Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac
Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs
Lectionary: 470
Lectionary: 470
Brothers and sisters:
Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
though testified to by the law and the prophets,
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
for all who believe.
For there is no distinction;
all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.
They are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as an expiation,
through faith, by his Blood, to prove his righteousness
because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed,
through the forbearance of God–
to prove his righteousness in the present time,
that he might be righteous
and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out.
On what principle, that of works?
No, rather on the principle of faith.
For we consider that a person is justified by faith
apart from works of the law.
Does God belong to Jews alone?
Does he not belong to Gentiles, too?
Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one
and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith
and the uncircumcised through faith.
Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
though testified to by the law and the prophets,
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
for all who believe.
For there is no distinction;
all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.
They are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as an expiation,
through faith, by his Blood, to prove his righteousness
because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed,
through the forbearance of God–
to prove his righteousness in the present time,
that he might be righteous
and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out.
On what principle, that of works?
No, rather on the principle of faith.
For we consider that a person is justified by faith
apart from works of the law.
Does God belong to Jews alone?
Does he not belong to Gentiles, too?
Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one
and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith
and the uncircumcised through faith.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 130:1B-2, 3-4, 5-6AB
R. (7) With
the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
AlleluiaJN 14:6
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 11:47-54
The Lord said:
"Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
'I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute'
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
"Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
'I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute'
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
Meditation: Do
not lose the key of knowledge
How can God's wisdom free us from being double-minded
and spiritually blind? God sent his prophets to open the ears of his people to
hear and understand God's word and intention for their lives. God's wisdom is
personified in the voice of the prophets, a voice that often brought rejection
and death because they spoke for God rather than for human favor and approval.
Jesus chastised many of the religious leaders of his day for being
double-minded and for demanding from others standards which they refused to
satisfy. They professed admiration for the prophets from the past by building
their tombs while at the same time they opposed the message that the prophets
spoke in God's name. They rejected the prophets' warnings and closed their ears
to the word of God.
Jesus in the key of knowledge that opens God's
kingdom for us
What does Jesus mean when he says they have taken away the key of knowledge? The religious lawyers and scribes held the "office of the keys" since they were the official interpreters of the Scriptures. Unfortunately their interpretation of the Scriptures became so distorted and difficult to understand that others were "shut off" to the Scriptures. They not only shut themselves to heaven - they also hindered others from understanding God's word. Through pride and envy, they rejected not only the prophets of old, but God's final prophet and Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the "key of David" (see Isaiah 22:22; Revelations 3:7) who opens heaven for those who accept him as Lord and Savior. He is the "Wisdom of God" and source of everlasting life.
What does Jesus mean when he says they have taken away the key of knowledge? The religious lawyers and scribes held the "office of the keys" since they were the official interpreters of the Scriptures. Unfortunately their interpretation of the Scriptures became so distorted and difficult to understand that others were "shut off" to the Scriptures. They not only shut themselves to heaven - they also hindered others from understanding God's word. Through pride and envy, they rejected not only the prophets of old, but God's final prophet and Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the "key of David" (see Isaiah 22:22; Revelations 3:7) who opens heaven for those who accept him as Lord and Savior. He is the "Wisdom of God" and source of everlasting life.
Humility helps us to be receptive to God's wisdom
Only the humble of heart - those who thirst for God and acknowledge his word as true - can truly understand the wisdom which comes from above. [See Psalm 119:99ff: "I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation."] God is ever ready to speak his word to us and to give us true wisdom and understanding. Do you hunger for the wisdom which comes from above?
Only the humble of heart - those who thirst for God and acknowledge his word as true - can truly understand the wisdom which comes from above. [See Psalm 119:99ff: "I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation."] God is ever ready to speak his word to us and to give us true wisdom and understanding. Do you hunger for the wisdom which comes from above?
"Lord Jesus, may your word take root in my heart
and transform all my thoughts and actions. Give me wisdom and understanding
that I may know your will for my life and have the courage to live according to
it."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The key of knowledge that opens the kingdom
of God, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444
AD)
"We consider that the key of knowledge means the
law [of Moses] itself, and by faith in him, I mean justification in Christ.
