Friday, November 22, 2024

Memorial of Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr

(Revelation 10:8-11; Luke 19: 45-48)

In today’s first reading the seer John is told to eat the scroll that tells of the future.  When he does, it sweetens his tongue but sours his stomach.  What could the scroll say other than prophesy about a war that is about to take place?

Wars begin with the call to glory.  Young men are puffed up with ambition.  They enjoy for a while the fanfare which people bountifully bestow.  Soon enough, however, the reality of soldiering will erase the glamor of war from their minds.  The arduous waiting, the fear of dying, the reality of being hurt and seeing companions die, all create a very bitter experience.

We should not look for war.  At times it may be necessary to defend goodness.  Still going into battle is not to be celebrated.  Rather it should occasion penance and prayer.  Penance prepares the soldier for death, and prayer commends him or her to God’s mercy.

Friday, November 18, 2022

Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

(Revelation 10:8-11; Luke 19:45-48)

The reading from the Book of Revelation pictures John, the seer, swallowing a scroll from an angel.  The scroll containing prophecy tastes like honey in the seer’s mouth because it contains news of Christ’s ultimate victory over sin.  However, it upsets his stomach because it also tells of the suffering the people of God will have to endure.  The reading concludes with someone telling John to prophecy about peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.  John will relate this prophecy as a battle narrative showing the victory of the Lambs’ forces over evil.

Revelation comes from the Greek word apokalipsis which literally means folding back the veil.  It is the story of the future which only God knows although He can share it with others.  We should hear in the coming days of evil being annihilated so that the children of God may live in the glory of God.

Like the scroll that the seer swallows, our experience in life as Christians is bittersweet.  We know of Christ’s love for us best shown on the cross and in its extension in the Eucharist.  We also know that we must endure hardship to be true to him.  But victory is assured because Christ is more powerful than any of evil.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

(Revelation 10:8-11; Luke 19:45-48)

Franz Jӓgerstӓtter died a martyr of the faith at toward the end of World War II.  He was an ordinary farmer with a wife and three daughters until he was called to fight in the German army.  He knew that the Nazis were thugs and took his stand as a conscientious objector.  For a while the Nazis tolerated his resistance.  But as the tide of the war turned, they tried Jӓgerstӓtter for sedition.  Jӓgerstӓtter was told by friends and churchmen to think of his family and repent.  But he defended his position writing, “I cannot believe that, just because one has a wife and children, a man is free to offend God."

In the first reading, Presbyter John conveys how Jӓgerstӓtter must have felt before the guillotine ended his life.  John says that when a prophet first proclaims God’s word, it is like honey on the tongue.  But words have meaning, and actions have consequences.  People will reject a prophet’s criticism and then the prophet.  If the message is strong enough, they will seek to kill the messenger.

Having made the ultimate sacrifice for his faith , Jӓgerstӓtter’s story has a sweet ending.  In 2007 he was beatified by the Church.  There was no need for a miracle to show Blessed Franz Jӓgerstӓtter’s sanctity.  Pope Benedict XVI declared that his execution was in fact a martyrdom obviating any other proof of holiness. 

Friday, November 21, 2014

Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

(Revelation 10:8-11; Luke 19:45-48)

A few years ago John Allen, one of the leading Vatican journalists, wrote a disturbing book titled The Global War on Christians.  The book wakes comfortable Christians from their slumber.  Many think the days of religious persecution ended with the Puritan witch hunts.  The truth that Allen records is that persecution of Christians in places like Korea, China, and in many predominantly Muslim areas is rampant.

Sunday we celebrate Christ the King, the hope of Christians suffering religious persecution.  They know that sooner or later Christ will triumph over religious bigotry, no matter the setbacks now being experienced.  The reading from Revelation today hints of this victory.  The sweetness that John, the visionary, tastes comes from his narrating the ultimate triumph of Jesus.  The sourness in the stomach reflects the great suffering that must be endured in the process.

Some are predicting religious persecution in the United States soon.  The Church has certainly lost its credibility among many people.  The global experience of Christians should advise us that harassment at least is possible.  But whether or not there will be full-fledged persecution of the Church, we too look to Christ the King for assurance that justice will ultimately prevail.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Memorial of Blessed Miguel Pro, priest and martyr

(Revelation 10:8-11; Luke 19:45-48)

Blessed Miguel Pro was executed eighty-five years ago today by the Mexican Army for a trumped up charge of conspiracy in an assassination attempt. He was a young Jesuit priest who had recently returned to his country after formation in Belgium. At the time Mexico was in the throes of religious persecution by the state of the Catholic Church. Fr. Pro had to administer the sacraments clandestinely until he was arrested and shot. He died with the refrain “Viva Cristo Rey” (Long live Christ the King) on his lips.

Christ the King, whose feast will be celebrated on Sunday, is the hope of Christians suffering religious persecution. They know that sooner or later Christ will triumph over religious bigotry, no matter the setbacks people of faith now experience. The reading from Revelation today hints of this victory. The sweetness that John, the author, tastes comes from his narrating the ultimate triumph of Jesus. The sourness in the stomach reflects the great suffering caused in the process.

Some are predicting religious persecution in the United States soon. The Church has certainly lost its credibility among many people. The Mexican experience of the last century should advise all that harassment and suppression are possible. But whether or not there will be persecution of the Church, Catholics look to Christ the King for assurance that truth and goodness will ultimately prevail.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

(Revelation 10:8-11; Luke 19:45-48)

Franz Jӓgerstӓtter died at the hands of the Nazis toward the end of World War II. He was an ordinary farmer with a wife and three daughters until war broke out and he was called to fight in the German army. He knew that the Nazis were thugs and took his stand as a conscientious objector. For a while he was allowed to maintain his neutrality, but by 1943 the Nazis would no longer tolerate his resistance. They tried him for sedition and summarily beheaded him. Jӓgerstӓtter defended his position before critics who told him to think of his family. Before his death, he wrote, “I cannot believe that, just because one has a wife and children, a man is free to offend God."

In the first reading, Presbyter John conveys how Jӓgerstӓtter felt before the guillotine ended his life. John says that a prophet announces God’s will with euphoria. It is indeed a privilege to speak the word of God. But words have meaning, and actions have consequences. To preach the word of God, a prophet needs courage. Some will rightly judge him or her on the basis of fidelity to the preached message. Others ignominiously persecute the prophet because the truth he or she speaks constrains their will to do as they please.

Although Jӓgerstӓtter made the ultimate sacrifice for his faith, his story actually has a sweet ending. In 2007 he was beatified by the Church. There was no call for a miracle to show Blessed Franz Jӓgerstӓtter’s sanctity because the farmer-war resister was declared a martyr of the faith.