Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac
Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs
Lectionary: 471
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
PsalmPS 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.
AlleluiaPS 33:22
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us;
who have put our hope in you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us;
who have put our hope in you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 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 appearance
doesn't always match the inward intentions of the heart. Anyone can display outward
signs of goodness while inwardly harboring evil thoughts and intentions.
God's light exposes darkness and transforms our minds
and hearts
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.
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.
Godly fear draws us to God's love and truth
What does fear have to do with the kingdom of God? Fear is a powerful force. It can lead us to panic and flight or it can spur us to faith and action. The fear of God is the antidote to the fear of losing one's life. "I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears... O fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want! ..Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord." (Psalm 34:4,9,11)
What does fear have to do with the kingdom of God? Fear is a powerful force. It can lead us to panic and flight or it can spur us to faith and action. The fear of God is the antidote to the fear of losing one's life. "I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears... O fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want! ..Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord." (Psalm 34:4,9,11)
What is godly fear? It is reverence for the One who
made us in love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury
or loss which we can experience is not physical but spiritual - the loss of
one's soul and life to the power of hell. A healthy fear of God leads to
spiritual maturity, wisdom, and right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny
of sinful pride, deceit, and cowardice - especially in the face of evil,
falsehood, and deception. Do you trust in God's grace and mercy and do you submit
to his life-giving word of truth and righteousness (moral goodness)?
"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."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Comfort for those who doubt God's providence
in Christ, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444
AD)
"To bestow yet another means of comfort on our
minds, he forcibly added that five sparrows are scarcely perhaps worth a penny,
and yet God does not forget even one of them. He also said that the separate
hairs of your head are all numbered. Consider how great care he takes of those
that love him. The Preserver of the universe extends his aid to things so
worthless and descends to the smallest animals. How can he forget those who
love him, especially when he takes so great care of them? He condescends to
visit them, to know exactly each particular of their state, and even how many
are the hairs of their heads... Let us not doubt that with a rich hand he will
give his grace to those who love him. He will not permit us to fall into
temptation. If, by his wise purpose he permits us to be taken in the snare in
order that we may gain glory by suffering, he will most assuredly grant us the
power to bear it." (excerpt from COMMENTARY
ON LUKE, HOMILY 87)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, LUKE 12:1-7
(Ephesians 1:11-14; Psalm 33)
(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).
TO KNOW: In the face of growing opposition to his proclamation of the gospel, Jesus turned to his disciples whom he called "friends" (the only time the word is used in the synoptics -- Matthew, Mark and Luke―see John 15:14). Jesus warned his followers to be on guard against Pharisaical hypocrisy, which subtly eroded the truth. His disciples should not be afraid of physical suffering. The only one they ought to fear was Almighty God, the author and judge of their eternal destiny. Yet God was not a harsh magistrate; God was concerned about the welfare of every creature. God knew the worth of each bird sold for sacrificial offering, and the number of hairs on each person's head. Therefore, Jesus' followers should be assured of divine protection during times of persecution.
TO LOVE: Does fear keep me from openly proclaiming my faith?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to have confidence in God's care for me.
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.
Friday 19
October 2018
Sts John De Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues and Companions.
Ephesians 1:11-14. Psalm 32(33):1-2, 4-5, 12-13. Luke 12:1-7.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own – Psalm
32(33):1-2, 4-5, 12-13.
‘Fear not. You are of more value than many sparrows!’
In today’s gospel Jesus warns against the ‘yeast of the
Pharisees’, that is, their hypocrisy. Jesus does not instruct his listeners not
to listen to the Pharisees but to simply be on their guard. A key to
discernment is to sift, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the different
movements in our lives, those that lead to freedom, life and relationships, or
those that turn us in on ourselves away from others. While we cannot avoid
encountering bad yeast in our lives, we can learn to recognise it by its fruit
and avoid it in future. This is a sure way of being on our guard.
Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions
Saint of the Day for October 19
(d. 1642 – 1649)
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| Martyrdom of Father Isaac Jogues S.J. | Engraving by A. Malaer | Wellcome Images |
Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions’ Story
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. He gave up that career to work among the Huron Indians in the New
World, and in 1636, he and his companions, under the leadership of Jean de
Brébeuf, arrived in Quebec. The Hurons were constantly warred upon by the
Iroquois, and in a few years Father Jogues was captured by the Iroquois and
imprisoned for 13 months. His letters and journals tell how he and his
companions were led from village to village, how they were beaten, tortured,
and forced to watch as their Huron converts were mangled and killed.
An unexpected chance for escape came to Isaac Jogues through the
Dutch, and he returned to France, bearing the marks of his sufferings. Several
fingers had been cut, chewed, or burnt off. Pope Urban VIII gave him permission
to offer Mass with his mutilated hands: “It would be shameful that a martyr of
Christ not be allowed to drink the Blood of Christ.”
Welcomed home as a hero, Father Jogues might have sat back,
thanked God for his safe return, and died peacefully in his homeland. But his zeal
led him back once more to the fulfillment of his dreams. In a few months he
sailed for his missions among the Hurons.
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 Albany, New York.
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.
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.
Jean de Brébeuf was a French Jesuit who came to Canada at the
age of 32 and labored there for 24 years. He went back to France when the
English captured Quebec in 1629 and expelled the Jesuits, but returned to his
missions four years later. Although medicine men blamed the Jesuits for a
smallpox epidemic among the Hurons, Jean remained with them.
He composed catechisms and a dictionary in Huron, and saw 7,000
converted before his death in 1649. Having been captured by the Iroquois at
Sainte Marie, near Georgian Bay, Canada, Father Brébeuf died after four hours
of extreme torture.
Gabriel Lalemant had taken a fourth vow—to sacrifice his life
for the Native Americans. He was horribly tortured to death along with Father
Brébeuf.
Father Charles Garnier was shot to death in 1649 as he baptized
children and catechumens during an Iroquois attack.
Father Noel Chabanel also was killed in 1649, before he could
answer his recall to France. He had found it exceedingly hard to adapt to
mission life. He could not learn the language, and the food and life of the
Indians revolted him, plus he suffered spiritual dryness during his whole stay
in Canada. Yet he made a vow to remain in his mission until death.
These eight Jesuit martyrs of North America were canonized in
1930.
Reflection
Faith and heroism planted belief in Christ’s cross deep in our
land. The Church in North America sprang from the blood of martyrs, as has been
true in so many places. The ministry and sacrifices of these saints challenges
each of us, causing us to ask just how deep is our faith and how strong our
desire to serve even in the face of death.
Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions are the
Patron Saints of:
North America
Norway
Norway
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 12:1-7
Lectio Divina:
Friday, October 19, 2018
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 12,1-7
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 and 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 the thousands and 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 also see 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
rotten inside. In this case, hypocrisy was like the apparent cover of the
extreme 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 to
themselves, but they should spread them. One day, the masks will fall
completely away 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 will lead them 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 is from the
contemplation on nature. He says: “Have you heard that it was said, love your
neighbor 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 bad 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 publicly correct the Law of God: “It has been said, but I
tell you...” The discovery made in the renewed contemplation of nature becomes
a very important light to reread history for Him.A different look
which discovers lights that were not perceived before. 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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