November 12 2018 (school mass) - St. Josaphat - Martyrdom and Eucharist

The month of November began with the great feast of All Saints. There are many types of saints canonized over the centuries. Saints who were Holy Popes, priests, and deacons, saints who were married or widowed. Saints who were religious brothers and sisters who remained unmarried and consecrated themselves to Jesus for their whole of life. Saints whose names and stories we know, and saints whose names we will only learn in heaven.

A very special category of saints are known as the martyrs. The word martyr comes from the Greek word for witness, for the martyrs witness, they testify, they tell the world about Jesus, not only through their preaching and teaching, but to the point of death. Martyrs are so dearly beloved by the Church and exalted by the Church because they follow in the footsteps of Jesus who himself was arrested, tortured, and killed for his witness to the Truth of God.

Today, the Church honors a saint who witnessed to the truth that Christians are supposed to look to and follow the spiritual leadership of the Pope. St. Josephat was a bishop who was killed by a mob of people who hated the Pope. As bishop, St. Josephat witnessed to the truth that Jesus, Our Lord, created the Church and organized it to have a spiritual leader, who governs the Church in faithfulness to Jesus. For defending this truth, Josephat was killed. Josephat was faithful to those words we heard in our first reading, St. Paul writing to Titus about bishops "holding fast to the true message."


So many of the martyrs throughout the centuries have died defending what is True, what is true about Jesus, what is true about God, what is true about the Church, and what is true about the human soul, that the human soul is need of conversion, it needs to humble itself, turn away from sin, and believe in the Gospel.

We are thankful for the witness of the martyrs. And every time we come to celebrate the Eucharist, we need to approach the altar with the desire to have the same strength of faith that the martyrs showed. That when we are called to witness to the truth, we will have the strength to endure mockery, social-pressure; that our courage and love of God will be stronger than our human fears of suffering.

There is a strong connection between martyrdom and what happens on the altar every time we celebrate mass. For on the altar, bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus, who offered himself in witness to the truth of God’s love. And the martyrs offer themselves as well, that we may know and remember that same truth. As we prayed in the opening prayer, “Stir up in your Church, we pray, O Lord, the Spirit that filled Saint Josaphat as he laid down his life for the sheep, so that through his intercession, we, too, may be strengthened by the same Spirit and not be afraid to lay down our life for others”…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.