Although the law was in shadow and type, yet those types show to us the truth,
and those shadows depict to us in many ways the mystery of Christ. A lamb was
sacrificed according to the law of Moses. They ate its flesh. They anointed the
lintels with its blood and overcame the destroyer. The blood of a mere sheep
could not turn away death. Christ was typified under the form of a lamb. He
endures to be the victim for the life of the world and saves by his blood those
who are partakers of him. One might mention many other instances as well, by
means of which we can discern the mystery of Christ sketched out in the shadows
of the law. When speaking to the Jews, he once said, 'There is one that accuses
you, even Moses, whom you trusted. For if you had believed Moses, you should
have also believed me, because he wrote of me' (John 5:45-46). 'You search the
Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is
they that bear witness to me' (John 5:39). Every word of divinely inspired
Scripture looks to him and refers to him. As it has been shown, if Moses speaks,
he typified Christ. If the holy prophets that you name speak, they also
proclaimed to us in many ways the mystery of Christ, preaching beforehand the
salvation that is by him." (excerpt
from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 86)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, LUKE 11:47-54
(Romans 3:21-30; Psalm 130)
(Romans 3:21-30; Psalm 130)
KEY VERSE: "Woe to you! You build the memorials of the prophets whom your ancestors killed" (v 47).
TO KNOW: Jesus continued his tirade against the scribes, the "scholars of the law" (v 45). By their superficial religiosity, they were following in the footsteps of their ancestors who killed the prophets. While they piously built memorials to the prophets, they refused to do what they required: "to do right...love goodness, and to walk humbly with God" (Micah 6:8). The blood of those who died for the truth stretched from "A-Z": Abel to Zechariah, the first and last murders in the Hebrew canon of scripture (Gn 4:8; 2 Chr 24:20-22). Jesus charged the Scribes of depriving people of the key to knowledge of God's kingdom by distorting God's word and not practicing it themselves.
TO LOVE: Do I neglect the spirit in trying to follow the letter of God’s Law?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, I pray for all who faithfully witness to the Gospel even to the point of death.
Memorial of Saints John de Brebeuf
and Isaac Jogues, priests and martyrs, and their companions, martyrs
John de Brebeuf was a French Jesuit. He was sent as a missionary to the frontier of Canada at age 32, and spent the rest of his life there. Brebeuf had great difficulty learning the Huron Indian language. However, he eventually wrote a catechism in Huron, and a French-Huron dictionary for use by other missionaries. It was John de Brebeuf who named the present day version of the Indian game lacrosse because the stick used reminded him of a bishop's crosier (la crosse). John was martyred in 1649, tortured to death by the Iroquois. His martyrdom created a wave of vocations and missionary fervor in France, and gave new heart to the missionaries in New France in Canada.
Isaac Jogues was a missionary to New France in Canada, working among the Huron Indians. This was a rough assignment - not only because the living conditions were difficult, but because the locals blamed the "Blackrobes" for any disease, ill luck, or other problems that occurred. Jogues was captured in 1642 by the Mohawks, and tortured for 13 months. He taught the faith to any who would listen, and finally escaped. Jogues recuperated in France, but returned to the New World to continue his work with the natives. Jogues was martyred with fellow Jesuit priest John de Brebeuf and several lay missionaries while on a peace mission to the Iroquois. He was one of the North American Martyrs.
Thursday 19
October 2017
Ss John De Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues
& Cc.; St Paul of The Cross.
Romans
3:21-30. Psalm 129(130):1-6. Luke 11:47-54.
With the
Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption — Psalm 129(130):1-6.
‘Alas for
you lawyers, who have taken away the key of knowledge!’
Jesus spoke harshly to the lawyers
and teachers for their exclusive attitude to learning. They used their learning
to justify their lifestyle and status.
Jesus, on the other hand came to
share his teaching with everyone. He lived with them, walked with them, cured
the sick, was open to their questions and aware of their issues.
