Memorial of Saint
Josaphat, bishop and martyr
(Wisdom 2:23-3:9; Luke 17:7-10)
Of all the evangelists St. Luke takes the prize for
compassion. His description of Jesus features
this great virtue. Only Luke quotes
Jesus assuring Peter of his prayers when he predicts his denial. Likewise, only Luke makes an excuse for his
disciples sleeping while he is in agony in the garden. He says that the disciples were “sleeping
from grief.” Only Luke will show Jesus
healing the shorn ear of the servant. So
why does Jesus in today’s gospel imply that his disciples are not doing anything
commendable when work overtime?
To understand Jesus’ intention one must note the context
of the statement. Jesus has just forbidden
his disciples from giving scandal and mandating them to forgive. When the disciples request more faith to
carry out these commands, Jesus assures they already have enough faith. Indeed, he says, even a little faith can move
trees. He implies that instead of needing
added help, they must strengthen their resolve.
Today’s patron saint, Josaphat, exemplifies the kind of
determination that Jesus has in mind here. He was a monk and later bishop of
the Ruthenian (Eastern European) Catholic rite.
Through intensive apostolic effort, Josaphat was able to bring Orthodox Ruthenians
into the Catholic fold. He was martyred,
however, by a mob of pro-Orthodox people resentful of his work.
