretense with integrity and truthfulness. God gives grace to the
humble and contrite of heart to enable us to overcome the leaven of insincerity
and hypocrisy in our lives.What does fear have to do with the
"Lord Jesus, may the light of your word free my heart from the deception of sin and consume me with a burning love for your truth and righteousness."
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 Into the Lion’s Mouth |
Memorial of Saint John de Brébeuf and Saint Isaac Jogues,
priests and martyrs, and their companions, martyrs
|
Listen to podcast version here. At that time: So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. He began to speak, first to his disciples, "Beware of the leaven-- that is, the hypocrisy-- of the Pharisees. There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows." |
FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 19
LUKE 12:1-7
(Ephesians 1:11-14; Psalm 33)
KEY VERSE: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and can do no more" (v 4).
READING
REFLECTING: Does fear keep me from openly proclaiming my faith?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to have confidence in God's care for me.
LUKE 12:1-7
(Ephesians 1:11-14; Psalm 33)
KEY VERSE: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and can do no more" (v 4).
REFLECTING: Does fear keep me from openly proclaiming my faith?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to have confidence in God's care for me.
Memorial of John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues,
priests and martyrs, and their companions, martyrs
John de Brébeuf was a French Jesuit. He was sent as a missionary to the frontier ofCanada la crosse France ,
and gave new heart to the missionaries in New France in Canada
John de Brébeuf was a French Jesuit. He was sent as a missionary to the frontier of
Isaac Jogues was a missionary to New France in Canada France ,
but returned to the New World to continue his
work with the natives. Jogues was martyred with fellow Jesuit priest John de
Br�beuf and several lay missionaries while on a peace mission to the Iroquois.
He was one of the North American Martyrs.
www.daily-word-of-life.com
Meditation On Luke
12:1-7
Into the Lion’s Mouth
At that time: So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot. He began to speak, first to his
disciples, "Beware of the leaven-- that is, the hypocrisy-- of the
Pharisees. There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret
that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will
be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be
proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those
who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes,
I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small
coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of
your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many
sparrows."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present
here as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to
give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you
for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in
return.
Petition: Lord, give me courage to keep following
you even in the face of temptation.
1. Lion Food: St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch , was arrested and then transported to Rome
2. Becoming Eucharist: St. Ignatius also wrote, “I am the
wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be
found the pure bread of God” (Letter to the Romans). He is drawing a connection
between his own coming martyrdom wheat ground by the teeth of wild beasts and
the Eucharist the pure bread of God. These words are not just grisly yet pious
analogy; rather, they touch on the most profound meaning of the mystery of the
Eucharist and our participation in it. The Eucharist is the most complete worship
given to God the Father: It is the Incarnation of God among us, it is Christ’s
sacrifice of his body on the Cross, and it is his Resurrection from death to
eternal life. Through the Eucharist we become an acceptable sacrifice to the
Lord. Just like the martyrs whose feast we celebrate today, we need to offer
the struggles and challenges of each day in order to remain united with Christ
in the Eucharist.
3. More than Birds: In our daily life we take many small
things for granted because they seem to have little import in the grand scheme
of things. “What were the high and low temperatures a year ago today?” “What
does it matter now?” we might as well respond. “Where will the four sparrows I
saw in the park two weeks ago get food to eat?” It’s not even a question that
occurs to us. We have many other things of immediate importance that require
our attention and action. Yet such a question is important enough to occur to
God. Christ tells us in Luke 12:24, “They do not sow or reap; they have no
storehouses and no barns; yet God feeds them.” He continues, “And how much more
are you worth than the birds!” If God would make time to think about something
so insignificant among all the goings-on in the world, how much more will he be
taking care of our needs!
Conversation with Christ: Lord, when I look at the difficulties
and rough spots I know I will be facing today, I worry about the sacrifices
I’ll have to make. Maybe events won’t turn out as I hope. Help me to have
confidence and trust in you like Saint Isaac Jogues and John de Brébeuf. Help
me realize that you have taken care of every minute detail of all that will
occur today.
Resolution: When faced with any worry today I will
pray, “Jesus, I trust in you.”
www.spreadjesus.org
Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
‘Not one sparrow is forgotten in God’s sight.’
