Daily Reflections

Joshua 1:5, 6, 7, 9; Deuteronomy 31:20

The LORD says: As I was with Moses,
so I will be with you. 
– Be strong and courageous;
you will lead My people to a land where milk and honey flow.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will never leave you,
nor will I abandon you wherever you go.
– Be strong and courageous;
you will lead My people to a land where milk and honey flow.

Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Saint John of St. Facundo, (Confessor, Traditional)

Commemoration of SS. Basilides, Cyrinus, Nabor, and Nazarius, Martyrs (Traditional)

The poor, the mourning, the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed because their lives glorify God (Mt 5:1-12), “Father of Our LORD Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation” (2 Cor 11-7). Even when our sufferings overflow, our Hope is firm. We share in the “consolations” that come from the Goodness of the LORD.

SAINT JOHN FACUNDO, CONFESSOR 

St. John was born at St. Facundus in Spain, and belonged to the Augustinian Order. He was distinguished for his devotion during Holy Mass; he loved peace-making and brought an end to a civil war among the factions in Salamanca. He distributed his revenues among the poor, and devoted his time to works of charity. He died as a hermit in 1470.

COMMEMORATION OF SS. BASILIDES, CYRINUS, NABOR, & NAZARIUS, MARTYRS

These men were Christian soldiers in the army of Maxentius during the persecution of Diocletian. They were beheaded by order of Aurelius, prefect of Rome.

From a letter to the Romans by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
(3, 1-5, 3; Funk 1, 215-219)

Let me not only be called a Christian, but prove to be one

You have never begrudged the martyrs their triumph but rather trained them for it. And so I am asking you to be consistent with the lessons you teach them. Just beg for me the courage and endurance not only to speak but also to will what is right, so that I may not only be called a Christian, but prove to be one. For if I prove myself to be a Christian by martyrdom, then people will call me one, and my loyalty to Christ will be apparent when the world sees me no more. Nothing you can see is truly good. For Our LORD Jesus Christ, now that He has returned to His Father, has revealed Himself more clearly. Our task is not one of producing persuasive propaganda; Christianity shows its greatness when it is hated by the world.

I am writing to all the churches to declare to them all that I am glad to die for God, provided you do not hinder me. I beg you not to show me a misplaced kindness. Let me be the food of beasts that I may come to God. I am His wheat, and I shall be ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may become Christ’s pure bread.

I would rather that you coaxed the beasts to become my tomb and to leave no scrap of me behind; then when I have died I will be a burden to no one. I shall be a true disciple of Christ when the world no longer sees my body. Pray to Christ for me that by these means I may become a sacrifice to God. I do not give you orders like Peter and Paul. They were Apostles, I am a condemned criminal; they were free, I am still a slave. But if I suffer, I shall become the freedman of Jesus Christ and I shall rise again to freedom in Him.

Now as a prisoner I am learning to give up my own wishes. All the way from Syria to Rome I am fighting wild beasts, by land and by sea, by day and by night, chained as I am to ten leopards, I mean the detachment of soldiers who guard me; the better you treat them, the worse they become. I am more and more trained in discipleship by their ill usage of me, but I am not therefore justified. How happy I will be with the beasts which are prepared for me! I hope that they will make short work of me. I shall even coax them to devour me quickly and not to be afraid of touching me, as sometimes happens; in fact, if they hold back, I shall force them to it. Bear with me, for I know what is good for me. Now I am beginning to be a disciple. May nothing visible or invisible rob me of my prize, which is Jesus Christ! The fire, the cross, packs of wild beasts, lacerations, rendings, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs, crushing of the whole body, the horrible tortures of the devil—let all these things come upon me, if only I may gain Jesus Christ!

DAILY MEDITATION

Saint John was born at St. Fagondez, in Spain. At an early age, he held several benefices in the diocese of Burgos, till the reproaches of his conscience forced him to resign them all except one chapel, where he said Mass daily, preached, and catechized. After this, he studied theology at Salamanca,and then laboured for some time as a most devoted missionary priest. Ultimately, he became a hermit of the Augustinian Order in the same city. There his life was marked by a singular devotion to the Holy Mass. Each night afer Matins, he remained in prayer till the hour of celebration, when he offered the adorable Sacrifice with the most tender piety, often enjoying the sight of Jesus in glory, and holding sweet colloquies with Him. The power of his personal holiness was seen in his preaching, which produced a complete reformation in Salamanca.

He had a special gift of reconciling differences, and was enabled to put an end to the quarrels and feuds among noblemen, at that period very common and fatal. The boldness shown by St. John in reproving vice endangered his life. A powerful noble, having been corrected by the saint for oppressing his vassals, sent two assassins to slay him. The holiness of the saint’s aspect, however, caused by that Peace which continually reigned in his soul, struck such awe into their minds that they could not execute their purpose, but humbly besought his forgiveness. And the nobleman himself, falling sick, was brought to repentance, and recovered his health by the prayers of the saint whom he had endeavoured to murder. He was also most zealous in denouncing those hideous vices which are a fruitful source of strife, and it was in defense of holy purity that he met his death. A lady of noble birth but evil life, whose companion in sin St. John had converted, contrived to administer a fatal poison to the saint. After several months of terrible suffering, borne with unvarying patience St. John went to his reward on June 11.

Reflection: All men desire peace, but those alone enjoy it who, like St. John, are completely dead to themselves, and love to bear all things for Christ.

John Gilmary Shea (d. 1892) – American author and celebrated historian, regarded as the father of American Catholic history.

  Believing in the Reality of the Beatitudes

The cross, especially one of prolonged suffering, is one of the greatest gifts that God can send us. Immersed in that suffering, as though transported into the darkness above the atmosphere, our vision of the vast universe is made clearer. When the cross is lacking instead, we may easily mistake lightning bugs for stars. We might think that all we do is in God’s service, compatible with and even useful for His Glory, but all the while we cater to our own ego and vanity. As a result, we offer God a life that mixes smoke with incense. When, on the other hand, suffering comes to visit us and stays for a long time, we might understand the saints’ words that speak of a life away from the limelight, of self-denial and of authenticity before God and our fellow human beings. Such a realisation can be so strong as to even cause one to offer acts of gratitude to the One who permits suffering.

The cross certainly brings us to the right path and is the guarantee that the roots of our life are expanding: the signaint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop of new beauty to blossom. And we start to realise that the beatitudes are not merely promises or encouragements but a reality. One who weeps can really find blessing in this very weeping. It is a True Beatitude, though not yet the one to come in Eternity.

Servant of God Chiara Lubich

Chiara Lubich († 2008) was the founder and president of the Focolare movement. [From Heaven on Earth: Meditations and Reflections, Jerry Hearne, Tr. 

Galatians 2:19-20

Through the law, I died to the law
to live for God.
I still live within this human body,
but I live now by Faith in the Son of God,
– who loved me, and gave Himself up for me.

With Christ I have been nailed to the Cross,
and I live now no longer my life,
but the life of Christ who lives in me.
– Who loved me, and gave Himself up for me.

“The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil. The tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction.” – Ven. Archbishop Fulton Sheen