We can be like the lawyers
ourselves when we judge or criticise others without first looking inward and
discerning whether these same faults are part of our own make-up. Let us bring
Jesus into all our decisions and bring our questions to him so they don’t
become barbs to fire at others.
THE NORTH AMERICAN MARTYRS
Also known as Canadian Martyrs; Isaac Jogues and Companions;
Jesuit Martyrs of North America; Martyrs of New France.
Memorial: 19 October; 26 September (Canada)
Memorial: 19 October; 26 September (Canada)
The eight North American martyrs, also known as the Candian Martyrs, the Jesuit Martyrs of North America or the Martyrs of France, included six priests and two lay brothers. They were heroic members of the Society of Jesus who were martyred in North America in order to bring the Faith that is necessary for salvation to the Huron, the Iroquois and the Mohawk Indians. Five of the eight North American martyrs were put to death in what is now Canada, and three of them in New York State. There is a shrine to the United States' martyrs at Auriesville in New York, and there is a shrine to the Canadian martyrs at Fort Saint Mary near Midland, Ontario. The names of the eight North American martyrs are:
Saint
Rene Goupil, a lay brother martyred in 1642 in New York State,
Saint Isaac Jogues, a priest,
Saint John de Lalande, a lay brother, martyred in 1646 in New York State,
Saint Anthony Daniel, a priest, martyred in Canada in 1648,
Saint John de Brebeuf,
Saint Charles Garnier,
Saint Noel Chabanel and
Saint Gabriel Lalemant, all priests, and all martyred in Canada in 1649.
Saint Isaac Jogues, a priest,
Saint John de Lalande, a lay brother, martyred in 1646 in New York State,
Saint Anthony Daniel, a priest, martyred in Canada in 1648,
Saint John de Brebeuf,
Saint Charles Garnier,
Saint Noel Chabanel and
Saint Gabriel Lalemant, all priests, and all martyred in Canada in 1649.
Saint
Isaac Jogues, after thirteen months' imprisonment by the Mohawks, had several
fingers cut off of his hand. He went back to Europe, but returned again to
North America and was killed by tomahawk blows at Ossernenon, now called
Auriesville, in New York State. Saint John de Brebeuf declared before he died,
"I have a strong desire to suffer for Jesus Christ." He was tortured
terribly, and a burning torch was put into his mouth, which strangled him.
Saint
Rene Goupil, thirty-five, was the youngest of the martyrs, and cried
"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!" as he died. Saint Noel Chabanel was
thirty-six, and Saint Isaac Jogues and Saint Gabriel Lalemant were thirty-nine.
The oldest of the eight North American martyrs, Saint John de Brebeuf, was
fifty-six when the Indians killed him.
They
were canonized June 29 of 1930 by Pope Pius XI. Their memorial is October 19,
and Spetember 26 in Canada.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 11,47-54
Lectio Divina:
Thursday, October 19, 2017
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.
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 - Luke 11,47-54
Jesus said: 'Alas for you because you
build tombs for the prophets, the people your ancestors killed! In this way you
both witness to what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing,
you do the building.
'And that is why the Wisdom of God said,
"I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will slaughter and
persecute, so that this generation will have to answer for every prophet's
blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of
Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the
Temple." Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.
'Alas for you lawyers who have taken
away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselves and have prevented
others from going in who wanted to.'
When He left there, the scribes and the
Pharisees began a furious attack on Him and tried to force answers from Him on
innumerable questions, lying in wait to catch Him out in something He might
say.
3) Reflection
• Once again for the hundredth time,
today’s Gospel speaks about the conflict between Jesus and the religious
authorities of that time.
• Luke 11, 47-48: Alas for you because
you build tombs for the prophets. “Alas for you because you build tombs for the
prophets, the people your ancestors killed! In this way you both witness to
what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the
building”. Mathew says that these were the Scribes and the Pharisees (Mt 23,
19). Jesus’ reasoning is clear. If the ancestors killed the prophets and the
sons built the tombs, it is because the sons approved the crime of their
fathers. Besides this, everybody knows that the dead prophet does not disturb
anybody. In this way the sons become witnesses and accomplices of the same
crime (cf. Mt 23, 29-32).