Today we honour a number of martyrs who are patrons of
Let us reflect on today’s martyrs and all those who see death coming and recall Jesus’ words. He tells his friends that the only person to fear is God. This is a healthy fear, which only operates if anyone willingly turns away from the one who loves them. So, today we may choose to think about God’s love for us and the example of the sparrows which Jesus uses. There is no need to be afraid, he says. You are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.
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MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Living the Gospel
The most important thing in the sacrament of reconciliation is what Jesus does: he welcomes us, assures us of forgiveness, and encourages us to continue living the values of the Gospel.
— from Catholic Update Guide to the Sacraments of Healing
October 19
St. Rene Goupil
Patron Saint of: Anesthetists
In 1642 the Huron country was in great distress. Harvests were poor, sickness abounded, and clothing was scarce.
www.catholic.org
October 19
St. Isaac Jogues, John de Brébeuf and Companions
Isaac Jogues (1607-1646): Isaac Jogues and
his companions were the first martyrs of the North American continent
officially recognized by the Church. As a young Jesuit, Isaac Jogues, a man of
learning and culture, taught literature in France Quebec
An
unexpected chance for escape came to Isaac Jogues through the Dutch, and he
returned to In 1646 he and Jean de Lalande, who had offered his services to the missioners, set out for Iroquois country in the belief that a recently signed peace treaty would be observed. They were captured by a Mohawk war party, and on October 18 Father Jogues was tomahawked and beheaded. Jean de Lalande was killed the next day at Ossernenon, a village near
The first of the Jesuit missionaries to be martyred was René Goupil who, with Lalande, had offered his services as an oblate. He was tortured along with Isaac Jogues in 1642, and was tomahawked for having made the Sign of the Cross on the brow of some children.
Jean de Brébeuf (1593-1649): Jean de Brébeuf was a French Jesuit who came to
He composed catechisms and a dictionary in Huron, and saw 7,000 converted before his death. He was captured by the Iroquois and died after four hours of extreme torture at Sainte Marie, near
Father Anthony Daniel, working among Hurons who were gradually becoming Christian, was killed by Iroquois on July 4, 1648. His body was thrown into his chapel, which was set on fire.
Gabriel Lalemant had taken a fourth vow—to sacrifice his life to the Indians. He was horribly tortured to death along with Father Brébeuf.
Father Charles Garnier was shot to death as he baptized children and catechumens during an Iroquois attack.
Father Noel Chabanel was killed before he could answer his recall to
These eight Jesuit martyrs of
Comment:
Faith and heroism planted belief in Christ's cross deep in our land. The Church inNorth America sprang from the blood of martyrs. Are we as
eager to keep that cross standing in our midst? Do we bear witness to
deep-seated faith in us, the Good News of the cross (redemption) into our home,
our work, our social world?
Faith and heroism planted belief in Christ's cross deep in our land. The Church in
Quote:
"My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing his designs. Our single endeavor should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to him, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings" (from a letter of Isaac Jogues to a Jesuit friend inFrance
"My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing his designs. Our single endeavor should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to him, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings" (from a letter of Isaac Jogues to a Jesuit friend in
Patron
Saint of:
North
America
www.americancatholic.org
LECTIO: LUKE 12,1-7
Lectio:
Friday, October 19,
2012
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
our help and guide,
make your love the
foundation of our lives.
May our love for you
express itself
in our eagerness to do
good for others.
You live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading
Meanwhile the people
had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And
Jesus began to speak, first of all to his disciples. 'Be on your guard against
the yeast of the Pharisees -- their hypocrisy. Everything now covered up will
be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason,
whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you
have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed from the housetops.
'To you my friends I
say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power
to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, he is the one to fear.
Can you not buy five
sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God's sight. Why,
every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you
are worth more than many sparrows.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel
presents a last criticism of Jesus against the religious authority of his time.
• Luke 12, 1ª:
Thousands were looking for Jesus. “At that time people had gathered in their
thousands so that they were treading on one another”. This phrase allows to
have a glimpse of the enormous popularity of Jesus and the desire of the people
to encounter him (cf. Mk 6, 31; Mt 13, 2). It makes us see also the abandonment
in which people found themselves. “They are like sheep without a shepherd,”
said Jesus on another occasion when he saw the crowds get close to him to
listen to his words (Mk 6, 34).