• Luke 11, 49-51: To ask for an account
of the blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world. “That is why
the wisdom of God said: I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will
slaughter and persecute, so that this generation will have to answer for every
prophet’s blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the
blood of Able to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the
Temple. Yes, I tell you, this generation is lying in wait to catch Him out in
something He might say”. Compared with the Gospel of Matthew, Luke usually
offers a brief version of Matthew’s text. But here he increases the
observations: “shed since the creation of the world, of the blood of Abel”. He
did the same thing with the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew, who wrote for the
converted Jews, begins with Abraham (Mt 1, 1.2.17), while Luke goes back to
Adam (Lk 3, 38). Luke universalizes and includes the Pagans, then he writes his
Gospel for the converted Pagans. The information about the murdering of
Zechariah in the Temple is given in the Book of Chronicles: “The spirit of God
then invested Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the
people and said, ‘God says this, ‘Why transgress Yahweh’s commands to your
certain ruin? For if you abandon Yahweh, He will abandon you. Then they plotted
against him and at the king’s order stoned him in the court of the Temple of
Yahweh” (2Cr 24, 20-21). Jesus knew the story of his people to the minutest
detail. He knew that He would be the next one on the list from Abel to
Zechariah; and up until now the list continues to be open. Many people have
died for the cause of justice and of truth.
• Luke 11, 52: Alas for you doctors of
the Law. “Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge. You
have not gone in yourselves and have prevented others from going in who wanted
to”. How do they close the Kingdom? They believe that they have the monopoly on
knowledge in regard to God and to God’s Law and they impose on others their own
way, without leaving a margin for a different idea. They present God as a
severe judge, and in the name of God they impose laws and norms which have
nothing to do with the commandments of God. They falsify the image of the
Kingdom and kill in others the desire to serve God and the Kingdom. A community
which organizes itself around this false god “does not enter into the Kingdom”.
Neither is it an expression of the Kingdom, and prevents its members from
entering into the Kingdom. It is important to notice the difference between
Matthew and Luke. Matthew speaks about the entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven
and the phrase is written in the verbal form in the present: "Alas for
you, lawyers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites, who close the Kingdom of
Heaven before men, because in this way you do not enter and you prevent others
from going in who wanted to enter (Mt 23, 13). The expression to enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven could mean to enter in Heaven after death, but it is possible
that it is a question of entering into the community, around Jesus and in the
communities of the first Christians. Luke speaks about the key of knowledge and
the phrase is written in the past tense. Luke simply shows the pretension of
the Scribes to possess the key of knowledge in regard to God and to the law of
God which prevents them from recognizing Jesus as Messiah and prevents
the Jewish people from recognizing Jesus as Messiah: You take possession of the
key of knowledge. You yourselves do not enter and you prevent others to enter.
• Luke 11, 53-54: The reaction against
Jesus. The reaction of the religious authority against Jesus was immediate.
“When He left there, the Scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on
him, and tried to force answers from Him on innumerable questions, lying in
wait to catch Him out in something He might say”. Since they considered themselves
the only true interpreters of the Law of God, they tried to provoke Jesus on
questions of interpretation of the Bible so as to be able to surprise Him in
something He would say. Thus the opposition against Jesus and the desire
to eliminate Him continues to grow. (Lk 6, 11; 11, 53-54; 19, 48; 20, 19-20;
22, 2).
4) Personal questions
• Many persons who wanted to enter were
prevented from doing it and they no longer believed because of the
anti-evangelical attitude of the priests. Do you have any experience regarding
this?
• The Scribes began to criticize Jesus
who thought and acted in a different way. It is not difficult to find reasons
for criticizing anyone who thinks differently from me. Do you have any
experience regarding this?
5) Concluding prayer
Yahweh has made known his saving power,
revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,
mindful of his faithful love
and his constancy to the House of Israel. (Ps 98,2-3)
revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,
mindful of his faithful love
and his constancy to the House of Israel. (Ps 98,2-3)
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