• Luke 12, 1b:
Attention with hypocrisy. “Jesus began to speak first of all to his disciples:
“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – their hypocrisy”. Mark
had already spoken of the yeast of the Pharisees and of the Herodians and had
suggested that it was a question of the mentality or of the dominant ideology
of that time which expected a glorious and powerful Messiah (Mk 8, 15; 8,
31-33). In this text Luke identifies the yeast of the Pharisees with hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy is an attitude which turns up side down or overturns the values. It
hides the truth. It shows a beautiful cloak or cape which hides and falsifies
what is the rotten that is inside. In this case, hypocrisy was like the
apparent cover of the maximum fidelity to the word of God which hid the
contradiction of their life. Jesus wants the contrary. He wants coherence and
not that which remains hidden.
• Luke 12, 2-3: That
which is hidden will be revealed. “Everything now covered up will be uncovered,
and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you
have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have
whispered in hidden places will be proclaims from the housetops”. It is the
second time that Luke speaks about this theme (cf. Lc 8, 17). Instead of the
hypocrisy of the Pharisees which hides the truth, the disciples should be
sincere. They should not be afraid of truth. Jesus invites them to share with
the others the teachings which they learn from him. The disciples cannot keep
these for themselves, but they should diffuse them. One day, the masks will
fall completely and everything will be clearly revealed, and will be proclaimed
on the housetops (Mt 10, 26-27).
• Luke 12, 4-5: Do not
be afraid. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do
no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who after he has killed has the
power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, he is the one to fear”. Here Jesus
addresses himself to his friends the disciples. They should not be afraid of
those who kill the body, who torture, who trample on and make one suffer. Those
who torture can kill the body, but they cannot kill liberty and the spirit.
Yes, they should be afraid that fear of suffering may lead them to hide or to
deny the truth and therefore, will lead him to offend God; because he who
separates himself from God will be lost forever.
• Luke 12, 6-7: You
are worth more than many sparrows. “Can you not buy five sparrows for two
pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. For every hair on hour
head has been counted. Do not fear you are worth more than many sparrows”. The
disciples should not be afraid of anything, because they are in God’s hands.
Jesus asks them to look at the sparrows. Two sparrows are sold for a few
pennies and not one of them falls to the ground without the will of the Father.
Even the hair on your head is counted. Luke says that not one hair falls from
your head without the permission of the Father (Lk 21, 18). And so many hairs
fall from our head! This is why, “Do not fear, you are worth more than many
sparrows”. This is the lesson that Jesus draws from the contemplation of nature
(cf Mt 10, 29-31).
• The contemplation of
nature. In the Sermon on the Mountain, the most important message Jesus takes
it from the contemplation on nature. He says: “Have you heard that it was said,
love your neighbour and hate your enemy; but I say: love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you so that you may be children of your Father in
heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the bas as well as the good, and sends
down rain to fall on the upright and the wicked alike. For if you love those
who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even the tax collectors do as
much? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything
exceptional? Do not even the gentiles do as much? You must therefore set no
bounds to your love, just as the Heavenly Father sets non to his” (Mt 5,
43-45.48). The observation of the rhythm of the sun and the rain lead Jesus to
make that revolutionary affirmation: “Love your enemies”. The same thing is
valid concerning the invitation to look at the flowers of the fields and the
birds of the sky (Mt 6, 25-30). This contemplative and surprising attitude
before nature led Jesus to criticize truths apparently eternal. Six times, one
after another, he had the courage to correct publicly the Law of God: “It has
been said, but I tell you...” The discovery made in the renewed contemplation
of nature becomes for him a very important light to reread history with a
different look, and discover lights which before were not perceived. Today
there is new vision of the universe which is circulating. The discoveries of
science concerning the immensity of the macro-cosmos and of the micro-cosmos
are becoming sources of a new contemplation of the universe. Many apparently
eternal truths are now beginning to be criticized.
4) Personal questions
• What is hidden will
be revealed. Is there in me something which I fear that it be revealed?
• The contemplation of
the sparrows and of the things of nature lead Jesus to have a new and
surprising attitude which reveals the gratuitous goodness of God. Do I usually
contemplate nature?
5) Concluding prayer
The word of Yahweh is
straightforward,
all he does springs
from his constancy.
He loves uprightness
and justice;
the faithful love of
Yahweh fills the earth. (Ps 33,4-5)
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